Chapter 4
I blinked at my email, the coffee mug half way to my lips. This can't be right. The email was from the Dean of the school that Rei was attending. I say was because apparently, my son is no longer attending that school. Of course, this was something I just found out, thus my utter surprise and disbelief. The email was from the Dean, stating that he was apologetic in making the mistake of sending me an email earlier without an attachment and he has thus forth reattached and resent me the entire email. He concluded with being truly apologetic about his lapse and he truly regreted having to expel my son from the school for hacking the systems and changing his grades. Well, lets see, firstly I did not receive any email and second Rei told me he was coming home for the holiday s, and not getting kicked out of school. Also he seemed to have coincidentally fail to let me know that he was failing his classes. Every time I conference him, he said he was doing well. I put down the coffee mug and went straight to my computer. I wasn't some computing genius like that son of mine but being 230, I had a lot of time to pick up an extensive amount of computing skills. "Houx trace if anyone interfered with my incoming mail." Of course I then use that knowledge to build Houx. "Your incoming mail was intercepted 3 days ago. From a unknown IP address. Location of the address originated from a computer used in an internet cafe not far from the campus that Rei attend. Now Lev..." I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "That pain the ass .....argh!" I snatched up my phone and started dialing for Bouski. I sat in the kitchen and glare at the stairs in case Rei came down, while waiting for Bouski to arrive. Houx was going on and on about how I was letting my emotions get to my head and that I wasn't looking at the evidence. What evidence? He changed his records and got expelled. The worst part of the entire thing was that he lied to me and misled me into thinking that he did well and was only back because it was the school holidays. I heard the tires of a car came to a screeching stop followed by heavy foot falls that I knew only belong to one person. I heard my front door open and that all too familiar voice rang through the hall. "Lev, whats the emergency man? I was having breakfast with the missus and girls." He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. I hand him the communicator with the email while keeping quiet. I did not trust myself to not shout out what happened. He took a while to look at the whole email and only raised his eyebrow and sip his coffee. "Well, like mother like son eh." He chuckled. "I did not get expelled from anywhere!" I declared, my voice a little louder than I wanted. It was taking every ounce of control I have to not raise my voice and wake the whole neighborhood. "Well, you did get into a lot of trouble back then. He may have a good reason as to why he did what he did." He sipped his coffee again. The fact that he was so calm in this situation was definitely getting on my nerve. How can he act as if this was a small issue? Rei got expelled for changing his grades! He lied and misled! That was unacceptable by Aristellian standards! Bouski is a full Aristellian, how is he so calm!? "WHAT!? When did you become the voice of reason? Aint it your duty to be all truth is most important!?" I spat out. "Well, yes the truth is important but you are the one who say that we should always look at all the evidence. By Aristellian reasoning, this is unacceptable and should be punished! But you are only half of that and you are suppose to be the voice of reasoning. So why don't you use that reasoning ability of yours to find out why he lied and changed his grades? Also, if you don't remember, I may be a full Aristellian now, don't mean I was 2000 years ago. I still remember what reasoning is. You also seem to always love lecturing me about it!" He raised his tone slightly. That stunned me a little. Bouski rarely raised his voice with me. This guy had been my best friend since I was a baby. He was my nanny, my bodyguard, my friend and now, after I joined HQ, my second in command. No matter what kind of trouble I got into, he was always there for me. He always had a soft smile to offer when I get in trouble and spoke to me ever so gently when I was down. He never once raised his voice no matter how big of a trouble I got into. He only raised it once and that was when I wanted to quit my job because of a little bump in the road. I blinked a few times and stare at the big mammoth of a guy. Standing at 195cm, he always made me feel like a dwarf, more so now than ever. But I wasn't about to back down this time and cry like before, I'm not a little girl anymore and I have faced enough big dudes in the field to let size intimidate me. Houx was trying to say something but I cut him off before he could berate me too. "Well, what other evidence do you want? He failed out of his classes and changed the grades. Because of that, he got expelled. I think the reason for my anger is very well justified!" I saw Bo wanted to say something but continued on my rants, "No wonder no one wanted to adopt him! The staff at the orphanage said that he was a rebellious good for nothing child and I thought they were being too harsh! But now I realized they are right he is a rebellious child and definitely good for nothing but trouble!" My shoulder rising and falling from the anger coursing through my entire being. "You shouldn't say that of him! You hardly know anything about him!!" Bo's voice raised another notch and he was clenching his fist so tight, his knuckles were turning white. "You guys might want to tone down a little..." Houx spoke in the same even tone that he always used. "Well, does it matter if he heard?" I snapped at no one in particular "Its better he knows that he is in a lot of trouble!" "You are being too quick to deal out judgement!" I can see all his muscles tightening as they would when he was preparing to hit someone. This was one hell of an intimidating sight and if I wasn't this mad, I would be trying to calm the big guy down. Apologies and try divert the anger of the big man. But I wasn't one to back down and I was in a state where my anger was clouding most of my better judgement and a small part of me knows that Bo would never hit me. He never had and I like to believe he never will. "Well, I am his mother, he might not be my son by birth but he is my son. If I do not punish him when he makes a mistake, who will?" I stood up, my counter stool toppled from my sudden movement. "Because he is your son therefore you should be even more thorough when it comes to understanding the situation before dealing out punishment!" A dark shadow crossed his already tanned features. "Who are you to tell me how to bring up my son!?" I had enough of this lecture from him. I needed him here to tell me how to punish my son not tell me how to be a parent. Instead of a retort or a continuation of his lecture, he quietly stood up and walked out of the kitchen. I didn't follow him, following felt like I gave in and admit that I was wrong. Instead, I stood at my spot
even when I heard the car engine start up and Bo drove away.
I was pacing back and forth in my study, thinking about my next mode of action. I thought asking Bo over would makes things easier. He would know what to do, given the experience he got bringing me up and now his two daughters. Instead, we got into an argument, he stomped out and I still don't have an action plan. At this moment, I rather be out in the field, darting enemy bullets and diffusing bombs. I mean in that situation, I would know what to do with my eyes closed! But this situation, this situation I have no idea how to handle. I sigh as I took a seat at my table. I still have the Dean's email opened and on my screen. I had been almost two hours since I saw this email and slightly over an hour since Bo left. They say you are really angry for a short time and any more after that was just you being stupid and holding on to the anger. I guess I've been doing nothing but holding my anger in. Maybe Bo was right, maybe Rei has a good reason as to what happened. I should go speak to him. I've no doubt he heard what I was going on about downstairs and the door closing as Bo stomped off. He was a young child and having adults fight like that was definitely terrifying. Especially when it was about you. I took a couple of deep breath to try and expel all the anger before going to Rei's room to talk about this matter to him. I knocked a couple of times but there was no answer. I tried the door knob and realize it was not locked. I pushed open the door and entered. "Rei?" I looked around and saw that even though the room was a mess, there was no white husky in sight. The backpacked in the corner that I saw was there last night was gone as well. I can feel the panic start building up inside of me. Dread washed over me as I walked over to the opened window and saw the linen we used on his bed rolled up and tied to the bed pole on my right, the other end hanging outside the window. I looked out and there was no sign of my son. A gush of wind blew in as I looked out and some papers ruffled on the table to my left. I grabbed the top piece and saw, scribbled in a neat cursive hand was a letter addressed to me. Dear Lev, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I got kicked out of school, and I'm sorry for lying to you about it. Truth is, I changed my grades because the Dean failed me after he found out that I hacked the school's system. I know what I did was wrong, but it was not without reason. I had found out that he was embezzling school money for his own purposes. I confronted him about it and he said that if I ratted him out, he would fail me and make you disappointed. I told him that I would have to report him nonetheless because it would be what you do. Bo always said that you would do the right thing no matter what. So he failed me. I didn't want you to take me out of school when you saw my report card before I was ready with the evidence. I had to change my grades, eventually the Dean found out and expelled me. I had some last bit of evidence to collect so I intercepted the Dean's e-mail. I had planned to tell you when I got everything but it seems you've already found out. I overheard your conversation with Bo and I don't want my actions to be the reason you and Bo stop talking to one another. Bo always said that you're like family to him. I've never known what that feels like, but I like to think that it's a beautiful thing to have. Thank you for everything Lev, thank you for the food, shelter, the clothes on my back and a chance of living a normal childhood. I'm sorry I wasn't more grateful. Please don't lose you family over a good for nothing street mutt like me, it's not worth it. I guess people were right. Goodbye Lev, I hope you never have to see me again. Rei.
I just stood there, everything seem to have stopped around me. I had no idea what exactly happened next. I must have ran all the way to Bo's place because I was panting as I banged my fist on his front door. The big guy opened the door and before I knew it, I was hugging and burying my face in his chest, sobbing and mumbling I'm sorry over and over again. I felt his thick arms wrapped around me and a hand rest on the back of my head, soothing gently. I pushed away from my guardian and shoved the letter to him. "Rei...Rei...he ran away and its all my fault! And...and....I dont know where is he and ...." I was stuttering between sobs. "Wait, he ran away and Houx did not alert you?" Bo scanned the letter and looked at me. "I...I...I dont know why.....but we have to find him Bo! I .... we cant..let him be out there on his own! What if something happens? What...What if he gets...kidnapped....What if...he gets killed?" I was pacing back and forth in his hall. Lula and the two little girls came out from the kitchen to see what was going on. A huge grin crossed Bo's face. "You care about him a whole lot eh. Even if you have a funny way of showing it." "Of course I care! He's my son! He's my responsibility! And..." I paused in my pacing and look at the big man. Over the past five months, I called Rei every week to check on him. At the beginning, Houx or Bo had to remind me to do it but over time, I had made it into a habit. At the beginning he had been a burden, a liability in my career. A problem thrust onto me because my boss was being a bitch. But after sometime, especially after a long and tedious day, I would just call my son and talk to him. Even though the conversations were short and brief, it made me feel better. All my life, I had responsibilities thrust on me that I never asked for. Rei was one of them. I accepted them because I was stubborn and egotistic. I wanted to prove that even though they were unwanted responsibilities, I can still bare them. Not so much for others to see, but to myself. I guess, Rei started out like that as well, a responsibility I didn't asked for but it was like a new challenge for myself. But over time, somehow, without my knowing, he became more than just a challenge to prove myself. He was my source of comfort. In my line, we fight everyday to keep people safe. Sometimes, most times, no one ever thank us because they didn't even know we existed. We were silent soldiers doing the ground work and keeping the planets in our galaxy safe. The day Rei found out I adopted him, and every time we spoke after, he would thank me for taking him in. "Thanks Lev, goodbye" was how our conversations always ended. He was grateful not because I saved him or because I got him off that island. No, my son was thankful for something I did that I did not have to do. I had opportunities to send him off. One place replied about 1 month after he left for school and by then he already got into a lot of trouble. Yet I didn't send him off. I could have but I didn't because somehow this little guy had worm his way into my life and become a part of it. He was a brat, a pain in the ass, a huge burden at times, but he was my brat, my pain in the ass and my burden. "And...he....I ...I love him." I looked at the big man and finally understood how he could put up with me all this time. I was never an easy child but this man never left me or walked out on me no matter how much trouble and headaches I brought him. Sometimes, love, unconditional love is the most powerful thing. It doesn't have to be for someone of your family or someone you love deeply or even your biological children. It could be for someone you least expect to enter your life and worm their way into your heart. "He is my son and I want him back. He can make mistakes and I know he will, but I want him to make mistakes where I know he is safe! When I signed those papers, I made a silent unknowing vow to love and care and keep him safe no matter what. I have to protect him not because I need too out of duty, but because I want to!" I was saying this more for my own than for Bo to hear because I already suspect the man knows what I am talking about. "Alright then, lets find your son and bring him home!" He gestured to the door. I felt a tug on my shirt and looked down to my right. There, tugging my shirt was Bo's second daughter, my youngest goddaughter. She handed me a tissue and I smiled at her and pat her on the head. "Dad say we can meet godbrother Rei today. Would he be home later? I want to show him my airship drawings!" She smiled innocently at me. Lula was about to tell her daughter something when I cut her off and said "soon kiddo, I'm gonna go and bring him home. You hang in there ok?" I waved goodbye and ran out to the car that Bo had waiting outside. I was going to bring my son home even if I have to turn this whole planet inside out.
Author's note: This was such an emotional piece to write because I really love those two so much and having them fall out like that was heartbreaking. Lev is a block head I admit and although she's 200 odd, shes considered a young adult barely out of her teens. She has much to learn about being a parent. And Rei has much to learn about what having a family means. Luckily they have Bo around to point them somewhat in the right direction. Anyways Thanks for reading and if you like this chapter, do consider giving it a vote. Letter handwritten by IllIVIllI Till the next chapter! :D