A Son's Last Lesson

My son is severely allergic to pollen, and because of his rare blood type, he must receive a specific desensitization injection at a bigger hospital in a different state. To make that happen, I deliberately booked the same flight as my wife just so our son could get help as soon as possible. But she insists on waiting for her late-arriving first love, refusing to let the plane take off. When I confront her, she says, "All passengers are equal. If the plane can wait for you, why can't it wait for him? Cam still needs to celebrate Josie's birthday. It's just ten minutes. Nothing will happen!" However, by the time we arrive at the hospital, the doctor tells us we missed the critical window for treatment. We were just ten minutes too late. Our son has now become a vegetable. Chapter 1 "Brenda, shut the cabin door now! Hurry!" I roared at my wife, Brenda Johnson. At the same time, I looked down at my son, Timmy Moore, whose face was pale. Brenda refused to shut the door. She wanted to wait for a late passenger. She was the most senior flight attendant on this flight, and even the captain deferred to her. No one dared to move without her order. "All passengers are equal, Harry. Why can't we wait for other late passengers if we can wait for you?" Brenda was insistent on waiting for the final passenger and refused to shut the cabin door, no matter what anyone else said. Just then, Timmy opened his eyes. He said weakly, "I'm so tired, Dad. I really want to sleep." I held his hand and shouted, "You can't sleep, Timmy! You won't see your mom again if you do! Remember her saying that she'd get you that new action figure?" Timmy's eyes lit up slightly at the mention of that, but he still couldn't stop his eyelids from sliding shut. Sensing that things were going to turn out badly, I rushed to Brenda, wanting to convince her to let the plane take off. However, she merely stood before the cabin door and snarled, "I'm just being fair to each passenger!" A flight attendant beside her said, "We've already waited for half an hour, Brenda. Our final passenger, Cameron Lynch, is way past the boarding time." I couldn't believe Cameron was the final passenger. He was Brenda's childhood sweetheart and first love. My mind went blank for a moment as I realized that Brenda was stopping the plane from taking off just so she could wait for her first love. I forced out my words. "So, you're waiting for your first love?" She said impatiently, "He's a passenger, too. I'm obligated to carry out my duty to him. Anyway, Cam is rushing to celebrate Josie's birthday with her. It's just another ten minutes. Nothing will happen!" However, it had already been an hour since Timmy's allergic reaction had been triggered. If we still couldn't take off, he would miss the best window for treatment. Since Brenda refused to shut the cabin door, I would do it myself. I yanked and tugged on the heavy door with all my strength, but I couldn't even make it budge. It was like an immovable mountain. My knuckles turned white from my efforts, and sweat trickled down my face. Meanwhile, Brenda stood aside and watched me like nothing was happening. She knew I wasn't moving that door at all. Just then, a figure appeared at the end of the jet bridge. It was Cameron. He was holding a burger and a coffee. Chapter 2 The moment Brenda saw Cameron, she ran to him to take his bag and drink, completely forgetting that she was the senior flight attendant. She only ran back to the cabin door to shut it after he'd settled down in his first-class seat. The plane finally took off, half an hour after I'd boarded with Timmy. We landed two hours later, at which point Timmy had long since lost consciousness. The moment the plane halted, I picked Timmy up and started to run to the cabin door. However, Brenda stopped me. "Hold it. Our first-class passengers need to disembark first. It's the airline company's policy." She stretched out her arms, refusing to let me pass. I cried out, "Brenda Johnson! This is your son!" I wanted her to realize the severity of the situation, but all that did was anger her. "I'm at work, and I'm the senior flight attendant for this flight! I have to be responsible for my passengers!" She shoved me aside to let the first-class passengers leave the plane first. Only then did she begrudgingly let me pass. The ambulance was already waiting outside, and the medical personnel immediately hooked Timmy up to oxygen. Brenda didn't join me in the ambulance, though. She remained at her station. … When the lights outside the operating theater went off, Timmy was wheeled out with his eyes shut. He looked nothing like his usual adorable, energetic self. "I'm sorry, but we did our best. You missed the best window for treatment. If only you'd been here ten minutes earlier…" The doctor sighed, feeling glum that an otherwise healthy child would be bedridden from now on. My ears buzzed at his words, and my vision went black for a moment. I couldn't imagine Timmy being in a coma for the rest of his life. I reached out to hold his hand as I watched him lie motionlessly on the hospital bed. I pried open his clenched fist to find a small action figure there. It was the first gift Brenda had gotten him after he'd started kindergarten. It turned out he had it with him everywhere he went. I blamed myself for this. It was my fault for failing to protect him. I was wracked with guilt, knowing that I hadn't gotten him the medical treatment he needed in time. … After settling things with Timmy, I called Brenda. However, all I got was a brush-off. "I don't have time to be there. You don't do anything at home anyway, so why can't you care for Timmy? Do I have to be there to do everything? I'm busy with work, unlike you! You just hang around at home like a bum!" she said. She was the one who'd begged me to quit my high-paying job, claiming that she wanted me to enjoy life and stop fretting over money. Yet now, she was twisting the truth and making it seem like she had to work her butt off to put food on the table while I lazed around at home. "Can you say such things without them weighing down on your consicence, Brenda? Timmy is in a coma, and you can't even bother to come see him! And you call yourself his mother?" I retorted, clearly enraged. It took all of my strength. I couldn't understand why a mother didn't care about her child at all. However, I got my answer in the next second. It wasn't that she had no love for children—she just loved someone else's child. I heard a little girl calling for Brenda on the other end of the line. It was Josie Lynch, Cameron's daughter. As I listened to Brenda coo at her and wish her happy birthday, I realized she was prioritizing celebrating her goddaughter's birthday over being at the hospital with Timmy. After a long while, I said calmly, "Brenda, let's get a divorce." Chapter 3 Brenda didn't get mad as I expected her to, though. She just hung up without another word. In that instant, the five years we'd shared together came crumbling down. I laughed self-deprecatingly at the thought of the marriage I'd tried so hard to keep together. It was now the most fragile thing in the world, shattering upon impact as glass would. Since she had given up on our marriage, I didn't see any need to go easy on her. My first step would be to take back the house that belonged to me. The moment I entered the house, I saw woven bags filled with plastic bottles stacked by the shoe cabinet. Cardboard boxes also littered the ground. I knew my mother-in-law, Linda Beech, loved picking up trash. She would collect anything that was worth something, and the new house I'd bought had turned into her store room for trash. The more I saw, the angrier I got. I kicked the bags aside, and toys fell out. "Why did you touch my stuff? Do your eyes grow on the back of your head, or have you gone blind?" Linda screeched, as obnoxious as always. She never missed the chance to grab even the smallest benefit. Before Brenda and I had gotten married, Linda had greedily demanded I pay 500 thousand dollars in wedding gifts, along with providing property and a car. She even insisted that I pay for them in full and put them under her name. It was a shame that I'd been so blinded by Brenda's sweet-talk at the time to practise any logical thinking. I'd agreed to all of Linda's demands without hesitation. Fortunately, I'd had the foresight to protect myself. Despite transferring the house to Linda's name, I'd had everything legally notarized as mine. If I wanted to take it back, no one would be able to keep it from me. "Why did you take Timmy's toys? Who allowed you to do that?" I couldn't believe she'd turned a lovely home into a junkyard. Linda flew off the handle when she heard my displeased tone. "They're just a few toys—they wouldn't even fetch anything at the junkyard! And how dare you lose your temper at me? I knew Brenda's spoiled you. I should never have let her marry you!" "You think your daughter would listen to you when she's nothing but a cheater who sides with outsiders? She doesn't even want her own kid! Timmy is in a coma, yet she wants nothing more than to be with her lover! I was blind to have married her!" I said. With that, I turned to head to my room to get the property deed and notarization documents. Linda stood in my way, her spit landing on my face as she screeched, "This is my house now! Get the hell out of here!" I flung her aside at the thought of her and Brenda's horrible behavior. I wanted to charge straight to the bedroom. Just then, Brenda came in and saw me push Linda away. She ran over to me and slapped me hard across the face. She snapped, "How could you hit my mother, Harry? Are you a rabid dog or something? How dare you come here and stir up trouble?" Chapter 4 "You have time to visit your mother, but you don't have time to be with your son? Do you know Timmy's still in the hospital, Brenda?" I snarled while pointing at her. She snorted. "It's just an allergic reaction, isn't it? It's not like he hasn't been given medical attention. All children fall sick. Why is he more fragile than others? He's a boy, too. Josie doesn't fall sick at all. He only has himself to blame for being weak!" She was Timmy's mother, yet she could say such callous words about him. She didn't care about him or pity him at all. "Is that all you can say now that our son is in a coma?" I couldn't even bring myself to say that he would never stand before me again when he'd been so active just the day before. Brenda snorted again. "Don't think you can fool me. I won't believe your lies. Josie already told me that she just wanted to give Timmy a pretty flower. Who would've known that an allergy that hasn't acted up in years would suddenly relapse at that moment? It's not like she did it on purpose!" I suddenly realized that Cameron was probably the one who'd orchestrated this whole thing. I didn't waste my breath arguing with them and sneaked the documents I needed out of the house while Brenda and Linda were distracted. I hurried back to the hospital with them. My heart settled back in my chest as I looked at Timmy, who was still unconscious. A nurse came to adjust his IV, and she told me about the things I needed to pay attention to. She said there was a chance of coma patients regaining consciousness, but it would take their family's care and support for that to happen. She asked about Timmy's mother. I hardened my heart and told her his mother was dead. Rather than tell everyone that Timmy had a mother who didn't care about him at all, I would prefer it if they all thought she was dead. Chapter 5 It would be Timmy's birthday in a few days. In the past, I would take him to the amusement park before we headed home to have cake and blow out the candles after making birthday wishes. Each time, Timmy would ask why Brenda wasn't with us yet. I would check my phone repeatedly. There would be no information on the flights she claimed to be on, yet she would tell me that she'd just landed. I knew about all the lies, and they hurt like hell. However, I had no choice but to hide the pain and comfort Timmy. I was brought back to reality at the thought of this year being Timmy's fifth birthday. Even if Brenda and I were going to divorce, I knew Timmy would still want her to be with him. Ultimately, I decided to seek her out again, hoping that she would grant Timmy's wish this once. As I stepped out of the elevator, I heard party poppers and saw the ribbons from streamers strewn across the floor. The door was open, and things seemed lively inside. There were many people—they seemed to be celebrating something. Had they already started celebrating Timmy's birthday? I inched closer to the apartment, feeling doubtful. Linda stood by the door, so she was the first to see me. Her expression darkened, and she snarled, "What are you doing here?" Brenda turned to look at me. "Who said you could be here? You're not welcome!" she said with a snort. It turned out they were celebrating Josie. She wore a pretty pink dress, and a gold medal hung from her neck. There was a huge poster on the wall that wrote, "Congratulations to Josie for being first in her year!" There were also flowers everywhere in the apartment. I recognized them—they were the ones that had caused Timmy's allergic reaction. The sight of all of these things cut deep. Just then, my phone rang with a call from the doctor. He anxiously told me that Timmy's condition had worsened and that family was needed to sign some documents. I turned around and glared at Brenda, saying, "Timmy's condition has become worse, and I'm going to the hospital now. I'll ask you one more time—are you coming with me or not?" Before she could say anything, Cameron approached her and said, "Brenda, maybe you should go see what's happening, since Harry made the situation sound so dire. What if he's telling the truth?" "That's impossible, Dad! Timmy is known for being a liar at kindergarten, and nobody likes him! His dad must be just like him!" Josie pouted and ran to Brenda in her pink shoes, clinging to her arm. "I don't want you to go anywhere, Brenda. I want you to be with me! Timmy is a liar, so we can't believe him!" Their words were like ice, making my blood run cold. I held myself back as I looked at Brenda again. All she did was lift Josie into her arms and kiss her cheek affectionately. Then, she said, "You see how things are. I can't go anywhere. You've always been the one to raise Timmy. He likes you more, so I'll just stay here. I need to be with Josie." After that, everyone else pushed and shoved as they chased me out. They acted like I was nothing. I slumped against the door and slowly slid to the floor, burying my face in my hands. I secretly swore to make them pay for everything they'd done. Chapter 6 Fortunately, I returned to the hospital just in time, and Timmy's condition stabilized. I couldn't move past Brenda's words, though. I wanted to get revenge on her. Since she didn't want to see Timmy, she wouldn't be able to do so for the rest of her life! I would make her live in regret forever! Firstly, I had Timmy transferred to a hospital in the suburbs. Then, I asked Brenda out under the guise of needing her to sign a sale & purchase agreement for another new place. I asked her to meet me at a funeral parlor. Brenda came in, covering her nose and looking disdainful. "Why did you choose to meet at such a horrible place?" I feigned devastation as I pulled out a document. I said, "I think you'll find the place much better with this." When she saw that it was a property deed, her face immediately lit up. She started digging through her bag for a pen. There were too many documents to sign, so she scrawled out her signature without even looking at some of them. Then, she handed the stack back to me and asked when the place would be ready. I scoffed and said, "Since you're here, you should attend this funeral." Brenda's expression darkened, sounding pissed as she snapped, "Are you crazy? Do you have to give me this much trouble just because I didn't go to the hospital to see Timmy? The more you act like this, the more I hate him! This just makes me reluctant to see him!" I chuckled darkly. "That's fine. You won't be able to see him ever again, anyway." "What does that mean? Why won't I see him anymore?" I pointed at the large screen behind her and said, "One of the documents you just signed is an agreement to cremate Timmy's body. Look, the screen is showing his name." She stared at the screen, which read, "Timmy Moore, five years old. Deluxe cremation furnace." Her eyes widened in shock before she turned back to me and grabbed the stack of documents I held. She flipped through them for a long time before finding the cremation agreement. Then, she screamed hysterically, "How can this be? It's impossible! It was just an allergic reaction! I don't believe this! I want to see him!" Her franticity was laughable. I pointed at the furnace and shouted, "Go ahead, then! Go look at him in there! All you'll see are ashes! Or maybe you'd like to go straight to the underworld to see him now? Maybe you'll catch a glimpse of his soul!" That seemed to make her snap to her senses. She ran to the room where the cremation furnace was. Coincidentally, she saw a fresh pile of ashes being placed into Timmy's urn. Brenda broke down in that moment. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed on the floor. She shrieked, "This can't be true! That's not my son! That's not my Timmy! It can't be him!"