Lost Girl (6)

Lost Girl (6)
"Mommy...!"

Chris sobbed in the arms of his mother who was forced to come to pick him up. His mother hugged him and wiped his tears with a handkerchief.

"It's okay, darling. The snake is gone!" Chris's mother said softly. She even smiled and tried to calm her son.

"I'm so scared, Mom."

"It's okay, everyone is afraid of snakes too!"

"But Lucia not scared! She brought the snake!" Said the skinny guy while pointing at me who was standing in the corner after being scolded by the teachers.

Annoyingly, they caught Tyson and took him to a far away place. Even though Tyson and I already love each other.

"His name is Mike Tyson!" I said. They looked at me confusedly as if they didn't understand my thought.

"Lucia, apologize to Chris!" Said Miss Anne, my teacher.

"That stupid blonde was fault! He was the one who threw Tyson's cage on the floor. He should be the one apologizing!"

"Why was it my fault? You were the one who brought the snake to school!" He said defensively. He really is a coward.

"Lucia, you are not allowed to bring pets to school, especially dangerous animals like snakes!"

"What about tarantulas?"

"Tarantulas are not allowed either! Don't bring any animals, you understand?"

"Hmm...but-" I said hesitantly.

"But what?" Miss Anne asked. I reached into my bag and took out a slightly smaller box. I opened the box and showed Ali.

"I brought Ali too!" I said. Miss Anne and everyone in this place glared when they saw a tarantula walking out of the box in my hand.

"Tarantula...!"

Again everyone screamed, Ali panicked and immediately ran out of the box using his many legs. I don't understand why they like screaming so much.

After that incident, all my friends in class avoided me. They are afraid if I bring other animals in my bag. I really didn't have any friends until my last day of kindergarten.

When I entered elementary school, I wore the same uniform as the boys at my school as when I was in kindergarten. Dad really didn't allow me to wear skirts and grow my hair long.

I spent every day practicing karate until my dad enrolled me in an official karate course so I could practice more seriously. Every day at dinner, he would ask what training I did today and whether I was the strongest compared to the other kids.

Sometimes I'm confused about how to explain to him that I don't always succeed in training and sometimes I also make mistakes.

"Stupid...! Why can't you just move that? What are you doing there?" Dad shouted in a loud voice when I couldn't practice the movements he asked for correctly.

I stood still, panting for breath and sweat pouring down my face and body. I've done it so many times that dad doesn't seem to feel that I'm not good enough.

"I'm sorry, dad!"

"I'm going to register you for next month's tournament. From now on you have to train every day, you understand? I don't want those Yakuza to think I can't raise a son!"

Yakuza? What are Yakuza? My dad often cursed while saying those words. I, who was still seven years old, could only swallow his anger raw and keep it to myself.

Every day without rest I continued to practice and my dad watched over me. I train at the dojo and I still have to train every night at home. I want to cry, but if I cry, he will definitely be angry.

"Why are you crying? You weakling! Do it right, do you understand?"

"I-I understand," because it hurts so much, I can't even call him daddy like before. I don't understand, why did my dad change so much when I started school? He became very cold, rude and angry almost all the time as if he was never satisfied with anything.

This afternoon I walked around with a lot of pain all over my body. I passed a park where children my age played on slides, see-saws, swings and built sand castles.

I saw Pierre, Bryan, Leo and Chris. They were just friends in kindergarten who were in the same class as me in elementary school. They look familiar and play together. Meanwhile I was standing in front of the park with my karate uniform which was dirty and full of sweat.

Pierre turned when he saw me standing in front of the park, Bryan, Chris and Leo also turned when they saw Pierre turn. The four of them were whispering, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.
I decided to walk away again while holding back all the pain that I will always keep for the rest of my life.