Being Theo Fernandes

Chapter 6

The next few days passed uneventfully. From waking up in the morning amidst Din's dirty clothes, suppressing the urge to vomit while gulping down the morning sandwiches and sour milk, and going to sleep, thankful for not being entitled to another fight, Theo and Din had not too bad a time. Theo, for the first time, felt as though he had a friend – a real one. Now, coming to think of it, he did not want to go back to his uncle's house. He may not be the luckiest kid in the block, but might as well be the happiest. And, at least to the boy who spent the last two years of his life holding back tears and shielding himself from his uncle and aunt, that really meant something.

Theo was packing back his stuff into his duffel bag, feeling empty for some reason. Feeling sad. Which was weird for a few reasons. For starters, he did this every few months and there wasn't much emotion involved any time. For another, no one is sad leaving the public dormitory. Tomorrow morning, Mr. Burke was to return from holiday, and pick the boy up from the dorm.

He was trying to torture his battered duffel bag further by injecting a pair of torn jeans into an overload of baggy clothes, when Din entered the room, holding a slice of cheese pizza in one hand and balancing a cup of cold coffee in another.

"A bite?" he asked.

"No thank you," said Theo.

"Theo,"
"Yeah?"

"Don't you want to go back?"

Theo looked up. Din was staring at piece of paper he had placed on his lap, taking a bite off his pizza and washing it down with coffee.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't particularly like the place, but I guess its better than where I have to go to."

"Then don't go."

Theo felt a rush of excitement. He knew that Din was joking, and that he had to continue packing and wait for his uncle at the entrance the next day, but still, the rush of adrenaline he suddenly stimulated when he heard Din say that was quite impressive. He really didn't want to go.

"Hello? Why go then?"

"I have to, I guess," Theo grinned. This sounded like some love story when the hero has to leave the heroine behind at some stage.

"Let's leave this place."

"What?"

"Look at this," he shoved the piece of paper he had been reading towards Theo. He caught it and skimmed through it. It was an advertisement. Of a bus Northward, at a reduced rate. And it was leaving tonight.

"No way." Said Theo. "No way". But still, the immaculate possibility of that happening was actually giving him the butterflies.