Chapter 1 – Prologue 1
Author's note: I'm sorry, i got too into the writing. Thus, ended up with 4 chapters for prologue.
P.S. i set the publish timer at 20:00.
Cray Sierphin, a twenty-eight years old average man. It's how many if not, all people will judge him for. Nonetheless, it's only how he wanted others to know him. If anyone was able to peak inside of his inside, there they will find a wounded beast struggling on it's last legs. Only tied to a miserable thing it called "life" by the few thin strings of which, among those handfuls, only one remaining. One that it called mom. Where soon, it too will be snapped.
It all began mir months after he was born. His so-called father left his wife and newly born son to who knows where. Till the day Cray able to inquire about it, his mom didn't want to give him the answer. She took care of her son lovingly, taught him many things, all except for one of his earliest questions. Due to the sadden face of his mom back then, he never bothers to inquire further regarding his missing parent. All he planted in his mind was that he never had a father to begin with thus putting an end to the curiosity.
The mother and son lived in a small home. Calling it a home is an overstatement, if someone has the idea on measuring tape, it only has a 3 m for it's width and 8 m for it's length. Consisted of 1 bathroom, and a bedroom-dining room. the wall is made of concreate yet, they all already tested by time for quite sometimes. As for the roof?, It left a horrible memory for Cray where every time the rain pours, Cray and his mom will need to place many buckets all around the home if they didn't want to broke their already few furniture. Especially when the heavy rain hits, Cray prayed for his dear life that the roof wouldn't got blown away.
The earnings from Cray's mom, were barely enough to pay their bills. As for the times Cray fell sick, Cray will have to thank his grandpa for giving money to his mom on buying the medicine and the doctor's service. While their neighbours often gave them leftovers after Cray's mom finished doing their laundries or cleaning their house. An act out of pity by the neighbours, but taken as kindness by Cray since, despite of the situation that he was in, he never felt the suffering of starving.
The situation started to improve when his mom's friend offered her a job at her company. Which mom happily agreed to, everything that can raise the living condition for her and her son will always be welcomed by her. The job had a decent pay yet, not that high to turn their living condition full 180. They moved to a slightly larger home. One that has a proper bedroom, kitchen, and living room, instead of all of them jumbled into one where there's also no need for worrying whenever rain pours.. Mind you that it's only a rented home same goes for the previous little hut.
Due to Cray's mom new working scaddle, she had to leave her son at her parents'. Which very much welcomed by her dad, Cray's grandfather. In the first day, Cray was brought to a fast-food restaurant by his grandpa. He felt so delighted, he'd never eaten something taste really good as the one he was eating. His grandpa also felt joy seeing his beloved daughter's son in a good mood with the meal, in spite of the fact that the meal wasn't cooked by him.
However, during the night, he heard his grandpa was having squabble with the old women which Cray soon called "that witch". He discovered many things that his grandpa was trying to do such as helping Cray and his mom back when they were still limbo in the form of money or clothing. But it was all stopped by non-other then his wife. "That witch" also plunging many poisonous daggers to little Cray's naivety, shattering it in the age of five years old. 'a mistake`, and `shouldn't happened` are just two poisonous of many daggers which `that witch` left behind and scarred Cray's soul. He proceeded on adding another one to his already deceased list.
The next morning, Cray's grandpa noticed the redden eyes of his grandson, thus starting another round of squabble between the old couple. But, when the squabble itself about to start, Cray tucked his grandpa's hand and just pulled him towards the exit and walked to the previous fast-food restaurant. The atmosphere was fully different, the five years old just silently eating while the older gentleman just watching apologetically.
Cray then decided to just stay at their rented home after her mom picked him up at the weekend. Despite of her mom worried questions such as "how do you going to get food?" or "won't you be lonely alone at home?", Cray still persisted on just staying at their home by saying "just teach me mom how to use money" and "I have the tv" respectively to both of her questions. His mom then just agreed to her son decision and teach the nominals of money, how to count the change during the two days of her day off.. he loved his grandpa but he couldn't stand `that witch` presence, mainly the way her looked at him. It's not a look that a grandmother supposedly has while looking at her grandson, but a look of distain when someone's chanced upon a stray dog or rats on the street.
It was an evening during autumn, Cray who was ten years old at the time, was having dinner with his mom, when his mom received a call from her brother that their dad was diagnosed with a terminal cancer and only had a few months left to live. Cray who was eating watched silently her mom slowly tearing up. He knew it was going to be bad news, nevertheless, he still got struck hard by it not realizing he dropped his eating utensils to the floor.
Cray begged her mom on letting him stay with his grandpa no matter what. He didn't want to finally meet his grandpa again once he already lying motionless in a coffin. Cray ignored her mom warnings regarding his school, which he will be skipping by accompanying his grandpa. And so, without any other choice, Cray mom sent her son at her parents'.
The pair of grandfather and grandson spent their days doing all sorts of activities. Watching live sports matches in the stadiums, swimming at the beaches, eating at many weird food stall-restaurant, they did them all. His grandpa laughed like a teenager during the sports matches, even more excited during the time at the beaches. The ten years old boy wasn't sure why'd his grandpa was in that state knowing that he only has a few times left. Thus, he gave a questioning gaze to his grandpa, to which, his grandpa replied you'll know once you're older then ended with a pat on his head. Yet when he asked the reason why once again at the restaurant, he got a different answer from when they were at the beach.
His grandpa patted his head and said "you're wondering why I'm not bothered at all regarding the doctor's diagnose?" which received a confused nod from his grandson.
"you see Cray… I'm no longer young, death comes naturally to me, so before I hit the bucket, I'm going to empty it first, I got married fairly young I guess…. Therefore, it demanded for me to be responsible for my wife, children and grandchildren, I'd never have the chance to enjoy my life like inside of my childhood imagination."
The pair continued with the to do list. Every time his grandpa laughed; Cray soon followed. Yet, comes the tingly sensation on the corner of his eyes not long after, a choking by the lumps in his throat behind the tingly sensation, finally tears falling down from his eyes due to the realization that this time might be the last. Disregarding his grandpa assurance days before.
Whenever he saw his grandchild crying, he proceeded on calming him down, and started to retelling some hilarious experiences when he was young. It worked on putting an end to his sadden grandchild crying at least.
The morning of the ninety-eighth day after Cray moved to his grandpa's, the thing that he feared the most arrived. His grandpa didn't wake up as for usual. The ambulance then thus called. In spite of the intensive care units best effort, his grandpa finally presumed dead three days since he was brought to the hospital.
The funeral took place the day after, where all the relatives of the deceased gathered to attend. A priest was giving some sort of speech with reference to a loving god, how good of a man that lying in the coffin, and all of those bullsh/t. at least that was Cray's thought inside of his mind. The Damm priest doesn't even know his grandpa, why would he even give a sh/t to his non-sensical ranting nor `that witch` poisonous glares and remarks. All he knew, he'd lost the person nearest to a father figure to him. Even if the time they spent together wasn't long, it was more than who knows where so-called dad.
Hours passed, all the relatives of his had gone. Cray silently sobbed in front of the tombstone with the name "George Sierphin" ingraived on it. Suddenly, he felt a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. He instinctively looked back and found a woman in black. Her facial feature is similar to `that witch` yet her eyes, those pair of sapphire blue eyes, even if they got a little redden from the crying, they still have the resemblance to his deceased grandpa's .
The woman shook her head and said "c`mon dear, we need to him rest"
Cray saw the fair and slim hands, however her palm is full of calluses. Must be from doing the neighbours laundries back then.
"Sorry mom, I made you wait " nodded Cray while wiping his neared dry eyes from the sobbing and making a promise on his mind to study harder so that his mom could enjoy her time more, unlike his deceased grandpa.
"it's okay sweety, we all miss him, but he also don't want us to morn him too much" his mom consoled and wiped his remaining tears on his face.
The mother and son thus returns to their life.