All Men Are Not The Same

Unknown Destination

I dedicate this chapter to a piece of my heart, my niece Wijdaan! And my other beloved nieces and nephews, Baby Yunus <3 , Yumna, YusraAzeegurHossen and Izyaan.
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As the first rays of the sun hit Maddox's eyes through the hole in his bedroom's ragged curtains, he pried his eyelids open to see another day without his mother. Another day for his heart and mind to grieve upon that part of him he lost forever.

Maddox turned to his right to find that his uncle was not in bed. "It must be so late!" he exclaimed as he stretched his hand looking for his wristwatch, wondering what time it was. "Where is my watch gone? It's pitiful not to have a clock in one's room," he mumbled to himself as he headed out of the room.

"It's still seven. But where is Uncle?" he asked himself, his gaze moving from the wall clock to each corner of the living room. He rushed to the kitchen and again he could not see David. His eyes were then caught by a red suitcase lying near the front door which he did not notice before.

"This is uncle's suitcase. Does that mean he...?" Maddox did not like the idea which cropped up in his mind. He knew though that David had to leave sooner or later but he was not the least prepared to be on his own. Just then, the front door creaked open and David walked in.

"Hey Maddox! You woke up already?" he grinned.

"Uncle, you are leaving too?" Maddox asked and his last word made David's heart shiver. He knew what Maddox meant. He knew how the little boy must be feeling. Yet, he did not have the perfect words to answer him.

"I have to leave son. But I will keep contacting you. And I will come to visit you soon," the grieved man said helplessly.

"But how will you contact me?" the ten year old lad asked impatiently.

"I will call on Evan's phone and speak to you my boy," David replied as he knew that this was the only way he could keep in touch with his nephew.

A few hours later, David left for the airport while Maddox was plunged in his loneliness at home. He did not know where his dad was and he prayed for him to come back home soon.

Dad, where are you? I know you hate me dad, I know when you are around you shout at me. But I wish you were here right now. Even if you would be yelling at me. I just wish you were here. At least this loneliness would not suffocate me this way.

But dad, if I'm lonely today, it's because of you. Your greed for money destroyed our family. You gambled all what mum had, and you broke her heart. The stress and the pain you gave her gnawed her to death. You did not even spare a penny to save her. You murdered my mother. I will never forgive you for that. Never.

Maddox poured down his feelings onto the pages of his diary as pain waves swirled in his chest. At one moment he wanted his dad to come back home and the next moment, he wish he would never come back. His thoughts tormented him. He knew he would not be able to voice them out to his father though. He knew he was too weak for that. But the only thing that was in his capacity was to raise his hands and pray for his deceased mother.

"Dear God, for all the injustice my mum had to live through, for all the pains she tolerated and all the tears that fell from her eyes, build for her a place in paradise."

Amidst his prayers, he heard footsteps approaching his room. At the door, stood Evan and Lydia. Before Maddox could think of anything, Evan placed his hand on the young lad's head and said, "Maddox, I have some great news for you my son."

"What is it?" Maddox asked, trying not to sound bitter.

"Well, let's say, it is more of a surprise! Just pack up some of your basic things, your school materials and so on, and we will be leaving home in an hour or two," Evan said cheerfully while Lydia remained silent. However, when she caught Maddox looking at her in confusion, she smiled and said, "It's nothing to worry about Maddox. Let me help you pack your stuff."

"No! I don't need your help!" he blurted out in an angry tone as he remembered that this woman was his father's wife. The one who snatched his mother's rights.

"Hey, is this the way you talk to elders?" Evan yelled.

"Then how do we speak to elders? As far as I remember, you never taught me that! Did you ever have time for that?" Maddox retorted as tears welled up his eyes.

Evan was taken aback as Maddox never spoke to him like this before. He failed to understand his son's reaction and chose to simply leave the room. As for Lydia, she stood right there, silently watching the guy pack his things, among which were his diary, his mum's pendant and his wristwatch which he finally found beneath his bed.

Maddox ignored Lydia' s presence completely. He knew that he was being rude but he could not help it. He hated Lydia just as much as he hated to see tears in Miranda's eyes.

An hour later, Evan, Lydia and Maddox were all set to leave to a destination which was unknown to the little boy. He did not know what they were up to and he did not even care to know for without his mum, there was no meaning to his life.

Mum I don't know where I'm going. I don't know why. I only know that I lost Elisa, and I lost you. I have no one to live for. I am only going wherever life is taking me, until death unites me with you.

Maddox kept looking through the window as his dad drove down the highway, chatting with Lydia casually. Although Evan was driving at high speed, the road seemed to be never-ending. The little boy wondered when they would finally reach that unknown destination. He felt suffocated in that car with the two persons he hated the most in this world. Or maybe, the two only persons he ever hated in his life.

The road seems endless when the company is not what the heart desires.

Maddox was dragged out of his thoughts when the car finally stopped. They reached that unknown destination. That place where Maddox would never want to be.