bruises and an unchangeable decision
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He couldn't fall asleep that night. Pocketing his mp3 player and cell-phone, he decided to take a stroll at the park nearby.
The park was quiet and empty but it was alright, he prefers the silent atmosphere. A lot of unexpected events happened this week and he needed some time to think.
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To think about his father's decision to move to the states for better career options.
To think about how to tell her about his father's plan.
To think about the bruises he saw on her face earlier today.
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He frowned.
Fall down the stairs and hurt her face like that? He snorted.
She is not a good liar.
He has his suspicion that her father might be the one giving her all those bruises.
Since her mother ran away with another man two months ago, her father had been drowning himself with alcohol.
That pathetic man even quitted his job, putting all the household responsibility on his son.
Now, he is not only an alcoholic but is abusive, too.
How low can he get?
More importantly, how can she continue living with her drunken father?
He felt a headache was coming, closing his eyes, he enjoyed feeling the night autumn breeze on his face.
Autumn is her favourite season. Although she seems to like summer, spring and winter too.
In his opinion, she is weird, always able to find something good in everything and always with a smile on her face.
Maybe, that's what attracted him to her.
Suddenly feeling exhausted, he decided to head home.
With his hands in his coat pockets, he made his way through the shortcut alley next to the arcade.
The alley was dimly lighted with a single streetlamp and it might not be the safest alley here, but he will be able to reach home faster this way.
Halfway through, he heard a voice, someone moaning in pain.
Then he saw him.
..
..
He was lying in a pool of blood next to a big green restaurant dumpster with a knife in his stomach and a bleeding forehead.
An empty wallet was discarded nearby.
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Robbed and stabbed a drunk man?
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He frowned and took out his cell-phone.
Then, an image of her bruised face appeared in his mind.
It was this man that gave her those bruises.
He looked at him, lying in his own blood, hopelessly gasping for help.
He tightened his hold on his cell-phone and his eyes harden.
That pathetic man was still holding a half full beer bottle in his left hand while his life draining out of his body when he walked away with his mp3 player blasting loud music into his ears.
..
..
That was five years, four months and fifteen days ago.
The day he last saw her smile on her bruised face and the day her father died.
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