I
Reuben
The park was unusually quiet for a Friday afternoon. Children from school should have been playing by then, arousing street people from deep sleep in park benches. Such bliss one would feel by the peacefulness of the park. Few people eating popcorns and from time to time throw them to the ground for the birds to eat.
From across the big fountain, he watched everything and everyone at the park just as he did every afternoon. Resting himself on the big trunk of a tree as he playfully nibble his sandwich. He flinched when a part of his lips hurt as he chewed his food. He touched the source of the pain and felt a little swell. After years of being bullied at school, he usually felt just a little numb from where they punch him, usually on the face. His nose would bleed for minutes while he did his best to stop it by bending his head forward and pressing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. But that day was different.
Marc, the leader of the bullies approached him while he was at the grounds of the school, reading. He started emptying his pockets and handed him every penny he had. “That’s all I got. Please don’t hurt me, my father would be furious”. His father was getting suspicious about him getting home with all the bruises and swells and started thinking that maybe his son was a troublemaker at school.
“Oh yeah? Lemme tell you something. I am actually furious with your father. I gotta tell you man, I envy you a lot. I wish I was living with him too so that I’d have the chance to cut his throat while he sleeps”.
Curiosity filled him and he wanted to ask Marc why he was suddenly angry with his father. But he knew better than that, he had to keep quiet and listen if he didn’t want Marc to land him a punch on the face.
“I might as well tell you the big news huh? Well, just last night when I came home, I heard someone laughing with my mom in her bedroom. They were like moaning and groaning like two teenagers having their first time you know. And then after eavesdropping for god-knows-how-long, your father came out of the room. So you see man, we’re brothers now huh?”
What Marc just said really disgusted him. His father could never do that to him. Never to his family. “Why don’t you just go Marc? I already feel miserable. I gave you all my money. No need to lie to make me suffer more”, he said bravely though deep inside he was really scared.
“You calling me a liar man? Huh?”, and Marc punched him hard on the lips.
He flinched again from the memory. That sure hurt a lot. But it was nothing compared to what Marc told him although he denied it to himself several times. His father no doubt, the greatest doctor in town, his caring father, so religious and true. No, he thought. Marc was just teasing him again.
“I see you like this tree too”
He turned his head to the direction of the voice and there he saw standing no more than 5 feet from where he sat, a very beautiful girl. She had the most beautiful deep-settled brown eyes. Her hair was long and very straight. She was smiling but was not looking at him. She was looking at the sky with wide, dreamy eyes. He caught himself staring at her. He was awed by her beauty. And then she looked at him and smiled again and gradually the smile turned to a frown.
“You’ve been very naughty at school, haven’t you?” she asked, staring at the swelling side of his lips. Perhaps she noticed the books and school bag and knew immediately that he was a student. He didn’t know what to say so he just smiled at her, showing his deep pair of dimples on both cheeks.
