05: A CLOSED HEART AND MIND
1126 Words
The following afternoon sun hung low over the school grounds, casting long shadows across the soccer field.
George Werch stood beside his car, one hand gripping a paper bag filled with groceries and packed food. The other shielded his eyes as he searched the field.
Until he saw his son Gabriel.
Running across the grass with energy, his laughter faint but real. His movements were sharp, confident like someone who belonged there.
For a moment… George forgot everything. The pain. The distance and the rejections. All he saw was his son.
A small, fragile smile formed on his lips as he stepped closer to the fence. His heart began to beat faster, not from fear this time, but from something warmer. Pride.
“That’s my son…” he whispered under his breath.
Gabriel kicked the ball, weaving past two players before sending it straight into the goal.
Cheers erupted across the field.
Without thinking, George raised his hand and clapped loudly.
“Gabriel!” he called out, his voice full of excitement.
“That’s it! Good job!”
It was a proud father instinct. A father cheering for his child. But the cheers slowly faded. And heads began to turn, not toward Gabriel. But toward him, George.
Gabriel froze for a second. The smile on his face disappeared almost instantly. And his teammates looked between him and the man at the fence.
“Hey… who’s that?” one of the boys asked.
Another tilted his head. “You know him?”
Gabriel didn’t answer. His grip tightened around the ball. His heart felt heavy.
George as a happy father, didn’t notice right away. But he was still smiling. Still clapping. Still proud.
A group of girls nearby whispered among themselves before one of them approached him hesitantly.
“Excuse me, sir…” she said.
George turned, still carrying that gentle expression.
“Yes?”
“Um… may we know your name?” she asked politely.
George nodded. “George Werch.”
The girls exchanged looks.
“Are you… Gabriel’s uncle?” another one asked.
George paused.
Then, without hesitation. “I’m his father.” he said.
Silence fell upon the girls who come to him. Their reactions are undeniable, with more questions. Because their expressions shifted from curiosity to shock and now, they finally felt danger to him.
“Oh…” one of them murmured.
Another stepped back slightly. And just like that,
The warmth looks like it has vanished. They didn’t say anything else. They simply walked away, quickly. As if they were avoiding him.
George stood there, confused. "What?”
His smile faded slowly. His hand dropped to his side.
On the field, Gabriel saw everything. Every glance of other school mates. As if he can hear every whisper around. Every step backward. His face burned with embarrassment.
“No…” he muttered under his breath.
Without another word, he dropped the ball and walked off the field.
“Hey! Where are you going?” one of his teammates called out.
But Gabriel didn’t stop.
George noticed him immediately. “Gabriel?” he called, confused.
But the boy didn’t respond. He didn’t look at him, and didn’t slow down. Instead, he grabbed his backpack and walked straight out of the school gate. Past from George. Like he wasn’t even there.
Something inside George tightened.
“…Gabriel,” he called again, softer this time.
Still, he didn't receive a response from his son. The distance between them felt heavier than ever.
Inside the car, Gabriel waited for George silently. as silence filled the whole space. He became more uncomfortable, since his father returned. It was so painful for him, to see his real father in front of the people.
Gabriel sat by the window, his face turned away.
George placed the groceries on the backseat before starting the engine.
“…Why did you come to my school?” Gabriel finally spoke. His voice was cold and beneath it, was his anger.
George blinked, caught off guard.
“I just… wanted to see you,” he said gently. “You were playing so well. You know, when I was your age...”
“I didn’t ask that!” Gabriel snapped.
George fell silent.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you not to come there,” Gabriel continued, his voice rising. “Do you even think about what happens after that?”
George frowned slightly. “I didn’t do anything wrong…”
“Didn’t you?” Gabriel turned to him, eyes sharp. “Everyone saw you.”
George’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“I was just cheering for you…”
“Yeah,” Gabriel let out a bitter laugh. “And now they all know.”
The time pause between them. A father to his son.
“They think I have a father who’s a murderer”
The words hit like a blade. George’s breath caught.
“That’s not true,” he said quickly. “Gabriel, I already told you...”
“You always say that!” Gabriel cut him off. “But where’s the proof?”
George opened his mouth... Then closed it.
“My memories aren’t clear,” Gabriel continued, his voice shaking slightly. “But I remember something.”
George turned slightly toward him. “…What do you remember?”
Gabriel hesitated. “…I remember Silvestry.”
George froze.
“I remember him saving us,” Gabriel said. “He came for me and mom. He protected us.”
“No,” George whispered. “That’s not how it happened.”
“Then how did it happen?” Gabriel shot back. “Because from what I see... he was there.”
“And you weren’t.”
George’s chest tightened painfully, he kept his silences for a while before saying this.
“Gab… please,” he said, his voice breaking slightly. “I was there. I tried to save you. I...”
“Enough!” Gabriel’s voice echoed inside the car. "Just stop,” he said, turning away again. “I don’t want to hear it anymore.”
George fell silent. The rest of the drive felt endless.
After a while, George spoke again, Softer this time.
“Gab… I love you.”
No response.
“I love you and your mom…” George continued. “Everything I did… I did it for you." George's voice cracked. “I tried to save you that time…”
George becomes more emotional while he was driving, then he admitted.
“But I’m sorry, I failed.”
Gabriel didn’t look at him. Didn’t react. "It’s your loss,” he said coldly. “Not mine.”
Hearing those words from a son. Is the last piece of hope George was holding onto, but now it was shattered.
- Writer
