"Are You Happy with Your New School?"
As Stefan played with his dinner, he said, "It's not bad."
After receiving such a short response from her son, his father used his chance to ask. "Have you learned anything new?"
Stefan thought for a moment. "Square roots."
His father smiled. "That's an important topic. Make sure you pay attention in class. If you learn well during lessons, studying at home will be much easier."
Stefan paused and then added, "And I also learned that my name means 'crown'!"
His mother smiled. "Really? I didn't know that!"
His father, intrigued, said, "A bright name for a bright future! Where did you learn that? Was it from your literature class?"
"No," Stefan replied. "One of my... classmates told me."
His mother leaned forward with a smile, her hand under her chin. "So, you've made a friend!"
"You could call it that," Stefan muttered.
Her smile grew wider. She always took a special interest in this topic. "What's their name?"
"Vasil."
"That's a lovely name," she remarked.
Stefan's father, who had been occupied with sending a work message, suddenly looked up from his phone, his face serious as always when he was working. "Is he a good student?"
Stefan shrugged. "I don't know, school just started a few days ago."
"Well," his father advised, "always try to befriend people who are better than you. They'll help lift you up."
At that moment, another notification beeped on his father's phone. He glanced at it again. Stefan's mother softly reminded him, "David, you promised no work tonight."
"I know," David sighed, "but I can't ignore a message from my client."
Stefan, trying to help his mother, asked, "Why? What's so important?"
His father looked at him and said, "They're about to lose everything to a con artist and need my help to stop it from happening. Unfortunately, they're looking at the situation the wrong way and think that dealing with this person will minimize their losses. Right now, while we're sitting here in this restaurant, they're trying to contact him. My job is to convince them to stop. Being a lawyer means sometimes you have to help people who don't even realize they need your help."
Stefan thought for a moment. "That sounds like a tough job."
"Every job has its challenges," his father said. "But when you love what you do, it doesn't feel so hard."
Suddenly, his phone vibrated again. He stood up and, with an apologetic tone, said to his wife and son, "I have to take this call. I'll be right back."
Stefan's mother watched him walk away and sighed quietly. Stefan returned to his meal, still thinking about his father's words. Somehow, those words reminded him of someone.
***
Vasil was sitting on the couch, flipping through a book titled "2002 Baby Names and Their Meanings." It was one of the few books he actually enjoyed. While dictionaries and other books explaining words intrigued him, most other types of books bored him.
This particular one was special, though. His mother had chosen his name from it.
As he flipped through the pages, reviewing random names, he heard the door open. Without looking up, he said, "Hi, Mom."
There was no reply. He continued, "I was reading the book of names again and found some interesting things. First, our last name means 'someone with black hair.' That doesn't quite suit you, but it fits me well. And my new friend's name, Stefan, not only means 'crown,' but it also means 'wreath.'"
Vasil finally looked up. "I told you about Stefan, didn't....?"
His mother walked past him silently, limping slightly, and... she had a distinct smell about her. A familiar smell that made Vasil close his mouth immediately.
He recalled the conversation from the last time his mother had come home like this:
"Vasilka, sometimes life gets really hard for adults. Sometimes they look for ways to escape their problems, even if it's just for a short time... and this is one of those ways."
Vasil gently closed his book and held it tightly, trying to hold his breath as much as possible. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself, though it was probably too late to avoid it.
He should have looked up as soon as she had entered the house.
He should have assessed the situation before speaking.
Now, all he could do was hope his mother wouldn't turn back towards him.
Her warning echoed in his mind: "In times like this, adults don't act like themselves. They might even hurt the people they love. The best thing you can do is keep your distance, stay quiet, and don't let them see you."
Vasil desperately wanted to ask why someone would do something that could hurt the people they care about, especially an adult who should be more responsible than a child. But he never found the courage to ask her, not then, and not ever.
The answer to that question didn't matter. What mattered was staying away from someone in that state, to avoid being hurt or changing how he saw them.
"That night", Vasil learned this lesson well.
Only when his mother continued walking down the hall, entered her room, and closed the door behind her did Vasil finally exhale.
He picked up his book and quietly slid off the couch. Before heading to his room, he decided to make sandwiches for both himself and his mother for the next morning. There would be no dinner that night, and he knew she'd be very hungry tomorrow.
***
The next day, Vasil and Stefan didn't speak at all.
This gave Stefan a strange feeling.
Although they'd only known each other for a few days, it seemed like Stefan had already gotten used to Vasil's chatter, his energetic but sometimes exhausting presence.
Vasil's silence felt odd, and since Stefan had never been the one to make the first move, he didn't see any reason to do so now.
A few times between classes, he glanced at Vasil, but it seemed like Vasil didn't even notice him. He just stared quietly at the teacher, waiting for the lessons to end so the next class could begin.
Stefan even looked for him during lunch, but Vasil was nowhere to be found.
Stefan wondered if maybe Vasil had already grown tired of him.
With that thought, Stefan stopped glancing in his direction.
Finally, school ended, and as usual, Vasil was the first to leave the classroom. Stefan noticed because when he looked at Vasil's seat, it was already empty.
Stefan grabbed his bag and headed out of the school.
As he passed by a certain alley, he lowered his head and kept walking without looking. Then suddenly, he stopped.
That alley was always quiet, so why was it so noisy now?