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Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home
Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home
Author: Orange Fish

Chapter 1

Author: Orange Fish
My teacher, Ms. Alice Hudson, gave me a star sticker.

It shimmered under the light, resting on the back of my hand like a real star.

The other kids lifted theirs up to show their moms, but I didn't. I carefully peeled mine off and tucked it deep inside my pocket.

I kept my fist clenched around it all the way home while my mind raced.

My father, Henry Malone, had taught me that everything needed to be evaluated to offset against my "education budget".

How much was this sticker worth? Ten cents? 20 cents?

I was nervous. If I guessed too high, Dad would say I was being dishonest. If I guessed too low, I'd be letting Ms. Hudson down.

When I got home, my mother, Esme Lowe, was mopping the floor.

I ran over, dug through my faded bear purse, and fished out a single coin before holding it out to her.

"Mom, I want to buy a hug," I whispered.

Something flickered in Mom's eyes, but it vanished just as quickly. She straightened up and opened her arms.

I leaned in.

One second.

Two seconds.

She pulled back, took the coin, and dropped it into a glass jar sitting on the kitchen sill. A thin layer of coins was already resting at the bottom.

Dad was sitting on the couch. He glanced up for a second before looking back down at his phone.

"What did you accomplish at school today?" he asked, his eyes glued to the screen.

Nervously, I pulled the star sticker from my pocket and handed it over.

He took it without a word of praise, snapped a picture with his phone, and uploaded it with a note. "Educational ROI: Non-monetary asset x1, valued at an estimated 20 cents, to be deducted from educational expenses."

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness, my estimate had been pretty close.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Mom went to answer it. Aunt Sophie Lowe and my older cousin, Howard Nash, were standing at the door.

"Esme!"

Aunt Sophie scooped me right off the floor and planted a big kiss on my cheek. "Look at you, my sweet little boy! I missed you so much!"

I went rigid.

Aunt Sophie's hug was warm. It wasn't rushed like Mom's, and she didn't count the seconds in her head like Dad.

But… But this hug was way too expensive.

I squirmed out of her arms, scrambled behind Mom, and tugged at her apron. "Mom, how much does Aunt Sophie's hug cost? I don't have enough money. Can I put it on credit?"

The smile faded from Aunt Sophie's face. She stared at me in total shock, then turned her gaze back and forth between Mom and Dad.

Howard was only a year older than me and couldn't read the room.

He ran over and shoved an action figure into my hands. "Here, Kevin, you can have this!"

Panicking, I shrank back and pulled my bear purse tightly against my chest. "I can't just take your things for free."

"Henry! Esme! Look at what you've done!" Aunt Sophie finally blew up. Her finger trembled as she pointed at Mom and Dad.

"Are you insane? You're turning this child into a monster! This is a home, not a company!"

Dad adjusted his glasses and said, "Sophie, you don't get it. This is our progressive parenting philosophy. We're teaching him self-reliance so he won't take advantage of others. It'll give him a real edge in the world."

"Self-reliance? An edge?" Aunt Sophie let out an angry laugh.

"He's four years old! He needs unconditional love, not your damn transactional exchange!"

Mom caught Aunt Sophie by the arm and muttered quietly, "Come on, Sophie, calm down. We have our own way of doing things. Just stay out of it."

Aunt Sophie looked at Mom with sheer disappointment.

The argument ended in a complete mess.

Aunt Sophie turned to leave with tears in her eyes, but before she went, she crouched down and secretly slipped me a piece of candy.

The wrapper sparkled brighter than anything I had ever seen.

She lowered her voice and said, "Listen to me, Kevin. What I give you is love. And love is free."

I squeezed the candy tightly in my fist, utterly bewildered.

Love… was free?

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  • Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home   Chapter 11

    I saw Dad get shot and collapse, and I saw "Accountant" pinned firmly to the ground by the police.The port's floodlights blazed so brightly, as if they could expose every corner of darkness in the world.Dad hadn't killed anyone.…In the hospital, Dad woke up and saw the senior detective sitting beside his bed.Saying nothing, the latter simply picked up an apple and quietly peeled it for Dad in one long, continuous spiral.Dad looked at the apple and at the detective's focused movements.Suddenly, this man who had been as precise as a machine his entire life broke down. Tears streamed silently down his face.He finally wept like a real human being. For me, and for himself."Accountant" and his ring were ultimately sentenced to death.As for Dad, because of his earlier assaults and illegal setup to lure the criminals, he was sentenced to three years in prison.In court, he accepted the verdict with complete calmness.I watched Dad as he was led away. He turned back for on

  • Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home   Chapter 10

    Both the police and Aunt Sophie were keeping a close watch on Dad, but all they saw was him performing complex financial transactions.They thought he had finally given up on violence and retreated back into his familiar world of numbers.Though full of suspicion, the senior detective could find no evidence that he was planning to break the law."Accountant" took the bait.Through layers of encrypted channels, he contacted Dad's shell company.After several rounds of testing each other out, they agreed to perform the capital verification and trade at an abandoned harbor.I followed Dad to the port.It was dark, cold, and damp—so much like the place I was kept in right before I lost consciousness."Accountant" showed up.He was a refined-looking middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses and a tailored suit. He looked just like Dad used to.Dad showed "Accountant" the enormous sum in the account, enough to buy the entire port.Then, he pressed a button. A photo of me—the one wher

  • Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home   Chapter 9

    I followed Dad into the tiny interrogation room. It was the same place he had come to report my disappearance before.I saw the senior detective sitting across from him.The detective pushed a stack of files in front of Dad, flipping through them page by page."This driver… has a kid about the same age as your son, diagnosed with leukemia just last month."And the guy in charge of watching the kids got involved for the very first time just to raise money for his paralyzed mother back in his hometown."Dad cut him off coldly, "Their excuses don't justify my son's death. That's a separate issue entirely."The detective raised his head. "You're right. It's a separate issue. Your son's death is one matter, and the law will pursue it to the very end."But your assault is another matter entirely, and the law will hold you accountable all the same. Mr. Malone, you're a smart man. You should understand this better than I do."Dad fell silent.The officer told him that the police had b

  • Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home   Chapter 8

    I saw Aunt Sophie standing at Dad's doorway. Her eyes were rimmed with red.She asked Dad if it was him, in the exact same tone she used back when she confronted him about splitting every expense with me.Dad didn't answer. He just looked at her coldly.He was no longer the dad I used to know.Without waiting for his response, Aunt Sophie pushed the door open and rushed inside.Her eyes immediately caught the massive whiteboard on the wall as well as the names crossed off in red marker.The truth was laid bare right in front of her.Aunt Sophie started crying.She wasn't crying for the human traffickers Dad had "settled accounts" with. She was crying for Dad, for Mom, who was still lying in bed refusing to eat or drink, and for me.She screamed at him, "Henry Malone! Look at what you've turned yourself into! You've made yourself into a monster too! Kevin is watching you from above! He would never want to see you like this!"Hearing Aunt Sophie say that I wouldn't want to see

  • Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home   Chapter 7

    Dad got his hands on the first set of files, which belonged to the driver of that white van.It included his photo, home address, daily commute, and family details. Everything was laid out in crystal clarity.Dad began gathering his tools—a hammer, thick rope, and black industrial gloves.Seeing these items in my world made me feel terrified and lost.He wasn't the dad who argued over the price of a single piece of candy anymore.I followed him into a dark alleyway without any security cameras.He waited there in the shadows.When the driver came strolling down the alley, humming a tune and stumbling under the influence, Dad stepped out from the dark.Before the driver could even react, a wave of excruciating pain split his knee open. He shrieked and fell to his knees.Dad crouched beside him and whispered into his ear, "Consider this… the transportation fee."Then he raised the hammer and shattered his other kneecap."Account settled," Dad said softly.I screamed, desperat

  • Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home   Chapter 6

    I stayed behind with Dad.He went to the bank and withdrew all the money from his accounts. I watched as stacks of green bills piled up on the table like a small mountain.Dad really had a lot of money.Why did I have to pay for even a single hug back then?He didn't go home. Instead, he went to a newly rented, empty little apartment. Inside, there was only a bed and a table.He hung a whiteboard on the wall, just like the one he used to use for our family budget planning.But when he picked up the marker, the first thing he wrote at the top of the whiteboard was my name, Kevin Malone.Right after my name, he drew a massive equal sign. On the other side of that sign, he started writing a string of words. "The traffickers' lives, their families, their fear, their despair…"Looking at that whiteboard made me shudder.He began liquidating everything he owned—our home, the car, and the stocks in his account.He had only one demand for the real estate agent. "Turn it all into cash

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