Blood Runs Out

•four•

☃️⛄☃️

His father was never abusive. No, he didn't even raise his voice at Kiaan but his ignorance spoke louder than any words or action could speak. He was just tired. Tired of being a father to his ungrateful and problematic children who came before Kiaan. So disappointed and hurt was his soul that he refused to give his youngest a chance. He was done raising criminals. 

Kiaan wasn't one of them, he knew very well. But he just couldn't tell his heart that fact. Kiaan's mental disorder came to the surface at the same time when his eldest brother was arrested for homicide. No wonder he was panicked. Kiaan was sent to therapy to get rid of this disease of his but it never worked. How could it? 

Charity begins at home. So does therapy. 

He wasn't in an environment that could be deemed ideal for that. It was far from that. Thousands of miles away. 

So, it's not false to assume he never got to spend time with his father which could be called a happy memory let alone go on picnics and family outings. 

Hence, Kiaan finds his heart aching when his eyes cast on the title family who are enjoying their dinner. It breaks his heart to see how the father is cleaning after his toddlers, smiling all along and his wife is recording the adorable moment to capture it for later. It hurts because he never got to experience something so mundane yet so beautiful. 

"Oii, mute! Go and clean that table over there. What are you doing there?" A man says before smacking his head. 

Kiaan looks at the man who promised him food and some money in exchange for his labor as the waiter of a roadside restaurant. 

Kiaan nods his head, taking the rag off his shoulder to clean yet another table. He is exhausted to the point of fainting. It's been 8 hours since he started working but the promised food never came. The man who hired him told him that he would get it after the busy hours passed. But this restaurant always seems busy with people. 

Putting the thought of his unbearable hunger at the back of his head, he gets to work once again. Cleaning tables and washing dishes aren't that hard, he reasons with himself. They will soon feed him. At least, it's better than begging on the streets. There is one undying fear that resides in his heart though. He wishes his disorder won't make an appearance to make it harder for him. 

The happy family have finally finished their dinner and Kiaan is called to clean that table as well. He finds a wallet on a chair while doing so. Luckily, his instinct to hide the wallet hasn't kicked in. Maybe because his instinct kicks in when he sees something that he doesn't need and the 1000 notes sticking out of the wallet tells him how much he needs it. 

Waiting no further, he runs with the wallet out of the restaurant to find the owner. They mustn't have gone far. He sighs in relief finding the couple just a few steps away. 

As it still hurts if he tries to speak, he opts for tapping the man on the shoulder. The man looks back with thick annoyance but it resolves as soon as his eyes fall on the wallet in Kiaan's hand. A grateful smile takes over in an instant. 

"Manish! How could you be so careless?" His wife chides, looking at the wallet. 

The man ignores his wife and focuses on the boy in front of him. 

"Thank you so much, kid. It has all my credit cards and all the important stuff." He exclaims in an almost cheery tone, still going through the wallet to see if his contents are there still.