"Three months, Rondo! Three months!"
The landlord's voice was deafening. His face was red, eyes bulging at Rondo.
"O-okay, sir. I'll try to pay this week..."
The landlord slammed the door shut, the sound echoing loudly. Rondo hurried to the bedroom to see his mother, who was lying helplessly. He held her fingers, which were now thin and looked malnourished.
"What's going to happen to us, Mom? I don't know what else to do to find money," Rondo said mournfully. His eyes welled up. Slowly, tears began to stream down his face.
Rondo's mother gently stroked his head. With a slow, faint smile, she said, "Be patient, son. You'll find a way. Forgive me for being such a burden to you."
"But where? Where is Dad while we're like this? Doesn't he know how hard our life is?" Rondo said, full of frustration.
His mother could only smile at him.
"Son, try opening that small drawer," Rondo's mother requested, pointing to the small drawer in front of her.
Rondo stood up and approached it. He opened it slowly. Inside, there was an old, dusty photograph. Rondo took it, blew the dust off until the picture was clear, and handed it to his mother.
"This is our wedding photo, son. Your father and I got married right after school. Your father was just one step away from becoming a school principal. But strangely, he chose to marry me instead. That's how much he loved me." Rondo's mother smiled softly, looking at the photo.
Rondo looked at the photo too. But his father's face wasn't clear—much of the photo was damaged.
"I've never seen Dad's face, not since I was little. What was he like, Mom? Why did he leave us just like this, until I'm this old?" Rondo asked. His frustration with his father began to fade after his mother's words.
"When you were still in my belly, your father and I were doing well. He had a steady job as an office employee. I just stayed home and did some light exercise. But while I was pregnant... your father was caught in a mass layoff," his mother explained, her eyes glistening.
Rondo was stunned into silence. After a moment, he said, "So... I've been making trouble for you and Dad since the beginning, haven't I?"
His mother slowly shook her head.
"No, son, you weren't the cause. It just happened to be a financially difficult time for us. Even though your father hasn't come home yet, I'm sure one day he will. Your father... he'll come home, eventually," she said, her eyes welling up. Tears streamed down her face.
Seeing this, Rondo quickly hugged his mother to comfort her, gently rubbing her arm.
"Son, do you miss school?" she asked.
"Yeah, Mom. Sometimes I do. But I also understand that in our situation, school seems impossible for us, right?" Rondo replied.
His mother smiled.
"If one day we have the money, would you want to go back?"
"Yes, Mom. Of course I would. I want to be incredibly successful, and I want us to live in a better place."
"Oh, son. I just remembered there are some old books in the storeroom. Can you get them?"
"Sure, Mom. Wait here a minute."
Rondo walked to the storeroom. When he got there, the door was stuck—he had to struggle a bit to open it. He looked for the books his mother mentioned. After a few minutes, he found them, lying on a small table.
Rondo opened one. On the first page, he saw a title written in large letters: 'Our Wedding Diary.' He let out a small laugh. His eyes fixed on the last sentence on the page.
We promise to keep this house until it's paid off.
- April 4, 2068
Rondo closed the book. He quickly scanned his surroundings again. One object, covered by a cloth, made him curious. He put the book back on the table and walked toward it. When he got close, Rondo pulled off the cloth. An old monitor, complete with a keyboard and mouse, was revealed.
He stared, fascinated. On top of the monitor was a small note. Rondo picked it up.
For our future child.
-Barnie and Faye
Below the note was a small smiley face. Rondo smiled too. Conveniently, there was a power strip with a long cord nearby. Rondo pressed the on/off switch. The strip lit up. Rondo plugged in the computer's power cable and pressed the power button on the computer.
The computer booted up perfectly. A few moments after start-up, it loaded normally. Rondo saw several games on the home screen: Titan Board, Battle Mirror Stream, Dungeon Dash, Stock War, and Duelist. Rondo was about to click on Dungeon Dash, but an email notification in the status bar caught his attention. He clicked it.
[Congratulations! You have been selected as a student for Nexhile School, free of charge. Please fill out the personal data form below.]
"Personal data form?"
Rondo scrolled down. He began to fill out the form.
[Name: Rondo Ernias
Age: 15 years
Origin: Exion City
Parent or Guardian's Name: Faye Ernias
Is all of this correct? [Yes] [No]]
Rondo hit 'Yes' without hesitation.
[Thank you for completing the form. Our officers will pick you up tomorrow morning. See you at Nexhile School, Rondo!]
"Nexhile... School? What's that?" Rondo whispered.
Suddenly, the computer shut down on its own. The smell of burning electronics filled his nose. He coughed and quickly unplugged the computer. Rondo hurried out of the storeroom, carrying the diary his mother had asked for.
After leaving the storerooom, Rondo slowly closed the door. On his way back to the bedroom, he kept thinking about the mysterious email.
Become a student at Nexhile School for free. I'll be picked up tomorrow. Filled out a form. Don't tell me... I'm going to school for free?!
Rondo broke into an excited jog, eager to tell his mother.
"Mom! Mom! I'm going to school for free!" Rondo shouted excitedly as he neared her room. His face was full of a happy smile. He pushed the door open, a bit too hard. He approached his mother, who looked like she was asleep, her eyes closed peacefully. A smile was already on her face.
"Mom, Mom. I can finally go to school! I just filled out some kind of form, and it said I can go to school for free," Rondo explained, gently tapping his mother's hand.
"Mom, can you wake up just for a second?"
Rondo gently tapped her cheek.
"Mom?"
Rondo gathered his courage and pressed his fingers against his mother's wrist, checking for her pulse. After a few seconds, his eyes flew wide. Rondo slowly let go of her hand. It fell away, limp and lifeless.
"Mom..."