Part 6

"UNCLE SICK, Zio." The soft notification made Ignazio's heart throb painfully. It was a voice recording of his cousin, Geremia, saved in the voice recorder on his cellphone.

"Some time ago, he was treated for a heart attack. Excessive stress was the cause." His cousin continued again.

Geremia knows better about Ignazio's father's condition because, for one thing, the man lives in the same town as Ignazio's family. And secondly, Geremia is a heart specialist. So he knows the ins and outs and effects of his father's condition.

"Uncle is trying to be strong. But no matter how strong he is, too many thoughts are not something he can easily bear, Zio.

"Go home. Apart from Uncle's sake, do it for your younger siblings and..." Geremia's words didn't continue because Ignazio had already turned off the recording.

Ignazio sat in his portable chair. Raise his head and look at the starry sky in the dark of night.

Five years.

He has been running from real life for five years. He was trying to esca