"The guys from our class are meeting at the club tonight. Will you make it, Colle?", a guy from Colle's class patted him.
Colle was on a tight schedule that kept him on his feet around the clock. University classes till 3 pm, part-time job at Cream-spot café till 8 pm, and then he had tutoring sessions with 2 high school students. It was hectic, but the earnings procured helped him survive.
Being an orphan, naturally he needed to struggle harder than everyone. In the 20 years he lived, Colle learned this was the only way he'd survive. The inside of the orphanage he grew up in was derelict and the children were malnourished. The stout hooligan who managed it made profits out of the charity contributions meant for the orphans. Colle had also been bullied, hit mercilessly and shunned. From an early age, he only knew the ugly side of this world. He had seen his friends from the orphanage set foot in dark paths, one they could not unglue from.
Many at times, he hoped and imagined the world to go ablaze in an inferno, that gobbled up every last human being.
When he grew up and had the power to earn and stand on his own two feet, he grew up from his childish thoughts.
Work hard, more than everyone! That's the motto he went by.
He rightfully earned a scholarship in his University and worked hard to keep it. He was ready to toil till soot covered his eyes, if that meant he would achieve his dream.
"Sorry Mark, next time for sure", Colle replied, knowing well it wouldn't be any different the next time. Colle hurriedly gathered his things, waved at Mark, and ran off to his part-time job.
The owner of the café, Mr. Lucas, and his girlfriend Maggie ran the shop on their own in the mornings. Situated 10 minutes to the University, mornings were not Cream-spot's forte. The evenings however see a spike in customers, with university students flocking in with bundles of papers, stationary and different gadgets to do their assignments, group works or get some studying done.
"One Caramel Frappuccino, one hot cocoa, 2 chicken sandwiches. Is that all?" Colle asked.
"Yes, thank you", the customer nodded.
Maggie oversaw preparing the food, while the other two juggled between taking orders, whipping up a drink, or serving.
Seeing those sedulous students, Colle felt a pang of anxiety and guilt. He believed he was behindhand compared to his classmates. That he was not performing enough to keep himself on track. Maintaining his scholarship required diligent and inflexible effort. But at the end of the day, he became exhausted. After which had assignments, tests to study and group works to pitch in. Even while sacrificing his 3-hour sleep, he felt like he was running blind, not sure if he'll get through the next day, in studying, money and soul.
Today the café ran longer than usual. It was Colle's duty to clean up on Fridays which would mean he'll be late for the tutoring session.
"Colle, we'll handle it here", Lucas told him.
"Here", Maggie threw Colle a brown paper bag, "a sandwich. Didn't have lunch, did you kiddo? You need to eat and sleep well. Look at you, might faint any second!".
Colle became embarrassed when people showed how concerned they are about him. He knew they meant well, but he didn't know how to reply or handle it. Mostly he would blame it on his studies. He replied awkwardly, "Well, classes are a bit…"
"Nope, leave your excuses at the door. Your beautiful brown curls are frizzy to the scalp, you are pale, and the bags under your eyes are screaming for rest. Take a day off". Maggie was stern.
Lucas added, "If you need anything at all, call us. We're here for you".
Colle sheepishly smiled. "Yeah, I know. Thanks".
The clouds began to gather up in the sky, dimming to dark-grey. With one half of the sandwich in his mouth, he rushed to the twins' house: Marrie and Sallie. They were his best friend Jacob's cousins. Jacob got him this job, but it didn't take much effort in convincing the twins' parents since Colle aced his entrance exams.
Colle was an expert with entrance exam style questions. He knew what was important, the high yield points and what to omit.
"… and do these worksheets", Colle flipped the pages, marking some pages with a pencil, "I'll grade your answers the next time. Also learn the formulas and values by heart, that'll help solving it faster".
"Okay Mr. Tutor", Sallie nodded, giggling.
Colle got up from the seat, picked his bag and gathered his large-for-the-bag book and file, holding them by his left arm. Looking out the hazy window he realized it was still intensely pouring outside.
"It's been raining since you came in. Take this umbrella", Marrie brought out the umbrella from her school bag.
Colle didn't bring his, so he politely accepted it.
Leaving their room, he was greeted by the twins' mother, Lily. She was the sweetest, always took care of him giving him food or hand me downs. A week ago, she gave him a blender, claiming she got a new one, and was going to throw it anyways. It was a perfectly good blender, if he knew better, he would say it looked new.
"Colle, take this. It's tuna casserole", Lily smiled as she handed Colle a Tupperware, "The extras in the house would anyways go to waste".
Lily was the closest Colle felt to a mother's warmth. He imagined, if he had a family, it would be as warm as this. Someone to greet him when he returns, waiting with warm food on the table and would hug him when he felt down in the dumps.
Sometimes the loneliness of his time on earth got to him. Made all the working his fingers to bone pitiful—pointless. Throughout that time faces of these benevolent people flashed over his mind. Their gestures warmed his heart and reminded him there were people who checked on him, whose random kindness made his paltry life valuable enough to keep living, keep breathing.
He beamed, "How can I thank you Lily."
"Oh, don't worry, you're a big help. Thanks to you, Marrie and Sallie are doing great".
With a concerned look on her face she asked, "You look worn out. Are you not sleeping well?"
"I will tonight. It's been a hard-pressed week, but our assignments are lighter next week".
"Take care of your health Colle. Do you want to stay over? It is hammering out there".
"Thank you, but I'll go back", he smiled, unfolded his umbrella, and walked into the rain.
Droplets hit the umbrella's hood like rubber pellets shooting ferociously from the sky. It was unlike any other rainy day. Water pooled on streets, and the sidewalks were slippery. The umbrella didn't help much, his shoulders, arms and legs were wet, he was cold, and the downpour obstructed his vision.
He recognized the pedestrian crossing which led to the street he lived in. The road was empty, but he waited to cross until the pedestrian signal turned green. As soon as it did, he paced forward onto the vacant path, holding the umbrella a tad higher to let him see from the corner of his left and right eyes.
Out of the blue, he descried from the corner of his left eye, two brightly flashing headlights from a large vehicle, possibly a truck, raging onto him. He rushed his greasy steps, but his foot slid, and he fell backwards, hitting hard onto the wet tarred road.
Colle grew dizzy, the back of his head hurt like crazy. He attempted to get up but his hands were shaky and couldn't get a grip. His body decided to hibernate just then.
"Get up!" he told himself. "You're going to die!"
His bag, books and umbrella were scattered and damp. As he laid on the uncaring lane, with whatever energy he had, he lifted his palm in an effort to signal the relentlessly fast truck. But to no avail. The truck neither stopped nor slowed down.
He sighed, seeing his life flash before his eyes. He caught sight of a rat, strutting on the pooled water emptying into the storm drain. He realized his life was uneventful, and pitiful like a sewage rat. Each day he slogged aspiring for his upcoming halcyon days; he thought all his efforts would make sense by then.
The truck was drawing in closer, brighter, blaring his horns, piercing his ears.
Colle muttered weakly as he closed his eyes "so noisy…."
A bone- chilling thunder crashed the gloomy skies, awaking Colle. On opening his eyes, he was lying on an unfamiliar bed, with no recollection of the dreadful grey-colored room he was in. The room was dim, and the walls were painted with ghastly shadows, possibly of the tree branches from outside the open window.
"Good, you're awake!", someone spoke from within the shadows. Colle looked up. Amusingly there emerged a floating brown rock, about two fist-sized, talking with a dignified air around it.
"Get up. Swiftly now", it said eloquently.
Colle lifted his eyebrows, but obeyed, wagering on this all being a dream. His head was all fuzzy, "What happened?" he asked.
"Your mortal flesh met with a rather… untimely fate. But you've been given a second chance to live here". The rock was cruelly enthusiastic, Colle thought, for something as dire as his death.
He looked around. The ill-lit room drained what was left of his soul, that is if he had any. The grey curtains on the wide glass windows were partitioned. A blinding lightning claimed the sky, startling Colle. It was raining cats and dogs, as if doom and destruction stood waiting right outside, as close as his fingertips, so much so that he could almost smell the grim reaper.
"Where is h-here?" Colle asked.
The rock smirked, "Purgenheim!".