Page 8: A Name Full of Bittersweet Memories

"Sir? Wake up."

The bus driver gently shook my shoulder. I forced my sleepy eyelids open and glanced at him. After a few moments, I remembered where I was and what I'd done. I looked out the window. There was a long iron bench with a few people sitting on it. I realized I had finally arrived in the city. I had returned to my hometown after three years.

I got up from my seat and got off the bus. It seemed to be a terminal for intercity buses. Besides the bus I had come in on, there were many other buses and their drivers were talking to each other.

Even though it was my first time seeing a place like this, I didn't want to stay long. I needed to find somewhere to stay before nightfall. Luckily, there was a line of yellow taxis right in front of the terminal. I went up to one of them and asked, "Excuse me..."

The middle-aged man with brown eyes stared at me, but I hesitated to continue my sentence. I wanted to go home. But after three years, was there anyone there waiting for me? I hadn't even visited anyone in prison. I hadn't called anyone or anything. Even my cellmates were surprised by my isolation.

If I went home, would anyone greet me with a smile? If I went home, would anyone heal the weariness of these three years, my pent-up emotions, and my chronic depression?

Who should I expect that from? My mother? After that fight we had, I don't think so. Besides, my mother was never one to think positively. She was always worried. So I sighed and said, "...Do you know of a cheap hotel?"

The taxi driver thought for a moment and then said, "I don't know any. Of course, I know some good five-star hotels and I'm friends with their managers, but they're not cheap. How much money do you have?"

After the price of those fries, I was really embarrassed to say how much money I had left. But I had no choice. Maybe he knew a place that would fit my budget. "100 perds."

As I expected, he smiled sarcastically and said, "With that money, you can barely stay in a decent hotel for half a day. How long have you been living in a cave, kid?" He took a cigarette pack out of his pocket and lit one. After taking a drag, he said impatiently, "Look, there's a driver named John..." He pointed with his hand, "...his car is that one. The one with 79 at the end of the license plate. That guy's brother has a hotel that just opened. I think your money will be enough for at least one day."

One day? Even though it was short, I didn't mind. In this one day, I had to try to find a job and think about tomorrow. I was really fed up. This life had nothing to offer but complicated and strange problems. I felt even more bored than the driver. I thanked him quickly and walked towards that taxi. I looked inside the car through the window, but I didn't see anyone. Why did everything have to be so complicated? I went to the next car and started knocking on the window, calling out to the driver. A young man, probably my age, was sitting in the taxi, listening to music with headphones on. His eyes were closed and he was leaning back in his seat, very relaxed.

No matter how much I knocked on the window and called out to him, he couldn't hear me. I was really getting annoyed by all this bad luck. It was just wasting my time and making night fall sooner. This time, I slapped the window hard and raised my voice. Scared, he quickly took off his headphones and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Wh... what happened?!" His voice was much quieter through the glass, but I could understand him.

"I had to shout because you didn't hear me." The young man got out of the car through his side door and asked, "What do you want? I'm just going to Alkano. Do you want to go to Alkano?" 

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I ignored his question and said, "No. I was just looking for Mr. John. If I'm not mistaken, he's the driver of this taxi."

Upon hearing that name, he seemed to understand what I was looking for and said, "Oh! John went to the bathroom. He'll be right back."

"Thank you."

He was still looking at me. Even though I tried to look away, when I glanced at the young man, his eyes were still on me. I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with my appearance or if this man had strange desires!

After a few seconds, I took a step towards the wall opposite the taxis. As I took a step, I heard a name from the man that brought back many memories. After staring at me for a long time, the young taxi driver said, "You probably went to Kensalin School, didn't you?"