Ronald quickly turned in my direction as Grandpa Ben rushed over to me.

“Grandpa Ben…” I struggled to breathe because of the pain. “This… is nothing.”

“Nothing?! How can you tell me this is nothing when you’re bleeding all over?!” Grandpa Ben screamed in panic. “Come and have a seat. Ronald, go to my study and fetch my medicinal herbs,” Grandpa Ben instructed as he gave me a hand towards the bench.

Ronald let out a scoff before following Grandpa Ben’s orders. Ronald certainly has an attitude. I don’t understand why Grandpa Ben is putting up with him. I’m not sure if this is how he treats everyone else but if that’s the case, he shouldn’t be working, especially since Grandpa Ben’s character is very different from him.

“Slowly, son,” Grandpa Ben said as I sat down on the wooden bench, mindful with my actions in order not to add more pain to the already agonizing feeling that I have.

Moments later, Ronald finally arrived with a basket full of little sacks made out of cloth.

“Can you tell me what happened here?” he asked Ronald, furious.

As Grandpa Ben rummaged through the basket for a specific herb, Ronald and I looked at each other. He was worried, scared, unsure of what he’s going to answer.

Grandpa Ben finally found what he was looking for and turned to the two of us. “Well? Can’t one of you answer my question?” he repeated.

“Nothing serious, Grandpa Ben,” Ronald smiled nervously as Grandpa Ben asked me to open the top of my shirt. “Robbert and I are just getting to know each other.”

“Is that true? Also, this may hurt a little,” Grandpa Ben asked, giving me a quick warning before proceeding. With absolute care, he patted a small lump on my wound. As soon as the herbs made contact with my skin, they stung, making me wince.

“What Ronald said was true,” I tried to smile as the herbs took effect on my wound. My response resulted in Ronald letting out a big, quiet breath of relief.

Oh, Ronald, I’m not yet finished with my response.

I continued, “Laura and I are in a bit of an argument. She walked away during a heated discussion and I don’t know where she went.” I can’t tell Grandpa Ben the real reason why I’m looking for her. It’s better that I make up an excuse. “I headed here and asked Ronald if he knows where she is.”

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“Ronald, luckily, was outside so I decided to ask him. However, his arrogance got the best of him so I shoved him onto the wall,” I smirked while Ronald stared at me in horror. “But other than that, everything is okay.”

Grandpa Ben stood up and turned to Ronald, slowly approaching him.

“Grandpa Ben, I can explain,” Ronald put his hands in front of him in a panic.

Grandpa Ben suddenly hit Ronald behind his head. “Ronald, I’ve been warning you about your behavior,” he began to scold Ronald. “Just because you’re second in command, that doesn’t give you the right to treat others as if they’re beneath you,” he continued, his hands on his waist. “Go back inside the bakery!” he pointed at the door.

Ronald looked at him in disbelief. Realizing that there’s no chance of explaining his side, he surrendered and went back inside. As Ronald made his way back into the bakery, he turned to me and mouthed, “I hate you.”

“Don’t worry, I hate you even more,” I teased, making Grandpa Ben turn back to him.

Grandpa Ben gave him another hit on the back of his head. “Shut that hole in your mouth and go back inside!”

Ronald walked back inside the shop, rubbing the back of his head.

“My apologies about that, young Robert,” Grandpa Ben sat down and continued to tend to my wound. “Ronald has always been like that. I never knew what to do with him exactly.”

“I don’t understand why you continue to bear with him, Grandpa Ben. It’s clear to me that you’ve been frustrated with him for a long time now,” I remarked, wincing.

“Ronald isn’t all that bad, Robert,” he replied as he put one last lump of herb on my wound before closing the sack. “Ronald is a good person; I just don’t know what’s going on in his mind right now. He’s been acting… a bit strange for the past few months now.”

I nodded, wincing as the herb continued to stinge. Letting my wound sip in some of the juice from the herb, I closed the top of my shirt.

“However, what you did to Ronald isn’t excusable at all,” he continued as we looked at each other. “I know Ronald can be rude at times but we shouldn’t do that to others. In situations such as that, we should always be the bigger person.”

I sighed as I nodded. “I do apologize for how I acted, Grandpa Ben. I was just in a rush to catch up to Laura, my frustrations got the better of me.”

“I understand that Ronald’s actions were horrendous but we shouldn’t treat them with hostility,” Grandpa Ben continued. “Those who act in such a way were treated in such a way. Most of the time, I would stay silent but whenever I see his actions crossed a line, that’s when I act. You, on the other hand, must learn to control your temper, especially with people such as him.”

“I will, Grandpa Ben. Again, my apologies.”

“Here you are,” he handed over the little sack. “Should your wound start bleeding again, just use this herb and it will fix everything.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Ben,” I smiled, receiving the small sack of herbs.

“Also, I came out here to see if Laura’s with you,” Grandpa Ben continued. “I saw her arrive a while ago and I thought she was already back to her work but when I checked, she was nowhere to be found. I didn’t know you were also looking for her,” he chuckled at the end.