Being Theo Fernandes

Chapter 5

"I- I'm sorry, Let go of me, please-" Theo stuttered, grasping the boy's hand and making a vain attempt to loosen his grip on
his throat.

"Let go of you? Do we do that, Mark?" he sniggered.

"Oh, no we don't. Now, boy-" said Mark, grabbing Theo by the chest and pulling the boy towards himself. "Hand over some money, and we let you run."

Theo could feel the stench of cigarette within a few centimeters. He felt helpless, and outnumbered.

"I- I don't have any money-"

WHACK!

Theo felt his cheek burning. Mark returned his hand back to the boy's chest, after administering an impressive smack across Theo's face.

"DO – NOT – LIE" He bellowed, letting go of Theo with such force, that he flew into the hands of a third boy, who grasped Theo's hands together in a vice grip with one hand, and swung the other round the boy's neck. Theo choked.

"Search him."
Theo felt many hands pulling down his pockets, and examining every inch of his body. After a few uncomfortable minutes, someone pulled out a tattered dollar from one of his pant pockets.

"Look at that, Mark- He's got a dollar!"

"The lying scoundrel-"

"I didn't know, I'm sorry-"

WHACK!

Theo tasted blood on his lip, as Mark's knuckles dug into the boy's face.

"AAAAAHHH" Theo groaned, and he received another blow on his stomach, as a penalty for screaming.

"Shut up, you-"

"Let me go, let me-"

SMACK!

But this time, Theo didn't feel any pain. He reluctantly opened his tightly shut eyes, to see Mark nursing his face with a hurt expression, and Din caressing his knuckle he had just landed a blow with.

"Din!" cried Theo. He had never felt more relieved.

"Leave him, you!" Din growled at the boy who had locked Theo's arms, and he felt the feeling back in his palms instantly.

He stumbled over to Din, who put an arm around him. Theo wiped his lip, wincing.

"Go to hell, all of you!" spat Din, and Theo saw a smirk run across Mark's scarred face.

"Run away, Din, run away."

"What if I won't?"

"Well, your wish, I guess," said Mark, and massaging the cheek where Din had hit, beckoned his goons to clear off.

Theo was surprised he had survived that experience. His lip was bleeding steadily, and he felt a tight pain around his stomach. Din, put an arm round his shoulders, and helped him to the dining, where they both got a plate with two stale sandwiches each, a portion of rice and a slurpy brown side dish.

Not minding the rotten taste, Theo gobbled up his sandwiches, and even took a good few bites off one of Din's sandwiches, which he had been generous enough to offer him. It was not until he felt a lot better, that he remembered the need to thank Din.

"Hey, thank you man, I would've died-"

"Ah, don't mind it."

"Why are they scared of you, though?" asked Theo, as Din was hardly any taller or wider than himself.

"Well-" said Din uncomfortably. "I- uhm–"

"What is it?"

"I used to be one of them before."

Theo dropped his spoon, and stared at his friend.

"what?"

"yeah"

"why?"

"Well, I don't know-"

"I mean, why are you not, now?" asked Theo, hardly daring to imagine the circumstance if that was the case.

"I figured that was not the right way,"

"It isn't."

"yeah, I know. In fact, I think they know, too,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, no one is born bad, Theo."

Theo stared, and repeated the sentence in his head. It did seem to make some sense. The rice was stale, and the sloppy side dish seemed too gross to touch. Both Theo and Din slipped it into the waste box, which Din remarked to be recycled every day.

"Is it always this worse?" asked Theo, waving his palm in front if his nose, to divert the horrible stench sourced from the waste box.

"Yeah, rarely when the town mayor or someone visit, they make something eatable."

They trudged back to their room, tired and half full. Theo felt a blinding pain on one side of his face, and felt a loose tooth or two. He dreaded to think of what would have happened if Din hadn't turned up on time.

Once Din had opened the rusty door for Theo and bolted it behind him, Theo saw that the room had been hastily arranged. The books were back on its shelves, and clothes were piled untidily onto the floor, leaving just enough space on the bed for two to spend the night.

"Hey, sit down-"

"Yeah, thanks"

Theo lay back onto the bed, pushing his swollen face onto the pillow.
Din stood on the bedside, arms crossed, and looking concerned about Theo's condition.

"What about a trip to the hospital?"

"No, don't worry about it-"

"No, you're really purple on the face-"

"I'll be alright by morning, Din, seriously-"

The fact that Theo took help from Din in a formal fight was embarrassing on its own, even without taking his help to go to the hospital.

Theo closed his eyes, and tried to ignore a terrible headache and the swollen feeling of his mouth.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Theo?" Din asked, suddenly.

That was a question Theo had never seriously considered.

"Uhm-"

"You don't know?"

"Yeah, I mean-"

Din grinned.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Theo asked.

"I don't want to grow up."

"What?"

"Growing up is like a vine, Theo. The more you grow up, the more it gets tight. It brings responsibilities. It makes you a man."

"Well, isn't that good?"

"It is for some. Not for me."