CHAPTER 3

Krist eventually got in onto his feet and immediately went to bed for the day, after what appeared like hours of lying on the hard wood floor. Looking from the outside, it absolutely was still bright. However, with everything that happened, he didn’t wish to try and does something that could lead him exert any further energy that he required to. And sleep like it’s the most effective choice among other options. He walked into his father’s sleeping room instead of getting to his room and took on his father’s scent. It smelt of peppermint and fresh pines. He quickly smiled at the easily recognized smell and examined the manner that the area was embellished. Everything was placed nicely at each corner you looked such as several photos of nature, posters of rock bands and even antiques. It had been nearly laughable how excellent this area was for him. Everything inside it captured all of the elements that created Krist who he is. The thought of that resulted to have made Krist feel happy, however also unhappy since he is aware of that he won’t be able to live with him like he accustomed any longer.

Krist flung his back onto bed because of the odd mixture of emotions, while not getting underneath the covers and closed his eyes as his bloody knuckles began to dry up and bruise. For him, it will be a lot easier to doze off here since he may feel his father’s presence guarding him as he slept. His eyes fluttered open, and he was sleepless even before the sun rose. Krist doesn’t get up this early each other day. However, he was starving. Yesterday, he went straight to bed without feeding any lunch or dinner, that isn’t typical for him.

He extended his limbs and set free a loud yawn before spinning his legs around the bed to urge himself onto his feet, right after rubbing the sleep out of his eyes the most effective way he may. Despite the frantic events from yesterday, Krist were able to sleep fine. Most likely as a result of he was sleeping on his dad’s room that make him feel like nothing has been so different. Since he can’t resist the feeling of starving, he slowly walked across the hallways and down the stairs to look for one thing like food to place into his system. He opened the cabinet immediately once he reached the kitchen room and nearly drooled once he saw the massive pile of bagels. He quickly grabbed them and opened it up to inhale the fresh scent of the bread filling up his nostrils. He didn’t even waste much time to knocked down some and felt content once more. However, this sense didn’t last long though.

A few minutes later, his eyes automatically moved its gaze onto an old photograph of his father together with him, enjoying in a very immense pile of leaves in front of their house. For him, it’s quite shivery how similar the two of them look. No wonder that they have identical chestnut brown hair and grey-blue eyes. He never ever pays attention on it until now. Krist checked it out before rigorously lifting it up from the windowsill where it had been place. It absolutely was strange, however seeing how healthy and happy the two of them looked in one image brought him back to a similar foggy feeling he had, when he watched his father climb into that van. For a son, it’s truly was such a painful sight to envision how happy his father looked once he waved farewell to his own son that he barely even acknowledges any longer.

“I still clearly remember that you were nine once that image was taken.”

Upon hearing that statement, Krist immediately took out the photograph from the frame, then inserted it within his shirt and placed the frame back wherever he found it. That voice made his skin crawl and stomach to turn in disgust. “How the hell did you get it?”

“You must have not been aware that I have this key given to me by your daddy after we filed the divorce papers. “ He glared at Emmie as she rose up a lanyard with a key hanging at the tip of it.

“No, I didn’t know that at all. Oh and you didn’t bother to use those keys until now? Wow! Nice parenting, mom.” He was forever hot-tempered, moody, and bad-mouthed as he currently. He definitely hates folks more than something and if he may have it this manner, he wouldn’t even get out of the house.

Everything simply got even worse once the divorce thing happened though and as of now, Krist has resulted to have terrible trust issues towards anyone who tries to get about him. The only individual that he showed freely his kind aspect was his father Ken—who isn’t even there at that point.

“I completely understand if you’re angry with me and I tell you what, you’ve got each right to be. However, in line with the law and nature, whether or not you like it, you are still my son.”

As expected from Krist, hearing those statements from Emmie caused him to do a dramatic eye roll; however she seems to unnoticed it and kept going. “Seeing that you are sixteen, a minor, and since your father is going to be taken care of by a caregiver, you’re now ought to live with me although I do know that you simply hate me.”

Uttering those words was heart painful for Emmie. However, she had to be as truthful to her son as possible if she wishes him to cooperate at all. “I don’t even merit or expect for you to treat me such as you would to a mother, but I beg you, can you come home with me, son?”

Krist did see this coming, even though things couldn’t get any worse. He simply didn’t wish to believe it. Deep inside him, he does perceive why his mother did what she did. The only things that angers him to no end is the undeniable fact that she left his father when Ken needed support utmost, she never even visited and out of nowhere, with no warning at all, she forces him to go under somebody else’s care. And that really makes him really angry.

“Fine, I will... but I have one condition though.” When he watched and examined that she was listening, he then continued. “You will not stop me and let me visit daddy whenever I needed to. And if you ever say ‘NO’, I will be able to run away and never ever return. Do you understand?” He snapped at her.

“I do understand. Okay, deal.”

“That’s great to know.” He set free a sigh he was holding in before speaking once more. “I wonder now as to what is going to happen to the current house?”

“Mrs. Tornes from yesterday is going to take care of everything else in this house and the caregiver will return back to gather Ken’s things here.”

“I see. Okay, wait within the car. I’ll pack up my stuff and I’ll be going out in few hours.”

“Uhmm… Do you wish me to hel—“

“No, I want you to get out, please.” He spat as he glided his body well beyond his mother and headed over to his room.

“I’m sorry for that. Okay.” Emmie simply and sadly answered although she was expecting for him to grant her that sort of response.

To think that the house Krist grew up in was now not his and that someday, a replacement family will build it their own fills his body with grief.