What’s maddening about the whole situation is we didn’t get any justice from the case. The man was clearly drunk. He tested positive. That aspect I can remember clearly through those many painful memories.
During the trail, he was released, saying it was our fault. We drove into him.
I didn’t believe him. Not back then and certainly not now. Dad was never a reckless driver. He never had a ticket his whole life. Sometimes, I ask God what he did to deserve such an unjust death.
Everyone in my family hates him. Gigi hates him. My sister-in-law Clare hates him. I hate him. Him, that man. His mother and his father all standing there holding on to him, protecting him like he was the victim in the whole incident, when in fact, he was the murderer, the one that should have been punished.
I can still remember being huddled up close to Clare and Grandma, all of us crying, all of us trying to fight for our rights, until Grandma couldn’t take it anymore and she fainted and was admitted into hospital. She never came right after that.
“And how about Mommy?” I ask, trying to change that painful subject.
“She’s still at work.”
I check the time. It’s already nearing midnight. Clare’s job as a waitress requires her to work until midnight, so it’s usually me who puts Moon to sleep.
“And your shots. Have you taken them yet?”
“Already did. Gigi helped me.”
“And your blood sugar? Did you check that too?”
“Already did that too. Gigi helped me again.”
“Good.” I smile, brushing my fingers through her blond tresses.
How unfortunate of my little niece to develop type-one diabetes so young in life. She’ll need insulin injections for the rest of her life. But this small fault doesn’t stop her from being robust. On the contrary, she’s always brimming with energy. It would be great if I could steal some of her enthusiasm and forget about the past.
Kissing Moon’s forehead again, I bid her good night and go to wash my face and brush my teeth, my normal nighttime routine. After changing into my pajamas, I head back into my room and sit in front of our home laptop. It’s quite old, but it works fine. I don’t have the heart to throw something out when it’s still useful to me.
I log onto my bank account and check my savings balance.
Two thousand dollars.
I sigh, my shoulders slumping in disappointment. I have a long way to go if I want to go to law school after I graduate high school.
I plan to become a lawyer. I want to revisit that injustice put upon us. But with only two thousand in my bank account, I’ll need to find a lot more money in order to achieve my goals.
I’m quite advanced in education, gaining top marks in calculus, algebra, biology, and chemistry back in my previous high school. I wonder if there are any jobs available in this city that can make use of my skills. Tomorrow, I’ll ask Mandy to see if anyone needs a tutor.
I flick over to Facebook to check my updates. Mandy has already posted the photos she took of us at the festival. She’s always fast with social media.
I scan through the pictures quickly. One catches my eyes. It is of me looking bored and Mandy looking like she’s high on coke. Underneath the picture is a caption that reads, “Me and my BFF having a fun time at the school festival. Sadly, I didn’t get to kiss Zac. Boo-hoo.” At the end of the caption is a sad face icon.
I laugh. Trust Mandy to tell the whole world how much she loves this Zac guy.
A stifled yawn passes my lips and my eyelids droop closed a few times. I glance at the time. It’s already past midnight.
Crikey! I better log off. Clare should be home soon, and she doesn’t like me on the internet if it’s not anything to do with studying.
I log off the laptop and shake my head, trying to wake myself from the drowsiness that’s threatening to put me to sleep again. I walk to the living room and make myself a cup of hot cocoa. Ten minutes later, Clare walks in.
Clare looks like a train wreck—hollow eyes and messy blond hair bunched up like she hasn’t brushed it for days. I think she’s just tired. It’s the side effects of supporting all of us since she’s the only breadwinner in our family.
I know she must work very hard to support us, and sometimes I wish I could grow up faster so I can go to law school and be the breadwinner instead. Let her relax for a while, while I’ll provide the family with the monetary support. But being seventeen has limitations, and one of those limitations is that I can’t work all hours around the clock. My first priority, she tells me often, is to study hard and go to law school.
“Hey.” She smiles tiredly at me. “How’s Moon?”
“She’s asleep now.”
“And how was the festival?”
“It was fun.”
“Did you meet any hot guys?”
I feel my cheeks flush crimson. Thoughts of that stolen kiss plague my mind again.
“No.” I lie, looking at my cup of hot cocoa. If I were Pinocchio, my nose would be as long as a broomstick by now.
Clare smiles and sits beside me. “Did I ever tell you I met Brian during our teenage years too?” she says, a little tear almost escaping the corner of her eye. “It was love at first sight for us.” A moment later, her body starts shaking. “Oh God, I miss him so much, Ivy,” she cries into my shoulder. “I love him so much.” Then she looks up with vengeance in her eyes. “I will never forgive that man and his family for taking Brian from us.”
Even after five years, our family is still affected by that accident. Gigi is sick and needs regular medication to keep her stable. Clare is still upset and vows vengeance against him and his family. And I’m constantly haunted by that nightmare.
I hug her and tell her everything is going to be fine because I’m here to protect them, then tell her to go wash herself while I microwave some food for her. She does as I tell her to.
After Clare has eaten and goes to her room, I check all the windows and doors to make sure they’re all locked and secure. Then I check up on Moon. She’s sound asleep. I poke my head through Grandma’s door. She’s also sound asleep. Fully satisfied now that everyone is in bed, I sneak into my own bed, feeling the comfort of the soft cotton blanket enveloping me, safe and secure from the outside world. Soon, I fall asleep.
That night I have the same dream of my parents and brother dying in the car crash. But this time, instead of seeing the face of the man who killed them, I see the masked guy, the one who stole my first kiss. His faceless shadow leans closer to me, stealing another kiss in my sleep.
Chapter 3
ZAC
A Chance Encounter
“Kai, pick me up at the hospital after you finish school, capisce?” I growl, leaving the message on his cell phone.
I’m feeling frustrated at my current situation. In fact, I’m mad. I look down at the white cast plastered around my left leg and the pair of crutches the nurse gave me. Shit! This pisses me off big time.
I guess I can’t blame anything other than my own reckless behavior. After that girl bit me on the lip, it was like I got turned into a wolf bitten by his mate. I went a bit crazy while driving my car home in the dark. Thinking about that girl too much, I literally slammed into a tree. Now I’m blessed with one broken leg. Luckily, Kai didn’t travel with me that night; otherwise, his leg would probably be in a cast too… or worse.
I’ve been in hospital for two days now while everyone else started school. I guess it’s good in a way since it took that long for my lip to heal properly.
I bite my lip again, just to make sure.
Ow, it still hurts.
Damn, now that girl is in my head again. Whenever I bite or touch my lips, she miraculously appears inside my head.
Shoving thoughts of the girl to the back of my mind, I think of Dad instead. He’s at one of his conferences again, so he doesn’t know I’m in hospital yet. I’m sure he’ll be a worrywart when he knows. I’m not looking forward to when he comes back, though. He won’t take t
oo well to a surprise surgery bill landing on his front doorstep.
Talking about surgery, I wanted to sign the consent form myself, but since I’m not yet eighteen, Catalina signed on my behalf.
Catalina is our housekeeper, or part guardian when Dad’s away. She’s Italian. That’s why I like to use the word capisce. She taught me that word when I was a little boy.
Catalina keeps the house in perfect condition and makes great food. I know since being in hospital, I’ve lost a good kilo. When I get home, I might need to boost my food intake with her homemade pizzas. But sadly, she’s not working today since it’s her day off. I guess it’ll be McDonald’s for tea, then.
Talking about food, my stomach starts growling. When is Kai going to arrive? I check the time on my cell phone. It’s already past three o’clock. School should be out by now, so there’s no reason for him to be this late.
Having nothing to do, I fidget a bit on the wheelchair, not used to the cast on my leg. It feels heavy. I move my leg a bit more, testing its weight. I smirk. I have a sudden urge to test out the new crutches.
I slip both my arms into the allotted holes and hobble about. It’s hard to walk. After three minutes of gangly walking around the room, I slump back on the wheelchair.
Damn, this is boring. I can’t do anything. I’ll just stare at the white walls and wait for the doctor to come back with my discharge papers.
The doctor appears just as my eyelids droop closed. I sit straighter, looking at her with beaming bright eyes, awaiting my verdict.
“Mr. Elliot, I suppose you won’t be able to attend school until your leg gets better.”
“Excellent,” I snarl sarcastically. Dad will definitely go mental now. In fact, he might even kill me. Not only did I miss a couple days of school, but now my absence from school will be extended until my leg is fully recovered.
“And when can I go to school?” I ask.
“Another month or so,” the doctor tells me.
I almost stop breathing.
Another month? How am I supposed to learn algebra when I’ll miss school for that length of time?
“But I can’t,” I tell her. “I need to go to school. I have to pass the algebra test. And I have band practice.”
“I’m sure your band can come to your house for practice sessions,” she suggests calmly.
“Well, what about algebra?” I fire back in alarm. “How am I supposed to learn that if I don’t go to school?”
I’m not impressed with my behavior right now. I’m just like Kai going into his hysterical mode. But I really can’t lose Elsa. Not because of one lame broken leg. Why can’t I go to school in a wheelchair?
“You look stressed out.” She laughs.
This is no laughing matter. I seriously need to pass algebra.
“Don’t worry. We’ll enroll you in our PHST program,” she tells me, which doesn’t do an ounce of good to ease my worry. What’s she talking about, PHST program? What kind of acronym is that?
“That stands for Patient Home School Tutoring program,” she answers in reply to my silent question. “Young students like yourself who require rehabilitation and healing time would miss school. So we created this program to help them recover at their own rate but still benefit from not missing any of their classes. Since you keep on mentioning algebra, you must struggle in that area. Am I correct?”
I don’t want to admit my weakness, but there’s no way around it.
“Yes.” I nod.
“That’s good. In our PHST program, we have advanced students from all different subjects. We will be sure to pair you up with an expert in algebra.”
I heave a sigh of relief. “That’s good, then.”
Now that the subject of algebra and my broken leg have been sorted out, we turn to more immediate matters.
“Have you got anyone to pick you up? Shall I call your dad?” the doctor asks.
“No. My friend is coming over soon. I just phoned him.”
“Okay. I’ll wheel you into the waiting room, then.”
“No, I’m fine.” I stop her before she has the chance to touch the wheelchair.
It’s embarrassing already to have my leg in a cast and holding crutches, but to be wheeled around like a sick child too… No, I can’t take that. I’m a big man now.
I know before I said I’m willing to even go to school in a wheelchair, but that’s because I’m desperate. Now everything’s resolved. There’s no way I’m letting anyone see me in a wheelchair.
I wear my backpack and stand up, all the while trying to balance on the damn crutches. Once I’m stable enough, I thank her and head out. I don’t stop until I reach the main waiting area.
My stomach growls again. I’m tired and my grumpy mood resurfaces. There’s not much I can do but sit and play the waiting game again.
Where is Kai, that damn bastard? I’ll box his ears until they ring when I see him.
I’m too busy thinking of ways to punish Kai when a little girl of about five or six appears out of nowhere and sits next to me. She grins at me and then slides off her seat again.
I’m curious. Who’s this girl? Where’s she come from? And what the hell is she doing poking at my cast?
“Allo.” She looks up at me from her inspection. “What’s wrong with your leg? Why is it in that white thing?”
“Ugh… I broke my leg,” I tell her. How does one talk to a little kid? I don’t have a little brother or sister. The same goes for Kai. So to have one this close to me makes me nervous somehow.
She grins at me again, then asks in her little chirpy voice, “Does it hurt?”
“Yeah,” I reply, grinning back. That smile on her lips is really contagious. Somehow, I find I’m no longer in my bad mood, although she looks sad with my response. It doesn’t sit right with me to see her having a sad face. She’s mighty cute when she smiles. Even a little dimple appears.
I want to see that dimple again, so I say, “Only for a bit, though. Now it doesn’t hurt at all.”
Her dimple reappears and my mood brightens again
“Can I write something on it?” she asks cheerfully, poking at my cast again.
“Oh, yeah, sure.” I pull out my favorite black ballpoint pen from my backpack. “Will this do?”
She looks up at me with her big glaring eyes. “Do you have a pink color?”
“No.” I hold out my black pen again. “Only this black one.”
She grins at me and takes the pen from my hand.
I wish I could bend my back. I haven’t a clue what she’s writing on my cast. I hope it’s not anything nasty.
“What’s your name?” she asks randomly.
“Zac,” I tell her.
She lifts her head and grins again. “Then I’ll call you Zacky. Okay? After Zacky ducky, my little toy duck I have at home for when I bathe.”
I don’t know if I’m pleased to be nicknamed after her honorable bath duck, but her smile really lights up my dull day, so I agree.
“Sure.”
She gives me her signature grin again, then crouches down and proceeds with her doodle. After another minute, she stands up and gives me the biggest and flashiest grin that shows all her teeth.
“All done.” She moves aside for me to view her artistic work.
On my cast is written in a child’s writing, Get well soon, Zacky. Love, Moon, with lots of curlicues and hearts.
My vision is a bit watery after this. I know I’m not crying, but what the hell? When she turns away, I take the opportunity to wipe my eyes clean.
Yep, I’m definitely a crybaby. I’m reduced to a crying toddler just because a little girl writes little love doodles on my cast.
“Your name is Moon?” I ask, finding my voice a bit choked up.
“No.” She shakes her head and perches herself next to me again. “It’s Monica. But my aunt said I was born on the night of the full moon, so she calls me Moon. Plus, I like that name better. Don’t you think so, Zacky?”
“Yeah. I li
ke that name too. Easy to say.”
“Mmmm.” She agrees and starts swinging her legs back and forth, hiding her little pink shoes from my eyes like they’re playing peek-a-boo beneath her long skirt. Actually, that reminds me… What’s a little kid doing in hospital all by herself?
“Where are your parents?” I ask in concern.
She shakes her head. “Mummy’s not here. She’s at work.”
“Then who are you with?”
“I’m here with Gigi and Vivi. They’re busy talking to the doctor. I got bored so I came out here to play.”
“Well, then you better stay here with me and play. We’ll wait until Gigi or Vivi come to pick you up. Okay?”
I’m not sure who Gigi or Vivi is, but they better come and collect Moon fast. It’s not safe for a guardian to leave a little child by herself. I know I won’t be leaving until someone comes and gets her.
“What shall we play?” she asks.
“How about I Spy?” I suggest.
What? It’s not like I’m into spying people or things. It’s just that’s the first game that entered my mind. Plus, it requires no pens and paper. Well, I have the pen, but no paper. Unless we use my discharge papers, which will not be the case.
“Ooooh, I like that game. I’ll start first, okay?”
“Go for it,” I say.
Moon starts looking around the waiting room and then she turns to me and grins. “I got it. I’ll start now, okay?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“I spy with my little tiny eyes something beginning with the letter Z.”
Z, now what can that be?
I look around the room. There’s nothing that begins with the letter Z. There’s no zebra toy in the kid’s section. For the life of me, I can’t think of what it is.
Oh, this little girl is smart. She has me trapped in her paws.
Moon is busy sniggering on the side. I flip a look at her. She bursts out laughing. Wait, I got it. I’m wearing jeans. And they have zippers. I’m winning round one this time, little Moon.
Let Me Love You: A Novel Page 3
