Cannabis

Chapter 20

Erose breathed out, visibly shaken and deeply disturbed. As he took a pause, he looked into my eyes, and I noticed his anguish. As I returned his obsidian gaze, it felt as if my entirety was being sucked into those eyes which reflected the depths of depravity he had experienced. For some bizarre reason, I was unable to look away. In his eyes, I saw a child, a pure, innocent child, cowering in fear.

I was taken aback when he reached out for me, his hand brushing my cheek.

"Don't cry." He managed to croak.

I didn't even realize that I was crying, I was that much engrossed in his story. And now, his voice did it for me. I quickly enveloped him in a hug as I broke into sobs. I felt an overwhelming urge to protect him from all odds. 

How can someone live through this much of pain and trauma? And how can possibly an adult , who was supposed to be a father, do that to a 14 year old? HE WAS A CHILD, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! I can't even imagine of putting myself in his shoes, and he?! He went through all that crap, all by himself!  

There was a comfortable silence as we held each other close. He was silent. It took a hell amount of guts for him to confess up to me, and I felt that. I could feel his chest hammering against my ears, but that didn't stop me from basking in his warmth.  Those few odd moments were perfect.

All the pain, all the agony, all the unspeakable atrocities meted out to him were real. The way his voice shook at certain parts, the way his hand trembled under mine, the way his eyes glistened from tears that he chose not to shed, all were real. His feelings were real.......

.....he was real.

We let each other go, and I looked into his eyes once again. Blood rushed to my cheeks, but I didn't fail to notice that he had regained his composure. I reclined back to my seat beside his bed, wiping my tears away and sniffling.

Taking a deep breath once again, he resumed. One by one, he told me, how his days continued to roll on, how his life became a living hell as he was left completely vulnerable to his step-father's monstrous advances after his mother's suicide, how his step-father treated him like his toy and did whatever he pleased, whenever he wanted, how his step-brother cut all ties with him, if he had any. I listened to him with rapt attention, every word burning into my soul and making a mark.

"I'd still go to school", he added, smiling wearily but with a tinge of self-pride in his voice. My eyes went wide in astonishment and I mentally applauded him for his innate strength of mind. 

All of a sudden, I noticed a change in his demeanor. He started shaking, his breath became shallow and his lips curled back from his teeth. Edgy, I thought that he was hyperventilating, but my inhibitions were cut short as a sneer emanated from him.

"Then came the day.....I...I...started taking it...."

A lot of revelations still awaited me. 

To be continued...