Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 04:30
HELP NEEDED !!!
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For much of his eleven years, life has been simple and often deprived. Jimmy never understood why, because every time he asked his mum, she would cry and ask for his forgiveness. It was the same when he asked about his father, tears were all that he got. For a child of his age, such circumstances indicated to him that he should probe no further. What Jimmy did not know about his father was that he was an odd job labourer who died in a freak road accident and left behind his mum and him to brave through life on their own.
Now in primary five, Jimmy is in his second primary school, as his mum had no choice but to downgrade to a one-room flat. Jimmy has already learnt that he might not have a childhood as fulfilling as other kids of his age. From having to wear clothes and play with toys that were given by his neighbours, to looking for the school’s financial assistance teacher during recess time, he knew he was different. Often questioned and laughed at regarding his father, and going home to a flat without the much-desired television set, he soon became withdrawn in class and kept by himself.
Friends, to him seemed like any other words that he did not know. He could never understand what his classmates were excitedly discussing about, that is if he were even within hearing distance. Ever since the transfer, recess had perhaps became the worst time for Jimmy, for he could no longer find someone to eat with. The loneliness that surrounded him every time he looked around the canteen in-between bites soon encouraged him to spend his recess at the basketball court where it was less crowded.
It was there that Jimmy met Guo Qiang, who would go on to play a major role in his life. Jimmy started out by sitting alone on the stone bench under one of the trees, watching other students while waiting for the bell to ring. Even though the loneliness did not leave him, he felt better than being in the canteen that was in the basement level. At the basketball court, the sky was the limit; Jimmy did not felt enclosed or trapped. As the days crawled by, he began to know what the group of boys he usually watched was doing. One team would be trying to hit a plastic bottle stuffed with newspaper towards one end of the court. The other team would be trying to hit it towards the other end. All these were done only with their legs, with the exception of one boy from each team who could pick up the bottle with his hands and then throwing it to his friends. He yearned to join them, not because he as interested in kicking the bottle, but more of because he wanted to be able to laugh and joke with the other boys.
One day, one of the boys was absent and one team was short of a player. One of the boys of that team, Guo Qiang, approached Jimmy and asked if he would like to play for his team. Jimmy was hesitant as he had not kick a bottle before, but he very much wanted to have fun like the others. In the end, Jimmy joined Guo Qiang’s team and even though they lost, Jimmy thought he had for once enjoyed recess time in his new school. He was overwhelmed. The following day, the missing boy returned and Jimmy was not approached by any of the boys. At the end of that recess, Jimmy felt as if that was the worst recess he ever had. Little did he know that Guo Qiang had noticed his crestfallen look and had decided to invite Jimmy to play the next day. From the following day onwards, Jimmy would always be on Guo Qiang’s team and their friendship developed. As time went by, Jimmy found out that Guo Qiang was living near him and they often walked home together after school. He also found out that the game that he had been playing is known as soccer or football.
Back home, Jimmy began to notice that his mum would often cough violently during her sleep. She was working as a cleaner at shopping malls on the night shift. She had chosen the physically and mentally more tiring shift, as she did not want to let Jimmy spend his childhood without any memories of his mum. The coughing started soon after they had moved and it continued to worsen as time went by. There was one afternoon when Jimmy witnessed his mum coughing out blood onto the floor. For the first time, he feared. He feared that his closest and only kin was going to leave him. He cried, he pleaded, he shouted, he just wanted his mum to go to see a doctor. Though unwilling, his mum could not bear to see her son so worked up and terrified. The doctor told her to take it easy in the two weeks before she could return to retrieve her blood test report and the actual diagnosis. Two weeks had past since the visit to the doctor and one week had past since the last “bloody cough”, she decided that not knowing was better than knowing the results. Jimmy, being only eleven, did not think much of her condition as long as she no longer coughed out blood.
It was a bad decision on her part, because her report would have informed her that she had contracted tuberculosis. Since she did not went for the follow up, she could only rely on some medication that was prescribed for Jimmy when he was sick the other time round. Then, the inevitable happened.
Jimmy returned home on a rainy afternoon only to find his mum lying next to a pool of phlegm and blood. He tried to wake her up. He shook her body hard as he wept. He pleaded, he shouted, yet even as his shouts of desperation turned into screams of despair, she did not response. Not knowing what to do next, he thought of Guo Qiang. Jimmy’s house did not have a telephone, so he had to leave behind his mum’s motionless body in the flat as he ran all the way to Guo Qiang’s house in the heavy downpour. The feeling of loneliness enveloped him again as the droplets of rain pelted onto him. This time, he was going to be lonely. His worst fear had come true.
“I do not want to play soccer anymore! I do not want to have friends to talk to or walk home with anymore! No! I do not! I do not mind spending recess in the canteen alone anymore! All I want is my mum! Do not take her away from me!”
These thoughts raced through Jimmy’s mind repeatedly as his skinny legs carried him through the rain.
That day turned out to be Jimmy’s most miserable day in his entire life. Upon reaching Guo Qiang’s house, Jimmy told him what he had seen and Guo Qiang then called his father who in turn called for an ambulance. Jimmy’s mum was pronounced dead by the paramedics who arrived moments before Jimmy, Guo Qiang and his maid did. Words cannot describe how Jimmy felt when he arrived only to see the paramedics stopping their efforts to revive his mum. His world had crashed. His world of his mum and him, eleven years of love, ten years of having only each other as a support, all gone in that instant. Jimmy did not know what was going to happen to him, nor did he care. All he cared about at that instant was his mum; he very much wanted to have her back by his side. Never mind that she would cough out blood once so often, that he no longer mind now. He just wanted her to be around. He did not want the people to remove her body, he wished that they could just all disappear and leave him alone with his mum. That day was a very sad day for Jimmy.
Guo Qiang’s parents took care of Jimmy’s mum’s funeral. After the funeral, Jimmy was placed into an orphanage. Guo Qiang’s parents arranged for them to adopt Jimmy after seeing what he had went through. They also arranged with the school to transfer Jimmy to Guo Qiang’s class so that there was someone to look after him during school.
Two months after joining Guo Qiang’s family, Jimmy has now stopped having nightmares about that day as frequently and has begun to join the others for soccer again. Although those around him do their best to avoid mentioning his mum in his presence, Jimmy still does think of his mum now and then in the night. Even though he may appear to be fine, deep down in his heart there will always be a space for his mum, and his mysterious father. He has accepted the facts and moved on, but he has also stored his mum as memories for as long as he will live.
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okay.. basically tis is the short story i writing for my GEMs... so now i need help... i need feedback... all forms of feedback... preferably constructive ones... hahahha.. n i need suggestions for a title oso... as long as u r here n wish to help, just tag... hahahhaa.. of coz it'll be beta if u leave a name u noe.. hahahha.. tats all... happy lunar new year all!!
