Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:53:15 +0800
From: Johnny Kape <johnny.kape@gmail.com>
Subject: Love Needs Learning, Chapter 1

Before this story:

This story, well, is _NOT_ a pure fiction.  Some parts of this story, some
words spoken by the characters, even some places in this story were true.
They are parts of my childhood memory.  However, all the names, and all the
sex descriptions and actions were made up.  Hope you like this story.

Again, I wrote this story in my own language first, then tried to translate
into English.  Great thanks to Matthew Templar, who helped me with my
English, and helped me walk through a hard time during the days I wrote
this story.  I don't know how to show my appreciation to him, so I can just
say "thank you, Matt".  I recommend everyone to read his stories,
especially 'One Gift To Give', which I like very much.  He and his stories
are listed in the prolific writer list of Nifty, except his new story
'Julian and Roman', which was just done a few days ago.

All story writers like to receive your feedback, and I am no exception.
I'd love to hear from you about your thoughts, comments and criticisms.
I'll answer all emails.  Thank you.

-- Johnny Kape <johnny.kape@gmail.com>


Love Needs Learning -- Chapter 1


Fu walked into the guardroom.  He greeted me.

"Good evening, Mai.  Was everything okay today?" asked Fu.

"Well, nothing special," I said, giving him the job record notebook.  He
took a look at the records, nodded, and closed the book.

"Okay.  Now you can go patrolling.  Just follow the way I taught you
yesterday.  From the highest floor, then down to every floor.  You can go
home if everything is okay."

I stood up, and took my cap.  "I'm going now."

Fu sat down and nodded to me.  I walked toward the elevator.

It was my second day on duty.  It was a hard time to get a job, and I
didn't have any outstanding skill.  In the university, I majored in history
and literature, which gave me no advantage to find a job.  Fortunately, I
had a good, strong body, and someone introduced me to a security service
company to be a guard.  I was trained for two months, and then was
distributed to a community composed of four tall buildings.  The building I
was in had 15 floors, with six large, expensive apartments on each.

I took the elevator to the 15th floor.  I started to patrol everywhere.

I walked along the aisle, which, at that time, was dark.  Only a small lamp
was lit.  Though it was midnight, it was still very hot.  I walked and
wiped at my sweat.

Nothing special.  I walked to the stairs and was ready to go down to the
14th floor.  I turned my head back to look one last time.  However, that
time something caught my eye.

I don't know why.  There was something wrong.

I walked back to a metal door.  Outside the door was the stairs up to the
roof.  I felt wind blowing.  I looked at the door.  Then I realized that
the door was not locked.  Someone had opened the door.

I opened the door, and walked up to the roof.  I shouted, "Anyone there?"

No response.  I shouted again, "Anyone there?"

That time I heard somebody moaning.  I tried to find where the sound came
from.  Then I saw my target.  A fat boy, about ten years old, with a short
T-shirt and shorts, was lying on the floor, moaning.

I ran there and asked, "Are you okay?"

I looked at the boy, and was shocked.  There was a small knife in the right
hand of the boy, and his left wrist was bleeding; bleeding a lot!

I called Fu with the radio.  "Fu, Fu, someone tried to commit suicide by
slashing his wrists on the roof.  He is still awake.  Call the ambulance!"

"Roger," answered Fu.  The boy's wrist was still bleeding.  I looked
around, and started to take off my shirt.  Then I took off my undershirt
too and used my undershirt to bandage and press the boy's wrist.

Fu's voice came again from the radio.

"Mai, Mai, do you know who tried to commit suicide there?"

"A fat boy, about 10 years old.  He is still bleeding."

"He must be the Don boy.  Find something to press his wound.  Press hard!
The harder the better!"

"Yes, I'm pressing."

"Raise his hand higher than his head."

"Can I carry him to the first floor?"

"Press for at least 5 minutes, and see if the bleeding stops or slows.  If
you want to carry him, remember to keep his hands higher than his head, and
notice his bleeding."

"I see."

I pressed the boy's wound very hard, and raised his hand.

The boy was murmuring, "Don't... save me... "

"You little fool.  Why did you try to commit suicide?  You are so young,
and the world is still wonderful," I said softly.

"You... don't understand... "

"No, I don't understand.  Since I'm here, I must save you."

The boy didn't talk anymore, just gasped weakly.  I was still pressing his
wrist.

After three minutes, I talked to the radio, "Fu, Fu, hasn't the ambulance
arrived?"

"Not yet."

"Want me to carry him down?"

"Can you?  I've put the elevator to the 15th floor."

"I'll try."

I tried to carry him with one hand, and with the other hand kept pressing
his wrist hard.

Well, hmm, he was a bit overweight.  All right, he was a bit TOO
overweight.  It was so difficult.  I carried him carefully.  I was out of
breath, but I walked to the stairs as fast as possible.

Finally, I got the boy down the stairs and to the elevator.  Fortunately
the elevator was not called by someone else so we entered the elevator and
went down to the first floor.

When the door opened, Fu was there.  He helped me to carry the boy out of
the elevator, and asked me, "Why are you shirtless?  Where are your
clothes?"

"On the roof.  I thought it would be better to bandage and press the wound
with my undershirt.  It's softer."

Fu nodded.  "I'll press it for you.  Now go get your clothes."

He pressed the boy's wrist, and I went to the roof again to get my shirt.
When I got back to the first floor, the ambulance had arrived.

A young doctor simply bandaged the boy, and some staff sent the boy onto
the ambulance.  The doctor asked, "Aren't his parents home?"

"No," said Fu.  "He lives with his father only, and his father is not home.
I just called his home, nobody answered.  I also tried his father's cell
phone, but haven't contacted him yet."

"Who found the boy?"

"I found him."  I raised my hand.

"Could you please go with the boy to the hospital?" said the doctor.

I nodded.  Fu rushed to the guard room, wrote something hastily, and tore
off the note paper.  He gave me the paper.

"It's his father's cell phone number.  The police or the hospital staff
will need to call his father."

I jumped into the ambulance, and went to the hospital with them.  The boy
was sent to the operating room.  I sat on a chair outside.  I felt pooped.
My heart was still beating crazily.

A young policeman asked me to go with him.  I followed him to another room.
He asked me the details about how I found the boy.

I told him everything I knew.  Then I signed my statement, still with a
shaking hand.

"All right, you can go home now," the policeman said after I signed my
name.

"How about the boy?"

"We are trying to contact his parents.  He will survive, I believe.  Thank
you for your help."

I walked out of the room, and stared at the operating room for a while.
Then I walked out of the emergency room with a heavy heart.


-- To be continued.

Postscript: Oh, I just changed my pen name.  I was listed in the prolific
writer list as Pedrick Oman, but then I decided to change my pen name to
Johnny Kape.  Please have a look at the prolific writer list to see my
other stories.  I'd like to hear your comments about them too.