06: Rare Condition (Part 2)

*** 

THE YEAR 2006 

"I don't want to be with him that brings so much pain to us. The unbearable pain that Mom cannot overcome," Justin mumbled while his back is facing his Grandpa's. The door opened silently, and Jane peeped with her one eye and saw that his father was talking to his son while laying down. Jane saw that Justin was covering his whole body with the comforter. 

Jordan looked at the door and sighed. Jane's tears fall once again, her eyes were now puffy.

Jane decided to open the door wide and entered. She sat down beside Justin who is covered with the comforter and put her left arm on top of it. Jordan patted her daughter's shoulders, brought his cane, and went out of the bedroom.

"Justin," Jane called out to her son. Justin didn't even make a noise, but Jane heard him sob.

"Justin, tell me why you said that to your father," Jane said softly. She removed the thick comforter slowly and saw that Justin is crying on his pillow. Jane sighed. Jane patted his back, lay down, and saw the tears of pain from her son's eyes.

"M-mom," Justin called out and howled noisily. Jane didn't know what to do how can she calmed him down.

"M-mom, why w-would... wh-why would y-you forget h-him?" Justin asked while sobbing. Jane opened her mouth, wiped the tears, stood up, and looked at him sadly.

"Justin, he is your father. Even if he did something terribly wrong in your eyes, he is still your father," Jane said to him. Justin stood upright and glared at his mother.

"Mom, he made you cry every day. I knew that he is the reason why you are crying like that," Justin said to her. Jane's lip quivers and drooped her body down.

"Mom, where is he when I turned 4? 5? 6? Even now, I am 7 years old. I know what is happening. He left you, Mom. He left us. I don't want to be with him!" Justin shouted while crying like a poor kid who has left astray in the street. Jane cried loudly and she is sure that her father is hearing it from the outside of the room.

"I can't forget him, Mom!" Justin yelled again and sobbed. Jane put her arms around Justin's and soothes his head. Jane's tears are like a river streaming into the surface.

"I understand you, my son. I understand you," Jane whispered into his ear. Justin hugged his mother tightly and cuckooed his head into Jane's chest. Jane felt his top getting wet from the tears of Justin. But she didn't bother it, she wants to hold his son so tightly than ever.

***

"Are you done eating, children?" Justin asked while standing up from his seat. The children nodded while still chewing down their food. Justin had an egg sandwich eaten in just a minute because he is starving. Justin pointed at the back side and everyone looked at it.

"Someone there is still drinking his orange juice," Justin said and the children laughed. He smiled and said, "Continue eating. I won't bother. Everyone here must have been starving because Mr. Ramos is telling a story about a kid who has dyslexia."

The class laughed once again. They quieted down and Justin decided to continue telling the story. His story not everyone know about.

***

THE YEAR 2006

The doorbell rang as Jane put the laundry basket in place. It's Sunday today, and she needed to do the house chores in a bit because she wants to rest fully for tomorrow. The job she has in the Sy's mansion is going pretty well. She has a salary weekly that ranges from 5,000 pesos and it is enough to supply their needs.

Justin and his father, Jordan, is still asleep in bed. It is just 6 o'clock in the morning, and she wonder who is knocking at their door.

As she went outside of their kitchen and made her way towards the door, she realized that it may be Stan. She cut off her connection with him again because Justin didn't want to be with his father. As much as she wants to reconciled with Stan for Justin, their son would not be agreeing with it.

Jane also wonders why Justin knew that she was crying every night. Justin must have made his way to the master's bedroom every night because of his nightmares, but when he heard that his mother is crying, he would be back in his room to endure the scary images he had seen on his sleep.

Jane knew that his son grew up as a soft and kind-hearted kid who will care for his love ones in even in the tiniest bit. She is happily contented seeing Justin happy, but he made him cry by meeting his father. And she doesn't want Justin weeping.

She opened the gate of their house, and her instincts is right. It is Stan, standing stoutly, dressed in simple home clothes, and looking at her with sad eyes.

"Jane," Stan called her softly. Jane furrowed her eyebrows instantly and glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" Jane whispered angrily and took a glance at Justin's bedroom window. He might be looking where his father is standing.

"Jane, why can't I go back?" Stan asked as tears brimmed in his sad eyes. Jane looked at him furiously and retorted, "I explained it to you, right? Please, stop bothering us."

"But, you said, we will do this for Justin," Stan pleaded. He snatched Jane's hands suddenly. Jane removed it hastily and pointed at him.

"I said that, yes. But I realize, I must be pathetic at that time," Jane said, infuriated.

"Jane, please."

"Stan, please, get lost," Jane said.

"Jane---" He was been cutted off by the loud smash of the door. Justin slammed it and stomped his feet while walking quickly towards the gate. He is still wearing his pajamas, his hair is tousled, and his face is stony. He glared at his father while walking. He stopped right in front of Jane. She widened her eyes and darted her eyes to him.

"Justin---" Jane said but has been interrupted by Justin's words.

"Why are you here?" Justin asked. Stan looked at him, puzzled, and crouched down.

"My---"

"Don't call me your son. I am not your son," Justin said. Stan swallowed and looked at Jane.

"Justin, don't say that!" Jane yelled at him. Justin looked at his mother and shook his head.

"No, Mom. I will say what I want to say," Justin retorted. Jane got furious and grab a hold of his hand. She smacked it, hard, and Justin cried out of pain.

"Jane, don't do that," Stan said while grabbing Justin's hand and blowing it. He continuously soothed it as the pain goes away. Jane is still furious by what Justin said.

"I never taught you that, Justin. I never taught you to be disrespectful!" Jane shouted. Stan looked at his son, and Justin glared at him while crying. Justin unclasped his hand from Stan's hold hastily and looked the other way.

"Who taught you that, huh?!" Jane scolded Justin. Justin looked at his mother with sad eyes. Jane sighed.

"This is your fault," Justin said while looking down. The tears on the verge and in a second, it dripped down his cheeks.

"What?" Jane asked softly while the heat on her head is passing out. Stan looked at Justin intently, waiting for his words.

"This is your fault, Mom. I am like this because of you," Justin said while looking up and locking his gaze towards Jane. Jane widened her eyes and gasped, baffled by what Justin said.

"I am like this. Cannot read, cannot write and cannot spell out my name. All the 7-year-old there are going happily to their schools. I am here, stuck in the house, with nothing but my rare condition," Justin said while his nose is getting red, his cheeks are heated, and his sob is getting louder. Jane looked at him, frozen in her place, while she doesn't realize the tears that are pouring out.

"It's your fault, Mom. I also cannot count numbers. How can I live on? How can I go to different countries if I can't count money? If I can't write down my name? How can I endure the next years I have to live if I am like this?" Justin asked. Jane was surprised to hear that from a 7-year-old kid like him. Jane put her hands over her mouth and wept silently. She felt her knees going weak, and Jane felt her body sitting down at its own accord while her shoulders are crying.

She cannot believe that this things are happening to Justin.

***

"A mother's love. All the children out there, even you, class, love your mothers so dearly. Raise your hand if you didn't love your mother," Justin said as he is interacting with the class. No one dared to raise their hands.

"Who wouldn't love mothers who will wake you up in the morning with a smile plastered on their faces as shining as the morning sunlight? Who wouldn't love mothers who will feed you with the delicious and favorite meal in the table while steam is coming out of it? Who wouldn't love mothers who will love you for the rest of their life and treat you as a baby all the time?" Justin asked these questions in front of the class. The children listened intently to what he has to say next.

"Justin loved his mother so dearly. But at that exact point when he realized and believed that he is not a normal kid, he starts to blame his mother. And to top it all, the loathe he feels for his father gotten even deeper as he reached adulthood. His dyslexia and dyscalculia, as the doctor said, will be there forever," Justin said. The class's looks turned into sadness as the story went deeper and deeper.

"Justin didn't experience to be an elementary kid who would snack on different biscuits, play along with the other kids, listen very carefully to an elementary teacher who is fond of children whom they met every day and one thing he really dreamed about: to write out his name, Justin Ramos," Justin said. The class widened their eyes as they realized that it is the same name with their Values Educations subject teacher.

"Sir? Is that you?"

"Oh, sir. You are Justin?"

"Sir, is that really your story?"

The children fixed their gazes towards him, asked countless questions about the story, and Justin just smiled at them.

"Class, it doesn't matter who is Justin in the story. Let's finish it up first, and then I will say it to you later on," Justin said, playing the mysterious card. The children exclaimed and Justin laughed.

"Sir, why wouldn't you say it?"

"It's you, sir! It's you!"

Few children shouted and slunk their shoulders down as they didn't get an answer at him. Justin turned his back on them, wrote something on the blackboard, and the class quieted down.

"Now, for the second part of the story. I will introduce Danny Sy for you," Justin said and beamed.