Instead of passively accepting things, sometimes it's better to face it bravely; instead of squatting with
the birds, it's better to fight the wind and rain; instead of being lonely in silence, it's better to break out
in the struggle. The more difficult the road, the greater the obstacles, so the more risks to overcome.
But as long as you power through those challenges, then life won't disappoint you.
Before Harrow could even utter another word, Spark went ahead and cried furiously, "I don't want to
see you. Go away!"
Looking at him standing weakly by the door, his face pallid and haggard, and his hair ruffled and
greasy, Harrow's heart filled with deep pity and helplessness. He hated that there was nothing he could
do to help him, and he wasn't good at appeasing people either. He stood there for a moment in
bewilderment, looking at him, and then grinned sheepishly. "Why? You don't want me to see you like
this?" he said, in an easy manner.
To Harrow, Spark had always been haughty and rude. He had never liked being insulted by anyone. He
didn't like it when someone insults him or hurts his ego. And for him, the only way to exert his
dominance was to provoke other people. In truth, he was the only one who took after his father—
among all his siblings. The expressions he made, the way he talked, the way he handled things—they
were all taken after his father. This could also probably be why his father never blamed him for
anything. His father had always supported him, always behind his back no matter what decisions he
made. He was so coddled especially as a child—maybe this is why he had a hard time accepting
failure. Especially when it came to love—that he never really had to live without.
As much as he knew Harrow was purposely doing this to provoke him, he couldn't just get angry and
send him on his way. He turned around, looking resigned, "Do you think I'm pathetic? Does seeing me
like this make you happy? I thought you'd be happy because didn't you tell me that this was going to
happen? And it came true," he said, his voice dripping of sarcasm.
"Spark," Harrow knitted his eyebrows, "You know very well that I'm only here because I'm worried
about you," he said, peeved.
"Well, I appreciate but you didn't need to come," Spark mumbled. He was a complete mess; his clothes
were too big on him as he had grown thin and weak, his feet cracked and dry, his face pallid and grimy,
and his hair askew.
Anguish filled his eyes. For years, he'd always been unscrupulous, moving about without a care in the
world. It certainly helped that he had always been good at whatever he did. He was good at anything
he did which was why people respected him, fawned over him, admired him. But Brian was way more
powerful than he would ever be—he was no competition for him.
Harrow smiled wryly and lowered his face to look at his feet, a bit embarrassed. He realized that he
really didn't know how to get along with Spark anymore. Maybe, when Spark's mother died, their
relationship died along with her.
"About Mol..." Spark suddenly blurted out. There was a pause and uncertainty in his voice as he spoke,
"Do you think Brian would be good to her?" he asked.
Harrow was taken aback by this sudden question. While he pitied him, he was pleased to hear Spark
asking him something personal and something close to him. It reminded him of the old days, when they
played together, had adventures together, and got into trouble together. And as they grew older, the
adventures turned into conversations about girls they liked. And right now, Spark was the one with girl
problems and Harrow was supposed to comfort him. "I suppose so. I mean, Brian is cold and distant to
everyone else besides Molly. I can't know for sure if he'll always be good to her. But I know Brian. He's
very protective and committed to the people he loves. As far as I know, now that they're together, there
won't come a time that they're not and Brian will always care for her and protect her from now. And I
think that's good for both of them. They're in love," he said so that Spark could finally move on.
"Is that so?" Spark asked in a rather hollow and broken voice. "As long as he treats her well..." his
voice trailed off. He sounded like he was about to cry.
"Spark," Harrow moved closer to him and stood in front of him. His eyes stared closely into his eyes as
he spoke, "It's not the end of the world. Losing Molly doesn't mean you lost everything. Without her in
your life, you would have far more options, far more opportunities. What's not yours isn't yours. It
doesn't matter if she was a good girl for you. If she was destined to be with someone else, you just
have to accept it."
"It's true. She's not mine, she's never been mine," Spark murmured under his breath, "In fact, as long
as she's fine, as long as she's happy, then I'll be happy," he stammered. You could easily tell how much
it took for him to say those words—his voice was pained.
Harrow flinched seeing Spark like this. He'd always known that he was fond of Molly but he hadn't
expected it to run this deep. It seemed that Spark was already losing his mind about Molly's leaving. He
suddenly felt a strange, ominous instinct—as if something bad was going to happen to Spark.
There was a long silence. None of them said anything; each trying to process their own emotions.
Spark, still heartbroken, had still been dwelling on the time when Molly was still with him. And Harrow
was caught up in his concern for Spark whom he had always loved like a real brother. At that moment,
all Harrow wanted was for his relationship with Spark to go back as it was before, to be close to his
brother like they used to be. He would be willing to do anything if it meant earning his brother's trust
back. And right now, as he watched Spark hurting, he was happy to be there for his brother.
Manny had been waiting by the door the whole time and listening to their conversation. By this time, he
had already calmed down from all his panic and worry for Spark. As he listened to their conversation,
Manny was lightened and felt more at ease. When he realized that there was no need to worry
anymore, he walked away and decided to wait by the chairs along the hospital corridor. Manny knew
Spark very well so he knew that while Spark held grudges against his family, against Harrow—at the
end of the day, he still longed for the love and care that came from family. And this rang true based on
what Manny had just heard, even though Spark showed that he was angry at Harrow, he didn't drive
him away. Spark still needed the company and love that only Harrow could give because he was family.
*
As Brian and Molly drove back, Molly sat in the passenger's seat with her head hung low. Brian
remained silent. He was starting to feel anxious. But he fought through it by thinking of Molly by his side
and nothing made him happier.
Brian surreptitiously glanced at Molly as he drove. Her face was still smeared with tears, her eyes
swollen and red. He furrowed his brows, worried while considering taking her to the hospital to have
her eyes checked first.
Suddenly, Brian's phone rang. Brian snapped out of his trance and pressed the answer button.
"Dad," Mark's sweet voice came on the line. There seemed to be a hint of whining in his tone which
made Molly and Brian wonder. How upset was Mark when he didn't find Molly and Brian waiting for him
when he got off school? Not to mention that it was the first day of school. It must have really hurt him to
watch his other classmates be picked up by their parents. Molly and Brian's heart twisted at the idea.
Molly turned to Brian in helplessness, not knowing how to appease Mark. "What's up, son?" Brian said
after a momentary pause, his voice soft.
Mark grumbled. He was mad at them for not picking him up. "You lied to me, dad. You promised me
that you and mommy will pick me up after school. But only Uncle Tony was there. You didn't pick me up
and you're not home too! Where are you?" he asked, peeved.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda