Life has never been easy. People hurt you, physically and emotionally. You feel like you could never forgive the people who hurt you, wronged you, looked down on you or let you down. But sometimes, all it takes to be happy is a simple “I forgive you.”
Life is tough–really tough. The ups and downs drive you crazy. But be thankful, for you have got companions. They share your joy, your sorrow, your fear, your anger, even. They make your ups and downs worth it, as throughout the process, you build up precious, unbreakable bonds and make beautiful, irreplaceable memories…
There was a boy whose name was Orion. Let me tell you about his story.
Orion was born in a rich family. His father, Thanatos was a government official. He had a high social status, great power, a gigantic house, a fancy car and also zillions of dollars. He had a lovely family too. He was a successful man. At least this was what people thought of him.
However, the truth was always not that kind. Indeed, the family was tragic. Under the pressure of his work, Thanatos cracked up. He was aware that he was supposed to be a successful, trustworthy official. So he was careful not to show his insanity to the public. He kept it to himself and his family. At first, he cried and spilt his pressure out. His wife, Norice had always been a shoulder to cry on.
When Orion was only about two, Thanatos’ pressure became too heavy and impossible to bear. Thanatos lost control of himself. He became abusive. He mistreated his wife and son. He hurt them with a chopper. Sometimes, he locked them in a shed. He always hit and punched Orion and his mother.
Luckily, Orion’s mother, Norice was not like her husband. She was a fine standard of a good mother–teaching her son, caring, loving, and forgiving. She always comforted Orion after they were hit by Thanatos, even though she had more bruises and deeper scars than her son.
Norice loved her son very much. Once, Thanatos locked his wife and son in a shed. He only gave them very little food. Norice let Orion eat everything and told him she was not hungry. At that time, Orion was far too young to doubt his mother. So he really ate everything. Even though everything inside Norice was screaming for a little of food, she insisted on giving all the food to Orion.
When Orion became about fourteen, old enough to understand what was going on, he decided to stand up against his father. He wanted to tell the public about it. However, Thanatos told them that if they dared to do so, he would kill them. This shut Orion’s and Norice’s mouths. Neither of them had the guts to tell others about Thanatos being abusive.
Even though Orion was raised in extremely poor conditions, he was a prodigy. He asked his prosperous neighbours’ kids for books and they gave him the ones that they did not want anymore. He read the books and acquired the knowledge extremely fast. After a few years of learning, he became an erudite boy. He sneaked out when his father was at work and taught the children who lived nearby so that he could gain enough money for himself and Norice.
Did I mention that Orion was quite handsome too? He had fair skin and dirty blonde hair. He also inherited his mother’s sapphire blue eyes. He was muscular and strong because he had been defending himself from Thanatos and sometimes, fighting Thanatos.
Everything was at least acceptable. Thanatos became less and less abusive. Only when he came back from an unacceptably exhausting day would he mistreat Orion and Norice. However, Orion still planned to leave Thanatos with Norice and was saving money for it.
However, his plans were ruined two years ago, when he was sixteen. Something happened. It was a serious blow to Orion.
It was the day of an election. Thanatos was not elected. He was desperately furious. He hit Norice right in the face. Then, he used a chopper to injure her. He then knocked her out with a frying pan.
Norice’s life was at stake.
By the time when Orion came home from his student’s house, Norice was awake, yet she was already in extremis. She would die any second.
Orion found his mother’s body lying in the middle of the living room. This hit Orion hard.
“Mum!” He knelt down next to her, “Don’t worry, I’ll carry you to the infirmary.”
“No, no, Orion. I am not going to live anyways.”
“Mum,” Orion started sobbing, “You can’t. You can’t. You can’t die!”
“Orion,” Norice looked at her son lovingly
“Thanatos! I am going to kill him,” Orion could tell Thanatos was the one who did this to Norice.
“No. You are not,” Norice looked into Orion’s eyes firmly, “Your father is under great pressure. You can’t blame him for wanting to spill it out. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten everything that I told you about forgiving.”
“No, of course I haven’t. But Thanatos has abused us for more than a decade! This is not the right way to spill stress away.” Only saying Thanatos’ name made Orion’s blood boil.
“Yes, he has. And yes, you are right. This is definitely a wrong way to do so. But I choose to forgive him.”
“Why? Why would you do that, Mum? You have no reason to.”
“Everyone deserves to have as many chances as we can give, even your father does. And I have faith in him. One day, he will learn to release stress in an appropriate way. Also, I love him unconditionally. Aren’t these reasons enough?”
“Mum…”
“Orion, forgiving someone is not that hard. At least it is much easier than remembering every single thing that makes you angry in your entire life.”
“But…”
“Orion, I don’t have time. You understand what I just said?”
“Yes,” Orion was crying out loud but he did not care.
“Oh honey, I love you. Don’t cry,” she lifted her right hand up and stroked Orion’s left cheek, “Don’t cry for the horse that life has set free.”
Then Norice closed her eyes peacefully.
“She is gone,” Orion murmured to himself, “She is gone!”
Despite what Norice had just said, Orion swore that he would kill Thanatos and get his mother’s revenge one day.
He then left Thanatos’ house and lived in one of his students’ house. And when he saved enough money, he bought a house for himself. He had been feeling very low ever since Norice died. He wanted to publicise what Thanatos did. But as Norice told him to forgive Thanatos, he did not do so. He did not do this just for Norice’s sake.
It had been two years. Now, Orion was a well-grown eighteen-year-old man. He was still being a tutor. He earned quite a lot. He could afford to buy a car.
However, Orion saw Thanatos the previous day in a market.
“Orion?”
“Thanatos,” Orion said.
“Orion, where have you been since two years ago?”
“Nowhere. Just away from the man who killed my mother.”
“Son, I am sorry.”
“Don’t ‘son’ me. I will not admit that you are my father,” Orion wanted to forgive Thanatos but he could not find a way to as the blaze of fury inside him was already burning unstoppably.
“Orion, I…”
“Stay away from me. If you ever dare to come closer to me again, I will avenge my mother.”
“Orion. I came to apologize. I…”
Before Thanatos finished his sentence, Orion went away since he knew that the flame of anger in him would burn his father alive any moment.
That night, Orion burst into tears. The meeting with Thanatos brought back too many memories that Orion tried his best to forget–memories of being abused, memories of being threatened, memories of his mother dying. The memories were too much for him to bear. They made him feel really down.
Orion woke up early. He wanted to stay in bed and cry but there was no time for sorrow and memories then. That day, Orion was meeting a new student. He heard that she led an extremely luxurious life.
He went to a mansion. It consisted of many things such as a colourful garden, a beautiful, huge house, a tennis court, a swimming pool, and even a private beach! It was definitely somewhere that only appeared in dreams.
“Bonjour. You must be my new tutor,” a young girl came out from the house. She had a strong French accent, “Hello. I am Fayette. You can call me Fay.”
Fayette had long brown hair. She had white skin–as white as snow. Her eyes were like emeralds. In those eyes you could see tenderness and kindness but at the same time pride and elegance. She was slim, but healthy. She wore a white dress and a hat with a pink rose. Her smile was sweet and warm. Stunning.
“Hello, Fay. I am Orion. And yup, I will be your tutor from today.”
“Orion,” Fayette said, “Please come inside. I want you to help me with English. I’m French and I can’t speak English well.”
As it was an English oral lesson, they talked a lot about themselves. Orion got to know more about Fayette. She was seventeen. Her mother passed away when she was a baby. Her father was caring and loving but he worked overseas.
Fayette was on a high when she talked about her father. She loved him. They loved playing cards together. He bought souvenirs for her every time he returned from a trip to other places.
“Papa is always at work. He usually doesn’t come back home. But I love him.”
“I’m so envious of you, Fay,” he said, “My father was a monster.”
Orion was surprised at himself. He did not usually talk about his father but he felt comfortable with Fayette.
Fayette’s eyes were wide with shock, “How does he treat you?”
He was not sure if he should tell her such terrifying things but he said it before he could think, “He locked me and…my mother in a shed. He attacked us with a chopper. He… he killed my mother.”
Orion’s hands were clenched into fists, so were Fayette’s, “This is too scary. You should’ve escaped from him with your mother.”
“I was planning to. I was saving money for it when my father killed my mother. I am living alone in a house nearby.”
“Oh… But, hey, cheer up! At least you managed to run away from that monster.”
“Yeah.” It seemed that Fayette only got a lukewarm response, “But my mother did not.”
“Well…anyways, I am always here for you, buddy!” Fayette smiled sweetly at Orion but could only get a response of his bitter smile.
“Maybe we should start learning phonics and phonetics,” Orion suggested.
“Okay, then,” Fayette did not want to make Orion feel upset.
Then, Orion taught Fayette for a year.
They eventually became really good friends. They talked about a lot of things–nearly everything. Orion did not mind telling her about his past. He told her everything about his past. Without reason, his mind told him that Fayette was trustworthy. Undoubtedly, Fayette found him trustworthy as well. She told him her little secret. Actually, sometimes, she was lonely and she wanted friends.
After sharing with each other their deepest scars in their minds and different secrets, they became even closer friends.
One day, they went to the private beach in the mansion after the lesson. They had great fun. Orion walked Fayette back home afterwards. They talked happily during the walk. Until Orion saw someone who sent a chill down his spine.
“What happened? Why do you stop? Wait. Why are you shivering?” Fayette asked him with her eyes full of concern.
“Thanatos.”
“Your father?”
“He is right there,” Orion pointed at his father.
“So he’s the man who you have hated for all your life,” Fayette said, “Oh! He is one of Papa’s business partners! Orion, it’s alright. He can’t hurt you now.”
“I am not scared. I am furious,” Fayette could tell that he was biting back his anger, “This is the man who killed my mother.”
“Calm down, Orion.”
“No. I need to kill him.”
“Calm Down! Orion.”
Orion breathed in and out for a few minutes. Then he abruptly started walking quickly. The walk to Fayette’s house was silent. After walking Fayette home, Orion drove straight back home.
He meditated that night. What would Norice think of him if he killed Thanatos? What would Fayette think of him? He could not get the answer before he fell asleep. After all, the day was exhausting.
In the next three years, Fayette was still Orion’s best friend. She comforted him when he got emotional. She was indeed the only one except Thanatos who knew Orion’s past. She kept the secrets well. She sometimes relied on Orion too. When she was lonely, she asked Orion to go out or just walk in the mansion with her.
Like this, three years passed. Orion found himself having feelings for Fayette. Fayette found out that she had feelings for him too.
One day, during their walk on the private beach, Orion confessed his feelings to Fayette, “Fay, I think, erm, I like you.”
“Well, I like you too, buddy.”
“No, I meant I have feelings for you, not only as a friend.”
“Well, erm, you know what? Me too.”
They had fallen in love with each other ever since.
They kept their normal lives. They still walked in the mansion. They still went out, only that they no longer ‘went out’. They ‘went on dates’. They were still like best friends. But they were closer than the closest friends.
Four years later, when Orion was twenty-five, they got married. Again, as a married couple, they still did things that they did when they were friends. But Orion was no longer a tutor. He moved into Fayette’s mansion. Fayette’s father found Orion intelligent so he made Orion the honorary consultant of his company.
One day, Thanatos came to the mansion to discuss some contracts with Fayette’s father. As the honorary consultant, Orion must attend the meeting. He bit his anger back during the meeting. Thanatos really acted well. He looked lenient, selfless and peaceful. His acting skills made Orion’s hot-tempered side come out. When the meeting between Thanatos and Fayette’s father had finished, Thanatos found Orion.
Thanatos was no longer crazy. He was a normal merchant now as he lost the election nine years ago.
“I come to apologize.”
When Orion was about to turn away and walk to his room, Thanatos grabbed his wrist, “Please, listen to me.”
Without any choice left, Orion walked with his father in the mansion. Orion was still angry. When they arrived at the garden, Thanatos talked about Norice.
“I didn’t want to kill Norice. I did it accidentally. I was out of control,” Thanatos said.
This made the fire of rage inside Orion burn even brighter. Orion could not stand it anymore. Orion’s chest hurt. And the day came when staying tight in a bud was more painful than blossoming. He punched his father in the face. It made Orion feel less painful but at the same time more.
“Orion, hit me if you want to. I’ve treated you and your mother so badly that even I cannot forgive myself. I know I don’t deserve it but can I get a second chance? I’ve always wanted to make it up to you.”
Next to Orion was a damaged brick wall. There were a few bricks right beside him. If he wanted to kill Thanatos with a brick and took revenge for Norice, it was now or never. He struggled. What would happen if he killed Thanatos? What would happen if he did not?
Thanatos did mistreat his family. He did kill Norice. But he claimed that he did it accidentally. Norice also said that Thanatos was trying his best to improve. Suddenly, a voice in his memories said something. That was Norice’s voice.
“I love him unconditionally.”
What was the point of avenging for Mum if she would be sad if I did so, Orion said to himself.
“Everyone deserves as many chances as we can give,” Orion said, “Mom told me this. I forgive you, Dad. Mom does too. She told me right before she died that she chose to forgive you and that she loved you regardless and unconditionally.”
“Orion… Thank you,” Thanatos choked out, “Norice…Norice…”
Thanatos then burst out crying. His son tried to comfort him but ended up crying himself. The two cried and cried in the garden. But when they realised what they were doing–two adults crying loudly like little children who got lost in a shopping centre– their tears turned into laughter.
The two sat on the soft grass and talked about everything they could think of. They talked about their lives. They talked about school, books, drawings and so on. They talked about old memories about how Thanatos met Norice. They talked about new memories about how Orion met Fayette. They talked about everything and anything.
They then had dinner together. Thanatos met Fayette and gave his blessings to his son and daughter-in-law. They had a pleasant dinner. It was filled with beautiful memories, laughter and of course, delicious food.
When it was time for Thanatos to head back home, Orion hugged him and whispered, “Goodbye, Dad, love you.”
Thanatos hugged him a little bit more tightly and whispered back, “Bye, son, love you too.”
That night, Fayette and Orion walked near the coast. Orion suddenly stopped.
“What happened, dear? You alright?” Fayette asks.
“Yeah, I forgave my father a few hours ago”
“Yes, I know. I am so proud of you, Orion.”
“Well, Mum was right. Forgiving is easier than remembering. Each time when I thought of my mother, it felt like someone stab me in the heart. But after today, I feel so relieved and I no longer feel the pain I used to feel before.”
Orion picked up some sand and continued, “There is no use always being angry and clenching your fists. Forgiving and letting it go is so much easier and better. You can hold more sand in an open palm than in a closed fist.”