Never Break

Chapter Three: An Unusual Morning

Ralph woke up at six in the morning because of his habit. After waking up, he freaked out seeing that he was still in his trenchcoat and shoes.

He sprang to his feet to take off his coat and put it in the wardrobe. He kept the shoes at a corner carefully, making sure it couldn't stain anything.

Ralph entered the bathroom with his jogging clothes and a towel. He got into the shower tray and turned the tap on.

He looked at his fingers. They were very long and thin. They reminded him of his old nickname from his parents.

The scrawny shark.

Ralph got nostalgic. He was born in Blacktown, a suburb near Sydney. His parents named him Ralph, which meant ''strong'' in English.

'Strong my arse.' Ralph thought.

After thirteen years of him living happily in Australia, he had to move to Ireland. His dad was worried about his health. That's why, he suggested to move there, so that Ralph could gain a good health staying near mountains or so.

Ralph didn't mind Ireland though. He was getting quite well with the environment and people there. His eyes helped neighbours to actually take him as an acquaintance. But the hair kind of freaked them out. At least that's what he thought. But, in reality, the people actually found him good looking. Ralph was in his own delusional world.

He didn't mind any of the stares, as long they didn't try to get close with him.

Life was stable until Aofie was born. She came to the world when Ralph was fifteen. He never knew why she hated or loathed him so much. He never did anything unjust to her.

When Ralph was eighteen, his family found out that Aofie was hearing impaired. Her stapes was a bit disfigured, which made her partially deaf.

Thus Ralph's family moved to England hoping for better a environment for her. They settled in Feltriver, a quite and calm neighbourhood in London.

Aofie got a BTE hearing aid for herself. They have been living here, in Feltriver ever since. Ralph finished his education in London and got a job as an actuary in the Blackstone Inc. And now, he's one of the bests there. It is the only success in his life. And he needed help from others to accomplish that! Pathetic!

Ralph shook out of his trance as the cold water stung his skin. He jumped out of the shower tray and wrapped the towel around himself, shivering.

He dried himself off as fast as he could. He then slipped on his grey t-shirts and sweatpants. After that, Ralph kept rubbing the towel on his damp hair. He didn't want to catch a cold.

When Ralph exited his bathroom...his hair was dry enough. He found his flip-flops near the bathroom mat and slipped them on.

Ralph headed for the mirror to comb his hair. While he was combing a side parting on his hair, his eyes wandered to his reflection.

He always took himself to be less good looking than the average person. In fact, his whole physical feature reminded him of one thing only.

He was one of a kind.

And, that kind was horrendous.

Ralph gazed at his hair. It was blonde, just like Aofie's. They inherited the hair from their Australian mother.

Fortunately, Aofie got blue eyes from their mother to match with her hair colour. But, unfortunately, Ralph got his father's jade green eyes. Irish genetic trait. He hated it. But his hatred towards himself was nothing new.

Ralph studied his face. He had a square jaw. Only God knows from where he got that. He had a scar which rested peacefully on his chin. He got that while trying to warn Aofie not to touch the hot kettle on the table, when she was three. He slipped and fell down from the staircase.