Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:31:51 +0800
From: Johnny Kape <johnny.kape@gmail.com>
Subject: Story submission - Love Needs Learning, Chapter 8

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.  Of course, if you read Matt's stories, please give
him your feedback, too.  Thank you.


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


Love Needs Learning -- Chapter 8


I was not fired by my company.  However, because I had argued with the
inhabitants and was hit, I was transferred to another building and was
fined for half-month of salary.  I thought that the main reason why I
wasn't fired was that Fu must had interceded for me in front of our boss.

However, I didn't worry about if I would be fired or not.  I worried about
Fred the most.  I didn't know how seriously Fred quarreled with his father
after I left them and how Fred had been those last few days.  I heard from
Fu that Fred's father moved to another place with Fred after that day.  He
didn't know where they moved to and he had never seen them anymore.

Though I worried about Fred so much, I had no choice but to give up.  I
always took Fred to the fishing port or the park when I was off duty.  We
would chat and laugh there.  After that day I could only stare at the sea
alone, thinking about Fred.  If I was not with him, then who could he talk
to about his worries?  Fred was so lonely before we met.  He didn't have
many friends, and the only family, his father, could not understand him.
His father might even think that it was enough to give him money to take
care of himself.  Fred's father had never thought about how lonely Fred
would be.  Well, even I could not imagine how lonely he would be.  He had
tried to commit suicide three times, but still didn't get his father's
concern.  Would he do the stupid thing again if I wasn't with him?

I took some time to clean my own apartment.  I saw the paper box under my
bed and thought of those old comics, novels, and classical music CDs I
loaned to Fred. Well, Fred didn't give them back to me, and I didn't ask
him for them.  Maybe, it would be fortunate that I had left something with
him.  Oh, and that sketch notebook; maybe Fred could talk to my picture to
release his pressure.  Would that notebook be destroyed by his father?
Even so, Fred could draw more.  He could.  His drawing skill was so great,
and his memory was too.  He could draw me with so much detail without me
being there as his model.  He could draw more, I believed.

A lot of such thoughts ran through my mind day by day.  I felt myself about
to explode.  I found that I really fell in love with this boy.  Since the
day we were forced to be kept apart; all I thought was if he would be all
right or not.  I didn't care about myself anymore.  Fu sometimes called me
to ask me if I was okay or not.  He even found some reasons to treat me to
dinner because I was fined for half-month of my salary.  I didn't tell him
much about my concern for Fred.  I didn't even say "thank you" to him.  I
just put my appreciation to him in my mind.

I was transferred to an old community.  Most of the houses in this
community were empty because their owners just bought the houses but didn't
live here.  I was the youngest guard there, so I was arranged to be on most
night duties.  When I was off, or before going to work, I would still go to
that bookstore to read books.  It was just that, most of the time, I would
not concentrate on the books.  I always raised my head when someone walked
into the bookstore.  I always expected that Fred would come into the
bookstore to push me or pat my back, like before.

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

It was about 1 o'clock in the morning.  I sat in the guard room, listening
to the classical music from the radio.  A luxury car came to the gate of
the community.  I walked out of the guard room, to see who had come here.

"Good evening, sir.  Who do you want to ..."

I stopped in shock.  The man in the driver's seat was Fred's father.  He
stepped out of his car.

My mouth was open, but I couldn't speak anymore.  I saw Fred's father
walking toward me and look at me.  He looked very wan and sallow, not
nearly as arrogant as before.

"Mister... mister... mister Mai..." he stammered.

I closed my mouth, but still couldn't speak.  After a long silence, I tried
my best to squeeze out some words.  "Hi, Mr. Don.  Long time no see."

Fred's father looked at me.  All of a sudden, he knelt down in front of me!

I was thrown into panic.  I cradled his arms.  "Mr. Don, please, please get
up!  Don't be like that.  What happened?"

Fred's father didn't get up.  On the contrary, he put both of his hands
stretched out on the ground, falling into a prone position.

"Mr. Mai, please, please save Ming Jun..."

My heart sank when I heard Fred's name.  "Fred?  What happened to him?"

"He... he..."

"What happened to him?  Tell me!"  I asked nervously.

"He hasn't eaten and drunk anything for two weeks and he doesn't want to
speak to me anymore.  Then he couldn't hang on anymore and fainted and I
sent him to the hospital.  He woke up, but still didn't want to speak to
me.  I begged him to speak to me and he finally said, 'I want to see
Eric...'"

Tears dropped through the face of Fred's father.

"Please, Mr. Mai, now only you can save Ming Jun.  It's my fault that I hit
you and almost made you be fired.  It's my fault.  I... I apologize to you.
Please save Ming Jun.  He is my only son.  His mother passed away so early.
If he... if he... I..."  Fred's father couldn't speak anymore, just hit the
ground with his own head.  I grabbed his shoulder.

"Okay, okay, Mr. Don.  Please get up."  I cradled his arm to help him get
up.  "Where is Fred now?"

"In the City Hospital."

"Okay, I'll go with you.  But I can't go now.  I need someone to be on duty
for me.  Please wait here."

I ran into the guard room and thought for a moment.  Only Fu could help me.

I called Fu's home number with my cell phone and prayed that he was not on
duty.

After ringing for nearly two minutes, a sleepy voice answered the phone.
It was Fu.

"Hello?  Who do you want to speak to?  Do you know what time it is?"

I sighed with relief.  "Fu, it's me, Mai."

"Mai?"  Fu's voice became clear.  "What happened?"

"Are you on duty now?"

"Apparently not."

"Then, can you give me a hand?  Now I have something urgent and I have to
leave.  Can you come here to be on duty for me?"

Fu thought for a while.  "Is it for the Don boy?"

"Yes.  His father is here.  He said that Fred has been on a hunger strike
for two weeks.  Now he is in the hospital."

"Okay, wait for me.  I'll be there soon.  The Sunrise Community on the 4th
boulevard, right?"

"Yes.  Thanks."

"Okay.  And Mai?"

"What?"

"Listen.  Now you are the only one who can save the boy's soul.  Don't give
up.  Okay?"

Listening to Fu's words, my tears almost escaped from my eyes.  "Okay."

"I'll be there soon."  Fu hanged up the phone.

I walked out of the guard room to Fred's father.  "Another guard is on the
way here.  Please wait for a moment and I'll go with you."

Tears were still on his face and he held my hands tightly.  "Thank you,
thank you."

He went back to his car, and I waited in the guard room nervously.  After
about ten minutes, a motorcycle came at a very fast speed.  It was Fu.

When Fu walked into the guard room, I couldn't control myself anymore.  I
embraced him tightly.

"Thank you, Fu.  You always help me in my most needy moment."

Fu was surprised at my action, but then he smiled and patted my shoulder.
"Hurry up.  The Don boy is waiting for you."

I ran out and entered the car.  Fred's father started the car and made a
U-turn.  He sped up.

It was a long, awkward silence in the car, then Fred's father finally broke
it.

"I really don't understand why Ming Jun would try to commit suicide again
and again...  What on earth is wrong?"

"You still don't understand why Fred would try to commit suicide?"  His
words irritated me.  I yelled at him.  "Do you know how he was bullied and
teased in school?  Do you know what he liked and disliked?  Do you know
what he wished to have?  Do you know what he worried about the most?  Do
you know what he took for his meals?  He had tried to commit suicide three
times, now the fourth, to try to make you more concerned about him; and how
about you?  Have you done anything except feeling ashamed of him?  Have you
shared some of your time with him?"

Fred's father was no longer arrogant and mean.  Instead, he was totally
depressed, frustrated, and lost.

"I...  Since Ming-Jun's mother died, I always thought that I must give him
a good life..."

"A good life is not built by money.  It must be built by love, concern, and
time."

"He is my son!  I love him!  I am concerned about him!  I... I just have no
time... and he hates me!  I know that he hates me!"  Fred's father became
agitated and he shouted.

"No, Fred doesn't hate you at all."  Contrary to the actions of Fred's
father, I calmed down.  "If he hated you, he wouldn't need to try to commit
suicide at all.  Why can't you see and understand that clearly?"

"He told me that he fell in love with you.  Apparently he accepted you, but
not me," Fred's father said in frustration and depression.

"Did he really say that?"  I was surprised.  A complicated feeling filled
my mind.

Fred's father nodded.  "He told me when we argued.  Then he started to..."

"To be honest, I fell in love with him too," I said, without taking any
consideration.  The car stopped suddenly, in the middle of the road.
Fred's father looked at me in surprise.  I went on.  "Since the day I left
you, there has not been a single day that I didn't miss him.  What worried
me the most was that Fred fell out with you and did the stupid thing to
harm himself again.  I prayed a lot to hope my worries would be just
worries, but your pressure, your lack of patience overrode God's desires.
You wouldn't let up on him so he fought back again."

"I..."

"And, let me tell you.  You are totally wrong," I said, interrupting his
attempt at making excuses.  "You are his father.  You are always the most
important one in his mind.  He just doesn't know how to love you, just like
you don't know how to love him.  You both need to learn how to love!"

Fred's father didn't speak anymore.  He just started to drive again, and
kept silent all the remaining way to the hospital.  Soon we arrived.  He
parked his car and took me to the ward.

Different floor, and different ward.  However, very coincidently, the nurse
on duty was the same one; the one who cared about Fred too.  She saw me
with Fred's father and was a bit surprised.  But soon she gave me a smile
and nodded to me.  I entered Fred's room with Fred's father.

Fred was lying on the bed and again his left hand was connected to an
intravenous feed.  He seemed to be deeply asleep.  I walked to the bed and
watched Fred's face.  He looked pale and was a lot thinner than the last
time I saw him.  It must be because of his hunger strike.  His eyes were
closed, but I could see tears on his face.  I squatted beside him and
caressed his head and face gently.

Fred was awakened.  He looked at me and his tears escaped from his eyes.
He said weakly, "Eric... you... you finally came at last..."

Just like him, my tears had already fallen down uncontrollably.  "Yes, I
have come.  You little fool... you promised me that you would never do the
stupid things again... didn't you?"  I made sure I spoke softly but
sternly.

"But... without you... I..."

"Say no more," I stopped him.  "I won't leave you anymore."

Fred closed his eyes.  He nodded.

"Have a good sleep and start to eat something tomorrow morning, okay?" I
said softly.

He nodded again.  I heard a sigh of relief behind me.

"Well, actually you look a lot thinner.  It's good," I said.

Fred opened his eyes and laughed weakly.  He gave me his hand, and held
mine.  I turned my head to look at Fred's father.  He hesitated for a while
and walked to the other side of the bed.

"Ming-Jun, I found your Eric, and he is here now.  Can you forgive Daddy?"

Fred looked at his father.  His tears dropped again, but he nodded as hard
as he could.  His father held his hands tightly.


-- To be continued.