Listen and obey
With a tooth brush in mouth, Jack wore a sleepy face to collect his clothes hung on the balcony. “Geee…geeeee…” the sharp sound of the old curtain and the morning freezing breeze almost pierced his skin. Trembling, Jack quickly grabbed down a T-shirt and a pair of pants randomly, but found out that they are not quiet dry enough. Well, he had no choice because there were no clean clothes available.Jack originally planned to study for midterm next week at home. However, his cellphone rang. It’s a call from one of his friends.
“Hey, 10:00 at Green Valley Mall, I had booked tickets for a movie. Okay?” His friend sounded like he had already known Jack would come.
“But…” Jack couldn’t turn down at once.
“Yes or no? Marry will be with us.” Jack’s friend giggled from the other side of phone.
“But the midterm is around the corner.” A devil and an angel started a tug of war immediately.
“Aren’t you having great scores at school? A day off won’t be a big deal. Besides, you lived outside alone so there would be no one supervises you, right?” Still struggling, yet his friend nearly persuaded him.
“Ummm…,let me think about it.” Jack couldn’t decide; therefore, he was stalling.
After a big sigh from the other side, his friend seemed to be impatient. ”Stop hesitating. Mary will be there and so will you.”
Jack said yes at last.
Or, in other words, he obeyed unconsciously, again.
Those personalities to listen and obey were formed since he was little. Like most of the children, he chose to be well-behaved and be praised rather than being punished. Moreover, Jack is the last kid in the family. For a long time he had played the role to be neglected, be retorted or even be blamed when he talks. Gradually, he learned to listen and obey and talk less for a more “peaceful” life.
After Jack began his school life, the means he listen and obey became various. It was started out of nowhere that his classmates would ask him to run errands, take the shifts, buy some treats and so on. As time passes, everyone takes the favor of him for granted. Although it truly bothered Jack, he was suffering from a hard time to say no to any please. Accordingly, the situation continues until now.
At he was about to leave his room, his cellphone vibrated again. It was a text from his mom. “Are you still in the bed?” His mom asked.
Jack’s mother will send messages to him for she doesn’t want him to get up late on every weekend even if he lived alone.
“I’m ready to have my breakfast outside now.” Jack replied.
Within seconds, the cellphone vibrated again.
“Got it. Your schedule today?”
Jack thought twice and he keyed in “study at home or at library.”
This time, his mom replied a little bit late. “Got it.”
Before leaving, he checked his wallet to make sure he had enough money and put the cellphone and wallet separately into two side pockets. He also thought about taking a text book along, but he probably wouldn’t want to study if he went out so he gave up the idea. “Click!” He locked the heavy front door
To listen and obey for a long time makes Jack a timid person who doesn’t have his own judgments and be indecisive for everything. In short, it would all result in the sentence “Is it okay?”
The first time Jack went to a movie is in elementary school with his family. Harry Potter was a hit then, his sister asked to see the movie because that most of her classmates had seen it and she couldn’t chat with this new topic she didn’t understand. Thousands of times she begged that their father finally agreed.
It was a Sunday, and the whole family came to the theater. Along with them some food was brought as their lunch. Jack wasn’t sure at fist. He wondered if it’s okay to bring food into the theater. Nevertheless, he still covered the question in mind. After all, father won’t take my opinion into consideration, he assumed. Things Jack worried about eventually happened before the entrance. The staff who was responsible for checking the tickets stop them and told them no outside food or drink allowed. His father couldn’t accept the rule and even began to argue with the staff at his fury. At the spot little Jack was so afraid that he hid behind his mom, covering both of his ears up from those unbearable confrontations.
Back to present times, on the MRT, stood Jack, staring at the scrolling text marquee showing the stations name one after one. The orange words changed from Chinese to English. He was completely absent-minded until a voice of a woman caught his attention.
“Sit properly!” The woman frowned at her son and quietly snapped.
That little boy didn’t even give a glance to his angry mom, continuing jumping up and down on the seat with his cute voice humming cartoon songs. The woman realized blaming was in vain; thus, she grabbed the boy and held him in arms. The boy looked like uncomfortable and wriggled restlessly. He screamed to fight his freedom back. That scream not only scared his mom but also draw the attention of everyone around. From people focusing on their cellphone screen to those were taking nap. Dozens of eyes suddenly looked over the woman. She blushed in embarrassment and loosed her hands, which gave the boy a chance to escape. He merely stumbled on the floor while he tried to maintain straight by holding a steel handrail. He then made funny faces to his mom. Jack accidently made an eye contact with the woman not knowing what to do and he turned his head right away.
Of course Jack had longed to change himself, but there were no instructions for him to follow. Whenever he encounters troubles, the frequent way he has been using would be applied to solve it automatically. Jack almost reached his goal once. In fact, he thought he succeeded. It was one of an exam in grade eight. Ten minutes to the end of the exam and he was still solving the tough questions he had left behind earlier. Suddenly, he felt the chair was slightly kicking by his classmate behind. “Jack, number nine.” A whisper to the ear was also a trade with devils.
Jack didn’t reply it instantly. He hesitated.
Within seconds,
“Psst, psst! Jack, number nine!” That annoying foot kept kicking his chair.
Moreover, that evil sound was bouncing back and forth in his mind. He raised his head and carefully checked where the teacher was. That vulture eyes were looking upon the whole classroom trying to find out someone who was not focus on the test. The sharp sight threw right around Jack’s side and pinned Jack on his seat. He lowered his head right away with heart bumping harder and harder. Then the sound of steps interrupted into his heartbeat, closer and closer. Jack gasped for breath trying to pretend like usual. Luckily, the teacher was drawn to another sleeping student with a thunder-liked snoring sound. Yet he just freezed himself for minutes and the disturbing sound never appeared again.
From the deepest of heart aroused a sense of ecstasy that never ever happened before. He thought that he finally did it! He finally rejected someone’s unreasonable request! Couldn’t he help but smile; nevertheless, he incidentally caught a glimpse of the teacher who was about to wake the sleepyhead up. At that moment, Jack realized he didn’t succeed at all. He still listened and obeyed.
“Don’t cheat!” The eyes of the teacher told him.
The feeling of delight soon replaced with upset and powerless. He found out that he had no choice in the beginning.
Jack stared at the answer blank space he left behind, and the bell rang.
[To Be Continue...]
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