I walked down the road with no idea where I was going. I could walk as far as my legs would take me. I knew there was nothing in the world that I could lose more. Nothing remained, indeed. Still, there was a strange feeling that made me believe I could start over and begin a new, different life.

I walked past Justin's house, praying he wouldn't see me. I walked down the silent street with no sign of a living creature. The black willow and balsam poplar trees rustled their leaves. The night was dark and quiet, and the cold wind swept away all the dust from the road.

I looked up. Millions of stars accompanied my journey, and among them, I imagined my mom and dad were the brightest ones. I had never held their hands, but I wished I were lucky enough to do so. When I was young, I grew up watching other kids go to school, holding the hands of their fathers. They laughed, they enjoyed life, but I never did. My only company was my bully, Jack. Now, I don't want to trouble you by bringing up his name again.

Soon, I felt my legs getting tired. Also, my backpack felt a little heavier and slowed down my journey to nowhere. I sat down on a broken rock and unshouldered my backpack. At the far end, I saw streetlights dimming across the foggy air and a dark, tall figure sauntering towards me. When the outline of the man came into my clear vision, I stood up.

It was Mr. Anderson, walking towards me. I wondered what he was doing here, this late when half the world was asleep. He came closer. I started to fidget with my fingers, trying to come up with a reasonable answer to his likely question: "What are you doing here?"

"Why are you not at home this late, Joe? Do you know what time it is? It's 12:38," Mr. Anderson said. Noticing I wasn't about to make a reply, he said, "You can come with me. I don't think you would be safe alone."

"I left my uncle, Mr. Anderson, and I want to stay alone," I said quietly, almost dropping my head to my feet. "I could leave you alone, young man, if only you were not an innocent kid. Now, come with me. I make delicious pancakes."

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Mr. Anderson took me to his house. His housemaid welcomed me with a warm smile. I entered his house, adorned with expensive decor and furnished furniture. His whole corridor was the full size of Uncle Danny's house but with more fancy items. There wasn't a thing you would wish for. There was everything a sixteen-year-old boy would want. Yet, I wondered if it was everything a man could wish for?

Mr. Anderson showed me my new room. "If you need anything, you can call Jenny. She will help you with whatever you want. But for now, my son, let's eat something. I know you are hungry."

Jenny was the housemaid I had met earlier. Apart from her, I saw no one else in the house. Out of curiosity, I asked Mr. Anderson, "Where is everyone?"

He half-smiled, "Who are you expecting?" he asked. I hesitated. "I don't know...well, maybe Mrs. Anderson and your children?"

He gave me a half-hearted smile. "She left me long ago. And as for my children... I had only one son, and he is dead."

Mr. Anderson always appeared so professional and stern that I didn't imagine he could be lonely inside as well. I know what it feels like to be rejected and isolated. Thus, I felt what he was feeling right now. He had everything, no doubt. Money, expensive stuff, delicious food, a big house, and everything. But if you don't have a family, you have nothing, and you don't have a purpose in life. Also, I wondered how much money a math teacher makes in the school.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, sir," I said sincerely, praying, Lord, wherever his son had gone—which was heaven—was at peace.

"Yeah, me too. Let's get fresh, change your clothes, and eat something," with that said, Mr. Anderson retired from my new room.

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We ate quietly until Mr. Anderson himself broke the sound. "Want more juice?" he poured some orange juice into my glass without waiting for an answer.

His dinner table was very long, like, more than twelve people could dine together. I wondered what was the use of such over-expensive items when you had only two people at home?

"How old was he, sir?" I asked him about his dead son and came to know that, like my dad, he also died in a car crash. As saddening as it already was, I quivered hearing that his wife cheated on him with another man. Why would someone do that? Especially a mother? Guess, I will never know.

Why does God give so much pain to the people with a good heart? I still am not sure. Maybe financially and materially, Mr. Anderson and I were very different, but emotionally and intuitively, we had so much in common. And that night, when we shared most of the emptiness of our hearts with each other, I knew that Mr. Anderson was none other than my guardian angel sent from above.

It took me three or four more days to learn everything about Mr. Anderson. At the end of the day, I happened to know that he wasn't as bad as I had initially thought. He may seem stern and all, but overall, he wasn't a bad person from the heart. He was an example that made me believe in the true sentence: "Never judge a book by its cover."

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I had been avoiding Justin all these days because I couldn't bring myself to talk to him. What could I say, 'I am staying with Mr. Anderson'? Nah. After all, he usually thought Mr. Anderson was a jerk. However, I was sure if I told Justin everything I happened to know about him, his conception would change immediately.

But I was afraid he might take my stay with Mr. Anderson as a rejection of his proposal to stay with him.

Then, when I returned to my new room after the dismissal of a boring physics lecture, on the way back, I met Justin. He wore a gray hoodie and his dark smooth hair was a mess. Beside him was his new girlfriend, Diane. They were laughing together and seemed like they were spending some quality time after a long day. I paused midway, thinking if I should back up or continue to head towards them. I could use my baseball cap to hide the top of my face, but the idea didn't show up.

Justin noticed me standing in the middle of the street, and for a moment, he made a confused face. Then, he told the girl that he would see her again the next day at English class, and they parted their ways. Diane went in the opposite direction and Justin strode towards me. God, why did she have to be Diane?

"Where have you been?! I had been searching for you for so long, you know!" he cried. I almost gulped back a smile. "Sorry. I was searching for you, too," I lied.

"Really? You know my place," Justin raised an eyebrow and I shrugged.

"Where are you staying, Joe? Are you okay?" his confused facial expression was now substituted by a concerned one. I told myself that I couldn't lie this time. My heart was racing fast under my shirt, and I tried to calm my nerves.

"I'm staying with Mr. Anderson, Justin. I think he deserves company," I said honestly. Justin raised an eyebrow but decided not to say anything against my decision.

"How is he doing?" he finally asked after a long uncomfortable pause.

"He's doing fine now," I guessed. "Maybe I can hold the space in his vacant heart. Maybe I can put his smile back on his face."

Justin smiled. I got a hint, he liked what I said. Though he didn't know anything about Mr. Anderson, I felt that he could feel what I was saying.

"I know you can, Joe. You are a good soul."