[FLASHBACK]
The young Mint sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her doll tightly. Her lips were curved downward, and her eyes showed sadness.
It had been two weeks since summer break started, but her cousin still hadn’t e to visit. She was used to having her cousin e around to spend the summer with her. However, for some reason, her cousin hadn’t arrived, and when she would ask her mother, all she would get was the frail reassurance that they would eventually e.
“It’s just that there are some things your uncle needs to do,” her mother would say.
She hugged her teddy bear tightly, burying half of her face in it. Just as her eyes started to well up, she heard a car screeching outside. Her brows rose, and her ears perked up, frozen in place as she focused all her attention on the outside noise.
“Ahh, that was a long journey…”
The second she heard a man’s faint voice, Mint jumped from her bed, tossing her bear onto the bed. Without wasting a second, she rushed to the window. As soon as she saw a black sedan outside, her eyes gleamed, and her mouth parted in joy.
“Ben!” she yelled, pulling up the window as she shouted once more, “Ben!”
The young boy, who had just climbed out of the car, looked up at the sound. The second he saw Mint looking out the window with such relief and a bright smile on her face, his mouth stretched from ear to ear, displaying all his teeth.
“Mint!”
And once again, the two of them reunited.
Benjamin’s father and Mint’s mother were siblings. The Vitt family was neither large nor small, as they had cousins from their parents’ cousins. However, since their parents were close, Mint and Benjamin were more like siblings than cousins.
However, since Benjamin’s father worked in the main city of Anteca, summers were the only time they could be together. Still, that often made their summers extra special and memorable. It made them appreciate each day, sharing excitement at the ining summer break and the sadness when it ended.
Above all, Mint had someone to play with and to make her forget about the horrible bullying from children her age. They would poke fun at her and make her cry, only because the townspeople thought she didn’t have a father.
[Your father left you because you’re horrendous!]
[My mom told me it’s because of your mother! She said your mother doesn’t know who your father is because she’s that type of woman!]
[You shouldn’t e with us too because you might spread your disease to us! We don’t want our fathers to leave us too because you’re spreading your curse!]
Those were just a few of the cruel things Mint would hear from the kids, which explained why she was isolated most of the time—except during the summers. Back then, she was very timid, while Benjamin was the brave one. There was even one time when Benjamin arrived early in town, saw this happening, and jumped into action, fighting all the kids out of anger.
*
*
*
Mint smiled subtly while Benjamin was still fuming. It had been days since Benjamin wrestled with Mint’s bully, and most of his band-aids had already been removed. Still, he was seething with anger.
“Ben…” she called timidly from the backseat of the car. “You don’t have to be angry anymore.”
Benjamin huffed, his little arms crossed under his chest. “Those kids! They make me angry whenever I think about them.”
“It’s fine now,” Mint smiled faintly. “They already apologized.”
“An apology is not enough!” he roared. “They should get beaten up more for making you cry!”
Mint sighed helplessly, casting a quick glance at the man in the driver’s seat. He glanced at the rearview mirror, chuckling as his eyes darted between the children in the backseat.
“Benjamin, that’s enough now,” he laughed. “You already taught those kids a lesson.”
“But they kept bullying Mint for a long time!” young Benjamin roared. “Teaching them a lesson once is not enough!”
Mr. Vitt sighed helplessly, smiling wryly as he focused on the road. “Ben, standing up for yourself and for the people you care about is different from revenge. There is a clear line between the two. I know it’s upsetting, but what makes you different from those kids if you let this anger consume you?”
“Mint suffered because those kids believe what they hear, and although their actions were cruel, they were also victims of what’s around them,” he continued in a patient tone. “We can only hope they learned their lesson with this incident. At the same time, this is something we can all learn from.”
“Standing up for the weak—even if it’s against someone of high standing, forgiving, and moving on… may not be easy, but it is part of the way of life,” he added, smiling subtly as he glanced at the rearview mirror again. “Above all, we must not bee the very people we fight against or who hurt us.”
Mint and Benjamin stared at the driver’s seat before Mint’s mouth curled into a smile. Her eyes glimmered at the man speaking, who sounded so cool while imparting his wisdom. Benjamin, on the other hand, frowned deeply as he slid his eyes to the corner.
“Uncle is right,” she said, flashing Benjamin a smile. “As long as Ben doesn’t bee like that, Mint will be happy!”
Benjamin peeked up at Mint, his cheek turning slightly pink as he looked away. He was young and couldn’t fully understand what his father was saying. However, if Mint was right, then he just had to quench the frustrations in his heart. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to beat those kids for the second time.
As silence slowly filled the car, Mint looked out the window and furrowed her brows. “Uncle, where are we going?” she asked out of pure curiosity, seeing that they were nearing the pier.
“We’re heading to Pierson’s Island,” answered Mr. Vitt. “The Madam brought the Young Master to the rest house to rest, so I’m dropping by.”
“Young… Master?” Mint repeated in confusion, only to hear Benjamin hissing.
“That Young Master, who gives my father a hard time, and keeps thinking the world revolves around him.” Benjamin rolled his eyes angrily, now finding another reason to be grumpy. “I don’t like him!”!
User Comments
0 comments from readers