Chapter 8 - The Confrontation in the Dirt
The midday sun was absolutely brutal, baking the dry earth of the South Estate.
My sleek Maybach pulled up slowly along the bumpy dirt road, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
I stepped out of the air-conditioned luxury car, the oppressive, heavy heat hitting my face instantly.
I walked silently through the tall, dry grass until I finally found him.
Lion was swinging a heavy iron pickaxe, desperately trying to break up a massive, stubborn oak tree root.
His hands were horribly blistered and bleeding, wrapped hastily in dirty cloth rags.
He paused his swing when he heard my heavy footsteps crunching on the dry autumn leaves.
He turned around slowly, wiping the stinging sweat from his forehead with a filthy sleeve.
For a long, agonizing moment, neither of us said a single word.
"You missed a spot over there," I finally said, pointing to a small patch of weeds near the wire fence.
Lion let out an exhausted, breathy laugh that sounded like a sob.
"I'll get to it eventually," Lion replied, dropping the heavy pickaxe into the dirt.
He didn't run to me.
He didn't beg for his old, comfortable life back, or ask for his inheritance.
He just stood there, taking his harsh punishment like a real man.
"Why are you doing this to yourself, Lion?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
"You have a master's degree in engineering."
"You could easily get a high-paying job at any tech firm in this entire country."
Lion looked down at his bleeding, raw hands, a deeply sad smile forming on his cracked lips.
"Because I forgot how to use my hands, Dad," he said softly, his voice full of regret.
"I spent so much time trying desperately to fit into a fake world of tailored suits and empty smiles."
"I forgot the literal blood and sweat you sacrificed in the dirt to get me there."
"I am not doing this grueling work to get your money back."
"I am doing this so I can finally look at myself in the mirror again without feeling sick."
I stared at him intently, finally seeing the stubborn, resilient spirit I thought he had lost forever.
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He wasn't the arrogant, silent boy from the expensive restaurant anymore.
He was finally a Vanguard.
