Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:35:50 +0800
From: Johnny Kape <johnny.kape@gmail.com>
Subject: Love Needs Learning, Chapter 4

Before this chapter:

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 4


I went back to my own apartment and had a good sleep, and then went to my
job at 8 o'clock in the evening.

It was not a peaceful night, however.  A couple on the fourth floor started
to argue.  They argued so loudly that all people in the building knew that
the husband had been operated on for his piles, and the wife bought a lot
of Louis Vuitton bags.  Someone called me to complain and protest and I
tried to call the couple's home telephone and their cell phones, but nobody
answered.  I had no choice but to call the police.

Their arguing finally stopped.  However, at dawn a clamorous drunk man
tired to get in.  He hit our gate crazily and again I had no choice to call
the police.  The police came to try catching him, and I went out to help
the police.  In this total mess my chin was hit by the drunk's fist.
Finally the drunk man was arrested and I went to the police station to make
the deposition after transferring my work duty.  When everything was done,
it was almost ten o'clock in the morning.

I went home to take a bath and rode my motorcycle to the hospital to see
Fred.  I walked to the ward, but then I found that the ward was empty.

"He left the hospital this morning," another nurse saw me and told me.

"Left the hospital?  This morning?  Just two days?"

"Yes.  His father came here very early to handle the procedures and put
everything in their bags.  Soon he took the boy home."

"Oh."

Well, I had no reason to stay anymore, so I thanked her and went back home
to sleep.

Though I was concerned about Fred's conditions, my duties the rest of the
week were all night duty, so I got no chance to see Fred again.  Well,
sometimes I could see his mean father at midnight and in the early morning.
He always said nothing when passing in front of me, not even a greeting,
just lowered his head and left quickly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I finally got my first day off.  I got up at noon, and then went to a
bookstore after my brunch.  I read books all afternoon there.

When I was about to finish my third book, I felt someone push me.  My eyes
left the book and I saw Fred in his school uniform smiling at me.

"Hey, Fred!  Are you done with school for the day?"  I put the book down
and greeted to him.

"Yeah," said Fred.  "I came here to buy pens and saw you standing here."

"How have you been recently?  Is everything okay?"

Fred shrugged.  "So so."

"I had night duties the whole week and couldn't see you.  This is my first
day off and I came here to read books.  I didn't expect that I would be
caught by you here."  I smiled.

"Do you often come here to read books?"

"Yeah, because I'm poor, I can only read free books here."

Fred took a look at what I was reading.

"Do you like to read books about history?"

"Oh, yes.  I majored in history and literature in college.  However, it
gave me no skills to help me find a job, so I had no choice but to be a
security guard."

"It's a good job being a security guard, too."

I smiled.  Fred was such a kind boy.

"I mean it," said Fred.  "You have a very good body shape.  Not like me..."
He blushed.

It was the first time I took a look at this boy seriously.

Well, there was only one word to describe Fred: round.  He had a pair of
round eyes, a round face, and a round body.  His uniform did not quite fit
on his body, and his breasts bulged a bit due to the fat.

"Why, you look lovely, too."  I said.

Fred watched me.  He seemed to feel that I was actually mocking him using
the word "lovely".  I patted his shoulder.

"I mean it.  And actually, you don't need to mind how others look at you.
Oh, from tomorrow, I will be on evening duty for a week, from four pm to
twelve.  You can come to talk with me after school."

Fred laughed and nodded.

"Do you want me to take you home?  My motorcycle is out there."

"Sure," Fred agreed happily.

I put the book back on the shelf, and walked out with Fred.  I straddled my
motorcycle and Fred climbed up and sat behind me.  His hands wrapped around
my waist.

"I don't want to go home now.  Can we go somewhere to walk?" Fred asked.

"Really? Why don't you want to go home now?"

"Well, it's boring because nobody is home."

"Maybe you can go home first to change your clothes, then we can see where
we want to go," I suggested.

"Okay," Fred agreed.

I took him back to his home.  He ran into the building and came out after a
few minutes.  He had changed to a T-shirt and shorts, which made his body
look even more round.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"Anywhere you like."

I thought for a while.  "Okay, sit tight.  I'll take you to a great place."

Fred's hands wrapped around my waist again.  I felt his head leaning
against my back.

I rode for about ten minutes and took him to the fishing port.  It was a
small fishing port, which had only a building with an office and a market
inside.  However, outside the building was a beautiful park.  I didn't take
Fred to walk in the park, but instead I took him to walk on the embankment.
We walked for a while and I sat on the ground.  Fred sat beside me.

The sun was just a bit above the horizon.  The sea wind was not hard, but
very comfortable.

"I like to come here to see the sea when I'm feeling depressed or pent-up,"
I said.

I looked at Fred.  He looked at the sea and some fishing boats and he was
spellbound.  We kept silent for a while, then he started to speak.

"I still don't know your name."

"My last name is Mai.  But you can call me Eric.  It's my English name."

"Okay, hmm, Eric.  Can we..." he stopped.

"Can we what?"

"Can we... Can we be brothers?"  Fred screwed up his courage and finally
said, "I always wish to have an elder brother."

I smiled at him.  "Sure, I don't have brothers and sisters either.  Now we
are brothers."

"Oh, really?  Are you an only child too?"  Fred was a bit surprised.

"Yeah, just like you, I'm also the only child and my mother died when I was
about five years old.  So I was lonely too and had a lot of pressure from
my father."

Fred looked at me, and I went on while looking at the sea.

"My father always hoped I would have good grades to enter a good senior
high school and university so I could be a doctor.  However, I wasn't smart
and I liked to read a lot of extracurricular books.  I was always beaten up
when my father saw my grades."

"Then, how about now?"

"Well, now I sit with my new brother here."  I smiled, and Fred laughed.
"I rent an apartment and work here.  My father gave up his hope for me
being a doctor now.  He just kept whining about why I didn't have a
girlfriend and marry."

"Don't you have any girlfriend?  You look so good that I think you should
have a lot of girlfriends."

I shook my head.  "No.  I guess that no girls would like a poor guy.  I
have to work to feed myself first and have no time to think about that."

Fred turned his head back to look out at the sea.  After a few seconds, he
said, "Me either.  No girls would like a fat pig like me."

I frowned.  "Why do you curse yourself like this?"

"I'm just talking the truth."

I looked at Fred, and his stubborn eyes looked at me, too.  However, tears
started to fall down from his eyes.

I looked at his depressing face compassionately.  I held his face with both
my hands.  "You do mind that you are fat, don't you?"

Fred hesitated for a few seconds, then he nodded.

"You don't need to be like this at all," I said.  "In my point of view, you
are a great boy.  Do you know?  The nurse in the hospital thinks so, too.
She feels that you are actually a very good boy, but your father put too
much pressure on you.  She hoped that I would have more talks with you, to
relieve your pressure.  So, look, there are actually people caring about
you, right?"

Fred raised his head and looked at me.  His tearing face looked surprised.

"I agree to be your brother.  However, I hope that my brother won't be like
this, okay?"

Fred lowered his head again.  Then he nodded slightly.

I swiped at the tears on his face.  Then, I didn't know where my courage
came from; I kissed his cheek slightly.  Fred looked at me and blushed.

"If you go home after school and I am on duty, you can come to the guard
room to talk to me.  You can tell me all your worries.  Okay?"

Fred didn't answer me, just looked out at the sea.  Then he leaned his head
against my shoulder.  I hugged him slightly, and watched the sea too.


-- To be continued.