A School Of Weirdos

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Some days passed, and as usual, the school remained normal, which brought me comfort. The experience with the grinning kitten didn't occupy my mind much during those days, although I saw the kitten numerous times at school. The memory still lingered, but I learned to live with it, and the trauma lessened a bit.

My mom also kept an eye on my emotional and psychological well-being, as mothers often do. It's their right to be concerned about their child and want to make them feel better. To me, mothers are the best gift every child is given from birth.

On a Thursday, during the fifth week of the term, Michael invited me to his house. A conversation during our second break led to the invitation. For the first time since I knew Amanda, she was absent from school, which surprised both Michael and me.

Michael even mentioned that she was never absent during the first term. We speculated that Amanda might be sick and her parents allowed her to stay home to recover. Now, back to our conversation.

During the second break, we sat at our usual spot in the courtyard, enjoying the snacks we bought. While eating my doughnut, Michael surprised me with a sudden question:

"Paul, do you have a dad because you never seem to talk about him?" His question brought forth sadness in me, and with a heavy heart, I answered,
"Michael, my dad passed away a long time ago when I was just seven years old."

My response shook Michael, and he expressed sympathy and apologies.

"Oh! I didn't know. I'm very sorry. I..." Before he could finish, I interrupted him, saying, "Don't worry, it's okay," with a forced smile.

"I'll be honest with you; my dad also passed away when I was just a little boy. I was only five years old, Paul. We have that in common. We're both being raised by single parents, our moms. It's really sad, and it hasn't been easy for my mom to take care of me all this time. I suppose it's the same with yours," Michael shared emotionally. "Yes," I replied, pausing before continuing, "Michael, isn't life cruel for taking both our dads from us? It's not fair to me at all. I still greatly miss my dad. It pains me that he wasn't able to see me grow to this extent," I said, my voice choked with emotion, my face betraying the sadness within me.

"It's just too sad, Paul. Life can indeed be cruel sometimes. But now, all we have to do is make them proud. Just because they're gone doesn't mean they can't see us shine. They live in our hearts too. I don't think they would want to see us sad. So, we have to put that sadness away and be happy. Our happiness will make them glad," Michael said, his words infused with optimism.

His words lifted my spirits, and the sadness I felt dissipated. That day, our bond of friendship grew stronger. Michael became one of the best friends I ever had.

Soon after, Michael asked, "Would you like to come to my house one of these days, maybe tomorrow?" "Is that an invitation?" I asked, feeling a bit shy. "Silly you, of course, it is," he replied jokingly.

"Okay, no problem. Let's see how tomorrow goes. Since we're closing early tomorrow as it's Friday, I can just go there and spend not more than an hour because I wouldn't want my mom to come home and find out I'm not back from school yet. You know what I mean," I said.

"Yeah, I get it. No problem. I just want you to know my house," Michael said.

"Alright then, I'll be looking forward to going to your house tomorrow," I said before the bell rang to signify the end of the break.

Throughout that day, I looked forward to Friday. I wondered how Michael's house would appear. The day passed, and Friday arrived. The classes proceeded smoothly. When school closed, I followed Michael home.