Charter: Collaboration

PAST

"In the water he will burn with desire like fire.

The gates on the other side of hope will open."

THREE YEARS AGO

In one of Philadelphia's housing projects, a family's house was the site of constant cursing, especially at night.

Neighbors complained that the father of the family was keeping them awake.

So what if the son's mother gave him pocket money for school so he could buy a snack from the school vending machine, you have to take it away from him on the grounds that "He's not an adult at fourteen"? Or take away his mobile phone when he was doing all the housework? There were many such cases, and this evening the father began to scold his son for nothing.

-Why aren't there any marks in your nature notebook?! Marky, are you skipping school?! -Marky didn't have the tongue to call him by his name or even his father, it was actually the boy's stepfather who wasn't satisfied with his job but hoped for a future for a son who wasn't his own.

He could be understood, for there were many expectations in his life, but they quickly disappeared and he was left with a worthless job, and only the boy's mother was the star that lit the way for the stepfather.

-I'm just not active in Mr Mussled's classes. -And the boy's name was Marky Poole, he was the one who didn't believe in miracles and magic, the blond boy with the dark eyes was interested in something more material, he had in the back of his mind that he wanted to join the navy and become a commander of the local fleet, he was interested in the sea, he didn't hear his stepfather's shouts, instead he heard the loud sounds of whales and dolphins, but in case of failure the boy always had a backup plan to work in the oceanarium.

But he hid it from his stepfather and his mother, because his stepfather hated animals and if he even whispered about it to anyone, he would be forbidden.

He secretly kept magazines about the underwater world under the skirting board, and at bedtime he took them out to study other sea creatures, but he didn't care about plants, so Marky wasn't very focused on the lesson.

-Then fix it! -Kicked the notebook to the floor.

Marky wanted to tell his stepfather that maybe he should let go of the control and not ring the bell too early, but the stepfather didn't understand him and kept pushing the guy, especially the teenager had personal fears and expectations of bad things, so to get his stepfather off his back Marky said:-Tomorrow our class is going on a field trip to the woods, I'll do my best.

-I hope you don't get any pocket money for the rest of the year! -The stepfather threw the notebook on the table, slammed the door behind him and left.

-And what my mother found in it... - Whispered the boy, and with a smile on his face, he went under the bed, where under the floorboards were magazines about fish: - When I grow up, I will buy a boat and live at sea....

Marky stared and fell asleep with magazines in his hands, and his mother went into his room to see if he was still awake. In fact, she had known about her son's hobby for a long time, but had kept it a secret from both her son and the current young man.

She stepped back, closed the door, knocked loudly three times and said: -Son, are you asleep?

Marky woke up quickly, put the magazines under the bed and said, -I was just falling asleep. -He covered himself with a blanket, as if he had been in bed for a long time without any clothes on.

-Did you fight with him again? -She asked, smiling lightly and looking into his eyes.

-He started it first. -Marky replied resentfully.

-Abraham didn't start it first, you just take his remarks as something bad.

-She lightly stroked her son's head.

-He scolds me for petty problems, I don't like it. -He turned his back to his mother.

-With time you'll understand him and good night. -She patted the blanket and closed the door behind her.

-And good night to you! -He turned on his other side and whispered: -Phew, that's all right.

Marky's mother, Aurora, was always open and honest about her son, and when the boy was young, fate struck her on the forehead as she walked six years ago:

SIX YEARS AGO: Aurora and Abraham

-Darling, would you like me to buy you an ice-cream? -Aurora smiled as she bent down to ask her son what he wanted.

-I don't want ice cream, so let's go to the bookshop and look at books about animals! -Marky suddenly began to run happily around his mother, jumping up and down and asking about the library.

-Son, why are you so interested? -She asked.

-I saw a girl at nursery looking at pictures of animals and I wanted to do the same. -He walked over to Aurora and whispered in her ear as if it were a secret.

-It's not good to peek! -Mum laughed and added: -Let's go and see what's on sale in the bookshop, I think the library is closed today.

-Yeey!-He held his mother's hand and was very happy.

-We're coming, but don't tear my arm off!

When they arrived at the bookshop, the boy was very excited to see the shop, where there were so many books he couldn't even count, and when they went inside, the section where there were lots of books about animals shone on him.

Marky's childish eyes scattered and he could not make up his mind, then one of the cashiers crouched down and for the first time handed him a book about fish and the marine world, he took the book from her hand and slowly opened it, feeling the soft cool cover and the first smell of ink, which made his head spin in unimaginable ways.

As he gazed into the book, he was transported to a world of dolphins and underwater stars, and for a moment he was speechless and didn't even hear Aurora calling him.