Chapter2:Away from home
1036 Words
As usual, the whole town already knew about Selina absconding with her new lover, and everyone always knew about Mike’s mother's affair in the community. Everyone had expected Mike’s father to have kicked her out, but no, they kept on living together.
The news of her finally leaving took a new turn in Mike’s life as his friends started to bully him. They pointed fingers at him, calling him the son of a harlot who ran away with a rich young guy.
Mike was devastated, which made him withdrawn; he didn't have any friends in school as he was always bullied. His father, who at this time struggled to take care of him and also worked beside him, would wake up to make breakfast fast and rush back home for dinner.
Mike spends most of his days alone, as his father had no close relatives living nearby. Mike’s father's friends advised him to take a new wife who would help him take care of his home and also meet Mike’s needs.
Mike didn't want to come to terms with the fact that his mother wasn't going to come back. As the days went by, his father started bringing home another lady, who did the cooking and cleaning. She was nice and caring towards him.
"Hello, Mike".... Mike looked at the woman with a questioning face, but he didn't respond to her, giving her a bad impression of their first meeting. The way she made her omelet was different from that of his mother; hence, he refused her dinner most nights.
A month after the re-occurrence of this woman, his father broke the news of his marriage to her. Mike didn't think much of this, as he kept on hoping for his mother to return soon.
The day his father got married was the beginning of his journey as a young child who needed the love, care, and attention of both parents. Mike was not only maltreated by this woman whenever his father wasn't around; he was starved of food and affection.
"Listen to me; if you ever tell your father that I have mistreated you in any way, I will skin you alive.".
Mike’s father's new wife said this to him as he was been thrown the leftover bread for dinner. He never really saw his father for a minute, as he neglected him to carry on with his daily life.
Mike suddenly developed the courage to look for his mother when he turned 11. He had hoped for a long time for his mother to come back for him. He sneaked into his father's office to search for any information that could lead him to his mother.
He found out his mother's whereabouts, but he needed money to go to her. He couldn't ask his father, nor would his stepmother ever glance at him. He endured this hardship and treatment from his mother until he was fifteen; he had saved up enough to go search for her.
He planned on leaving home when everyone had gone to sleep. He didn't know how he was going to get there, but his hopes were high, the hope that if he found his mother, everything would be fine.
His academics were lacking, but he kept being on top and the best student in school, but his life wasn't complete without his mother's love and affection.
Mike’s point of view
He waited patiently for everyone to sleep in the house, as at this time his dad's room will be closed, and he will have the chance to slip off without anyone noticing. He had planned and waited for this day. His stepmother always made sure he had little or no food left to eat for dinner, so he made sure to eat his fill at breakfast as she had no choice but to feed him because of his father’s presence
She acts nicely and cares whenever his father is around, but when he leaves, Mike is left to his difficulties. At 12, he started taking up jobs to be away from home most of the day and also save up for his escape to meet his loving mother.
He knew if he got to see his mother, she would treat him better. Tonight was the night he planned on leaving, as his dad came home early every Thursday, hence the early-night sleep. He was always the one who closed the front door every night, but this night he didn't because he was planning to escape through that door.
He quietly went through the first door, shutting it right after him, he immediately ran through the street as if his life depended on it. He ran straight to the train station to book the night. Mike didn't know what time it was but all his hopes and dreams were about to be fulfilled.
He walked into the ticket and straight to buy the tickets, as it was the last one, which made him join the people waiting for the last trip. He had nothing on him but the address to his mother's place in Sonia, and he had no other clothes to change into, as this didn't bother me.
As the train came, everyone joined in, hoping to get to Sonia in five hours. He looked eagerly through the train window as it moved through the city.
A journey he never expected he could take were the words he kept repeating to himself, knowing that he had a mother somewhere.
Even though he didn't know if she still had him in mind, people kept throwing glances his way; some were thinking of how careless his mother was to let her child travel through the city alone.
Knowing how cruel the world was, Mike wasn't bothered the least; he just wanted to see his mother and nothing else.
The train was getting close to its destination, so the speed began to reduce, letting everyone know that it was almost time they would be getting off the train. Mike’s eyes lit up, and his heartbeat raced from the knowledge.
He could see that the man was still looking at him as he quietly looked away from the man's tense stare at him.
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