I could hear the low humming of the lights and the cold floor freezing my back.
"Mmmngh....."
Everything hurt—my eyes, mouth, jaw, arms, spine, legs. Nothing was safe from the pain.
Everything has gone to..... basically shit.
Instead of trying to open my eyes, I shut them even further.
My stomach felt like a hole, with even more intense pains than my fucked up face.
"...."
I.....I can't do this anymore.
Why was I getting abused? Why am I even here? Why am I getting punished for things I never did?
I could feel the tears swelling up in my eyes. And it hurt. It hurt, really bad.
".....hey"
A gentle voice called out. But I didn't answer.
A soft hand then brushed against my face, wiping my tears away.
"..."
"You....you really are an idiot, huh."
"..."
"I could've handled that on my own....you dummy."
"..."
For a while, there was just silence. A silence between two strangers.
It was calm, and in a way, raw.
It felt like I really needed this silence.
This quiet time.
When it's quiet, you can hear everything. Things that you've never heard before. Things that you'd never notice, unless you were this quiet.
I could even hear the trees gently rustling outside.
And the quiet footsteps of several passersby.
...
I thought of being an artist who drew paintings like no other. My art would be displayed in the best museums, where millions of eyes would lie upon every little stroke I had made. Everyone would praise and love me, as the warmth filled my little heart.
But that was just a thought.
I thought of being a dancer who danced like no other. I would dance on the most prestigious stages, where millions of eyes would intensely follow my every move. Everyone would praise and love me, as the warmth filled my little heart.
But that was just a thought.
I thought of being a doctor who saved lives like no other. My skills would earn me the most distinguished rewards, where every surgery ended in overwhelming success. Everyone would praise and love me, as the warmth filled my little heart.
But that was just a thought.
I thought of being the perfect son. A son like no other. I would win every award and move gracefully, even as all their eyes pierced through me. And as I looked through the crowd of other jealous sons, I would see my parents, smiling, proud, and their warmth would fill my little heart.
But those were just thoughts.
Useless thoughts that were eating me away.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The tears that were once so gently swept away had reappeared again.
.....
I want to rest for a bit.
Just a little more.
I drifted back off again. The pain was ever so painful.
***
A delicious aroma filled the room, as the smell of perfectly charred meat hit my nostrils, my eyes slowly flickered open.
I was carefully propped up against a wall, with my back still aching, yet I reluctantly got up.
Ah, my head hurts.
I thought to myself, then suddenly, a clear glass of water came into view.
"Hey, sleepy head, you alright now?"
"Huh!?"
It was the waitress.
She smiled.....a sad smile, then lifted the glass to where my hands were.
"Come on, drink some water. It'll make you feel a whole lot better than how you're feeling right now!"
I looked down at the glass. The water sparkled at me so wonderfully that I quickly grabbed the cup and gulped everything down.
I felt my body lighten as the cold, refreshing water hit my tongue, almost bringing me back to full shape.
Whew, wow, I-I really needed that.
The waitress happily sighed at the relief on my face, then proceeded to walk towards the stove where all the meat was.
"Hmmmm....these should be ready by now! Seriously, you woke up at the perfect time!"
She picked up the food and put it on a cute little pink tray with mini bear patterns, which didn't match the restaurant's dirty and cold atmosphere.
"Well? Dig in!"
"Huh? Ah, r-right."
I had completely forgotten about my order because of all the ruckus, but it seemed that my stomach didn't, as my body urged me to take a bite.
...Wait a minute....what happened to those delinquents earlier? This girl....is she okay?
My mouth was about to gulp down the food before I willed myself to ask the young lady.
"Hey, what happened to those delinquents? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"
I looked at her face, trying to get a read on her emotions, but she looked more than happy, and even replied cheerfully."
"Ah, those guys? I gave them a piece of my mind, and they ran away with their tails between their legs!"
She then laughed and told me not to worry about it.
I couldn't help but think that her answer was suspiciously vague. What if something did happen, but she didn't want to say it?
I thought of that, but her relaxed body told me otherwise.
Before I knew it, I was back to staring at my meat skewers. The hot steam poured out, and the meat shone like gold.
I slowly put my mouth to the meat and embraced its aroma.
The seasoning was just right, strong and tasty, but not enough to overpower the charred meat.
This.....is something I would truly die for!
Stick after stick, I ate and ate, savoring every piece of meat until I felt like a full little piggy.
At some point, I even think I stopped chewing and was just engulfing as much as I could into my mouth.
***
"Ahhhhhh~ that totally hit the spot...."
Looking at all the empty sticks that once had enormous amounts of meat, I had suddenly realized something.
Wait-ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty....f-fifty? Fifty?!
My fat-ass had eaten fifty whole skewers. I-I didn't account for this in my budgeting! How much is this going to cost me?!
Crap, I'm so stupid, I should've controlled myself....
"Uh, hey, so, how much is all of this going to cost me?"
Ugh....I really hope I don't sound like a cheapskate....
The waitress turned to me and, almost in an annoyed tone, said,
".....It's free, you dummy."
She puffed out her cheeks, looking like a small squirrel.
I suddenly felt a tingly feeling on my face.
Eh? Hold on a second, did she just?-
"Well? How was the meal?"
My train of thought was immediately stopped.
"Oh, uh, it was really good!"
I grinned, trying to match her tone, but...the meat really was good, in fact, it was nothing short of wonderful. It's been a while since I've eaten something like this. The cup noodles I constantly ate were truly nothing but piles of garbage compared to her skewers.
"Ah-"
Suddenly, there was a piece of dust in my eye....
"Ah, there seems to....to be....some dust in....my.....eyes...."
My throat started to tighten, and my eyes got all watery. I could feel my lips curl up.
Ah, no, I-I can't, not right now.
"You...haven't eaten a good meal in a while, huh?"
Her green eyes looked upon mine. They had a fresh, refreshing spring feel to them, green, like a newly grown flower petal.
They looked sad, but held so much compassion that I couldn't help but stare into them for longer than I should've.
"I...yeah, I guess so."
Starting to feel tears coming out, I quickly turned my head around.
"I-I'll get going now, thank you...for the delicious meal."
I felt my face redden before I picked up my suitcase.
Seriously Yinuo? Since when did we start crying in front of strangers?
Just as I left the restaurant, I heard the waitress's footsteps quickly run up behind me.
"Ah, you're leaving, already?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah."
She looked disappointed, but then said something unexpected.
"....Then, thanks....thank you, for helping me before....even if you didn't put up much of a fight. That takes a lot of courage."
The stars that night shone beautifully on her face; her smile was ever so soft and comforting. Although the breeze had now become cold, something warm stirred up inside of me.
My face felt so warm and fuzzy that even the wind couldn't extinguish it.
Her long, chestnut hair rustled against the wind and flowed so freely, with leaves falling by, the colors of her eyes.
We both stood there, looking at each other, yet it didn't feel awkward at all.
Taking in the silence, it was comforting.
Warm.
Fulfilling.
Reminiscent of something I've always wanted.
Something I've needed.
"Well, you should get going now. If you keep staring at me, you might be late to your next destination~"
She playfully teased.
Oh, right! I still need to find a place to stay for the night!
I frantically turned to leave, but not before I looked back again.
She was waving goodbye, so I, Yinuo, also raised my hand, and waved it right back at her.
I smiled to myself, knowing that even in this screwed-up world, there was at least one person by my side.