Final Letter

Prologue: Where the Wind Fades, Where the Wind Blows

In the cold of a night, a young man walks. His steps are slow and heavy.... His heart is hollow as if an empty shell... There are no lights in his eyes.. In his loneliness, the young man keep walking, and walking, and walking.. But to where his destination? No one knows... Not even himself..

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It's already 4 AM.. The sound from the ship's horn honk loudly. The smell of the seas tickle my nose. I cast my gaze into the endless horizon beyond the dark waters.

My name is Ian Walker. I am currently boarding a ship to Borneo. Why am I heading there? Who knows..... I'm just traveling as far as I could go...

For as long as I remembered, I always wanted to be an attorney. I want to become an attorney that protects people from injustice and false accusations. A dream that was inspired to me when I was a young boy. Back then, I wanted to study law at the university in Australia. However.... my parents have different ideas.. They want me to study as an IT Programmer. My father is a dictator who loves to force things to go his way without ever listening to other's opinions, and I was ordered to enter the said study that he desired. I wanted to deny them and strive to fulfill my dream, but.... I realized my position.... My parents have greater authority and resources, whilst I have none. I was powerless... In the end, I have no choice but to give in...

I entered the IT College not of my will, and as expected.... Since I was never good at IT in the first place, I struggled to even stay at the average. I did consult to my parents about my weakness, hoping I could be spared from it. However my parents wouldn't listen. My father even told me that he would not let me quit the study that I have "chosen". I have to finish the IT study all the way to the end. In other words, I can neither get out nor run away from it.

But one day, a miracle happened. My parents made a deal with me. They allowed me to enter the law school I desired, with a condition that I must finish my current IT study first. This promise has become a ray of light for me. It is the one that gave me strength to continue and move forward in my IT studies, even though I'm terrible at it.

I gave it my all in my study. I'd do anything, and I mean anything in order to finish this study. Even if I have to.... threw away my integrity. In the end, after many hard battles, I managed to finish the study with a passing grade.

However, just as I managed to finish my IT study, a terrible tragedy occurred. My father retired from his work. With his retirement, our flow of income was halted and our family entered financial crisis. And due to this condition, unfortunately, my parents cannot schooled me in the law college I desired. After hearing this news...... I was.... I was most disappointed....

I felt angry..

I felt betrayed..

I felt devastated...

"I have given everything I had, even sacrificing my integrity to fulfill my end of bargain, and now you said you can't fulfill yours just because you're retired?". I was severely furious at my parents. I'm angry with the fact that I have given up everything to fulfill my part of the promise, but they ran away from theirs because of "Retirement".

But when I think about it once again, the fact that I have younger siblings that need educations, and the fact that our family still need money to keep on living.... I cannot force my parents to keep their promise. This condition cannot be helped. In my mind, I already know about this, but.... I just can't accept it...

My long dream was over before it started... Just when I'm ready to spread my wings, they were clipped. All because of my father's incompetence.