Voids Fill Up Differently, Students of IACT [great book club books txt] 📗

Pies in KL’ it read. They indeed were the best.

 

I looked through the glass window and saw Jacintha catching up with her friends. The excitement they all had to see each other once again was infectious. Her joy brought me joy. Just as I was admiring her I had another flashback of the time I first laid eyes on her. She was so beautiful, with that bright smile of hers, rosy cheeks and braided hair. I was so mesmerized by her beauty. I remember myself building up the courage to walk into the shop to buy pies with the little money I had, just so I could have an excuse to talk to her. Well safe to say that was the best RM15 I ever spent on a pie.

 

“Best pie in KL indeed,” I chuckled to myself.

 

To think of it, I really was at my lowest. I had no money, no job, and no future. She really is crazy for loving me.

 

“Okay la, this surprise not so bad, quite good ah!” she bubbled.

 

We got back into the car, and I had to ask this question.

 

“Why me? Why out of all the people in the world, you chose an artist who had no money, no job and definitely no stable future?” I questioned

 

She looked at me a little shocked by the question. Still, she gathered her thoughts and gazed back into my eyes

 

“I chose you because of who you were, and I choose you now because of who you are now. You may not see it, but when I look at you, I see beyond the struggles and hardships. When I got to know you, I saw a brave young man who believed in his passions and wasn’t afraid, and that is exactly the same man I am looking at today.” promised Jacintha. “Now no more questions, where are we heading next?” she asked

 

“We have one last stop to go to, and this is probably the toughest. We’re going back to my dad’s place.” I said

 

Going back to the old house I was scared, I was trembling with fear. It’s been so long since I last saw him. Will he think that I’ve abandoned him? What if this is a waste of time. No! It’s not, I’ve come so far, I really need to do this.

 

I got down from the car and asked Jacintha to follow behind me just in case. We approached the front door of my old house. The wooden floorboards squeak with every step we took. Almost as if they were telling me this was a bad idea. No! It’s just my mind justifying why I shouldn’t do this.

 

I knocked on the door.

Thum, thum, thum

 

“Coming!” a voice shouted from inside.

 

The door opens to reveal a stout man in his early 60s, wearing a casual t-shirt and pants that don't appear to fit him. I could barely recognise him after all these years, especially with that unkempt beard of his. He had a surprised expression on his face, I couldn’t really tell if it was in a good or bad way.

 

“Hey dad, it’s been a while,” I greeted him, trying to look as confident as I could.

 

“Son… wh--what are you doing here?” he stammered.

 

“I’ve come to see you actually, about something,” I muttered. “Uh, this is my girlfriend, Jacintha. Jacintha, meet my dad.” I added.

 

He observed Jacintha from head to toe and shook her hand before inviting us in. “Well, come on in, it’s freezing out here,” he chuckled.

 

I stepped into the house as a wave of nostalgia hit me. Memories of this place start rushing through my head, everything from my childhood days, when we used to play catch in the backyard when mom used to always read bedtime stories to me… until she passed away.

 

“So what brings you back here after so long? Come for money again? Well, you’re out of luck because I’m not doing too well myself as you can see,” he sneered.

 

“Look Dad, I’m here because I want to talk to you. I know I haven’t been the best son and I’ve been avoiding you for the past couple of years, but I’m here hoping that you’ll forgive me and all I really want to do is reconnect with you and ask you something that’s been bothering me” I expressed.

 

He looked at me, shocked by what I had just said. There was a pause. He needed some time before he could reply to me.

 

“Very well… what is it that you want to ask me?” he asked

 

“When mom had had cancer. What made you stay? After all those arguments where you guys literally cursed each other, and bickered every day, after all those talks of divorce. Why? How? I thought you didn’t love mom anymore, what made you stay till the end?” I questioned while my eyes began to tear up. When I looked back up, he peered into my eyes. I could see him tearing up too which I hadn’t since mom passed.

 

“The truth is, I never stopped loving her. We may have had fights, arguments and even cursed at each other but that’s the journey of love sometimes. It’s not all butterflies and sunshine, love is tough. After everything I can say confidently, I never stopped. We had our highs and lows in the marriage but through the lowest of lows, I stayed present. That’s love. Being present in the darkest times, especially the darkest times. It’s beyond feelings, emotions and even pain. These are all just part of the journey when you really love someone.”

 

The moment Dad finished my heart sank. All this time questioning if their marriage was even real or worth it, I focused so much on the emotions and events that had happened that I couldn’t look past that and see that through it all, Dad was always present for my mom and for me as well.

 

We both got up and hugged each other tightly. At that moment I could feel my brokenness being fixed and glued back together. All my memories of my mom and dad fighting that scarred me I now see in a different light. While we were still hugging, I looked up at Jacintha who was also tearing up. I admired her because she was the answer I was looking for all along. If love is about being present then she represented it best.

 

“I promise I’ll come back more dad. Thank you, Dad! I love you.” I expressed while walking out the door.

“And I love you too. Just like your mom, I’ll always be here for you. I’ll always be present.” he replied

 

I kissed him on the cheek before Jacintha and I headed back to the car. While walking to the car I picked up my phone and quickly rang Max.

 

“Hello?” Max answered.

 

“Hey Max, it’s Edward. I’ve got my answer! I know it took me a while, but I know what love is.”

 

 

Chapter 3

3.1 One Eye Open

One Eye Open

Jude Harding, Jordan Gan, Seng Kit, Amanda Ho

 

 

As he stepped out of The Last Bean Cafe, he tried to reflect on the words Patrick had uttered earlier. He strolled along the sidewalk to find the nearest bus stop. The bus stop was covered in flyers for the upcoming elections. Many people could be heard arguing about which politician is better. The candidates were polar opposites to one another. One was a religious man who believed that the country was losing its true beliefs while the other was a liberal who believed that the country was too reserved socially which causes most of the inequality that happens in the country. Aden thought to himself, “I only believe in what I see, and I like what I see.”

 …………………..

Aden grew up poor with Catholic parents. He had a rough childhood but regardless of how tough the times got, he always found himself in Church. He saw his parents suffer under the hand of powerful men and saw the world as a dark godless place. His mom always told him, “Ask and you will receive, God never fails.”

Nights that he spent laying on his side feeling like he could eat a horse between two bread vans, his mom would say “God is just testing us. God always has a reason.” Aden could never understand that reasoning. He juggled studies with working two jobs and as he worked those jobs, he cursed God for the struggles he faced every day.

Every Sunday, as he walked to Church with his family, dusting his torn and tattered clothes, he would observe the others that were enjoying their coffee in cafes, going to the cinemas and casually spending their day without any obligations at all. He’ll watch them almost in envy, enjoying their Sunday as he walked into a church all solemn and gloomy. He found it harder and harder to put his trust in a man in the sky that refuses to help him and his family live a better life. That distrust accumulated ‘til, on the day he got Confirmed, he stormed out of Church, stood right in front of his entire family and the entire congregation and shouted “I’m never coming back here again! All you sheep can keep at it but I’m gone!”

Fed up with the self-pity and empty promises, he abandoned the Church. He got a grip on life and worked his way up the ladder to become a lawyer. Not only did he practice the law, but he also started up a large law firm called Tee & Partners. He switched out his torn and tattered clothes for fashionable designer three-piece suits. He no longer had to walk from place to place. Instead, he was now chauffeured in a shiny new S-Class. But one day, his blissful rise-to-success was about to take a turn for the worst. In the middle of a heated court case, his speech begins to slur and his vision hazy from all the double vision. He then stumbled his way back to his seat but collapsed on the way there. He felt the entirety of his left side of his body go numb as he lay there in a daze. It was then diagnosed that the great Aden Tee was left disabled by a stroke.

Doctors told him that there was nothing he could do to recover. Despite the odds, he was still determined to find a solution. He searched for a second opinion and continued seeking help for two whole years. Even after receiving treatments from world-renowned physicians, he couldn’t recover