Ice Cream

Photograph by a young storyteller.

Chapter One

“Mum, wake up,” Mateo looked at his mum with sorrowful eyes. Maria looked back at him whilst robbing tiredness of her face. “I’m going shops,” said Mateo, “you need your meds.” Mateo walked out the one-bedroom apartment and onto the streets he passed the park which he went whenever his mom was high or bringing a man to the apartment, his comfort tree was his only safe space.

Mateo never really got to see his dad as he was gone before his mom knew she was pregnant, everything thing was going well for the first ten years of his life. He used to love taking photographs of all sort of things, but then one night his mom came home with another man, he introduced her to drugs then she got addicted, and then, out of nowhere, he just disappeared with all of her jewellery. Then she got fired from her job, she was in deep trouble, she used all of her savings to buy drugs and had to sell their house.

Mateo promised himself that he would never think of this painful memory again but why was he thinking of it? Why now?

Mateo walked into the shops and realised he didn’t have enough money, he looked at the med then he looked at the door, he made a run for it he grabbed the meds and then he ran out the door. The store keeper noticed this and followed him.

The shopkeeper dropped Mateo to the ground. Mateo’s life started flashing before his eyes. He kept on thinking ‘I deserve, I deserve everything that’s happening to me.’ By the time Mateo snapped back to reality a whole crowd had gathered around him. People tried to stop it but the shopkeeper was not having it, “I’m tired of him stealing from me, it happens every day.”

****

Axar was walking down the street with his short curly hair blowing in the summer breeze. He looked to the right to see the commotion.

****

He was looking as a guy about his age was on the ground being beaten. He ran to the scene almost getting hit by a car, he asked the shopkeeper what was going on. The shopkeeper stopped and was about to start shouting but when he looked up “Oh, Mr. John-Hackered” the shopkeeper keeper exclaimed now fully smiling and the anger completely wiped from his face “I didn’t know you were in town”. Axar helped Mateo up and asked the shopkeeper if he could pay for what Mateo had stolen. The shopkeeper looked at Mateo then at Axar and sighed, ”Fine”.

People started going on with their day, when Axar asked Mateo if he wanted to come home with him so he could take care of Mateo’s wound, Mateo declined his offer and started walking home. Yet, after a few seconds, he noticed that Axar was following him. He stopped so Axar could catch up, when Axar caught up they began walking in complete silence, Axar broke the silence by asking Mateo what his name was, Mateo was hesitant at first but he eventually gave in and told Axar his name. Axar was about to tell Mateo his name - Mateo interrupted him and said, “I know who you are, after all, if you come from a wealthy family everyone knows who you are”.

They continued walking for several minutes before they stopped. Axar looked up to see a broken down flat with missing window, glass bottle and pieces of cigarette butts everywhere.

“This is where you live?” Axar said shockingly.

“Not everyone is rich like you,” shouted Mateo as he stormed off into the apartment.

Chapter Two

Mateo walked into the apartment to see his mom making out with a man he had never seen before, he shouted,  “I left for only 30 minutes and you're already making out with someone!!” He threw the meds on the floor and ran out crying, he didn’t see Axar in the way on his pitiful outburst and bumped into him they exchanged awkward glances and Mateo got up and started running, Axar quickly got up and ran after him. He saw Mateo crying under a tree, he walked up to him and sat next to him. They sat in complete silence before Axar said “Do you want to talk about it or is it private?” Mateo looked at Axar with resentment, with eyes of daggers, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Axar looked at Mateo supportively and said “Fine I’ll just tell you my story,” Axar started talking about how his dad was alcoholic, aggressive and was never really around.

“I never really had a father figure, my mother was the only one who really cared about me...” Axar was cut off by the person sitting next to him, he forgot that Mateo was still with him.

“At least you had someone that cared about you,” Mateo responded, looking at the guitar string calluses on his fingers.

The rest of the day went by very quickly and both of them got to know each other quite well. For once in his life Mateo felt safe. He felt secure. Mateo started to doze off and rested his head on Axar's shoulder consequently inhaling the piercing smell of chlorine in Axar’s hair.

“The stars are beautiful,” Mateo hushed, looking up at the brightly coloured sky, before falling into deep slumber. Axar looked at mateo and smiled, but before he could wake up Mateo a bunch of young boys walked past them. When the saw Mateo and Axar sitting under a tree they stopped dead in their tracks, turned around and shouted “Fag!” Before running away.

Chapter Three

KNOCK KNOCK. Mateo jumped up from where he was sitting and ran to the door to see Axar patiently waiting for him.

Mateo almost teared up remembering the memory of what happened after he came back home four days ago.

****

Mateo walked in to see his mom still making up with the same the guy he met before his sudden outburst, Mateo ran to his room with tears in his eyes. An hour later his mum burst in his room shouting, “What the hell was that Mateo?”

“What do you mean mum?”

“I mean why would you embarrass me in front of that guy,” shouted Mary with hatred in her eyes.

“Mum. This is dad all over again, he’s just going to use you and then leave you all over again!!”

“Listen here Mateo don’t you dare raise your voice at me” she stormed off and slammed the door.

****

Mateo quickly wiped the tears off his face and greeted Axar with a smile, Mateo didn’t even bother saying bye and he just closed the door and walked out. Axar looked at Mateo and realised how upset he looked. “Do you want ice cream?” said Axar with a smile on his face. “Yess” Mateo replied with a glimmer in his eyes.

“You have something on your face,” Axar smiled teasingly, “Let me get it for you.” Axar placed a kiss on Mateo’s lips and then smiled, Mateo froze and looked Axar with shock “Oh my days I’m so sorry if I thought you didn’t feel the same way I wouldn’t have done it.”

“It’s okay.”

****

Axar remembered what his mom would have said, “Listen here my child it is never okay to associate with those people.”

“What people mum?”

“You know those disgrace those people who like the same gender. I never want you to put yourself in the place of those types of people. It’s wrong. It’s not right.”

****

Axar didn’t feel like what he was doing was wrong, he felt as though holding Mateo's hands was the most right thing he’d ever done (and he’d done a lot of things in his life).

After walking for a while with Mateo’s hands wrapped around his Axar realised that there was a herd of people now gathering around them, after close examination Axar realised that one of them was holding a gun, Axar looked at Mateo and whispered, “RUN!” Without hesitation they both started running, only to be cornered by a cold brick wall.

The guy with the came in front and pointed the gun at the two boys, Mateo looked up to see that the man holding the gun was the guy who was making out with his mom a couple days ago but before he could say anything Axar looked at Mateo and whispered in Mateo ears, “If I can’t be with you in this world, I’ll be with you in the next.”

BANG. BANG.