Maverick (Blank)
Chapter 4: Blank's Childhood (3)
[Your grandfather... right now he's... dying.]
The boy's eyes widened and reddened. His hands clenched. Then he ran quickly, tears already beginning to fall.
(NO... NO!)
(NO! THIS CAN'T BE!)
The boy ran swiftly. Then, as he entered the main room—
"GRANDPA!"
His shout startled everyone who had come, and they all looked at him.
Blank walked forward. His steps grew heavy, his breath ragged, and his heart pounded wildly.
"Gr-grandpa..."
Blank's eyes widened. He froze. His body trembled violently, and tears began flooding his cheeks.
It all came when Grandpa looked pale and had an empty gaze. The bloodstain visible on the cloth covering his stomach made Blank's tears uncontrollable.
"Grandpa... please... I'll be... all alone..."
The boy became utterly desperate. He held his grandfather's hand, which already felt cold. Everyone watching felt pity, for the 11-year-old boy now had no one.
A man tried to approach him. He placed a hand on Blank's trembling, sobbing shoulder. "Kid..."
Shove.
The hand was pushed away by Blank himself. He showed his face, now streaked with tears and eyes red as blood. His teeth were bared, the corners of his lips turned down.
The man fell silent. He, too, was unable to handle a young child overwhelmed by the fear of loss.
Nee naw nee naw.
It was an ambulance siren. Right on cue, they arrived quickly.
"Bring him in, this is an emergency!" said one of the men waiting at the door. The medical personnel immediately rushed in and began placing Grandpa on a stretcher.
As Blank walked to accompany his grandfather, he felt one thing. When he was in front of the ambulance, he glanced back. He suspected that...
[No one else was following besides him.]
That feeling tore his heart apart. But he couldn't wait long. He had to quickly get in and go to save his grandfather.
Vroom.
The ambulance moved swiftly. Its siren began blaring loudly, signaling the patient was in critical condition.
Blank sat facing his grandfather. His tears flowed again. His eyes were dull, with a whimpering voice saying, "Grandpa..."
Throughout the journey, Blank could do nothing. His mind was in chaos. If Grandpa didn't make it, he truly would have no one now.
Blank grabbed his own hair. He curled up, hiding his face in his knees.
Screech.
The ambulance arrived at the hospital. Grandpa was immediately taken on a gurney. He was brought to the ER, and Blank would wait outside.
Blank was seen sitting on a long, hard-textured metal chair. All he could smell was the antiseptic scent and the silence in the corridor.
Blank stared blankly. His face was directed at the floor. Then he felt weak and thirsty.
Blank tried to go to the cafeteria to buy a drink. But when he got there, he was shocked by the expensive prices.
($2 for one drink?) For him, that was expensive, because plain water could be found anywhere if you lived in a village. He dug into his pocket and looked at the money he had.
Blank grimaced. He only had $1.50 to buy a drink. Then his gaze focused on one target when he saw...
[30% Disc on Ion Drinks]
Blank found a price that matched his money. He bought one bottle of the drink.
"Here's the money, ma'am."
The cashier looked at him with pity. "No need, kid, just take it."
Blank smiled. "Really?"
The woman running the cafeteria smiled and nodded her head.
Blank was happy. Then he looked for a seat to drink the slightly ionized water.
Gulp.
"Ugh, it doesn't taste good." For a child, the drink wasn't quite right. But he continued drinking. "But it's refreshing enough. I feel a little more energized now."
Blank's gaze wandered elsewhere. He saw a family—a child with a bandaged head. Blank could hear their conversation.
"Yay, big brother is getting better!" said the younger sibling.
Then the father also said, "Of course, you're my child, you're strong."
And the mother with her smile chimed in, "You can go home tomorrow. We've been waiting for so long."
All those words were for their son, who had a little sister. It seemed he had been in an accident. But Blank, who stared with a blank gaze, fell silent.
He pursed his lips. His hands clenched his crumpled pants at the knees as he lowered his head.
"Huh..." Blank sighed. Then he left the cafeteria and headed back to the waiting area.
Upon arrival, it was clear that a doctor and a nurse were looking for someone near where Blank had sat earlier.
Then Blank asked, "What's wrong, Doctor?"
The doctor was confused after seeing Blank. He looked left and right, but his gaze returned to the boy. "Where is the guardian of the elderly gentleman?"
Blank didn't understand, but what he gathered was the person accompanying Grandpa. So he said, "I'm the only one who came with Grandpa."
That answer surprised the doctor. "Wait? You're alone?"
Instantly, the doctor grabbed his own head like someone deep in thought.
Blank just watched. Then the doctor whispered something to a nurse. Although whispered, Blank's ears could hear it.
"He's alone. That means there's no one to pay. The surgery is very expensive."
The nurse asked, "Then what should we do, Doctor?"
One sentence that shocked Blank and made his eyes widen when the doctor said, "This hospital is really in a crisis. I'll reject it for now. I also have other patients right now."
Blank fell silent. He didn't know what the word 'reject' meant, but with the explanation that the doctor had other patients, it led to the conclusion that his grandfather couldn't be saved now.
Blank then flew into a rage. He hit the doctor with a face full of anger and flowing tears. His lips bled from his own bite as the doctor uttered that painful sentence.
"You bastard!"
Said the 11-year-old child. Then the doctor tried to calm him, but he was actually pushed down by Blank. Then Blank began acting violently.
Thud.
Blank successfully punched the doctor's face once, making it red. But his action was stopped by security who entered and restrained him.
"Tch."
The doctor said. That made Blank even more furious. But his body couldn't do anything. This frustrated Blank, and then—
Thump.
Blank collapsed. It was clear the boy had fainted. His eyes were unfocused and his body went limp. Perhaps it was a condition where a child's body could no longer match his current mental state.
---
When some time passed, Blank was still on a seat. In front of him, Grandpa was lying down, and an electrocardiogram now showed a flat horizontal line.
A man stood before Grandpa. He wore a sad expression, grieving for the person lying before him who was now gone.
"Leonardo, I'm sorry I couldn't protect your father..."
Then his gaze shifted to the boy still unconscious on the long bench. "But I will protect your son, at least until he's 18... I will repay my debt to you..."
The atmosphere grew quiet again. And when Blank awoke and heard the news of his grandfather's passing, he couldn't even speak.
---
The next day, Grandpa's funeral was held. Blank was seen attending alone. This time, he brought a flower for Grandpa's grave. "I love you, Grandpa. Rest in peace, Gramps."
With a forced smile he managed.
It was an unexpected tragedy. No one knew that Blank was now a child living all alone.
Blank stared blankly, but his mind was fighting. He spoke in his heart, (Grandpa... didn't make it because I couldn't pay, right...)
His hands clenched. (So if later there are people I want to protect and care for...)
Blank furrowed his brow and made a resolution. He declared with full conviction...
[I will become rich so there will be no more loss.]
He said it with a serious face. Even though he was now extremely fragile from losing his last family member, it was from this moment that Blank began to grow...
---
In reality, when noon arrived, he was now sitting leaning against a tree on a small hill, looking at the very peaceful countryside.
A gentle breeze.
In the quiet of the day, Blank said, (I'm all alone...)
He looked at the blue sky.
"Dad... Mom... Grandpa..."
Then the boy lowered his head, his eyes glassy.
"Will I never see you all again..."
Drip drip.
The boy's tears began to fall slowly. He scrunched his face, clenched his knees, and tried to hold back his sobs, but...
Hic.
He began to sob. His body also trembled. Tears clearly streamed down his cheeks. He couldn't accept his current situation—being alone without a single family member left. He whimpered, "Grandpa..."
The little boy curled up. His pants grew wet, but he couldn't control it.
That would become a dark history he felt...
When evening approached, the boy returned to Grandpa's house. He entered and opened the door.
Creak.
His face was flat, his eyes swollen. He remembered something every time he came home—Grandpa's words always saying, [Look, my grandson is home]—but he could no longer hear them.
His steps went straight. Then he stopped when he saw the old, rotting wooden door—it was Grandpa's room door. He opened it.
Creak.
Many photos belonging to the late Grandpa were displayed here. He stepped inside while looking at the photos of the old man. Then he thought. "Grandpa, I'll sleep here tonight... I want to be accompanied."
At least that made little Blank feel guarded, even if only by faces encased in glass.
Then, by accident, he saw the late Grandpa's notebook lying on the table. He was curious and picked it up.
Flip.
He began opening the book and looking at Grandpa's notes. He read the sentences one by one.
[Look at this kid. I taught him how to fish and he fell into the river. Thank goodness someone else was there, or the kid would have been swept away. I'm old, you know!]
Blank smiled. He remembered that incident and relived the situation. "That was me when I was 8."
He slowly flipped the pages and continued reading.
[Imagine, I taught him how to climb a tree to help me, but instead he took the neighbor's mangoes. Then he said, 'Is that not allowed?' My goodness, this kid can be annoying sometimes.]
Even though Grandpa said that, Blank still felt its warmth deep inside. He looked at the next parts of the book until the last page.
[I am so happy. He was so cheerful when he got the book. I'm sure that kid will grow up great, and I'm really looking forward to it.]
That was Grandpa's last note. His lips smiled, but his heart cracked. He knew this record would never continue. But as he was about to close the last page—
Slip.
A folded piece of paper fell from between the last page and the cover. He didn't expect a letter there. But the paper looked aged and very old. Curiosity drove him, and the boy opened it to find the sentence...
[Dear Father]
He was shocked. Why was this letter here? And when he looked at the date—[September 20, 2012]—that was when the boy was 5 years old. But what puzzled him was that this was a letter from his father to Grandpa. Yet Grandpa had said his father died when he was born.
"What is this?"
He wore a confused expression. He then read the sentence.
"Father, how are you? I hope things are well there. I truly miss you, especially my child right now. Isn't he 5 years old now? Haha, I really want to meet him."
He was stunned. If this handwriting was really from when he was 5, then his father was still alive. He continued.
"But it seems impossible. This huge misunderstanding is making things harder. I hope Father can hold on in the village. I want that child to live a normal life, because... that was Naraya's last wish before she passed..."
He scratched his temple where it didn't itch. He pondered.
(Why would Father send a letter like this? Is he still alive now?)
Blank held onto a great hope about his father. But after reading the next sentence, his heart was scratched again. He read the third sentence, which was written like this.
[Even though it seems I will never meet my child, if he can play, learn, or perhaps when he's grown up, work, get married, and have a family, that is the most beautiful gift I could ever dream of.]
He lowered his head with a blank gaze after losing the hope his own father's words had given. But after reading the final sentence, he was utterly shocked.
"Wh-why?"
Blank wondered, though there was no answer afterward. It was just the last sentence in the letter, but it could make him fall silent instantly. The content of the letter was...
[Father, I beg you, don't let that child search for anything about his family.]