Distraction

Day after day

"Screw it", Manny thought to himself as he entered the nearby college, as his teacher called his parents in for a talk. Another one of those "Oh Manny doesn't have the right way of thinking" type of talks again; Manny was used and sick of those kinds of discussions by now.

He was in one of these private schools, as his parents wanted him to be a big dog as they are in the business department. The school was located in a posh area of Munich, Germany. Everyone at his school seemed to know more or less what they wanted to in life, except for him. He was a bit of an outsider, as money and valuables weren't his interest, neither were fast cars or girls.

He was way more interested in what remains unsolved; he was perceptive. His brain was way above the average teenagers; his mind was thinking more profound than the surface, always trying to reach the core. His parents found this concerning for some reason, being the "perfect successful business couple".

It wasn't all too long after Mannys 15th Birthday that his parents decided that they'd had enough. "We need to speak some sense into that foolish boy," his father said to his mother. His mother had agreed; they had tried to change Manny for the better for years in their eyes. But not even the best private school or newest game changed a single thing.

 And so they decided that they would send him to his grandpa. His grandpa lived in a tiny rural lighthouse, far away from anything, just the endless sea. He would have to take care of his demented grandfather, which would, with some luck, talk some sense into their son as well. He wouldn't even have the time to overthink so much, as he would always be busy caring for his grandpa, doing the household and revising for his upcoming business examen.

Like his daughter Anne Van Leer, grandpa Fiete worked in the business department. The townspeople would rumour that he's a grumpy and strange older man. On his side, he didn't think much of the town residents either; instead just stayed alone.

He and his daughter Anne never had a healthy relationship. It has always been rather cold and distant. This was also why Manny's parents thought they could "punish" their son by spending time with his grandpa, which he has seen about three times in his lifetime.

And with that, Manny packed up his bags to travel over to his grandfathers'. He wasn't sure how to feel about it, on the one hand, he was happy about not attending the private school anymore, on the other hand, he was about to see his grandfather that he hadn't seen in about ten years and that his mother hadn't had any nice words for.

His parents drove him to the railway station, where he took the train up north. Unaware of what to expect, he felt more alive than what he had been feeling in a long time. It would take him eight and a half hours to arrive at the baltic sea. This wouldn't be his final target yet, though, as his grandfather lived on this island called Poel. He would have to take the ferry to get there.

Slowly but surely, he was turning nervous; he had never encountered a person with dementia. Then, as he finally felt land under his feet, he saw his grandfather waving at him. He looked different to what he imagined him to look like. In some ways, he looked like a surreal Seabear, with his long and wild beard and kind, wrinkly rough face.

He said hello, and they walked to his lighthouse, far away from this small town, right at the coast, surrounded by the wild sea, sand and seagulls. Manny just explored the lighthouse a little in the following few hours, not talking to his grandfather any further after presenting how important it was for him to work in the business department later in life, just telling him about his success and commitment.

Fiete gave Manny a sceptical look as he read the newspaper and repeatedly lit his tobacco pipe. Then, slowly but surely, it was turning dark outside, and Manny was turning hungry, so he put all his guts together and asked his grandpa if he had any dinner ready. He just shook his head, saying he forgot, as he barely ever eats. Manny thought you could see that, based on how emaciated he looked.

And so, Manny went ahead and took a look in the fridge, where he found himself some fresh herring that he fried. After that meal, he said good night and went to bed. Fiete had set up a bed in the former control room, which meant he had windows surrounding him which the view of the sea.

He certainly enjoyed this. Reflecting on his day, he felt like his grandfather was a cold person, and he could certainly see where his mother had gotten her personality from. With quite mixed feelings, he went to bed and fell asleep instantly, only for him to wake up a few hours later. He woke up to his grandfather yelling something somewhere outside. 

He looked at the clock, 3 a.m., great... He put on a jacket and went out, wondering what the hell his grandfather was doing. It was a windy and stormy night, with untameable waves and rough, icy wind. As he turned his flashlight on, he found his grandfather sitting within the dunes, in only his undershirt and pyjama trousers. 

The yelling had suddenly turned into quiet whimpers.

Having his head laid in his chest, he didn't look as powerful and confident anymore. At first, Manny wasn't sure whether he should leave him alone or not, but he decided to walk over to him.

His grandfather just looked at him with a scared look, as if he was a stranger. Then, before Manny could say anything, Fiete had asked him, with a somewhat shaky voice, "Who are you?" At first, Manny thought this must be a joke. He can't just forget who his grandson is, right?

And so, after a moment of silence, he answered with: "I'm your grandson Manny, don't you remember me?" Fiete just shook his head in denial, stating, "I just want to go home, bring me home" Manny tried to tell him that the lighthouse right there was his home- Fiete just shook his head in denial again, saying that he would stay right there then.

Manny realized that he wouldn't change his mind, went inside to get some blankets and hot tea and joined him. The storm right before seemed to have blown away any cloud, covering the stars and moon. 

It looked as though his grandfathers' mind cleared up a bit, and he realized that Manny was his grandson. Fiete started to talk about the sea and sky, mysterious stories from local anglers, etc.

And so they would talk through the whole night while gazing at the stars until morning.