From Something To Everything (Bounprem)

151. Rage 2

Please do keep some tissues with you. You might need it.

"You said you love Boun. All those years ago, on his sixteenth birthday, Boun was officially kicked out of the family, following which he had to go through many unimaginable things including being kidnapped. Did you even bother to ask him about all that? Did it ever cross your mind that those incidents might have left an impact on him? Or did you think that just because you added his name to our family register, everything was set?" Ohm wiped his tears of anger. he refused to cry in front of them.

Ann didn't say anything. It was not that she didn't want to check on Boun. But she had stopped herself as Seth told her that Simon and Ohm were handling everything and her interference might unbalance the fragile equilibrium that the duo had created for Boun.

Even after so long, she never enquired about it. It was indeed her fault. She should have sat down and had a talk with Boun. He would have appreciated that.

"No, right Mom?" Ohm sneered at Ann's guilt-ridden face. "Did it ever occur to you that there must be a reason behind me dropping out of high school and accompanying Boun to be home-schooled? That too in a place like Hua Hin, where we don't even have any acquaintances? Did you ever pause to think why I dropped all my jobs back in high school, including my first chance to play the male lead and struck close to Boun like glue?

I am sure you haven't. and do you know why? I was afraid. I was afraid of leaving him alone. I was afraid that I would lose him again. I almost lost him once when he was kidnapped and I didn't want anything like that to happen to him again.

But as parents, did that thought come into your minds? The thought that one day you might never get to see the old Boun who loved everyone around him?"

"Ohm, son, we-" Ann couldn't even speak properly.

"Boun needed you, Mom. He needed you by his side. He needed an adult who could assure him that he was safe." Ohm broke down. "I was only a teenager, Mom. Things were much more complicated than I could handle. No matter how much I tried, I wasn't able to be of much help, Mom.

Aa Simon was there. Physically there for us. But emotionally and mentally he was of no help, Mom. It only after almost a year, P' Kao finally got to know everything and he came back that Boun started feeling secure. It was P' Kao who gave him the sense of security that he should have received from you."

Ohm threw his head back, looking at the ceiling. He didn't want those tears to roll down his eyes. He was finally letting out all the frustration that had built up within him for years. He couldn't ruin it by being so emotional.

He composed himself and looked at the two women who were silently crying. Especially his own mother.

"Mom, you said that you loathe the fact that Boun had been sleeping around. But do you know why he does that? Because he is afraid of sleeping alone. He used to get nightmares almost every night following the kidnapping incident.

We did take him to a doctor who prescribed him sleeping pills. But guess what happened in the end? Boun took a whole bunch of them in one go, wanting to end his life."

Ann and Tessa gasped in shock. They were completely unaware of the incident.

"It was lucky that I found out about it before it was too late and took him to the nearby hospital. I took him to the hospital in the middle of the night, Mom. I was barely seventeen and we had no adults with us. Aa Simon was away on a mission and P' Singto was on a business trip. We didn't have any adults who could sign the hospital procedures for us in Hua Hin. In the end, P' Kao drove all the way from Bangkok to Hua Hin at midnight to sign as the guardian.

And let me tell you. That was not the only time he had tried to take his life. There were several similar attempts, Mom. We had to keep him away from anything that he could use to harm himself like those sleeping pills, ropes, sharp objects and countless other things."

Tessa and Ann were crying out loud but Ohm had no intention of stopping.

"I don't blame Fluke for watching out for his friend. What Boun did to Prem was wrong and I don't justify his actions. But do you know why he did that?" Ohm looked alternatively between his mother and aunt. "Because he didn't want Prem to leave his side. Even though he was afraid of being abandoned again like all the time, he still tried to keep Prem by his side. His methods were wrong. I agree. But intentions weren't."

Ohm sniffled. His voice had turned nasal due to the excessive number of tears. "You said you understood Fluke's point of view. you were willing to think from Prem's side. But what about Boun? Who is going to think from his side, even if the people whom he loves wholeheartedly as a family aren't willing to do so? He would be broken if he had heard the conversation between the two of you."

The women were a complete mess. Their emotional turmoil was unexplainable.

Ohm turned to his aunt. "And you Pa, the Mother Teresa, the mother of all sacrifices, you said you sent Boun away for his own good? What made you think that sending him away from his family would do him good? Do you even know what he wanted at that age? What he wanted the most was 'you', Pa. your presence by his side."

Taking deep breathes Ohm continued. "You know, during Christmas, when our teacher used to tell us to make wishes to Santa Claus, all the other kids used to wish for toys or things like that. But Boun he used to wish that you would one day start loving him."

Tessa clenched her aching chest. She couldn't take it.

"Every year, Me and P' Kao used to pool our pocket money to buy an extra gift for him. We would give that gift to him telling him that they were from you. You have no idea how much he cherishes each one of them. I am sure that he still has those small not so expensive gifts with him as a memory of his Mom's love for him."

Tessa gripped Ann's hands. Her whole being was being torn apart.

"Do you remember that worn-out dog plush toy, Ludo? The one Boun used to hug to sleep. Do you remember the chaos he created when P' Alan threw it away? That was the first gift me and P' Kao got for him saying that it was from you. That was the reason, he was so affected by losing it."