Page 23 of Storm

You ever wonder what your purpose in life is? I’ve found myself thinking about this a lot more lately. Why am I here? Why didn’t they look for me? Why did they kill my dad but never look for me? They had to have seen my toys. They had to have known I was there, right?

My purpose on this earth was never clear. My mom didn’t want me. She took off the first chance she got and left me with my dad. There are days when I wonder where she is. Wonder what she thought about when she left me. How could she have left me? What made her want to go?

Dad never talked about it, but I suppose that’s because I was so young. Uncle Jenson doesn’t seem to know, and if he does, he isn’t telling me. I suppose I shouldn’t dwell on it much, but there are times when I do.

“You okay?” I glance up when I hear Storm’s voice and nod.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“You looked lost,” he says.

“I was a little.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t know what there is to talk about, honestly. I was just thinking about why my mom left me. Left us,” I tell him. He shrugs his shoulders before lighting up a cigarette and leaning against the side of my house.

“What difference does it make?”

“It doesn’t. Just something I think about sometimes.”

“Your dad raised you the best he could. Your mom was a fuckin’ coward for walkin’ away. She was a piece of shit for leavin’ you. No one should have to be without their parents.”

“You speak from experience?” I ask him. He nods and takes another drag from his cigarette.

“They’re gone. But you know what? That’s what made me who I am. I needed them to go. I needed to be left on my own so that I could grow into the man that I am today.”

“And who are you?” I ask him now as I reach into the cooler and grab a water, passing him one. I watch him take it and open it before taking a drink.

“I’m me. You know why they call me Storm?” He asks. I shake my head.

“No. Why?”

“Because I came into this world, rippin’ shit apart. My dad left my mom because of me. I tore them apart, and then she left me, too.”

“Do you hate them for it?” He shakes his head.

“No. I actually want to thank them for it. I’m not sure who I would be with them. I know who the fuck I am after them.”

“And who is that?” He takes a deep breath and looks away as if he doesn’t want to tell me, but then he drags his gaze back to mine and sighs.

“I’m a man who would do anything for the ones he loves. I’m the man who will go to the end of the earth to get what he wants. When I love somethin’, I love it. There’s no changin’ that. When I hate somethin’, it’s the same. I won’t change who I am for anyone. What I’ve done in the past? Those are my sins, my demons to carry.” Damn. I didn’t think he would say all that.

“That’s…a lot.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve thought a lot about that, especially lately, and I honestly don’t know who I am. I used to think that I was a strong person for what I lived through, but there are times that I get lonely.”

“You don’t let people in easily.”

“No. I keep to myself mostly. If I don’t let anyone in, then no one can hurt me.”

“But that’s a sad way to live, Kenz.”

“Is it? I’ve been doing fine so far,” I remind him.

“What about in the future? Don’t you want a family?”