A short while later, Val sat with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the surprisingly clear sky. The park was nestled between buildings, on a vacant lot that had been turned into a spacious resting area, so the sky was unexpectedly visible.
Jason watched Val's quiet face.
"What are you thinking about, Val?" he asked.
Val just looked up; several stars shone brightly, twinkling merrily. Unconsciously, he felt closer to them.
"The sky is beautiful, boss. It's rare to see a sky like this here. Back when I was little, almost every night I'd sit like this and look at the sky. The sky in Karby was bigger, with more stars."
Jason looked up. He nodded.
"Yeah, the sky at my grandpa's house is huge. I'll take you there to see it sometime. You'll love it. Where was your childhood home?"
Val thought, furrowing his brow.
"It's up in the mountains, far from the coast. I remember only small cars could get up there, back then. I don't know if it's still like that now. Maybe the local officials have improved the road. Heh, the air in the village was so cold, sometimes at night it was freezing; our beds would get wet with dew. And no one could sleep. The matron would light a fire in the fireplace, but because the chimney was sealed up during summer, sometimes the smoke would just fill the house. Hey, I remember, our faces would be black from the smoke blowing in. But instead of crying, we'd laugh, it was hilarious."
Jason looked at Val, looked at him for a long time. Val probably didn't remember, but he did. He'd never forget those beautiful eyes with the mole under them. Such beautiful eyes, that captivated his heart the first time he saw them. Jason quickly looked away when Val glanced at him.
"Yeah, it was a really hard place to reach."
Jason remembered grumbling at his grandfather because his grandfather asked him to go on his behalf. He was helping his grandfather's workers carry a box of warm clothes and food for the orphanage kids, which was located in quite a deserted small neighborhood. It was a long walk from where they parked their car; they had to walk because their vehicle couldn't make it up the hill.
Val lowered his head, looking at his boss's face for a while, until Jason looked back at him. His smile was so lovely; he would never forget that warm and beautiful smile. He hadn't just briefly known him. His boss was handsome and sweet, awkward the little boss who came to the orphanage and donated food and cash.
He might have forgotten him, or maybe not, because he acted like he knew him so well. But he didn't make a big deal of it, maybe because knowing kids from an orphanage like him wasn't something to brag about.
Val smiled; he hadn't recognized him at first, but an old photo his caregiver sent a few days ago jogged his memory. It turned out they'd known each other for quite a while; he almost missed it.
"Boss, thank you,"
Jason lowered his head, looking at Val's serious face.
"Hey, thanks for what?" he asked.
Val smiled.
"Well, for everything, the job, the apartment room, and this,"
Jason smiled. He shifted, taking Val's hand on the bench. He looked at the young man's face for a long time.
"Hey, it's nothing, I told you, didn't I? As my employee, all your needs are my responsibility too. So, relax and just enjoy it, okay?"
Val smiled. He nodded.
"Yeah, anyway, thank you, boss."
Jason nodded. He put a hand on Val's shoulder.
"Of course, um, let's go home. Want me to carry you?" Jason asked, holding out his hand. Val smiled.
"No need, boss, my feet is fine."
Jason's laughter echoed down the nearly deserted street; it was ten o'clock at night.
"Hahaha, are you embarrassed?" Jason took Val's hand, holding it tight.
"Let's go home and sleep. I'm really tired."
Val smiled broadly, though his eyes were glistening, either from emotion or something else in his heart.
*****
Yesterday afternoon.
Birds chirped in the plum trees flourishing in the green and vast garden of the city's central hospital.
Val held onto the sofa arm to keep from falling; his knees were weak and shaky, his feet barely touching the floor. He sat down before he collapsed from exhaustion. All the sounds buzzed outside his ears. The pharmacist calls his name repeatedly.
"Valiant Arcady," and he didn't hear it; the waiting room was quite crowded. But all of them, like the slow-motion old pictures that keep spinning just outside his eyes without him being able to follow the trace.
A few minutes earlier, Val had sat across from Dr. Rio Lewis, an internist. What the doctor told him a second ago felt like a bolt of lightning on a clear day, leaving him stunned. He might just hear it wrong. His lips numbed.
"Th-this, could be wrong, right? Heh," Val stammered, while still holding onto a piece of paper of his medical examination result. Val couldn't finish his sentence, his lips being pulled between a smile of jokes and surprise, which one he should express?
The doctor sighed deeply.
Dr. Rio Lewis pursed his lips, watching Val's shocked reaction to his diagnosis. This never gets any better. The way he passes the news to all of his patients. Seems like he got used to that reaction.
"You could get a second opinion at another hospital. Nothing's certain, but you need to be prepared for the worst, because anything can happen."
Val looked at the doctor with his eyes wide.
"B-but, I'm always healthy. I exercise, sleep on time, I eat well, heh,.. th..this" Val mumbled, his voice catching.
The pharmacist's call broke through his daze.
"Valiant Arcady!"
"Y-yes," the young man hurried over.
*****
Val walked beside Jason, heading towards their apartment.
"Boss," Val said.
Jason turned.
"Yeah?"
Val looked at Jason's hand at his side. Without any word, he grab it tight.
His boss didn't know how much he needed the comfort of someone who could calm him. At least, some of his worry eased. Val held the large hand gently with his fingertips, but Jason then grabbed it, and squeezed it. He pulled Val's hand to his arm to support him.
"Come on, hold on tight. Just in case you fall over from being too full," Jason joked.
Val hadn't expected Jason's grip to be so strong, so firm, as if it could withstand a hurricane.
"Uh, Boss," Val said.
Jason didn't understand. He just sensed Val was acting strangely, and his hands were ice cold. He smiled at the young man who looked gloomy.
Jason will never know, that his seemingly casual hand-hold had allowed Val to finally release the heavy breath that had been pressing on his chest. Val lowered his head, unable to stop a single tear from falling. He quickly wiped it away before Jason could see.
"Hey, the night air is chilly, but I'm really looking forward to a bath. I'll soak until midnight, it'll be great," Jason said, avoiding looking at Val because he knew the other boy wouldn't want him to see his sad face.
Jason knows the boy might have something heavy in his mind. He won't ask him more about that, just let him know, that he will always be there for him. Jason pulled his lips, smile. He just grasp the hand tightly.
"Yeah, boss, it'll be awesome," Val replied, trying to steady his trembling voice.