Chapter 9 – The Light of the Future
A Letter of Longing from Poor Lukas to His Son
I am lost on a dark road.
I can't even feel myself taking steps.
Without you by my side,
Let life stop for a moment…
My son… I miss you so much.
Today, Lukas was filled with great excitement.
He had finally finished writing the story he had poured onto napkins and notebooks in this state.
Now it was time to share his story with the world.
But how would that happen? Who would want to read the story of a prisoner in jail?
Moreover, they probably wouldn't even print his book.
Lukas, who always thought negatively, felt a sense of relief within himself today.
It was as if everything was finally falling into place.
Lukas, who expressed his thoughts outwardly, surprised Frank.
He was smiling to himself while staring at the ceiling.
Frank wanted to ask what was going on, but now he was intimidated.
He didn't even have the courage to approach him.
After a while, the outer door opened, and a guard entered with a new prisoner.
Guard: Your new friend is Martin. He'll be staying here for a while. I know there's no space, but there's nothing we can do. You'll have to sort it out among yourselves.
What was this?
It wasn't fair to do this when there was no other bed to sleep in.
How ridiculous.
And he was only going to stay a little while…
Impossible!
The new prisoner carried such an aura that everyone's eyes were on him.
With his bright, sparkling denim jacket, leather pants that reached down to his shoes, and straw hat, he brought a unique atmosphere to the room.
Frank smiled when he saw him.
It was as if they already knew each other.
Frank: Hello.
Martin: Hello. You're Frank, right?
Frank: Yes. And you're Martin Kings, the famous writer from California, right?
Martin: Yes, my friend.
It was as if Lukas's miracle had come close to him.
If he could introduce his story to this man and get it published, maybe it could succeed.
Because he was a great writer.
But what was he doing here? How had he come?
Juvenile Prison
Jake was to be released from prison today, but there was no one to meet him.
Since he was young, he hadn't been given much punishment.
All the blame had been placed on Emma and Alex.
Emma took full responsibility, explaining that everything had been forced and that Lukas was not at fault.
They had received about a year and a half of sentence.
But they weren't in the prison where Lukas stayed.
They had been transferred to California.
Jake went outside holding a cigarette his father had used.
He was finally free.
Unfortunately, he had learned to smoke in prison.
He was going straight to see his father, but he only had five dollars in his pocket.
On the way, he started hitchhiking.
A kind person on a passing motorcycle stopped and took him as far as he needed to go.
Jake offered him money, but he refused.
He would convince the police and be allowed to meet his father.
They were only given five minutes to talk.
Jake waited in the visitation room, excited and happy to see his father…
Martin and Frank were sitting and continuing their conversation.
Lukas was still watching them in amazement. He wanted to go over but hesitated. He needed to share the story he had written with him. The opportunity had come.
At that moment, a guard entered and called out:
— "Lukas Black, you have a visit. Come here!"
Lukas hadn't been expecting anyone. Pursing his lips, he walked toward the visitation room. When he saw his son, he was overjoyed. They hugged tightly. Father and son had been longing for each other for so long.
Jake: "Dad, I missed you so much."
Lukas: "I missed you too, my lion. You're out now, right?"
Jake: "Yes, Dad, I'm out."
Lukas: "I still have 1 year and 300 days left."
Jake: "It's okay, Dad. While you're here, I'll handle everything. Mom and the others went to prison and took all the blame. Did you hear?"
Lukas: "Yes, son, I heard."
While Lukas and Jake were talking, Frank and his mother walked by. Lukas saw them and followed after them through the door.
Jake: "Dad, where are you going?"
The guard tried to stop Lukas, but he instantly shrugged him off. He called out behind Frank's mother:
— "Mom, wait!"
Everyone was stunned. Without anyone making a sound, Lukas immediately ran and attacked Frank:
— "What are you doing next to that woman?" he shouted and began beating him viciously.
His mother's shaky voice:
— "That's your brother, stop!"
Lukas: "What are you saying? Is this one of your lies again?"
Jake, acting as if nothing had happened, went to the woman and said:
— "We thought you were dead. Where did you come from?"
The woman was saddened; they had told her he was dead. Frank suddenly got up and said:
— "Yes, you are my brother."
Lukas still couldn't believe it. Angry, he hit Frank again and continued choking him. Before things escalated further, the guards came and separated them.
The police gathered everyone for questioning.
Police: "What is your name, ma'am?"
The woman, her voice slightly trembling:
— "Alina, officer."
Police: "And what is your relation to these people?"
The woman, with her face filled with shame:
— "I'm their mother, sir."
Lukas looked at her with hatred. Frank's mouth and nose were bloody, and he silently listened. Jake looked around in shock. Everyone's mind was elsewhere.
Lukas thought to himself: "I hope Frank isn't really my brother."
Frank thought: "If he finds out I'm his brother and doesn't kill me, that's good. How will we explain everything to him? I just found out too. He's looking at me full of hatred."
Jake wondered how his mother was. He wanted to go to her, but she was too far away.
Gradually, new mysteries began to emerge without anyone fully understanding. Frank and Lukas turning out to be brothers, their mother suddenly appearing and upending their lives… What else awaited Lukas?
Lukas's Background
The Allen family had two children, Jake and Lukas… When Lukas was born, he shone brilliantly. It was as if a miracle had come into their hands, yet this family never truly knew the love of a child. They only cared for their children to continue the family name. More precisely, because they couldn't take care of Frank, they gave him up for adoption.
Five years later, when Lukas was seven, one day he had a bicycle accident. After that accident, he was told he would not be able to have children in the future. Hearing this, the family also gave Lukas up for adoption to another family. Caring for two innocent children was too difficult for them.
From that day on, everything seemed to go wrong. The Allen family believed it was because they had given their children up for adoption, and for 45 years, they searched for them, as if that would make everything right.
Five years later, Alina, having lost her spouse, became deeply afraid. "What if something happens to me…" she thought, and she went to the family she had given her sons to for adoption. But both families had died. So where were the children, and who was taking care of them?
Lukas and Frank were living through the same struggles in separate places. Frank believed his brother was living a perfect life—but that wasn't true. Both were trying to survive, completely unaware of each other.