MKTBP05: A Sad Past!
1114 Words
"I am Tricio." The little boy quickly put some food on his mouth after saying his name.
"Your name was so beautiful." Meme Tiny smiled.
Tiny enjoyed watching Tricio while he was eating. Later on, Tricio stopped eating and looked at Meme Tiny seriously. "Why don't you eat with us?"
"Don't worry about me. I am full." A sweet smile curved on my Meme's lips.
"You just don't want to uncover your face." Tricio lifts his shoulders. "You'll starve if you don't eat," he said like an old man.
"I'm done," Bryce said.
Tricio looked at Bryce's plate. "Done? Your plate still has some Kan-on and vegetables." Tricio runs his tongue on his lips.
"If you don't want to eat that anymore, I'll take it," Tricio said, which made Bryce smile.
Tricio immediately took the plate from Bryce. "And every little piece of food is worth a life." He started to eat Bryce's leftovers.
"He is commendable," I said.
"You're right," Meme replied to me through her mind.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me more about you? Like, how old are you now? Where are your parents? Where are you living?" Meme asked out of curiosity.
Tricio raised his right hand, telling Meme to wait because he was still chewing some food in his mouth.
"Okay, just finish your food first." Meme looked at Bryce.
A few moments later... The little boy had already finished his food.
"I'm already 9 years old. I haven't seen my father since I was born. My mom... " Tricio paused for a moment. His eyes, which had once been filled with joy, had now turned teary.
"She got sick and died a few months ago." Tears started to flow from Tricio's eyes, but he immediately wiped them with his bare hands. However, his tears continue to flow.
Bryce took a handkerchief from his dress pocket and gave it to Tricio.
"Thank you." Tricio quickly wiped his tears.
My heart aches while hearing Tricio's words. I can feel the pain he is enduring.
"Where is your home? Don't you have any relatives?" Meme asked again.
"Meme, he is so emotional now. Stop asking him for a moment," I said.
"I'm sorry, I'm just curious," Meme Tiny immediately said to Tricio.
"My Aunts and Uncles took our house from me. They said that it was my grandpa's house. Now that my grandpa and my mother have both died, they have thrown me away. " Tricio continuously wiped his nonstop flowing tears.
"How rude, why did they do that? You are their nephew and it's their responsibility to take care of you and raise you up when your mother died." Meme shook her head.
"Ever since my grandpa died, they used to bully my mother. My grandfather left his house and land to my mother because he trusted her more than his four other children. Then, our sufferings started. My two uncles and two aunties wanted to get the 100 hectares of land from my mom. But Mom fought for her rights because we'd starve if we gave it to them. It's our only source of living," Tricio explained.
"They filed a lawsuit demanding that Mom give them stock options." Mother can't prove that grandpa's last will and testament was to give her the whole land and the house. So, we lost the case and my uncles and uncles took the 80 hectares of land from us. But still, they're not satisfied. They were greedy and started to expand their own land into the left 20 hectares of my Mom." Tricio seems to be an old man telling his painful story.
"My Mom gave up and voluntarily gave them the 20 hectares, hoping that they would stop pestering us if we gave the whole land to them. My mother started to work as a dish washer in this restaurant. Since then, I know that my mom worked hard just to provide food for both of us. We lived peacefully for two years, until my Mom got sick." Tricio's tears started to flow again.
Meme Tiny and Bryce were just listening to the little boy. "I tried asking for help from my uncles and aunties, but they seemed happy when they heard that my mother was ill. Yes, they let me borrow some money, but in exchange we will leave the house and give it to them," Tricio said.
"I understand you." Meme stood up and walked towards the chair where Tricio sat.
Meme kneeled down on her left leg and wiped away Tricio's tears. "I am very willing to listen to your story, but for now, I have a question for you. Do you want to go home with me?" Meme asked.
I saw that Bryce's eyes widened. "But princ... tin... Fika!" He stuttered like he didn't know what to call Meme Tiny. I know that he wanted to disagree with Meme. He didn't want us to bring a child to the warrior camp.
Meme looked back to see Bryce. "Enough, I'll bring him home."
Bryce could do nothing but shake his head. He knows that when Meme decides and says it, he won't be able to contradict it anymore.
Tricio hugged Meme Tiny very tight. I can feel it and I feel so happy. "Meme, hug him back for me." Meme did it, as I told her so.
"It's alright. From now on, you won't live in the streets anymore. No one will bully you again. I will protect you," Meme seriously said.
Tricio's hug tightened and he cried even more louder. "I don't want to stay here anymore. Everyone who bullies me is saying something wrong and hurting me physically too."
Meme taps his back and stops hugging him. She looked at Tricio's face, "No one will ever hurt you again." Meme stood up and looked at Bryce.
"Yes, we have to go now," Bryce immediately said.
Meme looked back at Tricio and smiled. "Let's go?"
Tricio just nodded and smiled. His eyes and face were reddening because he had just cried.
Meme held Tricio's left hand and we went outside the restaurant. We get our horses from the horse keeper outside the restaurant where we eat. Bryce rode with Tricio on his horse. Then, we immediately went back to the warriors' camp.
As we enter the gate... "What place is this?" Tricio curiously asked. He is looking around, "There's a very high gate and so many houses of the same structure here. People are wearing the same dress too. What is this place?"
"It is the well-known GARRETO," Meme answered. "Hoo! Hoo!" She exclaimed, making the horse stop running.
"What is GARRETO?" the little boy asked.
- Writer
