His Past

"I was young when it started maybe 4 or 5, but it was a family trip to Orlando, you know like any normal family. My mother was taking me up to our room when she noticed my father walk into a room with another woman. That night she thought she had put me to sleep but I was just pretending. I could hear her talking to my father when he returned to the room. It wasn't a pleasant conversation." He stopped pausing before he continued as Jian listened quietly.

"We went home a few days later and my mother started to drink, she would talk to herself, convincing herself to try and pretend as if nothing happened but one day he came home drunk and she was drinking. I could hear the argument from my room."

John's hand reached for his head as he continued, "My mother said she wanted nothing to do with him or the family or me. She said she hated him and my father repeated the same sentences back to her. It went on like that for days, weeks, months and near New Year, they started to calm down but as soon the new year began their fighting started again."

Jian could notice slight tears that were forming in his eyes as his hands reached down to cover his ears. He held them sightly below the ears rubbing them on his neck as if to comfort him and continue speaking. She wanted to reach out and hold his trembling hands to let him know she was there but she hesitated.

"It was hard hearing them every night, even now I can still hear them screaming about wanting to kill each other off or just leave, and as a child, you start to think it's your fault. I started skipping meals just to be alone longer and soon their voices could be heard even if the whole house was quiet." He said as he covered his ears the tone of his voice trembling and Jian rose to her feet no longer hesitant to comfort him in the only way she knew how. She hugged the poor boy. She held him like her mother would hold her, in a tight embrace with hands running down the back soothing him.

He responded as his sobs started to form and his tears were soaked up onto her top. Soon he reached out to hold her as well and she squeezed him tighter to make sure he knew that she was there. He pulled back after a few minutes looking down.

She smiled walking past his uncle's desk to the bookshelf where the tissue box was. She brought it back placed it on the table and handed a few of the tissues to John. "It feels better to let it out, right?" She asked gently as she placed a hand over his shoulder. He reached out to squeeze her hand saying, "A little, thank you."

Jian waited for John to finish whipping away the tears as she stood by his side. "Jian." He said softly and she hummed in response. He looked up then petted the armrest letting her know she could sit down and she did.

He spoke again his worlds more connected now, "My mother left in the coming spring after that. I was sent away to my grandparents and they sent me to a boarding school when I turned 6 because you know they were past their prime and they couldn't keep taking care of a growing child by themselves. I went to a military-style academy after a few years in boarding school, graduated earlier than my class, and last year I moved back with my father."

He leaned into her a bit and she warped a hand around him showing his support. "How has it been living with your father?" She asked and he shrugged saying, "It's ok I guess, he provides money for necessities and I just follow the basic instructions, other than a few interactions we are like strangers."