“So what really happened to you, Evan?”
Maya looked at Evan, who was lying down and watching cartoons on television. The boy didn’t turn around or answer Maya’s question.
“If you’re not ready to talk, that’s okay. I’m not forcing you,” Maya continued, holding out an orange she had already peeled.
Looking uncertain, Evan sat up and turned toward Maya. His eyes darted around as if he didn’t know where to look. Maya knew the boy was hesitating. She took Evan’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“I was kidnapped two days ago, but suddenly they wanted to take me out of town. I pretended to be asleep when they stopped at a gas station. After that, I ran away,” Evan said, suddenly bursting into tears.
“I don’t want to talk anymore. Waaah!”
Maya pulled the six-year-old boy into her arms, making Evan cry even harder. She gently patted his back, soothing him.
“There, there, there. You’re safe now. Don’t be scared. I’m right here.”
Little by little, Evan’s body began to relax. His tiny arms wrapped tightly around Maya’s neck in return. His father had always taught him that real men weren’t supposed to cry, but he was still just a little boy. Now, held in Maya’s warm embrace, Evan sobbed uncontrollably.
Evan poured out all the fear he had felt during the two days he’d been held captive. His kidnappers had treated him roughly. They had only given him a piece of white bread and no drinking water. How cruel could they be? No wonder his throat was so dry! Luckily, he’d gotten the chance to escape when one of the kidnappers was distracted while refueling the car.
“They pinched me… sniff… and hi-hit me until I turned red.”
“They’re gone now. Shh,” Maya whispered, her eyes glistening with tears. Evan’s crying made her heart ache in a way she had never felt before.
In the middle of his sobs, Evan suddenly pinched her nose.
“Maya, how many days has it been since you washed your hair? You stink,” he said, making Maya want to flick the boy on the forehead.
“Really? I haven’t washed it since yesterday,” Maya replied, sniffing her stale-smelling hair.
“Ewwww, gross,” Evan said, stepping backward.
“Hey, kid, remember, you haven’t bathed either,” Maya shot back, making Evan raise his arm and sniff his own body.
“I haven’t bathed for three days. No wonder I’m so sticky,” Evan said.
After that, Maya told the boy to bathe first. However, instead of getting into the bath right away, Evan trudged lazily into the bathroom, which he found incredibly cramped and strange. Compared with his private bathroom, the room where he now stood was no more than a quarter of its size. His little head concluded that Maya really was poor.
How tragic!
His house had a bathroom filled with modern fixtures like a shower, a bathtub, and all sorts of other things. But in Maya’s house, Evan saw a box-shaped water tank that came up to his ears. Oh, and let’s not forget the heart-shaped dipper and the blue object attached to the floor, with a small hole filled with water.
Evan snorted, then shifted his gaze and stopped at several bathing supplies, all of them yellow. He snickered in amusement. He was six years and one month old, and he didn’t decorate his own bathroom like a baby. Yet here he was, looking at a bathroom filled with trinkets that were mostly yellow, and suddenly his eyes began to hurt.
“Van, don’t take too long! You’ll catch a chill!” Maya shouted from outside the door.
“Catching a chill isn’t a rich person’s disease,” Evan replied arrogantly.
Maya frowned behind the door, then shook her head. Why was the boy so full of himself?
“Maya, why is your bathtub so small? I can’t stretch out my legs.”
Evan’s words made Maya hurry to open the door. She was shocked to find him standing inside the water tank. The woman slapped her forehead.
“That’s not for soaking, Evan,” Maya groaned, holding back tears because she now had to drain the water she had just filled.
Then Maya explained how poor people bathed. The shampoo at home had run out, so she had been forced to mix it with water.
“Oh my gosh, Maya. You’re so poor. I promise I’ll give you lots of money so you won’t have to mix your shampoo with water,” Evan said sadly.