Rubbing his arms that were bruised all over, Tafari looked at the sky filled with stars. It was night time now, which meant that it was time for him to go to work.
"I really need to learn some form of martial arts for these beatings are really starting to piss me off. I don't mind being called a mouse, but while I'm running, I need to leave some of my enemies' teeth on the floor."
He sat there, going over the events in his mind and just kept shaking his head.
"Sigh! This world is really the one in which the weak get trampled over by the strong all the time. I won't survive forever like this. I need strength in order to survive.
I need strength in order to be in control of my own destiny, and to, at the very least, not be continuously bullied by these thugs.
Damn! It is easy to say I need it. But how will I without any family or backing of any kind?"
He thought as he went over the details of the day.
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The back door to the restaurant finally opened, and there stood Mr. Ming with a broom in his hand. He saw Tafari there— bruised and battered with his usual pondering face.
"I swear this kid is something else. He seems to always have his head in the clouds." He has always admired this kid and his resilience even in the poverty-stricken state of his.
He first met Tafari, on a night similar to this, in an alley when he was seven. He was begging him and asking if he knew someone who could help him with finding a job. Mr. Ming remembered his determination on that night.
Even though he was begging, he stated that he was willing to work for the money in household chores or any available work. Having two kids himself, he was torn when he saw the decrepit state the child was in.
Thus, they made a deal in which he would pay him three silver coins each week if he cleans and take the garbage from the restaurant.
He was also offered a place to sleep in a room where the cleaning supplies were. In that room was a tiny bed that he had discarded when his daughter outgrew it.
Even though the room was filled with spider webs and dust, Tafari never felt so much comfort from his birth and was joyful at the time. Ever since then, he had admired Mr. Ming and Mrs.Ming.
He had forgotten the love of his parents as he had never known them. Even though he knew Mr. Ming was just being a kind soul he is, he has always seen Mr. Ming as family.