Touch ☞☜ Phan

Chapter One | Flashback

"You're too soft," my father said.  He had been promoting to me what his idea of masculinity was since I was little.  I never agreed with him, but I always played along.

"You need to give firmer handshakes.  Here, let me show you," my father said, grabbing my hand.  He shook it with confidence and intent. "See?"

I nodded. My father had been criticizing the handshakes that I shared with his coworkers all evening. It was "Kid Day" at his work, and even though this was only last month and I was still sixteen, I decided to go with him.

A lady with a pin on her blazer with "Ms. Addie" engraved onto it approached my father and me. "Hello," Ms. Addie said, barely smiling. She looked at my dad with an expression that I was unable to identify at the time and then turned to me. "You must be Daniel."

As I shook Ms. Addie's hand, I watched the phrase "sexual partner" appear in the air in front of me. "Lust" and "satisfying riskiness" followed.

I gave my dad a questioning look, but he didn't appear fazed. He was watching Ms. Addie, and when I turned to Ms. Addie, she was returning his gaze.

I clearly was the only one who watched those words appear in the air.

A man who was wearing gloves began to converse with my dad. He shook my hand. Gloves were required in certain rooms of the engineering company. Everybody I encountered in the building, apart from Ms. Addie and my dad, had been wearing gloves so far. I also hadn't been wearing gloves.

My dad's best friend came over and shook my hand. The words "boss" and "neutrality" popped up into the air. Mr. Richey hadn't been wearing gloves.  I determined that gloves must've prevented the words from appearing.

My father had never simply considered Mr. Richey his boss—my dad had always known Mr. Richey as his friend whom he happened to work for. My dad possessed a positive opinion pertaining to Mr. Richey, not a neutral one.  My handshake with Ms. Addie must've caused the words to appear. I touched Ms. Addie before I touched Mr. Richey.

I realized that I touched my father before I touched Ms. Addie.

On that day, I found out about my father's affair with Ms. Addie.

Also, I spontaneously gained a power that enabled me to know what people's relationships and feelings for one another were simply by making direct physical contact with the people.

I figured that I must've been hallucinating. My dad wouldn't have ever cheated on my mum, right? I couldn't have gained a power. The brownies for "Kid Day" in the building's cafeteria that I consumed must've not been regular brownies. Perhaps the punch that I contentedly drowned my throat with earlier on that day was alcoholic.

I had to get away. I politely excused myself from the situation and headed into the nearest restroom to hyperventilate and rock back and forth on the floor.

At least this wasn't a restroom in my high school. The floor wasn't nearly as dirty, I noticed. I attempted to focus on specific aspects of the Febreze-scented restroom in order to calm myself down. I noticed the cracks in the sand-colored paint on the wall and the slight differences in the amounts of dots among the floor's tiles.  Once I gained control of my breathing, I stood up and exited the restroom.

Once I returned to my father and the coworkers he hadn't stopped conversing with, another person approached me and shook my hand. She was the boss of my dad's friend, the boss of the boss, according to the words in the air. My dad's friend was intimidated by her.

Why were these words suddenly appearing in the air? I was already an outcast at my school—I knew that I couldn't handle becoming even more isolated due to this power. I would have to hide it.

I couldn't mention my power to my parents. I mean, they never would have believed me anyway.

I contemplated at least discussing the affair with my parents, but I couldn't have done that either. I knew that I would mess up my parents' lives and my own. I already didn't have any friends. I couldn't live with having divorced parents in addition to that.

My dad looked over at me. Our eyes met, and he gave me a warm smile. "Thanks for coming with me, son," he said.

I nodded in response, but I was unable to return the smile.

School would be starting up again shortly, and I would genuinely know how the people there perceived me.

I was petrified.