All the Ws

by Maecel Joy Priolo

The scorching heat of the sun directly hits my face as I walk on a seemingly isolated road. I've been walking for hours with nothing but a small amount of cash, my backpack with a few clothes, and a water bottle that's half-empty which helped me to survive this endless walk. The road seems to stretch forever and the sun is about to set and, yet again, to disappear into the darkness in which I wish I could too. Finally, before the darkness engulfs me in the road, I came upon a town that appears to be small and fairly old.

As I was searching for a place to stay, I saw a diner called "Toby's". There were about 10 to 12 empty tables inside and a counter. I went straight to the counter and rang the bell on top of it. A lady in her mid-40s appeared from the back which I guess is the kitchen. She looked shocked as she saw me. I didn't bother myself with the way she reacted and ordered right away. I sat at a table facing outside, and not so long, my order was served. I only ordered a burger and fries and I was wondering why there is a milkshake that came with my order. I faced the lady with a puzzled look. "That's a welcome drink. It's on the house. I believe you're new in this town," she smiled and went back to the kitchen after she spoke. I just shook the thoughts in my head and hurriedly finished my food. I paid afterward and left. I went to look for a place and, as I walked past some houses, I found myself sitting on a bench in a park. The cold breeze and the silence almost put me to sleep not until a footstep alarmed me. I quickly walked away and never had a chance to look back.

The bright light coming from my window woke me up. It's almost noon when I woke up. Last night, after I walked away from the park, I saw an inn named "Moonlight" and decided to stay here. I took a quick shower and went out. I was heading to Toby's to grab something to ease my hunger when I remembered

the scenario at the park last night in which I am standing here right now. It was hard to see the overall look of the park last night since it was dark and the only lights were coming from the streetlamp and the moonlight. I looked around and found the back of a man sitting where I sat last night. I didn't bother about him and walked towards Toby's.

"I saw you stopped and sat at the park last night. I'm not meddling or what but I was just worried if you had somewhere to stay," Cecil, the name written on her nametag, said. She was the lady who served me last night.

"Well, I just had to, you know. It's quiet and peaceful - just had to think about some stuff and it was just the right place, I guess, to think," I replied. She just smiled and went back to the kitchen after serving my order.

A week had passed since I arrived here in this town called "Breccan Town" which was derived from the name of the founder of this town, Kenny Breccan. I also learned that Toby is the name of the son of Cecil, the owner of the diner. Cecil was kind to me and gave me a job at the diner. I am now heading to Toby's to eat and get some job done. As I entered the diner, I saw Cecil talking to a man who is also here every day since I arrived at this place. I never asked Cecil who the man was and I never initiated to talk about it with her. Though she always talks about her life, that she and her husband are no longer together and everything else, she never once mentioned her son. She also always asks about me, though all I can tell her is my name -Trevor, and my age - 23. Other than these, I just couldn't tell her.

As time swiftly passes, the day is about to end again. I was about to go back to the inn when I saw again the man sitting on the bench for the second time after that day that I first saw him. He turned back to where I was standing and saw me and I recognized that it was the man that Cecil was talking to earlier this day. I walked towards him without having any thoughts why. "Why did I walk towards and sit beside this man?". We were looking towards the setting

sun when he suddenly spoke. "Why can't you just forget and move past all that happened?". I was not even shocked hearing those words like they grew familiar to my senses. "Why did you ever leave?," Mark, my best friend added.

I knew from the moment I stepped into this town again, that after all those years I tried to forget the dark and traumatic past, it will just bring me back to those days. I knew Mark was the owner of those footsteps the first night I returned to my hometown. I knew it was his back the first time I saw him sitting in this very park. I know that he is my best friend. I also know that Cecil is my mom and I know, for a fact, that I am Toby. However, I also know that I once had a father named Greg who is a drunkard. I grew up seeing my mom get beaten by him and, eventually, it was the both of us. Though after all those beatings and hurtful words we got from him, she never thought of reporting him to the police or leaving him and she even forbade me to speak ill about him. "Why? I should ask you that Mark. That even after all those years I tried to bury the past, I just couldn"t," I told him. "Why would a father even have the courage to hurt his family? Why can Cecil even tell me back then that she endured those for me because she loves me because I don't deserve a broken family?," Mark sighed. "A child would never wish for a broken family but neither would I wish for broken bones from getting beaten up nor seeing my mother smile while she puts me to bed after getting slapped so hard and got a swollen face. I was just a child, and I'm afraid, still. I am. Guess I never grew up. I'm still that helpless boy crying in a corner because I couldn't help my mom, at least now, I may be wandering and can be lost sometimes but I'm no longer physically hurt." I stood up after I said those words and never gave Mark a chance to speak. I grabbed my things from Moonlight. "I can't be Toby forever." And, once again, bid my goodbye to this town.