From South to North

14 | Red's Lament

The others went back home earlier while Red stayed behind. Being on this bridge and high up on the river below reminds him of a certain incident. It was that certain event that made him who he is today.

Red's sister, Maroon, she's the only family he has left. Or, should I say, she was. He never knew his mother. They said she died when she gave birth to him. His father? He couldn't handle taking care of the two of them alone. Eventually, he gave up life to be together with his wife again. He was a cop who got shot on a mission.

Red was forced to live alone with his sister. He was so little back then. About three, maybe. He barely remembers anything. All he could remember was his sister yelling at him and blaming him for the death of both their parents. She said that she never asked for a little brother and that he ruined her life.

She kicked him off a bridge and into the cold river water. That was when his whole life changed as swiftly as a stream. His vision went black. He ran out of breath. He could feel the cold water flowing through his lungs. He thought that his life would end up right there at that painful moment.

Before he knew it, he was unconscious and the next thing he remembered was that he woke up in a hospital bed with lots of medical stuff connected to him. Ever since that day, he knew that he could never be happy again. Sometimes, life is just so cruel. It isn't fair. Which is why you have to be able to stand up alone. All on your own with no one by your side. That time was the first time he let anger run through his blood as tears flowed down his cheeks. He used that anger as some kind of shield to protect himself from this world, to hide his true self from everyone. He ended up at an orphanage for about ten years. No one wants to adopt him because of his anger issues.

At the age of thirteen, he started to walk on his own path. His crooked path. Entering Middle School, he joined Reynold's gang, The Thunder. Oh, you know the story. That's how he met the others. Lux, Reynold, Kirako, Nastia, and Diamond. That was the first time he actually made friends, who actually believed in him. He started to doubt everything that he believed. He started to believe that life might have something more for him.

This is confusing. So, yeah. That was Red's short biography. Now you know what happened to him. He is hiding behind a mask. Might as well say that he's tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Shocking, yes. But, this is the real Red. And, everyone will have to know sooner or later.

Now, there he is. Standing at the end of the bridge while looking at the river stream below. The stream that swallowed him and turned him into who he is today.

"Oh my goodness! Are you from the Collymore family?" someone suddenly said behind him.

Red turned his head toward the one asking. "Yeah. I guess you could say that. How do you know?"

That someone was a woman in their late 30s. "Easy, the identical red hair. And, you look just like her. Except, you're just a random little boy who happened to be Collymore's relative."

Red chuckled, "Sorry, I'm not just a random little boy who happened to be Collymore's relative, you know?! Who are you anyway? And what do you mean by 'her' ?"

"My friend, I mean. Her name was Rosie. The last time I saw her was after graduation. Never heard anything from her since then, we lost contact. She died giving birth to her son. You remind me of her a lot, actually. How you act, the way you react to what I said, that tough look." the woman implied.

"Wait wait wait, did you say Rosie? But that...that's my mother's name. You know her?" Red asked with hope in his eyes.

"So you are her son, huh?" the woman said, surprised. "I was her close friend in middle school. We met for the first time in detention. Oh dear, we were so rebellious back then. But despite all her bad behavior, she was a good person."

"I never knew my mother. Who she was, how was her life before I was born, was she happy or not. I spent ten years of my life in an orphanage with no one who wanted to adopt me, wondering why was I even born in this world if I could only hurt everyone else's feelings. Now, I live alone in a small apartment room the orphanage lent me," Red explained, the truth finally coming out of his mouth despite not knowing who he was talking to.

"But, don't you have a sister? Didn't she take care of you?" the woman asked again.

"No. Long story short, she dumped me. She kicked me right off this bridge, to be exact." Red kept looking down at the river.

"Kicked you?! But- but why?!" asked the woman, concerned.

"She blamed me for the death of both our parents. I can't blame her, though. She told me that she never asked for a little brother. Yet, there I was, taking away her beloved mother and her happy life ever since the day I was born." Red avoided his gaze from the woman's.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that." the woman

Red shook his head, realizing that he was just opening up to a stranger when his friends were open to talk to him. "Ugh! Why did I even tell you this? I don't know you."

The woman put her hand on Red's shoulder, making him look at her. "Say, you said that no one wants to adopt you, right? What if I adopt you?" she offered.

"What? No!" Red objected almost immediately as he took a step back from her. "I'm almost 17 and I'm old enough to take care of myself. Besides, we have just met about, like, five minutes ago. I don't even know your name and I bet you don't know mine."

"How much do you want to bet? Of course, I know. You're Red. Your sister is Maroon, your mother is Rosie, and your father is Thomas, the cop, am I wrong?" the woman guessed.

Red's jaw just dropped. Everything she guessed was right.

"Your mother was a good friend of mine, anyway. The least I could do for her is take care of her son. My name's Jennah by the way," the woman, Jennah, introduced, "but your mother used to call me Jane for short. Come on! Now show me where the orphanage is so I can sign the adoption form and take incredibly awesomely really good care of you." Jennah walked past Red, expecting him to follow her.

"Hey, wait!" Red shouted. "I barely even know you. No, I don't know you at ALL! How can I trust you to take care of me then, huh?"

"Well, your mother trusted me, didn't she?" Jennah shouted back, a smirk on her face.

"Well, I don't know if that's true because I haven't even been born back then! And stop using my mother as an excuse!" Red ran toward Jennah.

"Your attitude just makes me miss her even more," Jennah giggled.

"Everyone matters in this world," Jennah continued, "even you. That one I know for sure. There's a reason why a child is born in this world. Don't worry, I'll help you find your purpose in this world." She smiled.

Red's heart softened as he listened to Jennah's words. The pain of his past was still there, but her genuine concern and connection to his mother were touching. He couldn't help but feel a little hope. Maybe she really is telling the truth, that his mother was her friend.

With a sigh, he looked at Jennah and said, "Fine, but only if you promise not to use my mother as a way to guilt-trip me."

Jennah grinned. "Deal. And I promise to get to know you for who you are, not just as Rosie's son."

As they walked away from the bridge, for the first time in a long time, Red allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could find a place he could call home in this world.