**"Present"**
- How was the funeral?
Something flickered in Stephan's eyes as he pressed his lips together, as though he didn't want a single word to escape.
"You don't think I at least have the right to know?" They asked him.
Pleading, they added, "Please, I just want to know if it was a dignified funeral for him."
Stephan clasped his hands together, though a slight tremor was visible. "Jane took care of everything. Everything was done... in a way that suited him. A lot of people came, more than you'd think, more than I even expected. We even hired a few people to make sure no reporters got into the cemetery."
Stephan fell silent. He still hadn't come to terms with the pain, and it was visible in his every move, word, and look.
As they toyed with the handcuffs around their wrists, asked, "And the coffin?"
Stephan answered, "Made of mahogany, hand-carved."
"And what about the size? You know, he was quite tall."
Stephan sighed in exhaustion, "The size was appropriate, too."
"And his clothes? And..."
Stephan yelled angrily, "Can you stop?!"
He closed his eyes, trying to push back his tears and memories. "Stop it! Don't pretend like you cared about him!"
They opened their mouth as if to say something but closed it again. Finally, said, "It seems like you gave him the funeral he deserved... Thank you."
Stephan opened his eyes and stared at them. "Deserved? No, no, no! He didn't deserve to rot six feet underground in a pretty coffin! He deserved to achieve his dreams! To live a long, peaceful life! To... to fall in love! If you really cared about him, you wouldn't be worried about whether he's comfortable in a coffin! What does it matter when he's dead!"
"Don't act like I didn't love him!"
Stephan laughed, his laughter echoing in the room: "You didn't love him! You were jealous of him! You hated him!"
"That's not true!"
"Oh, really?"
Stephan leaned forward on the table, no longer smiling: "Then why did you kill him?"
"I... I..."
"You hurt him over and over again. The only difference this time was that you used a kitchen knife!"
"I didn't hurt him!"
Stephan, staring intently, asked, "Can you look me in the eye and say that again?"
"I..."
It was as if something broke inside their throat and something tore in the eyes. They raised their hands to cover tear-streaked face. "I didn't mean to do it!"
Stephan stood up, looking down at them with contempt: "Go tell that to him."
***
**"Past"**
As Vasil walked toward the school, he watched the other kids, and when he spotted the neatly combed blonde hair, a smile spread across his face. He quickened his pace to catch up. When he was just a step away, he jumped forward and said energetically, "Good morning!!!!"
Stephan, who had been yawning and wasn't expecting it, jumped in surprise. He looked in Vasil's eager eyes and said, "Don't do that again!"
Vasil pretended not to hear him. "How are you today?"
Stephan noticed the bandage wrapped around Vasil's hand. "Same as always. You?"
"Same as always."
Stephan glanced away from his hand. "Is there a reason you're so happy?"
Vasil shrugged. "Not really!"
He thought for a moment. "Or maybe yes! Today's lunch is spaghetti, and it's the tastiest meal at school!"
Stephan replied, "That's a good reason to be happy."
Vasil asked, "Do you have a reason to not be happy?"
Stephan, rubbing his eyes, responded, "I'm just tired."
Vasil said, "That's not a good reason to be unhappy!"
Stephan: "How about when someone keeps talking to me when I'm tired and won't shut up?"
Vasil replied, "That's a good reason... Hey!"
Stephan gave a small smile. "Serves you right! That'll teach you not to ask stupid questions."
Vasil said, "Stupid questions are the best kind! They show that you care, and people usually don't lie when they answer them! And you were the one who asked a stupid question first!"
Stephan thought for a moment. "That's logical."
When they entered the classroom, Vasil said, "By the way, there's a park nearby. If you'd like, we can go there after school. What do you think?"
Without thinking, Stephan responded, "I can't today. I have to go home early."
Vasil paused. "...Oh, no problem. Maybe another time?"
Stephan shrugged, and Vasil smiled hopefully as he headed to his seat.
***
Stephan opened the door and stepped inside. Empty cardboard boxes in the hallway confirmed that someone had really arrived home before him this time.
He heard his mother's voice from the kitchen: "Stephan? Is that you?"
Loudly, he replied, "Yes!"
He walked toward her voice. His mother was standing on a chair, placing a dish on the top shelf. "Hello, sweetheart."
- "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."
He looked at his father, who was sitting at the dining table, focused on reading a document. Without looking up, his father said, "Hello, son. How was school?"
Stephan replied, "Same as always."
He glanced at the papers and folders on the table. He couldn't make sense of a single word but knew they were related to one of his father's cases. His father looked up at his confused face and laughed. "This isn't something you can understand right now! One day, when you graduate from law school, you'll get it."
He ruffled Stephan's hair. Stephan couldn't remember when he had said he wanted to be a lawyer, wasn't even sure if he had ever said it, but it always seemed like his parents dreamed of him following in their footsteps. Even now, his mother's eyes shone with pride at his father's words.
His mother got down from the chair and said, "Go get some rest. You have time before we head out."
His father, who was once again absorbed in his papers, looked up. "We're going somewhere?"
Stephan's mother gave his father a meaningful look. "We were supposed to go out for dinner! That's why we came home early" (looking at the messy table) "or at least, I did."
His father glanced at them both and then said, "Why don't you two go out? You can bring me something back on your way home!"
His mother said sternly, "David!"
"I'm not the one who just finished a court case, Margaret! There's still a lot of work I need to do, and our office still isn't fully set up!"
"Exactly why you need a break!"
His father's gaze shifted between Stephan and his mother, then he sighed and said, "I still have two hours, right?"
Stephan's mother smiled, "Only two hours! After that, you'll leave work for the night!"
"Deal!"
With that, he was once again buried in his legal documents. That was the signal for all of them that the conversation was over, so his mother went back to the unopened boxes, and Stephan headed to his room.