EVERY BAD MAN

It was dark and raining when they arrived in Mexico city. The car stopped in front of a bungalow which was painted brown. Emilia pulled him out of the car with his luggage beside him and they both rushed into the building with the rain splashing all over them. Everywhere looked strange to him as they walked into the house. The lights were dim and he couldn't see clearly.

The sitting room was small, compared to the one at his Father's mansion. There were three Sofas and a small glass table in the middle of the room. A soft music was playing in the background and the smell of jade perfume filled the room. 

"Hey".. a voice startled him and he turned to see an able  bodied man standing behind him, wearing a fierce look on his face and his chin was covered with beards. He flinched at the sight. Who could he be? He reasoned as they both stared at each other with the Man's look intimidating his frail mind. He felt like peeing on himself when his mother walked in.

"Hey baby," she said and kissed the man. "This is my son," she added and Eden swallowed hard. 

Was he going to have another father? He thought to himself.

"Oh OK".. The man said in a disgruntled manner.

"Eden, stop being a jerk and say hi to Derrick, he's my boyfriend and will be your father soon. We'll be staying with him from now on," she said with a sheepish smile.

He looked at his mother in disgust, "I.. I. Want to sleep.." Was all he could say.

"Let's have dinner first,"  she protested

"I'm fine, I just wanna rest"  He refuted 

"Ok, I'll show you to your room," she said, smiling as she took his bags from him and took him to his room. The room was small but neat.

"This is your room," she said as she switched on the lights.

"Oh Ok".. He replied as he looked around.

"You have to stop behaving like a weirdo and learn to respect Derrick. He is your new father now ok?" She cautioned and he nodded before slumping on the bed.

 The only thing he wished for right now is for his new home to be better than the former, he thought and laid silently on the bed. Just then, the door creaked and opened slowly. Derrick walked in and shut the door gently. He looked at the boy who got up immediately he had seen him.

He sat on the bed with fear written all over his face while Derrick chuckled.

"Eden smith,heir apparent of Emilio," he smirked as he walked around the room. 

Eden flinched. "He knows my father," he muttered to himself.

"Do you like me?" Derrick asked, turning to face Eden who didn't reply. 

"Do you like me?" He asked again but the boy kept mute still. He grabbed him by the arms and shook him vehemently. "Do you like me?!!" He yelled angrily.

"No…!! No, I don't like you!!," Eden answered at once and Derrick let go of him. He began to fidget and shifted backwards to the bed with tears running down his cheeks.

"I don't like you either, " Derrick smirked. "Stay off my path if you want to survive here and keep shut at anything you see here, because one word from you,.." He said, bringing out a shiny silver object from his pocket. He shrieked as he saw the flint knife Derrick was pointing at him.

"I'll slice through your skin and make you eat from your own carcasses," he threatened. The door opened immediately and he hid the knife back in his pocket.

"Hey honey," Emilia called as she walked in, "What are you doing here?" She asked as she sensed the tension in the atmosphere.

"Oh, Eden and I were having a father and son discussion," He replied with a smile.

Emilia smiled

"I know you will like him," she said, placing her hands around his neck.

"I love him, he's like my son too," he said, smiling.

"Ok, come on let's go and grab something to eat," she said and he nodded.

As the door closed behind him, he felt like his world was closing in on him. He laid on the bed with his body trembling. Should he tell his mom about Derrick?  What if she doesn't believe me? he reasoned.

Perhaps he should just keep silent and embrace all that life would throw at him, he thought as he shut his eyes.

***

As the days rolled by in Derrick's home, He didn't find it funny living with Derrick. He would yell at almost everything he does. Derrick is an alcoholic and a drug addict. 

He  was soon enrolled in a school not so far from his home, and whenever he goes to school, he doesn't feel like coming back home.

One sunny afternoon, he felt sick at school and the teachers permitted him to go home. His mother was out of town and so he couldn't tell her about it. As he got home, he noticed loud music coming out of the house. He knew Derrick was home cause he doesn't go to work, he has no job other than to drink, eat and smoke around the house. 

He opened the door and walked Into the sitting room only to find Derrick and a lady making out on the sofa. He tried to go back outside but it was too late. He had been caught already. Derrick got up from the sofa half naked and rushed towards him like a maniac. He tried to run away but Derrick grabbed him by the neck and smashed his head against the table.

"You little brat!!" He yelled and started hitting him with his foot against the table. Eden let out a sharp cry as he wriggled in pain.

"Hey Derrick, that's enough," the girl said, rushing towards him. "He's just a boy," she added.

"I hate this kid!! I hate him!!!" He yelled and she dragged him away from the boy.

"Come on, let him be, we can continue In the bedroom you know," she added while smacking her lips.

He grinned and turned to Eden.

"Now get your blighted self outta here!!"  He barked and Eden got up from the floor at once. He picked up his bag and ran to his room. He sat on the floor of his bedroom with his back resting against the bed. He felt liquid substances rush down his head and down to his face. He placed his palm on his forehead and he flinched at the sight of blood. He wrapped himself around his knees and sobbed silently. He was tired of life already and it would be better if he would just bleed to death, he thought to himself.

He recalled how his teacher had taught about death. It was like a deep cold sleep of no return. He liked the sound of it and thought maybe it was time for him to have a taste of it. But then, the door opened showing a girl in her early twenties. She was light skinned with a slim stature and dark long ebony hairs. She was the girl with Derrick earlier.

"Hey.." She called as she walked into the room. He sat up at once with the blood oozing down his face.

"What do you want?" He asked in fear as he shifted backwards.

"I mean no harm,"... She said calmly as she walked towards him.

"Stay away from me.."  He cried

"You're bleeding, come on, you need medical attention," she said with fear as she saw his wounds.

"I don't need your help.. Stay away from me.."  He cried again but she stood in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down kid, I need a first aid box.. Where can I find one?"  She asked

"From the bedroom where you came from…" He muttered and she walked out at once.

Not long, she returned with a small first aid box which she used in tending to his wound. 

"I'm sorry.. I know it hurts.." She said after stitching the wound.

"Thanks.." He muttered with his eyes swollen and red.

She sat on the floor beside him and brought out a cigarette to smoke. He looked at her abstrusely.

"What?" She asked, smiling but he kept mute.

"I need to clear my head, I know I shouldn't be doing this in front of you," she said, turning away.

"You seem nice and at the same time bad," he muttered and she chuckled while puffing out smoke from her mouth.

"I'm a prostitute you know," she grinned

"I know," he replied.

"You know about prostitutes at your age?" She asked in surprise

"Mom talks about dad bringing home prostitutes and she says they're bad women who tend to break people's home," He replied.

"Really? You know more than your age boy, well not all prostitutes are bad women," she said smiling again.

"Like you.. You're nice," he remarked and she laughed.

"You see, every bad man  has their own side of the story. I'm a prostitute today because I couldn't pay my bills even as a graduate, my momma's sick and I needed to pay her hospital bills plus I need to send my siblings to school too," she related and he kept silent, thinking about what she said.

"I wanted to be a nurse but I couldn't get the opportunity to be one, so I took to the streets and turned myself into something else.  You see dear, sometimes we didn't choose this path, but we were made to walk in it. We weren't born to be bad, but we were made to be bad.. She added and let out a chuckle.

Eden looked at her again. She was right after all, every bad man has his own side of the story, he reasoned.