Listening to her beloved mother, a variety of bad feelings filled inside his elixir.
But he controlled himself staying calm wanting to hear more.
Inside his body, there was a strong feeling of pity listening to his mother's sorrowful predicament.
He was feeling the stigma of a rape victim.
The legacy it leaves in trusting men.
Elisa continued..." Since our family can afford it, they put me in an exclusive dormitory for girls. We have a flourishing business in retail stores and are well positioned in the market. During the end of the second month after the rape, my menstrual cycle did not come."
She paused for a moment and started to cry again.
"When I saw how quickly I became pregnant, all my priorities were messed up. I was devastated and ran away from home. I felt it was more righteous to go away than giving shame and humiliation to our family."
"Mom,"...he whispered lightly. " I can feel your pain!"...
Elisa cupped his face.
"I was only seventeen kiddo, rebellious and the only child. I vanished from home leaving behind a note. "I am leaving away mom…dad." I told my parents.
"I took the card with some money from my savings and disappeared without a trace."
Her mother was now sobbing uncontrollably.
Remo can feel her emotional distress. She was looking for someone's attention and understanding.
He embraced her tightly…
At that moment he finally understood that her "beloved mother" would never ever abandon him.
There's no such thing as a "heartless mother!"
Unless there is one --- still she chooses me to come into this world.
She sacrificed everything just to let him live and survive.
"Mom, please put the past behind us."
He was also on the verge of tears but did not stop her crying to make her feel better.
"Life is not always perfect, you know?" Remo advised like a big man while holding back his emotions.
"It is the progress of what we do in the future. A lesson learned; we keep going forward, okay?"
Elisa stood up stroking his hair.
"Thanks, kiddo, best friends forever!"
She quickly pulled away and moves outside with embarrassment.
"Rest assured, Mom, this is not how we end our lives. I promise to make you happy someday."
Remo clenched his fists.
"I will find that man!"…
As Remo grow older, he never had an interest in toys like the other young kids since they could not afford it.
Instead, he goes to where Master Jon and Lady Margaret lives at the top of the mountain to practice meditation and cultivation
Until he reached the age of seven, the elderly couple started to feed him medicinal pills.
They were expert alchemist and prepare it by themselves..
He still remember his first lesson when he was having his cultivation progress.
"Remo, always remember to expose your mind and consciousness they work together. With the assistance of the supplemental pill, it will improve the level of your senses. To reach new heights, immerse your body and absorb the air around you. Awaken your aura with nature and focus your spiritual energy by wrapping it yourself."
These was the exact words from them that inspired him to continue developing his human abilities.
It became clear to him that nature, as a resource for meditation, are innately connected in awakening his potential.
One time he curiously asked them during a cultivation session.
"Master Jon, how can I bring my connection with nature when so many of us lack the access?"
"Don't be misled Remo. You can practice anywhere, not only here! Whether you are in the city, in a gym or right in your home below."
"Please enlighten me Master Jon."
"There are two ways to master your cultivation level. One is 'technique,' which is visible, and 'skill' which is not. Technique is a physical form of moving your body in a particular way."
"Ohhh…You mean like the way I was dancing with you in the shadows?"
"Hahaha!" Master Jon burst out loudly from his rhetoric. Lady Margaret was also laughing who was busy making his medicinal pill.
"Yes, that's the first step, kiddo. But when we talk about dimensions, it is about skills. These two are separate. Skills using your spiritual energy are invisible. It can be conceptualized through practice and teachings of a real master."
"Like you?"
"That's right…like me!"
"Can you please show me how you disappeared the way you did last week?"
"That would come when you are strong enough. Take your time… You need to practice until you reach your potential!"
During the start of school year, Remo was so excited to attend that he would always be disappointed even to stay at home.
He was very eager for the new opportunities presented in life enjoying coming to the city than staying at the farm.
After adapting the school routine, he slowly changed his introvert attitude into a more sociable kid with other school mates.
While everything seemed quite alright inside the classrooms, sometimes he would face challenging situations at the school forcing him to get a fight with children his age.
At first, he did not mind it at all.
But over the days to come it, got worse. They seemed to insult his name calling him a "bastard."
As a boy, he felt unwelcomed when they throw everything at him. However, he keep quiet.
But everything changes when he was about to attend an extracurricular activities.
Three burly kids walked in front from his path looking for trouble.
"Looks who's here guys... it's the bastard!" The kid with a muscular body shouted at him.
When Remo heard that, he felt bad knowing the difference between a "bastard" and a "fatherless child."
It has different connotations.
Bastard is a derogatory term referring to a child whose parents were not married.
Fatherless, on the other end, regardless of any circumstances in life simply means a child who does not have a father in their life.
He preferred to be called the latter since the impact of these words have different implications.