Page 50 of Care: Part 1

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Care for Curiosities

They were seated at the piano. Avelina was on top of it, much to Adrik's discomfort. He didn't like it when people sat on things that weren't created to be sat on. Although, he dusted off his uneasiness only for Avelina. As he sat on the piano bench, he enjoyed the musical sound orchestrated from the keys he played.

Avelina didn't know many classical pieces, and she honestly didn't recognize the one he was currently playing. However, she knew for sure that it had to be Beethoven because it was all he ever spoke about.

The music was not sad, nor was it happy. It was quite nostalgic, and it left Avelina wishing she could understand what was going on in his mind as he played the sound for her to hear. The way he played was magical. He told a story with his fingers and led the sound to vibrate so comfortably within her ears. It was beautiful.

She began to wonder if music was how he managed to express himself when he was younger. Maybe that is where he grew this fascination with Beethoven and classical music. She could only imagine his difficulty expressing the things he genuinely wanted to say at the age he was now; it had to have only been more challenging as a child.

"Adrik," Avelina called out to him.

He pretended not to hear a word she spoke as he continued to play his piece, completely ignoring her. Adrik knew that he had to finish to feel better. Interruptions were his least favorite part when telling his story.

She let out a sigh before getting off of his piano and heading into the kitchen. Her thoughts began to speak all at once in the echoes of her mind. She wanted to help him, and it was frustrating that she could do so little when he wouldn't even talk to her.

After his mother had left and Avelina had asked him to tell her about what happened in his life—he completely shut down. He had walked away from her and into his piano room, where he began to play song after song. No words were exchanged between the two of them. Avelina wished she could understand why.

It just didn't make sense.

He was doing so well with speaking about how he felt. They managed to make it so far. Avelina couldn't understand why he decided just to shut her out all of a sudden.

"My mother always told me that if you keep frowning like that, you're going to get some serious wrinkles," Anton spoke, walking into the kitchen.

Avelina jumped in surprise as her hand stretched out over her heart.

"Gosh, you scared me," she chuckled.

"Sorry. I just got here. I was going to knock, but then I heard the boss man playing his piano, so the guard let me in.”

Avelina nodded her head before suddenly realizing how rude she was being. "Are you hungry? It is almost time for Adrik's dinner. I could make you something if you'd like.”

He shook his head in response.

"No, I ate before I came here. Thank you, though."

Avelina nodded her head, not allowing her smile to falter as she turned around to grab the dishes she would need to make Adrik's food. She suddenly grew this urge to ask Anton about Adrik. Anton seemed to know a lot about him and why he gets the way he does.

"Hey, Anton," she called out, "Why does Adrik do that? Is that his way of shutting out the world or something?"

"I don't know if it's my place to tell," he explained.

Anton could see the frustration in her eyes. She looked as though she genuinely cared for him, and it upset him that she would have to undergo much more frustration to capture Adrik’s mind, body, and soul truly.

"I want to understand him. You should know as much as anyone that he will never open up to me. I'm not saying you have to tell me everything, but please share what you can. Please," Avelina pleaded.

He sighed in response.

"I grew up with him, and you should know that he hasn't always been the same Adrik, you know. He once talked to everyone about anything, especially music. Adrik didn't care that he was different back then, but that all changed when he went to school. Kids are kids, and they pick on people who they don't understand. They didn't understand him, and they would hurt him because of it. He went from speaking all the time to never speaking at all. He thought people saw this vulnerability in him when he spoke, which was why kids bullied him. And not just from the kids at school, but the people at his home as well. He stopped going to behavioral therapy; he stopped going to school; he never left his room. He turned colder. Many years later, he got his Ph.D. in business and became a successful businessman generating billions of dollars. He still rarely speaks to anyone—except you," Anton told her.

Her heart wanted to sob out at Anton's words. She couldn't imagine the lifestyle he had to grow up in. Avelina quickly realized why he always managed to make a big deal out of normalcy and why he always felt insecure about his mental capabilities when deeming himself as a 'retard' because it's what he had always been told. His mother's words were living proof of what he had to go through his entire life.

Avelina knew him. She truly knew him, and she also knew that he was so much more than what he thought of himself. Even as the music he played continued to ring through the ears of everyone in the house, she could still hear him. He was calling out to her with each note, and Avelina wanted to pull every single one in a tight embrace.

With each key, she wished to reply, "I know, Adrik, I hear you. It's going to be okay."

"What about his sister? I know Adrik cares for her, but does she care for him?" Avelina questioned.