A Hero I Look Up To

Reminiscence

Tobio is now a fourth grader now, which means he's a year away to graduate elementary school! Two weeks have passed and Tobio thought of doing something to surprise Mia and Loid once he arrives at school. Chris drove Tobio, as usual, but things were a little different. Back when Tobio was in pre-school, his mother would do the honors to take him to school. In third grade, she suddenly stopped and got Chris to take him to school. Usually a ride with Chris isn't that bad, but it was awfully quiet. There were conversations on the way to school when riding with Chris compared to his parents, but there was none. The car engine was the only one to be heard. Tobio looked out the window as he drove passed houses. He didn't know what to talk about to Chris as he seemed rather tired. After a long drive, he finally arrived. Tobio opened the car door, but before he went out the car, Chris seemed like he wanted to say something.

"I'll see you after school, Tobio." Chris closed his eyes and smiled at Tobio. He waved at him before he sent him off. "If you see Loid this time, tell him that things will be ok!"

"Alright." Tobio grabbed his backpack and walked out of the car.

For the past two weeks, Loid hasn't been attending school. Tobio, Chris, and Mia, were under the impression he had family problems, or that he caught a cold. It was unlike him to suddenly become sick–especially during the time his family bakery is under a crisis. Tobio looked down on the floor as he slowly walked into the school building. He worried about Loid, but it was just a cold, so he wouldn't die from it. Tobio smiled and shrugged it off, treating today as if it was a fresh new day waiting for him.

Tobio looked ahead and saw Mia. She seemed to be looking at the sky with a puzzled look that shows that she was waiting for someone. As Mia gazed her eyes to Tobio, he smiled and waved at her. Before he was about to say something, Mia raised her eyes and waved back.

"Hello Tobio!" Mia shouted from afar.

Tobio skipped to the energetic Mia and said, "Heya."

The way Tobio talked to Mia was different, which surprised Mia. Usually, Tobio was a shy kid, but now he's trying his best to communicate. This all started in third grade, where Tobio asked Chris on speaking tips. That way, Tobio could learn how to talk better than what he did in back when he was a kindergartener. From there, his social skills had builded up and led him to his improvement in speaking.

"Heya...?" Mia tilted her head, and suddenly, she gasped as she saw a significant change in Tobio. "That's new!"

Mia giggled at Tobio's new way of speaking, which got Tobio to laugh too. They laughed for a great while, having fun with the changes between the two of them. However, something felt missing between the two. Usually, Loid would come around the time Tobio would arrive, which questioned Tobio. It's already been over two weeks, and he once had speculated that Loid was sick, but two weeks of sickness isn't normal.

"Loid's still not here..." Tobio sighed. "I really wanted him to see my change... is he feeling alright? Will he come back soon?"

Mia looked away from Tobio and hung her head low. She looked like she was about to tear up like in a funeral. Seeing her pained face made Tobio raise his eyes. The look on Mia's face got Tobio to knew something had happen to Loid.

"We could... no longer get in contact with..." Mia cried. "Even during his bakery's financial problem..."

"You also knew about that problem?" Tobio tilted his head while he asked Mia.

"I found out through mom... she was... devastated." Mia sighed. She looked away and tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down. "How I found out Loid moved... I found out through one of our classmates. Enrolling here is expensive, so it would be impossible for his family to pay for Loid's school... maybe that's why he moved...!"