• SILVER RINGS


    The doorbell rang. It sounded like a long metallic buzz from a giant bee. “Just a moment!” He unlocked the deadbolt, turned the door knob and opened the door. A young man in semi-formal clothing was in front of him.“Good Afternoon, Mr. Akuji! I'm Alex Shanahan. I came here to interview you for my thesis. I called you yesterday.” Mr. Akuji was wearing a blue bath robe with the golden initials, A.A. “Alex... Oh! I'm sorry, I nearly forgot. Come in, it's cold outside.”

    Alex sat down on a sofa facing the fireplace. He found it strange that there was no television in the house. Although there was no television, the house was huge. Just the living room is enough for a family of five to live in. Mr. Akuji came in from the kitchen holding two cups of coffee and gave one to Alex.“Thank you”, he poured some cream and added five tablespoons of sugar. Mr. Akuji drank the coffee without adding anything.

    The interview started and turned into a very long conversation. They were very comfortable of each other's presence despite of the age gap. The conversation slowly turned into a talk about their lives and their jobs.

    “I was wondering, is your last name Japanese? I've never heard of the name Akuji other than yours sir.”

    “Akuji?...It's not Japanese, but I do know that Akuji means dead......and awake.” He looked at the birds outside the window, flying freely and enjoying themselves. His face changed to a calm and happy face as he looked at the birds.

    “Mr. Akuji, you're an expert in criminal psychology and you've studied how criminals think. You know people who have done horrible things. How about you? Have you done anything that you want to undo? Something that you regret to this day?” Mr. Akuji looked at Alex. His calm face turned into a very serious one. “Oh! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that. I myself wouldn't reveal such secrets to someone I've just met. I'm really sorry if I've offended you sir.”

    It was silent. Neither one of them spoke. A second felt like an hour. Suddenly, Mr. Akuji broke the silence,“I know a story of a boy who has done something despicable. Fortunately, he was saved before he became worse.” Mr. Akuji crossed his legs and took a sip of coffee. “It's a long story. Are you still interested?” Alex's eyes shone like those of a kid's, “I like hearing stories, especially non-fiction.”

    *


    Cries and screams filled the small 8 x 12 feet room of a 15 year old boy. Tears endlessly flowed like a river from his eyes. He was looking at the pictures of his father, mother and three sisters. He was the only boy out of four children. “WHY!”, he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Why....why did you all leave me alone?” He always believed that alcoholics and drug users are the most horrible creatures on the face of the planet, yet at that time he was drinking a bottle of beer.

    Ever since his parents and siblings died, he was engulfed by the world he hated. His newly found “friends” went at parties every week and drank beer. They introduced him to their favorite hobby, drinking. At first he would drink one shot glass full, then it became two, then three and then a bottle. His drinking was unstoppable and his depression became worse and worse, day by day. Even his friends got scared of the amount of alcohol he was drinking, but despite the fact that he was drinking everyday, he was still smart enough to avoid drugs.

    After a month of drinking, he started to turn violent. He easily became angry at meaningless things. He slammed doors, broke tables and punched people. His friends left him as well.

    One night, while he was heading home from his usual drinking, he saw a beautiful young woman in her twenties in a dark alley and they were walking towards opposite directions. He was still tipsy from the alcohol he just drank. As they were about to pass by each other, the woman murmurs, “Hmph! An alcoholic boy, such a shame.” It was a very quiet night so the boy heard the woman.

    The boy had bad experiences with beautiful girls. The alcohol was still in effect and he thought, 'I hate slutty women. They seduce you, then hurt you.' Thoughts and images of killing the woman flooded his mind. He had a knife with him that he brings for self-defense. By the time they passed each other, a desire to kill, a blood lust took over. He took out his knife and started stabbing the woman. Each one of his stabs had all of his strength focused on the tip of the blade. The third one was a fatal stab to the heart. The woman didn't scream nor cry, but she said something a second before the fatal blow, “I hope... you... change...” Before he noticed it, he was already covered in blood. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he cried, “No....no.....no!!! What have I done?....No!!!” He looked at the woman, then to her hands and saw that she had a silver ring with engraved hearts entwined together on her ring finger. The thought that the woman was married made the boy feel even worse.

    He looked up and saw a man in his twenties, extremely bothered by what he has witnessed. The boy ran away as fast as he could, leaving his bloody knife behind. Instead of chasing the boy, the man went to the body of the woman lying on the ground. The man pressed his fingers onto the neck of the woman in search for a pulse, but there was none.

    The boy went home, washed his hands and threw away his clothes stained with blood. He went to his room and locked the door. He couldn't stop thinking of the face of the woman she killed. Never has it crossed his mind that he would kill someone, yet he has. He tried diverting his thoughts by reading a book. Every single sentence that he read, the words dead, killed, sin and woman would appear when there really isn't. He screamed and threw away the book out of the window. His hands were shaking as he wiped away the tears. He tried to sleep but the thoughts of the sin he committed would always wake him up.

    The sun rose up again and he was still wide awake. His eyes were red and the skin around it was purple. He went outside with an overwhelming desire to drink alcohol. He frantically looked upon the eyes of every person that he would pass by, fearing that they know of what he has done. Finally he reaches the bar where he always spends his nights. The entrance is in an alley that most people wouldn't notice. Before he could hold the door handle, a hand appeared out of nowhere and taps his shoulder. He turns around to see who it was and to his surprise, it was the man who witnessed his crime. Before the boy could say anything, the man already lands a punch on his left cheek. The punch was so strong that the boy was thrown back and banged his head on the metal door.

    “How could you have killed that innocent woman?”, the man threw a punch at the boy after every heavy breath. “Has she done anything wrong, huh? You scum!” As the boy was being repeatedly pounded, he thought, 'I deserve this.....I deserve to die...' The man continuously beat the living daylights out of the boy, “You don't have the right to live!” One more punch and the boy could have died, but he stopped. The man's fist was just an inch away from the bruised face of the boy. “You're lucky I'm Catholic. Unlike you, I follow His rules. Thou shall not kill.” The man took out about three feet of rope and tied the arms of the boy, “Stand up!” The boy stood up slowly even though his body was already beaten up.

    He took the boy to the police station and told them everything. The boy was very quiet due to the pain from the multiple bruises. The man took out a transparent plastic bag with a knife drenched in blood. He gave it to the police saying that it was evidence and that they should be able to get fingerprints from it. The police took the boy and put him in jail.

    There was a trial and the boy was charged with manslaughter. He pleaded not-guilty and was sentenced for five years in prison. He found bliss in solitude, thinking that he would never be able to hurt anyone in that tiny cell.

    Five years passed and he was free once again. The thirst for alcohol was gone and his mind was clear but the images of his secret was still imprinted in his mind. As he walked out of the prison, he saw a man that seemed to be waiting for someone. The man came closer and the boy was shocked, his heart raced. The man in front of him was the person who beat him up and the one who put him to jail.

    “You have nowhere to go. Come with me, I'm gonna show you something.” It was the first time the boy heard the man's voice while he was calm. It was a deep voice that seemed as if he can make anyone follow his commands. The boy followed the man to his car and he drove it for hours until they reached the top of a mountain. They got out of the car and the man stood one foot away from a cliff. A beautiful view of a river, trees and mountains that sooths and relaxes one's mind could be seen from that cliff.

    A rainbow appeared and the man spoke in a very gentle and happy yet lonely tone, “My wife showed me this area one time when I was mad. It made me relax and I was able to calm down. A rainbow just like that one appeared soon after.” The boy looked at the man's ring finger but he wasn't wearing a wedding ring. He couldn't contain his curiosity so he asked the man, “If you have a wife, then why aren't you wearing a wedding ring?” The man, still enjoying the stunning panorama, replied as if they weren't strangers, “She died....so I took it off.” The boy was surprised, then he thought, 'That must be the reason why he was so angry that time. He probably saw the ring of the woman and he remembered his wife. But why would he bring me here? He has already punished me and the law has already punished me. Is it God this time? Maybe I'm gonna fall of this cliff by accident as a final punishment to what I've done. I should have been killed by him five years ago.' The boy's thoughts were interrupted by the man, “The reason why I brought you here is because you haven't seen much of the beautiful side of life. I'm here to help you. From now on, you will be by my side and I will teach you everything I know and what I believe in. Right now you are dead, but I will awake you. You...” he turned to him and smiled, “...will be reborn.”

    The man turned around and the boy followed. They went in the car again and drove down the mountain to a big house. He parked the car, “We're here. This is my house, you'll be staying here from now on.” The boy was still thinking of how lucky he was to meet this man. His fear of him vanished and he now viewed this man as the noblest person he ever met. He looked at the man's house and was amazed at its incredible size. He got out of the car and followed the man inside of the large house.

    From that day onwards, the man taught everything he knew to the boy. Because the boy went to prison instead of going to high school, the man taught him the things he should have learned and should have had fun with. Not only did he teach him high school knowledge, but he also taught him how to act right, how to think right and things that are learned through experience. The boy converted to Catholicism and learned the rule from the Ten Commandments that the man once told him, 'Thou shall not kill.' He was truly reborn.

    One day the man gave him a lecture that he would never forget: “Life is a journey. To be successful in your journey, you must look at where you are and bring the necessary things to your trip, then you must look forward to know where you're heading. But you must not forget to look back to see if you forgot anything. Right now I'm teaching you the things you need to survive this harsh game called life, I've told you that you must look to the future and plan ahead so that you won't ever be miserable. One thing I haven't told you before is to look at your past and remember your mistakes so that you may never do them again. In your past you have killed someone, it was a mortal sin. Remember this, whenever somebody dear to you dies, you must live on, for the sake of that person. The life that woman should have been enjoying right now was ended by you. What you have done cannot be undone, so the only thing you can do now is to live on for the sake of that person and ask for forgiveness. For every life you take away, you must help an infinite number of people.”

    After a few years, they became great friends and trusted each other very well. They never hid secrets from each other but the man actually did. The doctor said that he had only a few months to live because of a brain tumor. When the man learned of his impending death, he was actually happy instead of sad. He was happy that he has helped someone before he died.

    One night while they were both watching the television, the man suddenly collapsed. The boy rushed him to the hospital. Then he heard from the doctor that the man was about to die. He felt extremely sad that a person dear to him is leaving him again. The doctor came out, removed his mask and said in a gloomy tone, “I'm sorry... He passed away.” Tears came rolling down as soon as he heard it. The person who saved him, has now left him. He was like a father to him and he was also his greatest friend. He went into where the body was and took one last look at him.

    The boy went home and sat on the bed of the man. He could still smell his presence from his belongings. He wanted to end his life, but he remembered what the man told him: '...whenever somebody dear to you dies, you must live on, for the sake of that person.' He stood up and tripped on something. It was a metal box with an open lock. He opened the box and saw a written will and testament. It entitles him to be the owner of the house in case the man dies. The boy was astounded that even to his death, the man was still thinking of someone else rather than himself. There was something else in the box that caught his attention and that was a picture of a beautiful young woman in a white wedding dress and a young man wearing a white suit. Then he found something glistening in the box. Two silver rings with engraved hearts entwined together. The boy took one of the rings and with tears rolling down his cheeks he said, “Thank you... I will live on for both of you!”

    *


    “And that's where the story ends.” Mr. Akuji's eyes were watery and so was Alex's. “That was a very good story sir. I really liked it. So what was the boy's name?” he asked, eagerly waiting for the answer. “I have a problem with my memory yet I still remember that story very well. Although, one thing I can never remember is their names.”

    Alex looked at his watch and was appalled by how much time has passed, “Oh no! I have to go somewhere else! Thank you very much for the time Mr. Akuji! I hope we meet again!” He shook Mr. Akuji's hand and hurriedly went out to his car. Mr. Akuji went back to the sofa, sat down, crossed his legs and took a sip of his cold coffee. As he looked at the fire ablaze in the hearth, he wiped his watery eyes. A tear got into the ring on Mr. Akuji's finger. He wiped away the tear on his ring, a silver ring with engraved hearts entwined together.

    END