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10,000 Words
By KENT LEO ESTAURA, LPT, MAEd-Engl-2

Stuck at zero out of ten thousand words. I couldn’t think of any thoughts. There

were already a lot of crumpled papers on the floor. I was basically under

pressure. Five more days before I had to prove myself and I was afraid I couldn’t

make something that would convince my parents not to send me to business

school. Not that, I hate Math. I indeed got A+ in all my Math subjects back in

middle school. The only thing was, I never wanted to do business. I wanted to do

something else. I wanted to be a writer.

“You want to be a writer? Are you insane?” My best-friend Jorhen asked. She

was the only person that I could run to whenever I had problems. We had been

through a lot in our friendship and all those times, she was with me. I guess,

except this time.

“I’m serious.” I plainly answered.

“KL, do your parents know about this crazy idea?” She asked.

“I told them about it a couple of weeks ago. Just like you, they didn’t expect it.”

I said it with a sigh.

“Who would ever think? Like hello? You are the only child of both reputable

individuals in the world of business. Who would take charge of your family

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business in the future if you want to be a writer?” She asked a very good

question.

“I don’t know. All I know is, I want you to help me and that’s what I’m here for.”

I said without having second thoughts.

“So what’s the plan?” She curiously asked.

“Ten thousand words.” I confidently answered.

“Ten thou- wait, what? You’re kidding me, right?” Jorhen started to get hysterical

while I was trying my best not to laugh because of her reaction. If she could only

see herself of how she reacted, her stomach would surely hurt. “

“Jo, I'm not. I Just want to write something worth the risk. I'm determined to

reach my dream. It's now or never. You're with me, right? " I said as I went near

her to hugged her. That was just one way for her not to say no.

“I’m always with you, but I wish you didn’t break my room knob.” She glared at

me.

"I'm sorry," I said as I grabbed a jar of fortune cookies on her study table. I picked

one and it had a paper with a "Follow your heart" in it. It made me smile and

then I left Jorhen’s place.

As usual, my mom and dad were already around the dining table when I arrived.

What was unusual was the eerie atmosphere that seemed to surround my

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parents. Before I could sit on my chair, dad looked at me as if I killed someone.

I knew that look. It was a sign that he wasn't amused. That was the first time

that no pep talk happened during dinner. The dining area was filled in silence

aside from the forks and spoons that were making a sound. I couldn't stand the

silence so I decided not to finish dinner even if it was my favorite Beef and

Mushroom with mashed potatoes. I was about to leave the table when dad

uttered these words, “What a disgrace you are, KL.”

I couldn't move after seconds of hearing his words. I was dumbfounded so I

couldn't tell how I managed to go upstairs and be inside my room. "Am I really

a disgrace?" I already questioned myself a gazillion times but I couldn't come up

with an answer because I thought they were proud of me. I did everything for

them. Everything that would possibly please them even if there were instances

that it was already against my own free will. Mom and dad had always been the

one to decide. I never even experienced choosing the shoes I wanted because

every single thing should pass the approval of my parents. I felt like I live in

isolation. I felt like I couldn't even consider myself living after all, because of the

upbringing of my parents. A wise man once said, "Parents know what's best for

their children," but my mind came up with a question, "Do parents know what

their children want?"

I didn't notice that I fell asleep if I didn't wake up at 4:42 am. I thought it was

way too early to start the day but realizations hit me when I looked at the

calendar and only 4 days were left for me to prepare. I could feel the pressure in

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me and the tension between me and my parents. Aside from that, I would want

to eat before I would start my day because what I ate last night couldn't even be

considered as a snack. So I reached my phone on the table beside my bed and

called Jorhen.

“To early to ruin my day. You swsrlrwssrls-“ I could tell that she was still sleepy

because I couldn’t understand the rest of what she was saying.

"Is that the new way of saying morning, huh?" I was trying not to sound sarcastic

after all.

“KL! It's still 4:53. What do you want? "

“I’ll be there after an hour and a half and I’m so hungry, just so you know”

“What? I still want to sleep.” She protested.

“I thought you wanted to help me?” I emphasized.

“Ugh. Bye!” I could tell she was already annoyed so I hanged up.

I didn't waste any second. I grabbed my bag and put inside my notebook, pens,

sticky notes, and whatever material that would be necessary. I could feel that

today would be the day that I would come up with the whole thing. I made sure

that everything was already in my bag so I rushed to the shower to bathe.

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At 5:15 am and I was all set to go to Jorhen's place. I was confident that mom

and dad wouldn't find out that I would be out as it was still dawn. Unfortunately,

the lights in the kitchen were on and it could be mom who was awake. Knowing

that I could get caught, I started to felt nervous and my heart beat fast as if it

was going to pop out of its cage. After two minutes, the lights were finally off so

I carefully took steps on the stairs, to assure that I would not make any noise.

Just a few more steps for me to reach the main door and voila, lights were turned

on. Mom was awake. She stared at me waiting for an explanation. On the other

hand, I couldn't talk. I couldn't even open my mouth at that time.

“What’s all that for, KL?" She was pertaining to the bag-pack behind me.

I couldn’t think of a word that would answer her question so I looked down with

my fingers crossed.

“Where are you going?” Mom asked like she was trying not to lost grip of her

temper.

“At Jorhen’s. We’ll work on something.” I almost mumbled.

“The WRITER stuff AGAIN? She made an emphasis like she was already fed up

while I just nodded as an answer.

“Until when are you going to disappoint us?” I could already tell mom was angry.

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“When should I follow my dreams, mom? I finally spoke. Fact, that was the first

time that I talked back to my mom.

“You don’t understand! You’re crossing the line, my dear. Please don’t lose track,

KL. ” Mom sounded like she was pleading.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I don’t think I’m lost and I’m not crossing the line. I’m making

a new one.” I grasped the knob and opened the door and left.

I arrived 15 minutes late. Jorhen was finally wide awake and she was already

with her senses. She had already cooked food, as well. She was just only waiting

for me to arrive so we could eat together.

“So here’s what you asked for, Ken. Two tickets- two and fro. The house keys

and car keys. ” She gave me everything I asked her. I would be away for 3 days

and I would be staying at Jorhen’s uncles’s old house.

“Only two?” I curiously asked.

“Yeah, I forgot to tell you that I’ll be off together with my mom to visit my

grandparents so I can’t make it with you today.” Jorhen, explained.

“Oh.” I just gave a short answer and continued eating.

"Don't worry, though. I asked someone to accompany you and you'll meet that

person as soon as you will reach the bus stop in the next city." She added.

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“Thank you for always being my best friend." I went to her and gave her a massive

hug.

“Always. Take care, KL.” She said as she hugged me back.

"I will," I promised.

After our best-friend quality time, we both went to the nearest bus stop. After

some time, the bus that would take me to the next city had finally arrived so I

bid Jorhen goodbye with hope in my eyes.

I finally arrived in the city and I felt scared. It was the first time that I had gone

on a trip without my parents so I was trying to be keen on my surroundings. I

looked around trying to familiarize myself with everything when my phone rang.

A call from an unknown number. I had a strong feeling that it was either mom

or dad so I decided to ignore it. It was just a second after when my phone rang

again. It was Jorhen.

“I thought you’re already dead!” She shouted on the other line.

“Unfortunately, I’m not.” I sarcastically answered.

"Well, see my cousin in the waiting area. He'll be the one to accompany you

around." She hanged up when I was still about to ask her who that cousin was.

So I rushed myself to the waiting area and there was no one aside from a guy in

his early 20s in his wheelchair. I was not sure if he was Jorhen's cousin because

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she didn't tell me whom would it be. I was about to turn back when someone

spoke and I was not sure if it was him.

“Kent Leo?" He asked as if he was hoping he didn't approach the wrong person.

“Yah.” I answered.

“I’m Jorhen's cousin." So the guy in his wheelchair confirmed.

It was a bit awkward because I thought Jorhen's cousin would be accompanying

me but it would be like I would be the one to accompany him. We were both

silents as I walked and he was in his wheelchair. We then stopped in front of a

car.

“I’m sorry if I couldn’t open the door for you.” I could really feel he was sorry.

"It's okay," I assured him.

“Can you help me out?” He was hesitant to ask but he didn’t have any choice.

So I helped him got inside the car. I thought I would be the one to drive because

of his condition but he said, he was good. So I occupied the seat right next to

him and we were off to Jor’s uncle’s house.

We arrived and I was fascinated with the vintage house. It looked like one of the

houses during the Spanish-era and it was made of the finest wood, I should point

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out. I helped Jorhen's cousin to get out of the car and I just realized that we

spent 45 minutes on the way up to their house and I still didn't know his name.

“Von!” A guy in his late 50s said. He was probably Jorhen’s uncle.

“Hi Dad, He is KL - Kent Leo.” He introduced me.

"Hi, I heard so much bout you. Especially the writer thing." He cheerfully greeted

me and gave me a wink.

“I’m afraid you even heard the bad stuff.” I shyly replied.

“No, no. It’s okay. I understand. Some parents are really like that. So I suggest

that you should feel free in this house. By the way, you can call me Uncle Mike.”

I could sense that he had been a supportive parent to Von and I wished mom

and dad were like that.

So we entered the house and I got myself more fascinated and I was really

amazed at what was inside the house. Then, Von took me to the room where I

would stay for 3 more days.

“My room is just right next to yours so feel free to knock whenever you need

something. Holden Von at your service.” He said the last part with his hand on

his forehead like a soldier. It made me laugh.

"Thank you so much," I said before I closed the door.

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I roamed my eyes around the room and I loved it. I would love my room to be as

such so I took my phone and clicked a photo. Then, I noticed there were 2

messages from dad. I was afraid of what was in the text but I still read it.

“You went out of the house so there is no reason for you to come back. I was not

supposed to raise a brat but that’s what you become.” That was just the first

text so I didn’t bother to read the other, the next thing I knew, my tears streamed

down my face.

I didn’t notice that I fell asleep crying if the knock on the door didn’t wake me

up. I opened it and it was Von.

“Dinner is served.” He said.

“Oh! Give me 2 more minutes.” I requested.

“Take your time.” He said and smiled.

It was just me and Von, I didn't know where Uncle Mike was. He was probably

out after dinner, I decided to work in my room. I seemed to be more focused. I

loved to write whenever things weren't all right. What dad said in the text just

gave me a motivation to prove them all wrong. So I got my stuff and started

writing. Thoughts automatically and randomly popped out my used-to-be-empty

brain. I didn't notice that I was already half of what I was writing and it was

already past twelve. I decided to finish the last sentence for the night so I could

sleep.

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I could hear the sound of the birds that were chirping to my ears that morning.

I and Von also ate breakfast together and we talked about a few things. Although,

most of the conversation was about me and my dream of becoming a writer. He

also cracked 3 jokes, if I was not mistaken. I seemed to enjoy Von’s company

now and I felt guilty at the same time because I seemed to belittle him at the first

glance. I told him about it and I said sorry but he said it was okay and I should

focus on my writing stuff. So basically my everyday routine was only to eat,

write, and sleep.

The time had finally arrived. I woke up so early to prepare my stuff because today

was the day that I had to go to the place that I always wanted to go to. The 10,000

Words, the industry for aspiring writers like me. It was the well-known

publishing industry in the city and every year, aspiring writers were given a

chance to be part of their team. Then, one work of every chosen aspiring writer

would be published. I couldn't waste the opportunity so when I was done with

my stuff, I went outside and rushed to the kitchen. I thought I was the only one

who was excited but Von was already awake and was preparing food.

“So all set for the big day, huh?” He enthusiastically greeted me.

"Yeah, the pressure is there but there are more exciting feels!" I replied.

“Great that I prepared breakfast earlier than the usual! I would like to drive you

to 10,000 Words today.” He volunteered.

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I didn’t say no, so we ate breakfast and got ourselves ready for the 30-minute

trip. As usual, I helped Von to get inside the car and when we were both sets, we

went off.

We arrived just on time and Von could sense that I was nervous. He held my

hand and said that “you could make it” and that really helped. I asked him not

to wait for me because I might take time and I didn’t want to be an extra burden.

I told him I would just take a cab on my way back to their house and luckily, he

agreed.

I pushed the door of 10,000 Words and told myself that this was really it. One

blonde girl who looked so beautiful in her floral dress accompanied and

entertained me. She read my output and she loved it, I could tell. We had a

chitchat and she told me that the manager would like to see me. I knew it! I could

feel that I was on the way to becoming a writer. We were already in front of the

Manager's office and the beautiful blonde girl opened the door for me.

A guy in a suit smiled before I could even enter the office. He offered me a seat

and extended his hand and introduced himself as Mr. Black. Ironically, he was

not. He was a tall, white man in his 60s.

Throughout the conversation, he was reading my work and I could see in his

expression that he loved it. He asked questions more about the content and the

characters' portrayal in my story. All in all, I could say, I could make it to be part

of their team. Our conversation was only interrupted when he had to excuse

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himself to answer the call from his phone. The call was probably important and

quite personal because he still had to go outside.

I was patiently waiting for Mr. Black because I could not wait to be welcomed to

his team but when he came back, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

“Is your full name, Kent Leo Harriet?” He asked.

"Yes, Sir," I answered.

“Are your parents the well-known Melanie and David Harriet? He asked again to

verify.

"Yes, Sir," I replied.

“I’m sorry but I don’t want to put the industry at risk. We can’t accept you, KL.”

Those words broke me. I went out of 10,000 Words crying. I could tell who called

Mr. Black, it was either my mom or dad and one of them bribed him. I couldn’t

imagine that my parents could do more than I expected. It was so unfair.

I no longer had any idea what else to do. I was not with myself and I didn’t notice

that I was in the middle of the street and there was a car that was fast

approaching. Then everything just went black.

I woke up in a white room. I was sure I was in the hospital but I was not sure

what actually happened. All I knew was my body ached that time and no one

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was there for me, not even my parents. So I decided to close my eyes to sleep

again but I heard the door opened.

I chose to be in the same position and not to let anybody knew I was already

awake. I could hear people talking and I was sure that it was mom, who was

crying.

“Why it has to reach this point, David?” Mom asked dad.

“It’s all my fault.”Dad blamed himself.

“Regrets always come at the end, Mr. and Mrs. Harriet.” I thought it was only

mom and dad but that voice, I was sure that Von was there.

“I’ve only known KL for 4 days but I know that he’s a good son. He just only

wants to be a writer and there’s nothing wrong with it. Look at me, I'm in my

wheelchair but will you believe that I have climbed numerous mountains and I

love trekking? You might think I'm telling a joke because obviously I am in my

wheelchair and I will never be capable of doing such, but dad was there for me.

He is always there to push my wheelchair and carry me. That’s just what KL

wants. He just wants both of you to be there for him. He is only asking for your

support. Have you read his work? I bet if you both do, you will take back what

you’ve said that he’s a disgrace because he’s very good at writing. It’s not yet too

late Mr. and Mrs. Harriet, you can still help KL not just to become an aspiring

writer but to be an inspiring author. ”

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My parents didn’t say a word. I couldn’t believe everything that Von had said to

my parents. At the same time, I could no longer pretend to be asleep so I opened

my eyes. The next thing I knew, my parents hugged me with love.

Days passed, I was ready to be discharged from the hospital. Mom, dad, and I

were also already on good terms. I could not explain my happiness. I probably

didn't make it with 10,000 Words but what was important was, I could now go

back home with my family and I could not ask for more.

Mom and dad were waiting for me inside the car. I was about to get in the

backseat when someone called my name, it was Von. I almost forgot to bid him

goodbye and thanked him at the same time and also Uncle Mike.

“Hey!” I greeted him.

“So you’re good to go?” He asked.

“I’m afraid I have to. Anyway, thank you so much for everything. Kindly tell Uncle

Mike, as well.” I requested.

“It was nice to accompany you around, KL. So I have you here something you

would like to have before you leave.” He reached me out an issue of the 10,000

Words Magazine of Work of the chosen aspiring writer.

"Thanks," I said as I hugged Marcus for that little gift and for the little favor he

did when I was still in their house. Then, I bid him goodbye.

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I got inside the car and dad started the car’s engine. While on the way home, I

flipped the magazine’s pages and I shouted out of a sudden.

“Why am I included here? I shouted

“It only means you made up to the next level of reaching your dreams.” Mom

said.

“But Mr. Black said no.” I protested.

“I made him to, KL. Sorry for being selfish. If it wasn’t because of Von, it would

be too late for me and your mom to realize that you really have the potential.” I

could feel that dad was really sorry when he uttered those words.

“Allow us to support you this time, sweetheart.” Mom said.

I could not explain how happy I was when I heard my parents. All I know was I

couldn't wait to work with 10,000 words and see Von again.

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