Just between us

Chapter Five

2009

Bright decided not to drill Toota any further.  He was curious, but he had realized why Toota might have wanted to keep his life to himself.  He wanted to know what the teacher had against him to threaten him. He wanted to know how Toota ended up living in a supplies room, working as a cleaner.

It could wait he thought.  What Toota needed wasn't an interrogation.  Toota needed a friend and Bright loved being a friend to everyone.

Bright could feel Toota tiptoeing around him waiting for him to get to the bottom of his curiosity.

As time went by Bright managed to drag Toota into conversations.  He sat with Toota at lunch. He will wait for Toota to bring up his past at some point.

Toota never did.

Without his knowledge, Toota had become a constant in his life.  Whatever he did he mentioned it to Toota.  He would call Toota every morning, and Toota called him at night after work, even though they saw each other daily.  It was a routine that both had fallen into it quickly.

Bright had been nodding off on his homework when Toota called him out of the blue.

"Ai Toota?  Isn't it too early for you to call?" he answered groggily.

"Bright..."

Toota's tone woke him up.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Can you come to the city hospital?" Toota said in between gasps.

"Ai Toota, what is it?  Are you hurt?" Bright asked hurrying towards the door.

"It's my mother, I don't want to go in alone," Toota replied.  "Please come soon."

"I'm on my way."

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When Toota received the call that his mother had been admitted to the hospital he felt as if something had hit him hard on the head.  He knew his mother suffered because of him.  The first person he had called looking for comfort was Bright.

It was unbelievable how close Bright was to him.  They were like an old married couple.  Toota hadn't realized that Bright didn' have a close friend before him. Toota was more than happy to fill the void.

Toota was pacing outside the hospital still in his uniform waiting for Bright.  He didn't want to face his family alone.  Bright walked straight up to him and engulfed him in a tight hug.  Toota knew Bright was confused by the sudden mention of his family.

"Ai Toota, are you ok?" he asked kindly.

Toota nodded instead of answering.  Bright's presence made him lose his composure. He was on the verge of tears.

"Mae... she is very sick. I can't bear look at her like this."

"Let's go in together," Bright said holding his forearm.

Toota saw his brother and sister standing in a hallway.  He was shaking in fear.  He shouldn't have called Bright.  He hadn't thought it through when he had hit the call button.