“I want to vanquish this unfair world.”
Three days ago, my parents died in a car accident. I was glad that my sister survived but she had minor injuries. If she had died as well, I would’ve killed myself afterwards.
Today, the sky was nice and sunny but it was sickening for me to see. There were times that I wished to die with my parents. However, I’m the only one who can protect Sarah. So, I chose to work and protect her until she has a good life.
Even though my parents died, I still needed to attend classes as it was close to the final exams. When I walked back to my classroom, my depressing attitude was very different from the class’ joyful mood.
“I can’t be crying now; I need to graduate with good scores to attend a respectable university.” I said to myself.
The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch period and afternoon classes started. Mr. Jiho entered the classroom, took attendance and started the first afternoon class.
3 classes later and the day finally ended. I quickly picked up my stuff and immediately left the classroom. Along the way, I saw many students stay for their extracurricular activities. I already quit on my club so I had no reason to stay.
“Going home already?” a fat guy intervened while I passed by him. He was holding a brand-new volume of manga and it seemed like he was on his way to a club meeting.
“Yeah, I have nothing to do in here.”
So, I met Gin Camm recently at the nearby bookstore. All I know about him is that he’s an otaku for life.
“Come on, just stay for a little bit. I have the new volume of ‘Re:GunBuster X’ and you should read it.” He said excitedly.
“Who does he think he is? Just because I checked some manga out doesn’t mean he could be friendly with me.”
“I’m really sorry but I need to go home.” Without waiting for his response, I bid farewell to him and ran as fast as I could to the bus stop.
“I’m sorry if I sounded harsh but I have more important things to do. I need to somehow make money or else I’m f*c*ed.” I thought to myself.
I arrived at the bus stop and went on my way home. Some time passed when I got to my house and I saw Sarah inside.
“I’m back!”
“Big brother, welcome home! I prepared some snacks at the kitchen table; go ahead and take some. Also, don’t worry about housework from now on; I’ll do them for you starting today.” She said excitedly while her bright eyes shone to me.
It’s good thing that she’s doing much better now. Between the two of us, Sarah suffered the most when she heard the bad news from the doctor. I’ve heard her crying alone in her room and it broke my heart. Seeing her much bright attitude today was a miracle.
“Thank you but I want you to be careful.”
“Ok” She said silently.
~Sigh
“I understand that she wants to help but I still prefer to do them myself. As much as I want to stop her, I just don’t have the courage to do so. After all, she must’ve felt like she was a burden so she did this for us.”
“Sarah, do you even know how to cook?”
“Oh, I have mother’s recipe book… so I think I’m going to be ok.” She said anxiously while giving me a thumbs up and an awkward smile.
~Sigh
“Just make sure not to overwork yourself, ok? You just recovered from a fever last night. I’m just going to my room so call me if you need anything.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
As I saw her relieved face, I walked to the stairs to my room. Looking back to her, I saw her preparing like she was going to a war.
~Pff
I giggled at the sight of her cute, spirited face. Considering that she was only preparing for dinner, it felt like her life depended on it.
“Now that my sister is ok, shall I start job hunting?”
Later, I entered my room and started my computer.
***
I surfed the internet for possible jobs. Soon, job advertisements appeared on the screen. While some jobs were okay, many of them were unreasonable because of their absurdly low starting wages.
[We’re currently looking for guest services representatives, retail supervisors, and more. Apply now at W3Gong.com]
“I don’t even know how I could afford living with a $6 hourly wage.”
~Sigh
“Still, I need a job that not only is enough for us to live but also enough that I could save money to pay for both of our college expenses.”
My parents weren’t able to save enough money on their insurance plan. As we immigrated from the Philippines to Japan, we practically had to start from scratch. We lived frugally as they struggled to make ends meet. A few years later, they paid off some loans and we thought that we would have a better life from now on. Instead, reality came crashing in as their car collided with a cement mixing truck on their way home. Apparently, the truck lost control and went to the opposite lane before crushing my parents’ car.
The construction company gave us some compensation for the tragic accident but their boss didn’t even bother to face us and give an apology. Instead, he sent his subordinates.
You can’t even can call the compensation as one as they coerced us to silence or face further suffering. That was a punch to the face; they didn’t care about the lost lives they caused for the sake of their company brand. To rub salt on the wound, they gave as little money as possible.
“F*ck those sons of bitches, I ‘ll definitely make them pay for their crimes.” I said as I tried to calm myself and continue to look for a job.
*Pop-Up*
[Breaking News! A meteoroid is approaching Earth soon. Scientists predict that it would come on May 8, one week from now. Its scientific name is Gamma Perdanids and its supposed to land in the middle of the South China Sea. Scientists predict that the meteoroid would scatter to several countries. JAXA proclaimed that no one will get hurt but many experts say people are still danger as scattered debris would still fall from the sky.]
[ASEAN leaders met today and they discussed procedures to limit casualties from the upcoming event. The ASEAN chairman, also the President of the Philippines, agreed with JAXA’s statement. He also joked about kicking it to Antarctica as a last resort tactic.]
[Countries on alert are the following: Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Japan, North and South Korea.]
~Pff
“Kicking it to the Antarctica? That sounds ridiculous. However, mainstream news is strangely quiet about this event. Why?” I said after reading the article.
I continued looking for a job as that’s much more important right now.
*Click*
Time passed by and I still haven’t found a good job. I looked at the clock and notice that two hours already passed. Earlier, I did find a great job but they won’t even allow me to apply as I’m only a high school student.
~Sigh
So, I turned off the computer and dropped face down on my bed. Then, I started to think of other ways to earn money.
“What should I do? I know that the compensation money will not last long so I need to earn some money as quickly as possible. For now, I’m fine with getting a quick flow of cash; I could worry about getting a stable income later” I said to myself before hearing some knock on my door.
“Big brother! It’s dinnertime; let’s eat together.” Sarah said from the other side of the door.
“Ok! I’m coming.” I said as I rose from bed to go downstairs.
It was strangely dark and quiet downstairs so I tried to turn on the lights. After the light came on, I was surprised as I heard a loud pop to my right and a nice, familiar melody afterwards.
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, dear Harvey!
Happy Birthday to you!
To say the least, I was shocked and happy at the same time. I even forgot that it was my birthday today as I was focused on getting a job. Without realising, tears flowed from my eyes and I can’t stop them. I didn’t even cry at our parents’ funeral but now, I let myself cry as much as I can. I’ve tried to be strong in front of Sarah but I just can’t do that anymore. She came in to comfort me, hugging me tightly as I felt her warmth.
“Happy Birthday, Big Brother. For so many times, you’ve made my day. Now that we only have each other as family, you could depend on me from now on. You’ve kept all of your burden inside and I was worried about you. So, please talk to me if you have problems and we could perhaps solve it together. I know that I’m sometimes dumb and useless but at the very least, let me be someone you could rely on.” Sarah whispered as I continued sobbing on her shoulder.
Minutes later, we ate the food she prepared. I was surprised that Sarah cooked everything in under 2 hours. After all, it was her first time cooking and preparing the food that fast was very impressive. She might actually be naturally talented at cooking, but I don’t care right now. Tonight is only about us two and appreciating what we have.