Boneca [Doll]

Chapter 33: Pay for sins

Standing up, Jona instructed Mike, who was struggling with a wooden plank in his hands. "Come on, little man. Kick it harder. You're just touching it, Mike. Bring your leg down fast and hit hard. Again."

This was Mike's fifth attempt to break it, and as he fell once more, Myra and another black kid rushed to his side. Wiping away tears, Mike whimpered, "No... I can't do it," burying his face in his palms.

Despite the sadness tugging at Jona's heart, he maintained focus on encouraging him. "It's OK to cry, Mike. But you can do this." Adjusting his leg to the kicking position, he reassured, "You can do this."

"You can do it, Mike!" echoed several kids, chanting his name while jumping and thumping the tatami mat. Encouraging words filled the air: "Harder!" "Kick it!" "Let's get yellow belt together!"

Rubbing his wet face, Mike kicked the plank with a small shout. Although he fell back on his butt, the plank in Jona's hands split into two. Pride swelled in Jona's chest as Mike's friends embraced him in a group hug.

If there was one aspect of Jona's life that truly brought him joy, it was witnessing these children grow, learning perseverance and fighting their way up.

Mike's lanky father hugged him, lifting him into the air when the boy proudly displayed the broken plank.

Despite the contentment in Jona's heart, a bitter taste lingered on his tongue. Not once did his father attend any of the numerous award ceremonies he participated in; it was always Kurosaki-san or his mother. Despite his claim to love Jona as much as his twin, his father had never made an effort to give him his attention. Yet, somehow, he clung to the belief that he loved him. Always did. Still do.

Love is true when it feels true. Nothing can change that.

"Sensei!" Myra ran to Jona, her uniform fluttering as she gripped the side of his knees, her eyes scanning the occupied combat gym.

Bitterness surged again, and tears threatened. Her mother, Miss Candace, had informed him this morning that she wouldn't stay, having to meet her client. She had stayed for merely five minutes before leaving.

If Jona possessed Luuk's personality and bluntness, he would question why she consistently acted this way. He simply wanted to understand why she was so insensitive to her daughter's feelings. Last year, if Noel hadn't intervened, Aarón would've confronted her when she arrived five hours late to pick her up, strolling into the dojo with her boyfriend as if nothing happened.

"Your mom went out for a while. She told me to tell you that she will come back in a bit."

Myra stared at him with parted pink lips before looking down and sighing. In that moment, her eyes appeared much older. "OK." She shrugged and ran to the back of the dojo.

"Esa es una mala mentira," [That's a bad lie there,] Aarón commented from behind. "¿No crees que es hora de que hagamos entrar en razón a su madre?" [Don't you think it's time for us to knock some sense into her mother?]

Observing Myra chatting with her friend's mother while demonstrating her karate punches, Jona hesitated. "I don't know. We talked to her last year, remember? Nothing's changed since then. And... it's complicated. It isn't like she is abusing Myra. The kid is healthy."

"You saw her face. She's not happy. She's a kid, not a dumb doll. The bitch doesn't necessarily have to abuse her to be a shitty parent. She's neglecting her own daughter and responsibility. This is not a one-time thing. Not even twice. This has been happening for two years." Aarón gripped Jona's shoulder. "You could empathize with Myra better than anyone. You know the poor kid isn't happy. Her mother didn't attend her belt promotion last year. She's not even here today." He clicked his tongue. "People like her mother and your father don't deserve to be a parent."

Jona sighed. "Aarón, please don't start again."

Aarón harbored an intense hatred for Jona's father. Six years ago, Jona had to stop him from confronting his father when Alex learned about what Jona's father had made him do.

"I'm not taking back what I said cuz you know that's the truth. He didn't fucking call you for Thanksgiving this year too. Fuck, he never calls you for holidays. When was the last time you celebrated the holiday with him?"

"I'm the one who should call my elders. And he has his own family now. My little brothers need him more than I need him. I don't mind spending the holiday with Karma. I'm used to it."

"It's not something to get used to. And aren't you his kid too? Did he even return your calls?" He inhaled. "Stop defending him. You're only his son when he wants to fix you." His gaze remained fixed on Myra, the tone of his voice shifting—fulfillment, hope, vengeance? "You know why I'm so willing to let you be with Luuk?" A bitter smile formed on his lips. "Cuz it's not a bit of a stretch to say that that guy will raise a shitstorm from hell when he knows what your father did to you."

Goosebumps prickled Jona's skin under the karate uniform.

"Jona, let's start with the belt promotion if you're ready," Noel called in passing as he headed to the dojo studio with new yellow belts in hand.

Call it a gift, call it a godsend, but Aarón read people's emotions and personalities like an open book. He saw the best in people, he saw the worst in them, and he saw the truth. If you felt a person was as nice as an angel, and he told you that the person was a demon in disguise, you could almost take his words a hundred percent. He had never been wrong.

And he always said that Jona was humanizing what his father did to him. Yes, Alex wasn't wrong, but what he didn't understand was, it was because Jona needed to pay for his own sins.