9
I'M HOME
People that's spread everywhere comes to crowd in one certain place.
When the man in guard uniform make a scene.
Aru try hard to shake its hands, but the grip was hard like a rock that he lost his footing and stumble down, he hissed as the pain cut his breath.
“Give me my money, you thief!.”
Aru can't reply when his ankle was blaring with pain from the sudden fall.
And just because he didn't do what he says, now he was making a scene like he steals his money.
He paid no attention as his focus diverted to the pain that's spreading from his ankle now to his thighs, he felt like crying.
“What steal? Did I steal? Do I look like I'm going to steal? Argh, can I just cut my limbs now, this is dragging me down, too painful.”?
He screamed inside his head, massaging the painful part and, somehow the pain was lessening a little, he also noticed that someone join the scene blindly without knowing first.
One man stood near them and point a finger on him, like he really knew what's happening.
“I knew this man is a good for nothing.”
“You knew him?” the accusing guy ask in mocking tune.
“Yes, we happen to be on the same cable when arriving here from Manila.”
Again pointing finger to Aru, currently massaging his ankle, when the unknown person noticed, that Aru wasn't paying attention, he grab him by his collar.
“Give his money back, dude I'll help you find your money, it must be somewhere in his body.”
He spoke like his giving justice, if he just knew what the real story was, he will surely puke blood and tuck its tails in embarrassment, but sadly like what Aru hates the most THE EYE'S ONLY SEE'S WHAT IT WANT TO SEE and EARS THAT HEARS WHAT IT ONLY WANTS TO HEAR.
Foreign hands touch his waist looking for something he didn't have, he pushed those hands away, but they keep on invading him, the pain to his foot and those disgusting hands over his body, was too much to handle, he wanted to scream his innocence but who would listen?
“Stop please, I didn't take anything from him, he's the one who's harassing me!.”
His reasoning were turned to deaf ears and even how many times he pushed those hands away they won’t budge, now he started to cry.
His poor situation can't be help alone, soon the scene attract more crowd, worse to say, some take part, binding his hands and pressing his aching foot on the cold hard floor.
“Ahhh I said stop please! I'm not stealing anything, look there's a CCTV there, check it, if I'm telling lies.”
He shouted, not because he was more like being molested, but his foot was killing him, and the seething pain can't be help.
The guard grew nervous when he saw that there was indeed a CCTV, in the end he makes the scene much more chaotic.
He kicked Aru and repeatedly ask for his money to be returned, other people who were blinded by him started to join the kicking and slapping and punching, eager to get something he didn't't have.
The commotion only stopped when a whistle blow was heard, police arrive and the people who were maltreating him, leave him curled in the middle.
Curling like a ball, protecting his injured foot and head with his hand as he could.
“What's happening here?” the police ask, but nobody answered.
When the first guy who approached them, seek the man who says Aru steals something from him, but can't see him anymore.
A surge of guilt cross him, he felt somewhat confused.
“Did I just hit an innocent person” asking himself, this thought made him felt sorry, he looked at the state of Aru, a thin rugged guy who gotten much dirtier from their beating.
The guilt was so heavy that he chooses to flee from the scene, same goes for the others, when they noticed that the person who instigated the chaos disappeared.
Aru felt much pain when he tried moving, now he just doesn't feel pain from his foot, but more pain all over his body, even his face received multiple scratches.
He was taken alone to the precinct for interrogation, after everyone dispersed, he was release after the CCTV was checked.
He was given new set of clothes cause his current clothes were ruined and exposing his flesh, he was also given food to serve his stomach, he thanked them and laugh at himself.
Seeing his situation now, it wasn't that bad to be beaten for false accusations.
He can now walk a little comfortable, a crutch was given to him, a real crutch without beating, but sadly, he lost his remaining 120 pesos from the mess, gave him no choice but to walk the rest of the way through home.
Walking alone seems not that tiring for Aru, he felt that the stars are with him through the way, even if the road ahead was dark and long, he felt calm, maybe because he felt the freedom that he long, and now he can finally breathe the air diluted with pollution.
Where no cloud of cigarettes smokes, no putrid smell of alcohol, and most no nasty smell of leaking pheromones everywhere, his minds wondering in an open space, so wide that he didn't even notice he arrived at the arc of the town where he used to live six years ago,
“Welcome to Happy Town.” he read the words written at the top of the arc, then tears betray his calm demeanor.
As he heavily lifted side by side both injure and not injured feet, 3 more blocks, and it will be the house he used to live.
He wiped the tears that soon dried in his cheeks, and hurriedly he entered the gate, he looked around to see that a lot has changed.
His stepmom doesn't like to take care of plants, now a lot cover the whole lawn, he pressed the doorbell, twice and when he saw the doorknob twisted, his heart can't help but skipped and with an excited feeling, he burst out.
“I'M HOME.”
A long silence slap his enthusiasm, if there was cricket around, you'll probably hear it.
An old lady opened the door for him, to his surprise it's someone he's not familiar with, then a scary thought cross his mind.
“Let it be, not, it wasn't it right?, maybe I come to the wrong door.” he glanced around and panic arose him when he saw, his on the right place.
The old lady notice his anxious and troubled face, she wants the other party to talk first, but seeing the uneasiness that crown the young lad In front of him, one foot seems broken or injured?
She guessed from the crutch his holding, the face seems familiar to her even with patches, she just can't remember where she saw this face.
Arms with bandages, she wondered what happen to him, he looked so haggard and worn-out and now feeling at lost.
“Who are you, young lad?”
She saw that the other party was about to leave and manage to get his attention before turning around.
“Uhm grandma, where are the other people, living here? Loa, Polly, and Jiang?” Aru asked uneasy, he finds it hard to believe if his guess was correct, he prayed hard that it's not what he thinks, but the old lady crashed his hopes.
“They no longer live here, six years ago, Polly married a rich politician and move together with his mother too, as for Jiang? He was found dead six years ago too, are you somewhat related to them?” she explained on the parts that she knows.
Aru's mind scream, if not for the crutch, he must've fallen out of shocked.
How could it be this way? What's strange was he didn't bother to think about more of them, but his concerns the most, was where he will sleep tonight.
He looks so down that he didn't even look at the old lady and not even answering the question it asks, and his stomach cry for food again.
Growl.
“Great, just great, I'm starving again, and hell where I will lay tonight?” these thoughts were replaying on him like a broken disc.
What bring him up from feeling down was the old lady's offer, which lighten his eyes, but he, of course a face of no emotion, won't show it.
Just casually and usually, how he was, he doesn't even need that artificial blush anymore.
“If you have nowhere to go, stay for the night, I think you travel that long, let's not put it in vain, that hard work you did, just to get here.”
While speaking the old lady look straight not to his eye but to his dirty feet and dark sleepers, due to dust, from long walk.
“Let me trouble you, grandma.” embarrassed, yet he really needed a place to stay and sleep and food to eat if there will be.