The Void In My Heart - 5. DAY ONE

The Merryls left for Bree, with Adam and Clara waving at Joey. The boy was teary eyed but held back his tears lest someone saw him. Before Felix could talk to him, he ran to his room and shut the doors.

The doctor came after him and knocked at the door. "Are you alright Joey?" he asked the boy, but didn't get any response.

After waiting for a while, he knocked on the door again. "I am alright. Please, leave me alone", Joey hollered as Felix understood that it was not the right time to talk to the boy. He left the dorm and went to Dr.Reeves' office to talk about single room accommodation for Joey.

Dr.Reeves understood the teen's situation very well and agreed that single room will be better for Joey in the circumstances he was in. Felix immediately called up Adam, and told him about Dr.Reeves' decision, who was elated to hear the news.

Meanwhile, Joey was not feeling good. He was missing his home, but he knew he had to stay at the center for some months. He looked out of the window and remembered the good old days when he used to be with his best buddies. Their mischievous nature used to bring smile on his face. They played soccer on the streets of Bree.

Soon, smile on his face disappeared when he realized that the only place where he could meet them was far from reality. He shut the windows and took out a mouth organ from his bag. He played tune of his favorite song "".

It was after a year, that he was playing mouth organ. He would play it whenever he felt sad. Felix, who was on regular round to the dorm with other doctors, couldn't help but stand outside Joey's room and listen to the melodious tune.

He had come to talk to Joey, but he didn't want to disrupt the tune. It sounded so soothing and heartwarming. After a while, the tune stopped. Joey came towards the door and opened it. Felix was taken by surprise as Joey was equally surprised to see the doctor standing at the door. “That was a really nice tune. Where did you learn to play such nice mouth organ?” the doctor asked in a friendly manner.

Despite knowing that Felix was his brother's friend, the boy did not pay heed to whatever the doctor said. Instead, he went downstairs, no smile on his face. Felix knew it would be tough to bring Joey out of the tragic memories of the past. He knew very well that the boy had stepped out of his house after a year. Moreover, he was used to such callous responses from teens in their initial days at the center. Therefore, he didn't try to stop the teen.

Joey came out of the dorm and sat on a bench in the garden. Playing mouth organ had reminded him of the past. If it was a Sunday and the weather happened to be cloudy, they all sat on the rooftop and he played mouth organ. The boy felt as if that tragedy would haunt him for the rest of his life. Amidst all thoughts, a girl walking with the help of crutches sat on the bench beside Joey. She noticed that the boy was sad and lost in his thoughts. "Hey, you seem to be new here. Haven't seen you before", she tried to strike up a conversation.

Joey looked at her and nodded, but didn't say anything. "I am Meg, and you?" the girl wanted to know the reason behind sadness on his face but there was no response from him.

"Seems like you don't want to talk. I don't know why you are sad, but all I can say is may God give you strength" the girl smiled at him. She was about to get up when the boy spoke "God! You believe in him, even after what he did to you? You need crutches to walk and still you have faith that whatever he does is right."

The girl took a deep breath and replied "it's true I have to depend on these crutches. So what? Life doesn't end there. I faced several difficulties, but never gave up. I might not be able to walk on my legs again, but God has given me strength not to depend on others. People who used to make fun of me are now my friends. He never leaves you astray".

"Don't preach in front of me. People say good beings are always blessed by him. My friends never did bad for anyone and yet, God took them away from me. Is that justified?", the boy got up and went back to the dorm.

Joey had not only become indifferent to people but also lost his faith in God. He came back to his room and thinking about the past, fell asleep. His sleep was broken by the sound of an alarm. Half asleep, he got out of bed and opened the door. He saw all teens going somewhere. First, he thought of asking somebody, but then he closed the doors and went back to his bed. He realized it had been hours since he had fallen asleep.

The alarm was sounded as it was dinner time. Teens used to assemble in a large dining hall which was a good way of increasing interaction with their fellows. Some of the teens preferred to have dinner in their rooms, for which the authorities had made sufficient arrangements. Doctors also used to dine with teens as this promoted healthy and friendly atmosphere among the members of the center.

The dinner had started but Felix could not find Joey in the hall. He got concerned about him as the boy had been alone since the time his family left. Felix asked one of the staff members to bring two plates in room 10 of the boys’ dormitory, and proceeded to the room. He had hardly interacted with Joey prior to that tragedy. He wanted Joey to consider him as a friend, so that he could help the boy come out of the tragic memories. Only conversation the two had, was years ago, when Joey celebrated his 12^th birthday.

When the doctor reached the room, he saw that the door was slightly open. He opened the door without making any noise and saw Joey, who was sitting in one corner. He was staring at the night sky, once again lost in his thoughts.The boy was so deeply engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even realize the presence of the doctor in his room. "Sky looks beautiful with embedded stars, isn't it?" Felix tried to break the ice by starting conversation about the night sky.

Joey was startled a little bit, and spoke "why have you come here? Oh, let me guess, you must have felt pity for my loneliness. Thanks, but I am ok being alone." One of the staff members knocked at the door and Felix asked him to come in.

"You must have heard an alarm; it was for mass dinner in the dining hall. I didn't see you there, so brought food for you", Felix said. "I can see two plates though, so you brought it for us, to be precise", the boy gave a blunt reply, once again.

The doctor had ample patience and politely asked "you mind if we have dinner together?"

"Why would I? What I meant was, that you don't need to show care for me. I have got my elder brother. Thanks for bringing the dinner, though" Joey's words were sharp as a knife.

Felix had interacted with many troubled teens earlier, but he had never got such cold replies. He had the ability to develop friendship with others because of his sober behavior. This time, it was going to be tough.

"Ok, you have your meal. I will see you in morning. Good night Joey", the doctor took a deep breath and left with his plate. The boy knew he had vented out his frustration at the doctor but he couldn't help it.

After having his meal, he was about to setup his bed when he got a call from Adam. Joey was apprehensive that Felix must have told about his rude behavior to his brother. He picked up the call.

"Hey buddy, how are you doing? How was your first day?” Adam asked in a curious manner. "I am good brother, and day was as usual ok", Joey was expecting his brother to ask about the conversations he had with Felix during the day. "I was happy to know that you interacted with Felix and had dinner with him", his brother's words came as a surprise for the boy as he couldn't say something for next few seconds.

"You there champ?" Adam asked.

"Yes...yes...” the boy was still wondering why the doctor had lied to his brother. “Did he say anything else?” he asked Adam.

"No, we just talked about general matters and about your routine. I miss you brother. Will come to see you this weekend", his words brought smile on Joey's face who had been in one of the worst moods all throughout the day.

"Miss you too brother. I am eager to meet you. See you this weekend", the boy said. They wished each other night. After disconnecting the call, the boy wanted to meet Felix but decided that he would confront him, the next day. Joey had mixed feelings as he went to his bed. He felt good to talk to his brother, but at the same time he was confused regarding the doctor's gesture.