Maverick (Blank)
Chapter 2: Blank's Childhood (1)
{This is a story from the past}
Blank, a boy born on September 20, 2007. From a young age, he no longer had parents.
At 5 years old, Blank followed his grandfather, whose face was already wrinkled. Blank learned a lot from childhood because he lived in a village far from the city.
By the time Blank was 11, he was already accustomed to climbing trees with his small hands. Even so, his palms were full of cuts almost resembling a cutting board. The little boy was used to his village life, as well as the small things that made him happy.
"GRANDPAAAA!"
The little boy's shout was like the sound of a living megaphone.
"My goodness, Grandpa is old now. It seems you're starting to get bored of seeing me in this world, huh."
"Hehe... no! I just wanted to tell you, I just collected 20 coconuts and now I have money to buy a book!"
It's true, Blank loved stories. His daily routine was helping people to earn money. That was because his grandfather taught him one thing: "Use your money wisely. What is useful is sometimes better than what you desire." A saying Blank always remembered.
"My, my, my grandson really loves reading, doesn't he? What book are you going to buy this time?" asked the grandfather.
"I found it yesterday, I hope the book is still there. I forgot its name, but I think the cover has a picture of a famous person," answered Blank happily.
"Hohoho... look at my grandson, all grown up. In that case, let Grandpa get the bike first, I'll take you."
"YEAHHH!"
Little Blank was so excited. That sentence made his face beam.
After Grandpa fetched the bicycle, they went to the bookstore together, chatting along the village road that used dirt as their guide to reach the bookstore near the main road.
"Grandpa, if Mom and Dad were still here, would they be proud? I can already earn money!" said little Blank.
"Hoho... they would be very proud. You've grown up so much. Where did you learn how to earn money? Grandpa hasn't had the chance to teach you that."
"Ah... I read a book about working together to earn money. I could understand the basic concept, but there were many technical terms in that book. It seems I have to read more books to really understand, since I don't go to school, right, Grandpa?"
Little Blank was indeed not from a well-off family.
His grandfather was just a cobbler and a construction worker. That old body grew frailer, while time never waits for anyone.
"Haha, you really matured quickly, huh."
"Thank you, Grandpa!" shouted Blank.
"Oh my, your voice is really loud, isn't it? So, what's your dream?"
"My dream?" Blank paused briefly, then continued with sparkling eyes. "I will become a rich and famous person. I will help children in difficulty so they can rise and strive. I believe they can overcome it!"
Creak.
"Eh eh..." said Grandpa in a slightly panicked tone.
Little Blank was so excited that it caused the bicycle to lose its balance.
Jerk.
Finally, the bike returned to normal, and Blank just smiled. Grandpa returned the smile and said,
"Hoho, that's a good dream. But it seems the first one who needs to rise and strive is you yourself."
Little Blank fell silent for a moment. He felt his grandfather's words deeply, then answered with a smile,
"It's okay, Grandpa. I always believe in my dreams, and I won't look down on others, especially those who have dreams too."
Yes, such a soothing voice for an 11-year-old. People can be born under different conditions and in different ways. No one knows what future awaits, but self-confidence and dreams are what will lead you to find the path there.
Now, Grandpa and Blank had arrived at Blank's favorite bookstore. Although it was actually a used bookstore, Blank valued it like a treasure.
However...
"WAAAAHH!!"
"GRANDPA, THE BOOK IS GONE!" Blank shouted loudly outside the store.
"Oh dear... it seems you're not lucky today, my grandson," said Grandpa, trying to calm him.
"This is an unlucky day. Oh well... I'll look for another book here," said Blank, looking sad.
"Alright then, I'll wait for you outside, okay?"
"Okay, roger that, Gramps!" answered Blank, who re-entered the store.
"My goodness, this child is so spirited. Perhaps you could become a soldier in the future."
Grandpa turned his gaze away, and at that very moment, it happened...
Thud.
Grandpa Blank came out and accidentally bumped into a young man at the door. He looked young, like a recent high school graduate—around 18 years old.
"Ah, sorry, Grandpa. That was my fault, I was a bit daydreaming."
"Ah, it's alright, son. Please go ahead."
"Sorry, Grandpa, thank you," said the handsome young man, bowing his head slightly.
The young man wore a black sweater with round glasses on his eyes. Although he looked bookish, his body was quite athletic.
On the other hand, Blank, who was searching for his book of choice, finally found a book he thought was interesting.
"Wow, this looks cool." He flipped the cover, then sighed. "Ah, but I don't have enough money. Should I come back tomorrow after earning more money?"
As Blank furrowed his brow to process his thoughts, suddenly...
"Oh, here it is."
Blank was startled. At the same time, there was a girl who looked younger but was taller than little Blank. Yes, that could happen since girls often hit puberty earlier than boys.
"Dad, I'm buying this book!" said the little girl to her father.
"You, we could just go to the mall to get a new book. Why do you want such a shabby book?" answered the father with a slightly displeased expression.
"Dad, you shouldn't judge a book by its current appearance. This is a book by a famous author, his name is Diego Rosta. He was famous in the 17th century."
Her father smiled upon hearing his daughter's words. He replied,
"My goodness, my dear Viera... you're so smart now. You've grown up because of reading books, even Dad didn't know that."
"So, I'll take this book. It's out of print," said the girl named Viera with a firm expression.
But as the little girl's hand was about to take the book, little Blank grabbed her hand. Not because he liked her, but because that was also the book Blank wanted—but he hadn't had enough money since earlier.
Pat.
"Excuse me, but I was saving this book to buy tomorrow. Could I have it?"
The one who answered wasn't the little girl, but her father, who looked annoyed. The man shielded his daughter's view.
Creak.
Without warning, the man bent down and grabbed both of Blank's cheeks. He scrunched Blank's face, then a cold tone accompanied Blank's ears. "Hey kid, you shouldn't touch so carelessly. Look at yourself."
(...)
Blank who heard this could only fall silent. True—not out of fear, but because his words held some truth. Little Blank had already learned a lot about himself, and he knew his position as someone from a lower class was very likely to be looked down upon by those with higher status.
(Ah... I guess I was wrong.)
Without further delay, the father took the book and said,
"Dear Viera, let's go home. Dad has the book. You take this to the car while Dad pays first, okay."
"Yes... okay, Dad."
The little girl showed a surprised expression, then fell silent. Her face clearly looked uneasy. She left, though she briefly glanced at little Blank, who was bowing his head, while his right cheek was red.
That made the girl's eyes begin to well up with tears. But having no choice, she went to her car—a car that could actually buy this entire bookstore if they wanted.
Little Blank just stayed silent. He thought this was indeed what he deserved because of his status. As he was about to turn around, his movement was halted by a remark.
Viera glanced back once more, as if wanting to say something—but her steps couldn't be stopped.
The young man with glasses approached the boy. "It's alright, kid. It seems you like books, huh? Why did you say earlier you wanted to take it tomorrow?"
Blank looked at the man. He was young—the same person who accidentally met his grandfather at the door earlier.
"I don't have enough money, bro. Sorry, I think I should go."
With that answer, the 18-year-old wearing glasses raised one eyebrow, as if surprised.
"Is that so? Where are you going?"
"I've read the book 'How to Negotiate'. I'll earn money this afternoon by picking bananas in the orchard for someone."
The feeling the young man felt was pride. He thought he would let little Blank leave, but...
"Wow, I thought you were just an ordinary kid. You seem to be in elementary school, already earning money, huh."
"I have to become rich and famous to help children in difficulty in the future."
The young man grew even more surprised. What Blank said to his grandfather was exactly the same as what he said to him. And those eyes—eyes that held genuine seriousness and conviction. He believed in his dreams at such a young age. Those weren't the eyes of an ordinary child. Eyes full of conviction.
"Kid, you want to be able to become rich?"
Blank's steps halted, and he turned his gaze toward the young man.
"Of course, bro."
Yes, his eyes were unmistakable. Someone who believed the world could be changed by him was truly someone who would change the world.
"Big bro has a book, titled 'Shattering the Status Quo'. You can read this, it's a very good book. I brought it myself."
Blank, who earlier looked sad, now showed a much brighter expression. His lips began to smile, his cheeks rounded, and his eyes squinted.
"Big bro... are you serious?"
"Of course, this is for you."
"Really? What should I do? When I receive something, I must do something in return!"
"Hmm... there seems to be a slight misunderstanding in your thinking." The young man smiled warmly. "Not everything needs to be reciprocal. Even when you give something to someone, you don't need to wait for that person to do something for you. Haha, that's just a line from a book I read. Besides, I was planning to sell it earlier anyway."
Little Blank felt immensely helped by those words. He felt like he was being taught by a schoolteacher, or like his grandfather who always watched over little Blank to be cautious.
"But is that true, bro?"
The young man's face was truly smiling. He felt he had given the right book. He bent down a little because little Blank was still short, then ruffled his hair like someone petting a fluffy cat.
"Maybe, you can do things like this in the future for the children you want to save, kiddo."
The young man's sincere smile truly touched little Blank and made him feel this was one of the best days of his life.
"Oh right, what's your name?"
"My name is..."