Wow, you're back! I'm glad you're here. I hope you enjoyed the introduction, but now, let's get into the real story.
To start, I should mention that I am a Christian, and I attend church every Saturday. Back then, I had a friend named Kaori. She was an extrovert, just like me—sweet, calm, kind, and very talkative.
I remember I was about six years old, and she was the same age. We had been friends since we were toddlers because our mothers had been best friends since they were girls. They even dreamed that we would get married one day because we got along so perfectly.
But one day, Kaori arrived upset—very upset—and we had a small argument.
ME: "Hi, Kaori! How are you? It's strange to see you here on a Friday; you almost never come."
KAORI: "I'm fine. I don't usually come because I stay home with my grandmother," she replied sharply.
ME: "Oh, I see. Well, do you want to play 'The Little Train'?" I asked cheerfully.
KAORI: "No, I'm bored of that game. I want to play... hmm... I know! Let's play 'House.' I want to be the mommy and you be the daddy." She spoke as if giving an order.
ME: "Um, no... that's not fun. But... if we play, I want to be the dog," I replied, slightly annoyed.
KAORI: "Oh, come on! Don't be like that. Just play the daddy," she said with a sweet voice.
ME: "No, no thanks," I cut her off.
KAORI: "Playing the dog makes no sense if the game is about a mommy and a daddy!" she said, disappointed.
ME: "I still don't like that game."
She made a pout. Her pouts always convinced me; I thought they were adorable. I was about to say yes because of how cute she looked until she spoke.
(Looking back, my parents used to say I was mentally different from other children, though I never paid much attention to that. Maybe that's why I thought she was so adorable—perhaps my mental age was different. I don't know for sure, but let's continue.)
KAORI: "Don't talk to me then! If you don't want to play with me, I don't want to be around you!" she snapped, furious.
She left in a rage. I thought she would come back to talk to me later, or on following Saturdays at church.
THE ARRIVAL OF RUBI
Five or six Saturdays later, on a Wednesday night, I saw her talking to another girl named Rubi. They quickly became friends. Although Kaori tried to approach me again, I ignored her, walked away, or pretended someone was calling me. To be honest, I didn't feel like talking to her.
I noticed that when Rubi was around, everything was different. Things weren't as fun as before. Moreover, once when it was just Rubi and me, she acted completely different than when the three of us were together.
KAORI: "Angello, let's play with Rubi!" she said excitedly.
ME: "Well, if you're the one asking, let's play," I replied provocatively.
After playing for a while...
KAORI: "I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!" she said awkwardly and ran off.
ME & RUBI: "We'll wait for you on the bench," we replied at the same time.
ME: "Looks like she's going to be a while... Hi Rubi, how are you? I haven't seen you around here much. Do you come every day or are you just visiting?" I asked, as if interrogating her.
RUBI: "Don't talk to me. I don't like you. You're always next to Kaori. Can't you... I don't know... have other friends? Why only girls? I'm not here to talk to you; I only want to talk to Kaori. So, go away," she said offensively.
At that moment, I realized I no longer fit in with them. I distanced myself and stopped talking to Kaori for good. It was better to walk away.
Besides, Kaori didn't pay the same attention to me as before. Now, her eyes only brightened when she was with Rubi. That difference encouraged me to find other friends. It had been much more fun when it was just the two of us... or at least, I thought it was. Maybe she didn't enjoy playing with just me that much.
(Years later, Rubi told me what happened next.)
KAORI: "I'm back! Where is Angello?"
RUBI: "I don't know. Maybe he left because he doesn't want to play with us," she replied, pretending not to know.
KAORI: "It's always the same with him," she said, disappointed.
RUBI: "You shouldn't play with him anymore. In fact, don't even talk to him."
KAORI: "Yeah, you're right."
Kaori moved on from me very quickly. She seemingly thought I was the reason she didn't have other friends. Once I was gone, she started making many more friends since I used to take up all her attention. She stopped insisting and stopped approaching me.
I didn't care. I decided not to talk to her either; after all, I could make other friends too.
( "But later, I would regret not speaking to her." )
NEW FRIENDS AND DECEMBER
About two or four Saturdays after what Rubi told me, I made new friends—especially female friends. One was named Briana and another was Melani.
BRIANA: "What's your name? Do you want to play Tag?"
ME: "My name is Angello, and yes, I want to play!"
MELANI: "Tag! You're it, Angello!"
Time passed until December arrived. There was a "Week of Prayer" event, and we had to attend every night. There was a program for adults and another for children.
MELANI: "Are you coming to Holy Week?"
ME: "Well, yeah. My mom is directing the adult program, so I have to be here no matter what."
MELANI: "Oh, that's great! It'll be more fun with you here."
I felt that it was best to ignore the situation with Kaori and focus on my new friendships. Every night in the children's program, they taught us about biblical characters like Joshua, Jesus, and Daniel. The best part was when the classes ended because they gave out cookies and juice. Then, we would all run to the church patio to play.
THE SACRIFICE
On Thursday, after the Bible lessons ended, I went out to play. Suddenly, I saw another boy push my friend Melani. (I don't know if it was an accident or on purpose).
She was about to hit the stone hand-washing station in the patio. I screamed: "Jump out of the way, Melani!"
I ran as fast as I could and pushed her aside so she wouldn't get hurt. But just as I pushed her, I tripped and fell head-first into the sharp edge of the sink. She hit the floor, but at least she wasn't badly hurt.
I, on the other hand, hit my head so hard that my forehead split open. Blood began to pour out.
I fell to my knees. My vision began to blur and fade. I don't know if it was because I had blood in my eye, but in that moment of pure adrenaline, I said:
ME: "Be... more... careful... next time... Me-la-ni..."
I grabbed my forehead. I felt a crunch, and then an intense heat running down my face. Despite the pain, I felt good. Having lost Kaori, Melani was my only friend, and I was happy she was okay. When I took my hand away and saw the blood, I collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.
MELANI: "Angello... Angello, wake up please! Sniff, sniff... You're a fool! You didn't have to save me! Now it's my fault you're like this! Sniff, sniff..."
(I DON'T REGRET IT, THOUGH LATER I WOULD QUESTION THIS.)
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES:
Angello fell to the ground; it looked like he was dying. A massive amount of blood was spilled across the floor. His shirt was soaked. When he hit the ground, the bleeding was constant until he lost consciousness. The children who saw it were traumatized.
Before passing out, I heard Melani screaming my name. Seeing that I didn't respond, she ran crying to call the adults. My parents ran out and saw me. My mom cried because she thought I was already dead; she almost fainted.
But the church members said I was still alive. They grabbed a cloth to stop the bleeding and rushed me into a car. Once at the hospital, the doctors told my mother:
DOCTOR: "There is a very high possibility that he won't make it, ma'am."
MOM: "Please... sniff... save my son. He's only six years old. Just six! He has his whole life ahead of him. Please save him!"
DOCTOR: "That is exactly why he might die—because he is so young. Also, he has lost a lot—a lot—of blood."
THE MIRACLE
After the surgery, I stayed asleep for three days. I had very little strength; the most I could do was open my eyes. I had no energy to speak or move, which led them to believe I was in a coma.
But I didn't die. The doctors said it was a miracle. They even mentioned that during the surgery, they heard me whisper the name: "Melani." I received seven stitches.
I don't remember much. I only remember playing and then "falling asleep." When I finally woke up, I was in a hospital bed in a hallway. I was terrified; I was hooked up to many needles for nutrients. I touched my forehead and felt it full of threads. I almost pulled them out until my mom walked in.
I could see many people around me—some missing limbs, some blind, and more. My mom told me that only she or my dad could stay with me and that I must not touch the stitches or I would bleed again.
When I finally went home, the recovery was difficult. I felt intense pain in my forehead and my whole body. My hands and feet took a long time to respond to my brain's commands. Moreover, my temperament changed because of the accident; I became a bit more aggressive and impulsive.
The doctors said I would fully recover in five months. Three months passed, and it was time to return to school—this time, starting 1st Grade.
I felt like everyone was going to laugh at me for having a large scar on my forehead. I didn't want to go. I had already dealt with a bully before, and I was terrified that there would be another one in my new classroom. I never told my mom how scared I was.
Thank you for reading! If you liked Angello's sacrifice, don't forget to vote and comment.
What do you think will happen at school with his scar? I'll read your comments!
Next chapter coming soon: THE SCHOOL.