CHAPTER 12: A Good News On His Part

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THEON 

I was too comfortable reading alone and even writing some points for my activity to be submitted immediately not until someone came in the psychology area. Even without looking to that person, I just have this deep sense of feeling that someone was walking in the same area where I was. I had no clue how I acquires suck skill or maybe my volition to be alone, somehow, magically helped me to obtain such abilities to listen well. I closed my eyes and the more I wanted to feel what she was doing, the more l heard the noise inside me. It was a girl, and she was walking, the noise of her shoes became even noisier.

“Wait, is she walking towards me?” I asked myself when I heard that the noise both in my head and ears.

Then, I felt that she sat behind me. The noise stopped in my head but one question popped up, why did the girl sit behind me where there were so many vacant chairs inside?

The question faded when I realized that was not my concern. So, I went back to reading until such time I finished doing my research. When I was done, I gathered all the books I took, I even fixed my jacket. When I was about to bring them back to the shelves, I stood up and carried them when accidently, the girl and I bumped to each other. So, technically, he touched me, I touched her. Due to excessive fear combined with surprise, I froze like I was under a spell wherein I was motionless. I could not even breathe; the fact that we touched each other, for sure, I knew what’ll happen next – I will faint. I was quite aware of the manifestation, the signal, the indication of me being touched by a girl.

After few seconds nothing happened, though the books fell on the floor and I looked like a real stone, unable to move – I was bewildered about the whole situation. It was not happening, I was still standing. The thoughts from my mother on our conversation last time appeared when she said that maybe, since I wasn’t being touched for a long period of time, I could handle being touched again, and at some point, maybe my mom was right. I was not hoping it would but I felt quite happy but my facial expression said otherwise.

“Are you okay?” the girl inquired.

I could still hear the girl asking me if I was fine, I just wanted to answer her question though but my tongue was mounted inside my mouth, and I could not even command it to talk. Surprisingly, I never had this initiative to talk to anyone but at that certain time, I would really want to say that I was fine, really.

The girl in front me even picked all my books, and handed them over. For sure, she was already judging me, and generating conclusion on her mind. Maybe, she would guess that I was weird, that she never met someone like me and for sure, she never wished to have that incident in her life, never.

Honestly, I was paranoid again. I easily drew those conclusions in my head long before the girl would even think about those things. When the girl walked away, seemingly confused why I wasn’t talking at all. I had my chance to run off, and I did, no turning back and I headed straight to the car where George was patiently waiting.

When I got there, he saw a different Theon. I was more even nervous, I was still catching my breath and I was restless. Well, can you blame me because that situation was something I avoid and I would have avoided for the rest of my life and it just happened in a snap of a finger. And the question remain why I was still fine and didn’t even faint. The reaction from my body altered and looking for solution was my next concern then.

“Are you okay Sir Theon?” George asked me directly when he saw me, catching my breath.

When I said that I could not breathe well, he got my tumbler inside and had me drink. When I felt a bit fine, after drinking and doing inhale-exhale exercise, I began telling George about what happened a while ago. He was literally shocked, though not as surprised as I did but I saw it in his eyes, and like how I was happy about it, so did he. Then, George went on to elaborate that maybe my mother was right after all, maybe living alone helped to create a remedy for my own unusual condition. The reaction from body had changed since the last time I was fainted which happened long time ago. Like me, George was thinking about the possible reason or explanation about what happened as if we were doctors trying to assess a patient.

“But regardless of the reason, that’s good news we need to share to your mom and dad.” He added.

I knew that he was totally elated about it but I mentioned, “No, not until I figure it out something.”

I had this feeling that I need to validate something; I just needed time to really prove that I was capable to be touched by a girl. Well, George respected my decision and he agreed to it. So, while paving our way back at home, I just had this little idea on how to prove that my bodily reaction when being touched was changed. I shared it to George and he concurred.

When we arrived, I saw my mother sitting on the sofa; she looked relaxed while taking a tea. Though, she might be thinking about something and I just had a hunch that she was thinking about me having a baby. When I greeted her which was very unusual again, because I never greeted anyone, she turned her gaze and smiled.

“Hey, my son. How are you?” She said.

Her reaction was too much, exaggerated if you would ask me and she did at all times as if she were saying a line on a movie, or as though everything was scripted. She put the tea mug on the glass table and she moved towards me. I moved back, though it was not intentional, but those were like automatic response protecting myself from possible danger.

She apologized for rushing herself towards me, and began to apologize for pressuring me to have a girlfriend, then to get married and then to have a child. She said that they were too selfish thinking about themselves without really considering the whole situation. She was really sorry. Then, after a while I found tears on her face, and sharing her deepest thoughts which were strengthened by envy. My mother disclosed the truth about me having a baby. She got envious because all her friends had grandchild, and she had no one. Well, after all it was peer-pressure.

Indeed, she wanted to hug me, to console me and to maybe, sent her apology by touching me but she could not until, I was the one who did it. I hugged my mom. She even pushed me because she knew that was really a bad idea.

“Hey son, what are you doing?” she asked in shock.

Well, that was the plan – to check if I wouldn’t be fainted after touching a girl. But when I embraced my mother, I felt sudden warmth inside me and I could not contain it, was that love? Was that the love my mother had for me? I felt happy; I even closed my eyes just to fully experience that warmth inside me. I knew all along that there was no greater love than a mother’s love. But after that, I didn’t know what happened.

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“Oh you’re awake Sir Theon.”

George was in my room and he was waiting for me to wake up. And then, I asked what happened and he told me everything. After touching my mother, I fainted. So, our plan failed. My reaction to girls’ touch was still there, but two questions arose on my head while talking to George. So, why did the girl touch me and nothing happened? And why I was fainted again?

Bewilderment clothed into my entire being and I started to get confused about the whole situation. Then, George stood up to tell my mother that I was awake and then, I allowed him to.

Alone in my room, my thoughts were like exploding and wanted to come out from my system. I really had no idea what to do next. Or maybe I had to meet that girl again, but I didn’t know her face, all the time we had in the library, I was looking down as if I was talking to the floor. Her voice was sweet and nice, she looked simple too, I reckoned. But how? How could I find the girl?