Recurring Tears

He Stays Put

The students bustled around with excitement. Eyes welled with tears of joy as parents hugged their children. George wandered around, looking carefully if he could spot his father's car. His eyes swept all over the compound with anxiety until his eyes came to rest on the white Range Rover Sport parked under a tree.

Yahoo!, he exclaimed and started running to the car. As he neared the car, he shouted, "Mum". It was just then Sarah saw the young fellow running very fast. She threw her arms wide open and the boy flew into her warm embrace. They were in that position for about five minutes until Peter cleared his throat before she released him to go greet his dad. George greeted his dad casually and got into the rear seat of the car. Sarah's eyes moistened with tears as she saw her son looking very thin and unkempt. She lowered her head and wept silently. After about two minutes, she raised her head and wiped her tears then asked,

"How is school going?".

George began talking about his experiences in the school until he noticed that she was no longer paying attention.

"Mum! Mum!! Mum!!!", he called and this jolted her to reality.

"What are you thinking about", Peter asked.

"George, serve yourself as much as you can eat since you are not allowed to take food into the dormitory. Peter, I need to see you", she said and alighted from the vehicle. She walked a few paces away from the car and waited till her husband joined her.

"Darling, she began, please let this boy come home with us. As you can see, he is not well taken care of and I also want him to be with me until I deliver this baby", she concluded.

Peter cast a glance over to the boy who was helping himself to a large quantity of rice and he sighed.
"I'm afraid I can't do that", he responded calmly.

"Why?", she questioned.

"Because this is the only place where he can be trained properly so that he will be useful to himself and the society when he grows up. This is where he will learn to be a man", he concluded.

"Please, let us take him home", Sarah begged. By now, Peter was already simmering with rage as he hated prolonged begging.

"No, he stays put", he replied and walked back to his car.
  George was done eating when his parents came back to the car. Peter opened the boot, brought out two shopping bags and gave them to the boy. He shut the boot and brought out his wallet from his pocket. He counted some money and gave it to his son.
"Its high time you left for your dormitory", he said and hugged the boy lightly. The boy went to his mother who hugged him tightly. Suddenly, he felt something being tucked inside his palm. He raised his head and looked at his mother who winked at him and whispered,

"Don't let him see it".
The boy put the money in his pocket and left for his dormitory. As she watched him go, grief descended upon her and she burst into tears.

"I love you", she said sadly and wiped her tears with the pink hankie she was holding.

"Hop in", came a deep, masculine voice she had heard mostly in the past fifteen years. Slowly , she turned and entered the car and Peter sped off almost immediately. Moments later, she fell asleep.

What happens next? Please stay tuned for more updates.