A New Day

The next day when me and Wence finally met again, we played basketball for a while.

But then I always got my ball stolen or missed my shots because my body felt heavy to move all the time because I still couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday.

But he noticed I had started to act "differently" he told me.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked him in confusion. 'could it be that he noticed that I was worried for him about yesterday?' I thought to myself.

Even I didn't notice anything different about myself, 'I have always been like this' I thought? there is nothing wrong with me.

"Yesterday you were so energetic, like you would do anything as if you didn't have another day left to live, but now you're a bit sluggish, as if you get tired almost immediately"

"You alright? Could it be that you got scared yesterday? Hahahaha it's no biggie!" he said so but he had concern and worry written all over his face.

Sure I may also have been beaten up by my own parents like that, so I do remember the pain I felt when I got scolded.

That feeling of your world becoming an instant hell, full of pain and suffering, no matter how hard you cry It doesn't stop,

So ofcourse I got worried for him.

So then I replied to him in a calm and definite voice "Yes", trying not to provoke his suspision any longer.

Still, I couldn't believe how he was able to endure all that pain like it was nothing, I found it strange at first, but then I found it cool and awesome.

'oh to be strong enough, to be like him, going through a lot but still standing firmly!'

I thought to myself while staring at his face with admiration.

"Bro you good?" He asked in a cheerful tone, this time it seems that he's no longer worried, so we went on to play more games but this time, I didn't hold back, and did my very best as if nothing had ever happened.

When I got home, my aunt asked me if I wanted to tag along with her to go to the mountains.

"Adventure?" I asked with excitement and anticipation.

"Yes! Lets go on an adventure"

So after packing my bags and preparing to leave, I hopped on the motorcycle feeling exhilirated.

But during our ride, the thought of what happened yesterday never left my mind, so I was just staring at the landscape for the entire ride thinking deeply about it.

When we have arrived at our destination, I once again have lost my energy, but my aunt didn't mind.

I found it weird because Wence was able to decipher that something was strange about my behavior, but my aunt couldn't?

How did Wence even manage to successfully conclude that something was off about me?

Are there people who are able to read minds? That question baffled my mind and curiousity took the best out of me.

I asked my aunt, "can other people read minds of others?" She looks at me in confusion and began to wonder on how to reply to a child's creativity effectively.

As I observed her thinking for a reply, I also thought about how people can read minds while staring blankly at the ground.

'could it be that some people have senses that make them able to hear other people's thoughts?' I thought that maybe that could be possible.

But maybe It was also possible that people like Wence are just a different species of man, or could be an alien.

As my imaginations and thoughts were becoming too bizzare, she finally answered.

"No, you can't actually read other people's minds, but you can understand others based on their behavior, emotions, and how they act" she said so confidently.

"If you care enough for a person, you can understand them with you heart, not your mind" she added.

'So that explains why Wence was able to find out I was feeling down, it was because of my own behavior' I thought to myself disregarding the second half she said.

She taught me one of the most important life lessons I ever had in my life.

I remembered I was being "sluggish" and acted "differently" earlier, which is why Wence understood how I felt.

As I came into realization that actions & behavior matter a lot, I began observing how I act on situations and started controlling my actions to see if someone could still see through.

The words she said that day, I never forgot, untiI I got older. I took those words to heart, as they might be useful in the future.

Months have passed by and It was my 5th birthday, it was the first time I ever felt the true essence of a celebration.

All the people who love me surrounded me while I stood infront of the cake with 5 candles, all of them singing 'Happy birthday' in unison.

It felt so embarassing yet I was so overjoyed, 'my special day, surrounded by everyone who loves me, I hope the days will always be as lively as this day' I thought to myself with a smile.

Before blowing the candle, one of my aunts asked "so what's your wish kid?" "My wish?"

I asked curiously.

"Every year on your birthday, before blowing the candle, you can have 1 wish and you might get it on a random day on that year" he said.

I was so thrilled and was sure about what I wanted for my wish, "I wish I could get superpowers!" I said so excitedly and blew the candle.

Some of them laughed at my wish thinking it was adorable, but the other kids didn't laugh, I was sure they understood what it meant to have superpowers.

It would've been so cool if I actually had superpowers though, any kind I would be so ecstatic, as long as I can become exceptional, it would make me the happiest man on earth.

Yet, I felt I still haven't changed one bit,

even then, I was still not able to inroduce myself to one of the kids(my other cousins).

It felt as if I had let strangers in to my party, made them eat, and then called it a day, thus I actually mustered up my courage to try and talk to this one young child.

I felt quite nervous and agitated, for I was unsure of what words I should say to start a conversation, I managed to let out a few words towards him.

"H-hi?"

I quietly muttered, having a shaky voice.

"Huh?"

The young child replied, not hearing what I said clearly.

I on the other hand, felt embarassed because I did not know what to actually say, I was so nervous, but I was determined enough to start a conversation.

"What is your name?"

I asked, still having a shaky voice

"John Michael, everyone calls me 'JM' for short."

That is how I met my nephew(son of one of my other cousins) and the 3rd person I have ever made friends with.

We played along with my first cousin, Eric,

we played some card games, hide and seek, and some videogames.

As we played, I noticed JM has a bit of a temper, for instance when he is losing in games, he would get that unpleasant look on his face.

But we were just having fun, we are not competing with each other at all, I was a bit confused as to why he was easily getting irritated.

Meanwhile Eric just started teasing and laughing at him, for being a "crybaby" he said and further teased him every time JM would lose.

Until JM finally lost it.

He was enraged, I could feel his anger from across the room. He was definitely pissed at Eric.

JM screamed and lunged at Eric punching him in the stomach, but since Eric was the oldest amongst us, he handled JM pretty easily because of size and strength advantage.

JM's face was full of tears, and rage covering his entire face, he screams loudly in anguish,

I could feel my adrenaline pumping up but I didn't know what action I should take.

Should I side with Eric? Should I call my parents? Should I interfere with them or maybe I musn't get myself involved, so I just stood there, unable to take any action.

Because JM's screams were too loud, the parents heard it and were alerted to come in to the room immediately to intercept the two of them.

Meanwhile I was just frozen in shock because of what happened and it was so sudden.

Their parents scolded them, but not as much as how Wence's mother punished him, which relieves me.

I just sat in silence, while my mother was comforting me. I pondered on what action I SHOULD have taken.

'if this was the result of taking no action, I wonder what the result would be have I taken another action' I thought deeply.

'If I sided with Eric, it would also mean that I betrayed JM' 'if I called my parents, maybe this would have ended sooner' 'if I interfered with them, I would have gotten myself badly hurt as well'

I concluded that calling my parents sooner would have been the best choice, so I kept that in mind and would immediately do it the next time something like this were to happen again.

I have yet again, learned another lesson.