"Hey, Jeez, It's getting late. My breakfast."
"Coming Shaun. Can't you be a little more patient?"
"You know my schedule. Don't you darl? I have too many works eating me up."
"It's your fault. You shouldn't have taken up the task of supervising your friend's company."
"Don't start it again ma! He is my best friend and it's my duty to do it for he has entrusted me with this task."
"Where is he now? Why did he leave the place without telling anyone?"
"He wanted peace. He hadn't had it in his life. Will he return is a million dollar question. Let us hope."
He was about to finish his breakfast when the door bell rang. Shaun attended the door. There was a post man standing with a smile on his lips. A black rimmed spectacles adorned his beard shrunken face.
"Shaun Reed?"
"You know my name?"
"It's there in the letter sir.."
"Your face looks so familiar. Who are you?"
"New post man for the area sir."
"What? From Hayte Kle?"
Tears started welling up his eyes. The visitor nodded his head in approval. Everyday since his leave, Shaun Reed used to check his post box for his mails, mobile for missed calls. But none came and today at least a post from him.
Shaun sat in the sofa thinking in retrospect. Those days were always adorable for him yet hurtful for Hayte. Both were from same college and Hayte got into a job whereas he took research line and continued his passion. Hayte flourished and started a company. Shaun became a research scientist. After Hayte's sister's marriage, he bought a home near his sister's and shifted his home. Taken care of everything, he had only his company duties. He asked Shaun to help him with it.
One fine day, (Probably bad day for his people) he left the place. None knows where he left. 15 years has gone since then.
"Hey, the envelope down here." Jeez shouted. Shaun came to his present. She gave him the envelope and it was addressed to Shaun Reed, him. He told her that he would see it in his office. After checking on Hayte Kle's company, he left for his lab. He noted in his mind that he should read the letter on reaching his lab.
He entered his cabin and tore the envelope open. His face showed a mixture of several emotions as his gaze lowered down the envelope.
"
Dear Shaun Reed,I don't wish to beat around the bush. I am sorry for everything. I am sorry for leaving you 15 years back.I am sorry for not looking after my parents and I am sorry for leaving that responsibility to you. I am sorry for not attending your marriage yet I am happy that I had made some efforts for the life you are living now. I am sorry for burdening you with my company responsibilities but I didn't have one to entrust them with this. I am sorry for making you suffer by my absence yet I didn't choose this. And I am sorry for giving you that "one" major burden to you. I don't have a reason here. But I am sorry for the great battle going on in your mind whether to tell your wife that one of the boys in your home is not actually yours but mine. I am sorry for that too.
The truth which you and I alone know. It is definitely not an ugly truth but not a truth to celebrate with others. The day your first child was born dead and you were not in a position to accept that, I had no other option but to give you my child, my adopted child. Yes Shaun, he isn't my boy and I actually adopted him from a very far village. I adopted him to remove the emptiness around me. I adopted him to make my parents believe that I had a boy with some girl. I adopted a boy to forget my past memories with her. With her, Shaun. I wanted to forget her.
And here, I am without him back into my own circle. But I am happy here, Shaun, with all kids surrounding me with their innocence. And I am happy that my son is safe with you growing happily with my friend. With my brother. I have always seen you as my brother, my younger brother.
You know my life Shaun. You know my hurts and insults. You know my cowardice. You know my denial and weak mind. I have had enough experiences in my life for just 28 years what an octogenarian would have seen. I have never realized who my real people are until the day things started changing. I have always been surrounded by selfish crocs who were waiting for me to slip into the water so that they can eat me off. I have succumbed to their wishes. I've never had courage to tell people what I had in my mind. I have never had strong mind to take decisions in my life. Please don't bring your children that way.
Tell them that you once had a friend named Hayte Kle and the story.
""He was a good, generous and intelligent guy. But he never had confidence in him. He always was clouded by fear through out his life that he might become a loser. He never had the courage to tell what he had in his mind. He was always first when it came to helping others. He was such a nice guy to hang out with and a funny guy. He always wanted relations more than his ego. And so he lost his self-respect and self-esteem to all. Everyone started taking advantage of his weak mind and his soft heart and used him for their benefits.
There was no one except a few which included your dad who had been telling him constantly to be confident and strong. But he didn't hear our words and he started losing by gaining. He rose to a supreme position in his field but failed to keep true people near him. Courage eluded him when it came to his own life but supported him when it came to others'. He was one of the reasons that you two are leading a good life.""
Be confident in life, learn to take strong decisions, never expect from others, learn to be a little selfish, learn to say 'No', never lose your self-esteem, be friendly to all, be careful in your life, shed your innocence after a point, Never run behind people instead make them come behind you, recognize the true people around you, and last never ignore people in life. I know how painful it will be.
I owe a lot to you for taking care of my company and checking on my parents. I heard all about our close friends and all are doing well. Help them in case they need. Hope She is also fine. My parents too would have received a letter and they too would be reading it now.
But you would ask me if I don't have the wish to see you people? I saw you all. I am very happy that I saw you today in morning. Everyone of you. Bye.
With Love,
Hayte Kle.
"
I saw you today. The postman. Shaun started crying. Like a child. He had never cried in the past 15 years. Not after the day Hayte left everyone in despair. He threw away the letter in anguish sorrow. A newspaper flew onto the floor from the envelope. A photo caught his face, Hayte's ID and Shaun read the headline.
"The Unknown guy, who has been in coma for the past 15 years, dies today morning."
