Chapter 124 - Give Me Some Time

Thirteen years ago...

"Father, mother," Seven year old Sato called out to his parents and dragged them over to their hotel balcony. "Come look at the view!"

This was one of their few overseas trips that the family took, making it ever so memorable. The snowy hills, coupled with the setting sun, created glittering shimmers on the snowy backdrop. The whole place looked majestic and ethereal.

Sato held onto both his parent's hand and looked over the horizon. It was a special moment for the fast maturing boy and he knew how to cherish every last bit of it.

"One day.. I will bring father and mother back here to see the sunset again!" Sato proclaimed. "I promise!"

Mahiro and Geraldine smiled after hearing what their filial son had said. They were glad that Sato turned out to be a fine young boy and not one that threw incredible tantrums.

"Okay, we shall wait for you to bring us back." Mahiro rubbed his son's hair. He had a warm gaze on his face.

Never did he knew that things would turn out this way a decade later.

...

Sato's tears were still coming out like a waterfall. It was never ending and uncontrollable. Even when Sato tried to forcefully stop his sobs, it just kept coming. He had kept it in him for far too long. All those years of loneliness as he faced the whole by himself. The solidarity was stiffling, with little room for him to breathe. There were any friends or relatives to back him up. It was only when Gray appeared in his life that his outlook for everything had changed. Before that, it felt like his world was black and white. Gray was his colour and it brought life to the still images of monotony.

Thinking about Gray, it allowed Sato to slowly get him bearings together. The sobbing gradually reduced to light sniffles. Eventually, his eyes were just red. He looked up to see his parents, watching over him cautiously. They were afraid of him, afraid that any small movement from them would scare him away.

Wiping away his residual tears, Sato stood up fast. He bowed fleetingly before speaking. "I.. Sorry for that scene."

"It's fin.." Before Mahiro was able to get the word 'fine' out, Sato interrupted.

"No.. It was my fault for not being able to control my emotions. I have heard your apology and I know you are sorry," Sato continued speaking, while sliding past the couple and headed for the door, "But, I.. I need some time to process through everything. It came to me like a truck and I just want some time to think about it. Don't worry about it, I know that you were genuinely apologising.. It is just that I want to think it through."

Sato waved his hand around. He was so nervous to the point that he repeated his sentence several times over.

"Okay. Take your time, son. Your mother and I will be waiting here for you. I apologise for overwhelming you."

"No, no. It's really nothing. I.. Goodbye." Sato opened the door and ran swiftly down the hallway. He couldn't bear to stand in the room any longer. It wasn't that he rejected his father's apology. Sato was just too overwhelmed.

Sato arrived on the first floor in no time. His face was devoid of emotions, as if his soul had left Sato's body. Gray was distraughted. He left his car immediately and ran up to the young man. Sato's heavy steps were stopped when he walked into Gray's embrace. Gray didn't speak and only chose to spread warmth into Sato's body. He tightly held onto the lifeless boy.

Mahiro and Geraldine were worried about the emotional impact on their son. Multiple times, Geraldine wanted to run out to get hold of her son. Yet, Mahiro stopped her in her tracks. He knew that the boy didn't want anyone to disturb him right now. After all, a parent wanted what's best for their children.

As Mahiro wanted to get some fresh air, he left to the balcony. He noticed a familiar looking boy standing around with another man. He realised it was Sato not long after and beckoned for Geraldine to come take a look. The worried mother drew in a sigh of relief after knowing that his son was in good hands.

Geraldine leaned into Mahiro's shoulder as she spoke to her husband. "Our son has grown up and has someone to lean on."

"Yeah," Mahiro had a weight lifted off his shoulders when he saw the scene before him. He smiled genuinely, "He indeed has grown up."

"Would you like to head home and rest?" Gray said softly. He swayed slightly, side by side, while holding Sato in his embrace. Although they have stood there for over 10 minutes, Gray's voice was patient with no signs of anger.

"Mmm." Sato grunted in agreement.

The boy was lead into the car by Gray. The pair left quietly back home. Back at home, Sato was welcomed back by Gray's loving mother. She gave the young man a gentle hug and a pat on the back for facing his fear.

"I wasn't able to get to a consensus in the end.." Sato regretted. He tried to recall for Melanie.

"It's alright for you to feel this way. Most of the people that has gone through what you did, would react the same way as you." Melanie replied.

"What you should do is gather back your thoughts and emotions. The reason why you acted as so, was because you had kept it in you for so long. At the end of the day, you have taken a big step forward already. And now, whenever you are ready, you can forgive your father."

"Okay." Sato gave a reassured nod. He listened to Gray's mother well. After all, not only was she a professional psychologist in the past, she felt like someone he could trust to tell her any of his problems.