I died when my son was five years
old.
Chapter One
Five years old. That’s how old Mikey was
when I finally kicked the bucket, smack–dab
in the middle of the damn mountains, thanks
to my busted artificial heart.
Before I went, I shoved him onto a Greyhound
bus, told him to find his dad.
“He’s a big shot, Mikey,” I whispered. “He’s a
philanthropist in D.C. Loaded. And he used to
be crazy about me.”
Well, Mikey, bless his heart, actually found
him this big, fancy building in D.C., and
there he was, good ol‘ Charles “Chuck”
Barrington, the guy I thought would be the
<
one. Except he was holding some little brat,
his stepsister’s kid, probably, and they were
heading straight into a freakin‘ FAO Schwarz
toy store.
Chuck bought the kid some kind of
newfangled drone thing. Mikey, he was glued
to the glass like a fly on honey. Never seen.
anything like it, I guess. Shiny, sleek, the
metallic paint on the wings catching the
sunlight.
He probably just wanted to remember it, to
–
tell his mama me – about this super cool
flying thing he saw. That’s all.
But then Chuck noticed him, saw those eyes
that were a dead ringer for mine, and
something flipped in his brain.
<
“What are you gawking at?” he snapped. “You
think you’re entitled to something? Just like
your deadbeat mother!”
“If you want money, tell your heartless mother
to bring her boyfriend to me.”
He had no idea that I’d checked out…
1
To entice Mikey to meet him, Chuck
Barrington deliberately took his stepsister’s
kid to a fancy toy store. And he bought him.
the latest model of the plane model.
Mikey was watching, eyes glued to the clear
window of the toy store, unwilling to leave. He
has never seen such a beautiful toy, delicate,
and beautiful even the metallic paint on the
tail wing shining with a dazzling silver light.
He wanted to remember it well and then go
home and tell his mother that he had seen the
plane. A very small plane that can fly very
high.
Unfortunately, Chuck quickly noticed Mikey’s
gaze.
“What are you looking at? What? Aren’t you
like your mother, only know how to be
greedy?”
“As long as you tell me where your mother is,
I will buy you one if I feel sorry for you, how
about it?”
Mikey nodded, then quickly shook his head.
<
“I don’t know what it’s called there, but I
remember a phone number, okay?”
Chuck’s eyes lit up, and he excitedly pressed
the number on his phone.
“Lilah, did you betray me for money in the
first place, do you regret it now?”
The call goes to voicemail, no one answers.
He didn’t know that it wasn’t my phone, it
was the cellphone of the convenience store
owner in the village. Occasionally, the elderly
want to contact the outside world and spend
fifty cents to buy a chance to call.
But I don’t have this opportunity, I can’t get
that mobile phone.
く
Five minutes later, the phone automatically
hung up, and Chuck glared at Mikey with
disgust.
Then he took the child straight into the
Maybach parked on the side of the road.
“Liar, get out!”
Mikey really wanted to chase after him and
tell him that he was so hungry. I wanted to
ask him if he could give him a full meal.
But he didn’t dare.
He recognized the disgust in Chuck’s eyes.
“Mom, you lied to me. Dad doesn’t like me.”
<
Mikey lowered his head, looked at his already
deflated belly, and his eyes were red.
After a long silence, he turned and continued
wandering aimlessly along the street.
It was the season of cold spring.
The wind was strong on the street.
It can disperse the voices of passers–by, but
it cannot disperse Mikey’s sadness.
He shrank in front of a store that closed
early, staring blankly at his shoes that showed
a toe.
That’s what I bought from the second–hand
stall before the New Year.
<
The original crack was carefully covered by
me with cloth stickers.
But now that I am dead, Mikey’s shoes are
also rotten.
Mikey thought of the boy he saw in the
afternoon. He was wearing shiny little leather
shoes, and his ankles were inlaid with a circle
of thick wool.
“If such beautiful shoes are worn on my feet,
they will definitely be soiled by the frostbite
on my feet.”
CIL
“But I wish I had such beautiful shoes.”
Mikey hugged his knees and said to himself.
“If I have it, I will give it to my mother. Let
L
Mom take it to exchange for painkillers.”
“That way my mother won’t cry all night long
with me on her back because of heart pain.”
Thinking of me, Mikey couldn’t help twitching
the corner of his mouth, but tears fell faster
than his smile.
After another night, Mikey was so hungry that
he had to beg with his belly covered.
He went to the small supermarket next to
him, but the boss was a mean and mean
middle–aged man.
As soon as he walked to the door, he was
swept out like garbage with a broom.
“Go away, go away, little beggar, don’t get
く
Mikey went to the breakfast shop at the
street.
As soon as he got closer, the proprietress.
poured a pot of boiling hot water on him.
“Stinky beggar, get out of here! Don’t mess
up my things!”
Finally, Mikey could only tip–toe and
rummaged through the trash can on the side
of the road.
Maybe it’s because of the big city, the trash
cans are very high.
Mikey tip–toed hard for a long time, and only
managed to reach half a cup of milk tea.
く
Looking at the turbid liquid that had
deteriorated inside, Mikey swallowed.
Close your eyes and pour it into your mouth.
Just at the moment when it was about to
touch his lips, a big hand suddenly appeared
and smashed the milk tea **** on the ground.
It’s Chuck.
He was panting with thick breath, and his
eyes were covered with dense red bloodshot
eyes.
“Are you just so willing to be lowly? Do you
even pick up the garbage on the side of the
road? How did Lilah teach you?”
L
“Or did she tell you that as long as you
pretend to be pitiful, you can win me over by
playing hard to get and let me sympathize
with you? Dream on!”
“Why are you as disgusting and lowly as your
mother!”
He stared at Mikey, anger and disgust almost
overflowing his eyes.
Mikey was also frightened by his
overwhelming scolding and turned red eyes.
He raised his head and muttered a sentence:
“Dad…”
Chuck’s pupils shrank, and then he kicked the
trash can hard
L
“I’m not your dad!”
“Your dad is the one who made your mother
willing to give up everything to betray me!”
