Harry went silent for a long time. Then his voice sounded on the other side of the phone. With a weary sigh, he finally relented. "Fine! At least if you come with me, I can keep an eye on you. You’ve been through enough already, losing your parents so young. Pack your things. We’ll leave in three days.”
After Harry hung up the phone, I stared at my phone's lock screen, lost in thought.
It was a photo of my Auntie and me. In the picture, my nineteen-year-old Auntie looked dazzling, even when she was as a roadside barbecue stand.
She was standing tiptoed with mischievous look on her face as she tried to pour beer into my cup. Meanwhile, a nine of year old me was trying desperately to stop her. We both had scratches on our face. Behind us, people were watching our antics on the background with smile in their faces.
That was the moment that I would always remember.
Back then, I was still in elementary school. I was teased mercilessly for being an orphan. One day, the taunts escalated into a fight and the other kid’s parents humiliated and even hit me.
When Auntie found out, she stormed into the school without hesitation and avenged me on the spot.