Thwarted Amber

The dreaded bell soared across Andrew’s ears. Another school day had come and went. Andrew wasn’t in the greatest mood today. After all, his best friend had gone camping for the weekend and had missed school. So Andrew was all alone, spending his time by himself. He wished Nicolas had not left for camping, because his atmosphere made Andrew’s world a better place. Thinking about the last thing one of his classmates said before school had ended, he had forgotten to leave the classroom.

“Who’s hanging out at my house after school? I’m having a party!”

Now, Andrew thought about what he would be doing while his classmates were having a party. He would probably be sitting at home, reading a textbook, while the rest of his family would erupt. David, Christine, and Anne would drive him insane.
David, Andrew’s twin brother, was an untruthful one. You could not tell him anything without him spreading the word to his friends. David would constantly lie to make himself seem more superior.
Christine was a very outgoing girl. She was two years older then Andrew, and she was proud of it. This gave her an excuse to boss Andrew around. Christine was constantly rude to her parents, leaving them with no excuse but to listen to Christine complain. Life at school was a breeze for her. She was addicted to marijuana, which had brought down her marks significantly. She stopped recently, so her marks went up a little but. Because of her unthoughtful actions, summer school was arranged.
Anne was a very independent girl, seven years younger than Andrew. She may have been independent, but she constantly followed Andrew around, asking questions. She would scream when she didn’t get her way. She would disobey her parents behind their backs. Everyone in the family did. Andrew’s parents were self-centered. They constantly bickered at everyone. They never showed appreciation for Andrew’s hard work at school. Andrew got very good marks, and the only people these marks would impress would be himself. Andrew’s parents did not show consideration for his hard work.
Andrew felt like a completely different person compared to everyone else in his grade. It seemed that he had an offset family, partly because everyone around him was always hanging out with their friends.

Suddenly, Andrew snapped back to reality. The clock read 3:15. He had been daydreaming for fifteen minutes. Melanie walked into the classroom and saw Andrew with his head down.
“Oh man…” Melanie thought. “He’s crying again…”
Melanie approached Andrew, and asked him what was wrong. Andrew’s head rose.
“It seems that I have no friends. I only have one. And nobody ever wants to hang out with me, Melanie.”
Melanie was one of Andrew’s teachers. She preferred to be called by her first name rather than her teaching name, “Ms. Walsh”.
“Why doesn’t anyone want to hang out with you? You’re a very nice person.”
“Well…” Andrew started…

Daniel walked out onto his front porch. There, waiting for him, was his lawn chair. It was a sunny day outside, and all the kids were running home from school. Daniel glanced at his watch. It read 3:17. Daniel resided to his chair and relaxed. He may have had a miserable day, but the beauty of the green grass and blossoming flowers cast his problems aside. Watching the students walk home would remind him of his youth. He would occasionally wave to them and say “Hi!” in a cheery voice. But many of the students would be aroused by the situation. They would wonder why some old creep sitting on a chair would even think about staring at them. Daniel never realized this, because he had never had a single person reply back to his pleasant greeting. He had just assumed that they had better things to do. Daniel was rather concerned about the event that had happened earlier the previous day. It had disturbed him. Daniel would have to have some alcohol that evening if he was going to expect any sleep. Suddenly, his attention was brought upon an older student looking glum.

Andrew had departed from the classroom and was heading home. His head was down, having no particular reason to keep it up. A few drops of rain splattered onto the sidewalk. Andrew looked up only to lock eyes with a complete stranger. It seemed that he constantly went outside every day to sit on his chair. He would wave to people and say “Hello” to completely random people. People would be a little shocked from such a gesture. Andrew completely understood how Daniel must feel from never getting a response from anybody. He remembered a time when he had shown the same attitude.

Andrew and Philip were walking home. As acquaintances, they would walk home together frequently. They weren’t really friends, because Andrew thought that Philip often showed complete disrespect for others and not realizing it. He was rather funny, though. One day, they happened to walk past Daniel, and as he waved “Hi!” to them, Andrew and Philip both turned dead silent, walking past him and looking in another direction. Finally, when they had walked far enough away, both broke into complete laughter.

Andrew raised his head, vowing it to himself that he would never do such a thing again. Suddenly, to his horror, a distant call was heard. Andrew locked eyes with Daniel, and remembering his promise, glumly muttered “Hello.”
Daniel analyzed his tone, and said back, “Something wrong, chap?”
Well, he could help me out with my problem… Andrew thought. “Yeah, there is.”
“Well then,” Daniel started, “why don’t you pull up a seat?”
How awkward! Andrew thought. Andrew decided to, and soon, they started socializing.
“Well, you see, it feels like I have no friends. I feel isolated, as if I have nobody to talk to.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Actually, all these guys in my class are always having fun, you know? They’re always going to parties and just hanging out. And all I ever do is sit in my room all alone and read a book.”
Daniel nodded. “Can I tell you a little something? Would you like to know why I sit out here every day?”
“I guess.” Andrew said.
“I try to open myself up to society. You see, I am an old man, as you can probably see.”
Daniel was right. He looked like an elder.
“Well, I have nobody to run to. My family is gone. My mother and father are long gone. They died when I was just a young chap.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Andrew replied.
“Nah, no need to apologize.” Daniel said. “It was years ago. My sisters and brothers, well, they are gone too. It happened rather recent, actually. And my son, well, I haven’t talked to him in years.”
“Why not?” Andrew asked.
“Well, when my son was around your age, I had done something very horrible. I’m not going to tell you about it, because I am still very embarrassed about it. But anyways, my wife thought it would be too dangerous to stay in such a relationship with me. So they ran off. I had no idea where they were. At the time, I had my family to help me cope with my loss.”
“That’s very unfortunate.” Andrew said.
“It was very long ago, almost around the time that this old aching body could move.” Daniel weakly laughed. “Anyways, it turns out that my son called, but I never picked up the phone. I checked my messages, but he never left one.”
Andrew was confused. “How do you know that it was your son if he never picked up or left a message?”
“My phone has caller ID.” Daniel responded. “I had help from my neighbour to trace the call.”
“So did you guys ever figure out where he was?” Andrew asked.
“Fortunately, I did.” Daniel said. “And ever since, I have been too afraid to call back.” Daniel sat quiet for a moment, thinking about the situation. “Well, never mind that. I know how you feel about your current situation. I feel quite isolated myself.”
Andrew spoke up. “I know there is not much you can do about it. I am just glad you listened. My parents won’t really listen.”
“Well, you should get going. Your parents are probably waiting for you.”
Yeah right… Andrew thought. “I have one more thing to say. I apologize for any rudeness I may have shown you in the past.”
“Apology accepted.” Daniel said. He showed a weak smile. Andrew couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Daniel. “Maybe we can talk another day, huh?”
“I hope so.’ Andrew replied. “Have a good weekend.”

Monday was a better day for Andrew. Nicolas had returned from camping, and they had a fun day. Nicolas still didn’t know about Daniel. Andrew decided it would be best not to tell Nicolas about Daniel. He would probably think Andrew was out of his mind for talking to “the strange guy that sits on the chair”. On the way home, Andrew was looking forward to talking with Daniel again.
“Hey, ol’ chap!” Andrew was quite surprised that Daniel referred to him as an “ol’ chap”.
“Hey, uh, er…” Andrew was confused. He still didn’t know Daniel’s name. “I still don’t know your name.”
Daniel was motionless for a second. Then, he burst out into laughter. “Oh lad, my name is Daniel.”
“Ah.” Andrew replied. “Well, school was a little better today. Nicolas was there.”
“That’s good. Friends always make the world a better place.”
“That really isn’t my concern today.” Andrew said. He sighed, and said, “You have probably noticed my rosy cheeks, haven’t you?”
Daniel was motionless. “Yes.”
Andrew continued, “What about my voice? Isn’t it a little high pitched? My posture is also a little warped.”
Daniel wasn’t bothered the least about Andrew’s features. In fact, he enjoyed having his company. “Andrew, you shouldn’t worry about these features you think are abnormal. People have it worse. I think you are very sincere and forgiving”
“I know,” Andrew replied, “It’s just that something happened on Friday during the walk home.”

Andrew was glad he had met Daniel. The walk home today was tedious without the presence of Nicolas. Andrew had wished numerous times for more friends. He really deserved it. Up ahead of him were a group of people a year older than him. Andrew was always very nervous to walk by such a group. They always seemed to call him names.
Suddenly, the group had all their eyes fixed onto Andrew. Their faces turned from shock to pure laughter.
Are you gay?
Everyone started to shout out remarks. Andrew was quietly thinking to himself, trying to ignore everybody else. He started to think of a song his mother had sung before.

"Que sera sera…
Whatever will be, will be…
The future’s not ours to see…
Que sera sera…"

One person had startled Andrew out of his concentration and shoved him off the sidewalk. He tripped against another man’s foot and rolled onto the road. His head crashed against the rough terrain. Andrew’s heart pumped quietly as he started to build tension and fear. No oncoming traffic was heading for him. If there was, he would’ve been doomed.
“What the hell was that for?!?” Andrew hollered.
A man in the group turned to look at him. “I can set you up with a blind date, you know. Would a man be your preference? Yes? Oh my god, you said yes!”
Andrew sat on the road, ready to explode.

“…Then, I ran home and went straight to my bedroom.” Andrew continued. “But my mother and father didn’t care one bit. They were too busy arguing with each other.”
Daniel quickly responded, and said, “I think you need more people on your side.”
Andrew was confused. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t be afraid to get the adults at your side. Who cares about what the kids think of you now? Will it matter later in your life when you have bigger priorities to worry about?”
Andrew knew he was right. Whatever will be, will be. “You are right, Daniel.” Andrew burst into tears without warning.
Daniel had no idea what to do. He had never felt such a responsibility. “Get a counselor. He will know what to do.”
Andrew felt his world going fast paced. Events rushed past him, and his memory had missed all the details. He wished he had started focusing on today instead of worrying about tomorrow from the beginning of his life. He felt he had missed so much of enjoying his life instead of worrying what everybody else thought.
“Daniel,” Andrew said, “I will get al the help I can possibly get, only if you promise me something.”
“Anything you want.”
“I want you to get in touch with your son.” Andrew said. “You never know how much fun you will have.”
“I can’t.” Daniel said.
“Why not?” Andrew asked.
“I have a confession.” Daniel said. “I have not been entirely truthful with you. When I told you that my wife would be too afraid to live with me, well, that isn’t true.” Daniel didn’t know how to explain his tragedy without scaring away Andrew. “When I was a young adult, I usually went down to the bar with my buddies. I would come home drunk, and…
I would frequently beat my wife.”
Andrew’s eyes went wide.
“One day, I had come home. She was sitting on the couch…

“Get off the couch, you nasty little slut!”
“Excuse me, but I have no idea why you treat me like this every night!” Dianna shouted.
“Hey, here’s the real meat.” Daniel started. “I am the one that put the food on this table. I am the one that slaps on the monthly salary on the damn table! So don’t even start bullshitting me about me treating you wrong! If anything, why don’t you get your lazy ass off this couch and get a job!”
Dianna was speechless. Fights usually didn’t get this aggressive. “I don’t feel comfortable living in this house with you anymore, Daniel. You get too drunk every day!” Dianna ran to retrieve her son and flee the house.
“Where do you think you are going to flee?” Daniel hollered. “Your mommy? Get some backbone, you little shit!” Daniel walked to his room. He fell to the ground, reached under the bed, and pulled out a rifle. Dianna ran by Daniel, her son locking hands together. Suddenly, Dianna stopped, for she finally realized her husband’s intentions. She ran up to Daniel and kicked him. He fell over, and his head crashed against the floor. She grabbed the rifle, and smashed the back end across his face.

Daniel woke up a few minutes later. He was not finished with his wife yet. He pulled himself up and stumbled out of his bedroom. He walked with shaking legs outside towards the shed. Screaming was heard in the distance.
Dianna was frantically searching for the keys to start up Daniel’s car. Once she found them, she grabbed her son’s hand and dashed towards the car. Dianna could see her husband creeping closer to the car. Dianna locked the doors, knowing that locked doors would not keep her son safe. She turned on the engine and drove forward. She was ready to run over Daniel.
Daniel smirked as he realized that Dianna couldn’t move any farther.
“What did you to the wheels?!?” she screamed.
Daniel had taken a pickaxe and slashed the wheels of her car. Now, as she was trapped and petrified with fear, Daniel swung the pickaxe against the side window positioned to the left of Dianna. She screamed, horrified. Daniel reached his hand into the car from the hole in the window, and unlocked the door.
“Get away!” Dianna hollered. Daniel realized that the small boy who was once in the passenger seat now had ran for help.
Daniel took one last swing with his pickaxe. He had finally ended Dianna’s screams. The pickaxe was lodged into her forehead. Blood started leaking from her head, dripping onto her lap. Daniel gazed at his arms. They were severely cut from the scrapes of glass.

“Oh my god.” Andrew said. He was too scared to stand by this creep any longer. His suspicions had been right from the beginning. He made a mad dash off Daniel’s lawn and fled into his new life.

A few months later after fleeing Daniel’s lawn, Andrew sat onto the seat, reassured that everything was ok. He just boarded a roller coaster with his friends. They were having a terrific day. Once they had left the amusement park, they were going to Andrew’s house to have a party.
Andrew had suddenly gained more friends after publishing a book. The book was based off the events that Daniel had told him. People suddenly realized that Andrew was more then a person with rosy cheeks. He was a man with real problems. Andrew couldn’t have asked for more than what he had right now. If it wasn’t for Daniel, Andrew would have never ended up at this exact moment. Daniel, unfortunately, was in a better place. Now, he can gaze over the kids walking home without the kids giving back rude gestures. Andrew had realized a while ago that he had kept some of Daniel alive. He saw that during your life, you learn many things. You learn such diverse knowledge, and then when we move on into the next step of our lives, it all seems a waste. Everything you ever learned would be put to rest. That’s why Andrew believed that we had to make a difference in his life before he had moved on. It didn’t have to be the whole world, or even his street. He felt a need to affect somebody for the better so that his knowledge wouldn’t have gone to waste. Andrew knew that he didn’t have control over what type of future would lay ahead.

“Whatever will be, will be…
Que sera sera…”