After that incident, Tommy’s mother always blamed him for his father absent. She couldn’t stand the thought that he forced her to sign the divorce paper. The home that was previously full of warmth became desolate and full of anger.

historical

"Mother, I’m home," Tommy always said it when he got home. Seeing his mother crouched on the floor, he was startled. "Mother, are you alright?"

Tommy’s mother looked towards Tommy with reddened eyes. She yanked the hand that Tommy used to touch her.

"Don’t touch me with your filthy hand!"

Hearing the yell, he was startled. His feet brought him back several steps. His mother was still looked distraught with dirty clothes and so on. However, it was not the most important point as he realized that his mother was still staring at him with hatred.

"Mother...."

"Don’t call me ’mother’! I hate you!"

Tommy was stunned speechlessly when his mother started to hit him. Every strike was filled with her hate for her father because he left her.

"Why do you leave? Is that woman better than me? What can she give that I can’t? Why do you have to go?"

Chanting questions over and over again, it was her way to escape the reality of her husband abandoning her. As Tommy grew up, his facial expression was similar to that man, making her unable to accept the fact that he left her.

Everyday became a torment for Tommy. The home where he stayed no longer seemed like a home. It was a battle for his mother every day. Even he wondered how he managed to stay alive for years inside that home.

One day, he saw his father in the mall with a woman and a young kid. Wearing new clothes, laughing with each other, they were the perfect picture of a family that he imagined.

"Woman’s worth for you is only her background, right Father?" Tommy muttered to himself.

His eyes watched them for a while longer before walking away. That person might be his father, but he never considered that kind of trash as his family anymore. For money and wealth, he abandoned his wife and child. Still, he knew that people were selfish.

He just wanted a better life for himself.

And that life meant for him to abandon everyone around him. Tommy knew that it would be impossible to convince such ungrateful and selfish man to return back. Even if her mother was to come here herself, he knew that his father would never return back.

But it was also his decision that led him to have a brutal life like this.

He knew and he left them.

Tommy hated him more than he hated his mother, but he didn’t want to see that man anymore. Seeing him once with his happy life was already enough. Rather than beating him up, which would cost him a few days in prison, it would be better if he just left him and never considered him as his father.

He didn’t have a father. He would never acknowledge that man as his father no matter what happened.

After seeing that scene, Tommy returned back home. He rarely went home because it would be a battle between him and his mother, so he made another trip on the street. Meeting with thugs, getting into fight, it was his daily life.

"Mother, I’m home," Tommy was holding his bruised arm. He had just gotten into another fight a few minutes before he went home. Looking at the front, he saw his mother was holding the phone with ghastly expression. His heart sunk. He knew, she had just gotten another call from his father.

Tommy’s mother looked towards Tommy with reddened eyes. She picked up the glass near her and threw it towards Tommy.

"Get lost! Leave me alone! Without you here, he will never leave me!"

Tommy evaded the glass by narrow margin. The sounds of glass breaking near his head made him felt grim. If it hit his head, he would be sent directly to the underworld.

"Mother..."

"Don’t call me ’mother’! Get lost!"

In the next second, another item was thrown straight to him. Unable to react in time, Tommy got hit by the glass right on his forehead. Blood flew up to his arm, and he got another beating. Pain filed his entire body, but he never thought about fighting back because the person before him is his mother.

After a while, the woman stopped. She took the nearby alcohol and drank it while walking towards her room.

"When will you come back..."

*pant* *pant*

Tommy slowly got up from his position. He looked towards the room where his mother stayed with fearful glance. If he still stayed in this position by the time she got out, he would get another beating. With his current condition, it was already a miracle that he could stay alive after years of suffering.

Dragging his wounded body, Tommy got out of the room. His blood flowed out from the numerous scratches that his mother made. At this time, he didn’t understand why he still wanted to live. Every day was no difference than hell, and he had endured nine years only to receive the same treatment over and over again.

It took him several minutes to reach a secluded gang. His feet gave up as he sat down on the ground and leaned back on the wall. The blood from his wounds painted the ground red.

’I’m tired.’

He still went to school like normal boys, but he barely learned anything there. The school was safer than home, but it was not by much difference. All he did every day was fighting with the other students, especially those who also grew up on the Black Street.

His eyes watched as his blood flowed out of his wounds. Was this the time for him to die? A pained smile appeared on his dirty face. The Heaven seemed to hate him so much that he gave him happiness as the start of his life then took them all, making him suffer for years.

’Am I going to die?’ the thought filled his entire head as he closed his eyes, letting his mind drifted away.

BANG!

The sudden sound jolted him awake. He quickly turned his head as years of staying in Black Street allowed his sense to grow sharper. Not far from his place, he saw several people fighting. It was a normal sight, but he wanted to get away from them. With his current condition, there was no way he could fight anyone.

A shadow loomed over him, making his body tensed up immediately. He raised his head and saw a young kid around his age (14 years old) standing in front of him. The kid was dressed in black male school uniform, holding a small bag on one of her arms.

The two of them stared at each other for a while. Tommy didn’t understand what this kid wanted from him. They didn’t even know each other as they have never met before. Why would a stranger care for each other?

The kid suddenly stretched her arm and touched Tommy’s shoulder. Tommy was startled by the sudden movement. He quickly yanked the kid’s arm from him.

"Let go!"

"You’re wounded," the kid replied. "At least, apply some medicines."

Tommy stayed still in his place. His eyes were looking towards the kid in front of him with disbelief. Was this kid alright? Why would she care for a stranger like him? There was no need to help each other.

Since he didn’t say anything else, the kid thought that he agreed. She took out medicine and tissue from the small bag she held before wiping Tommy’s bleeding forehead and apply some medicine. After that, she carefully bandaged it.

"There, it should be alright."

Tommy nodded his head absentmindedly. He looked towards the kid in front of him weirdly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You have more wounds, but I’m not sure this is the place to treat them."

"Oh," Tommy knew that he got more wounds, but their place was either in his shoulder, stomach, or even other areas. Seeing his surrounding, it was close to impossible for him to treat himself here. The other people were looking towards them with greedy eyes.

It was normal for them to target wounded or weaker people. After all, these kinds of people were unable to fight back, making it easy for them to win. Right now, this kid, and he himself were the perfect target for them.

"Let’s move to a different spot."

Tommy struggled to stand up when a group of men surrounded them. They were holding weapons and looking towards them with heated gaze. "You don’t think that you can get away so easily after barging into our territory, do you?"