A Quest For Love - S01 E05

Story 1 week ago

A Quest For Love - S01 E05

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

A Quest For Love

The loud noise of the siren filled the park. It was so loud that it made the birds fly away from the trees. Leo held his breath. He looked at Mr. Okafor. He was sure the ambulance was there for the old man. He thought his new friend was very sick. But then, something different happened. The paramedics did not run to the bench. They did not stop at Mr. Okafor. Instead, they ran past the bench toward the duck pond. A woman had been walking her dog near the water. The sun was very hot that day. She had felt very dizzy and had fainted on the grass. The people in the blue uniforms started to help her. They gave her water and checked her heart. They were very busy helping the lady.

Leo felt a little bit of relief. He was glad Mr. Okafor was not sick. He turned to look at the old man. He wanted to say that everything was okay. He wanted to hear the rest of the story about the boy on the red swing. But when Leo looked at Mr. Okafor, he saw a change. It was a sad change. The soft look in the old man’s eyes was gone. The kindness that Leo had worked so hard to find was hidden again. Mr. Okafor looked at the crowd of people watching the paramedics. He looked at the flashing lights. He looked at the noise and the mess. It was too much for him.

Mr. Okafor stood up very quickly. He did not say a word. He did not even look at the drawing Leo had made. He just turned around and walked away. He walked with his head down. He walked like he was trying to hide from the whole world. Leo tried to call out to him. He wanted to tell him to wait. But the old man was moving fast. He disappeared behind the big trees before Leo could say anything. Leo was left standing by the bench all by himself. He felt very small. He looked at the empty red swing. He felt like he had failed his quest. He had tried to bring love to the stone man, but the stone man had turned back into a statue.

The next day was very long. Leo waited and waited for the clock to strike four. He did not play soccer. He did not watch television. He just sat by his window and watched the time go by. When it was finally four o'clock, he ran to the park. He went straight to the wooden bench. But Mr. Okafor was not there. The bench was empty and cold. Leo sat down and waited. He waited until the sun started to go down. He waited until his mother called him home for dinner. But the man who scared the sun did not come.

The second day was even worse. Leo went back to the park. He brought another flower, a blue one this time. He put it on the bench and sat on the grass. He hoped that Mr. Okafor was just running late. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he was resting. But the minutes turned into hours. The blue flower began to wilt in the sun. No one came to sit on the bench. The red swing did not move. It just hung there on its rusty chains. The park felt very lonely. The other children were playing far away, but Leo stayed by the bench. He felt a big hole in his heart.

On the third day, Leo was very worried. He went to the park again, but the bench was still empty. Even the birds seemed to be quieter than usual. They did not sing their happy songs. The wind blew through the leaves, and it sounded like a sad whisper. Leo knew he had to do something. He could not just sit and wait anymore. He saw the ice cream seller near the park gate. The ice cream seller was a kind man with a big white hat. He saw everyone who came in and out of the park.

Leo walked up to the ice cream truck. He did not have any money for a treat, but he had a very important question. He looked up at the seller. Have you seen the old man who sits on the bench? Leo asked. The man with the hard face and the heavy coat? The ice cream seller looked at Leo. He stopped scooping the vanilla ice cream and leaned over the counter. He shook his head slowly and sadly. He looked like he had some bad news.

Word is, his son finally made him leave, the seller said. I saw them yesterday. The man in the fancy suit was very loud. He told the old man that it was time to grow up and move on. He said the house was sold and everything was packed. They said he was going to the big city to live in a place where people would watch him all the time. The ice cream seller sighed. It is a shame. That old man has been here longer than the trees. But I guess his son finally forced him to pack his bags and go.

Leo felt a big lump in his throat. It felt like he had swallowed a large stone. He could not believe it. Mr. Okafor was gone? Without saying goodbye? Without finishing the story of the boy on the swing? Leo felt tears coming back to his eyes. He did not want his friend to disappear. He did not want the quest for love to end like this. He remembered the white handkerchief that Mr. Okafor had used to clean his knee. He remembered that there was a name written on the corner in small, neat letters. The name was Okafor.

Leo ran all the way home. He did not stop until he found his older sister, Maya. Maya was sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework. She was very smart and knew how to use the computer to find things. Maya, you have to help me, Leo cried out. He was breathing very hard. He told her everything. He told her about the park, the bench, the red swing, and the man with the gentle hands. He told her about the son in the suit and the moving truck. He begged her to help him find where Mr. Okafor lived.

Maya looked at her little brother. She saw how much he cared. She saw that this was not just a game. It was a real quest. She put her books away and opened her laptop. They searched and searched. They looked through the town records. They looked for the name Okafor. It was hard because there were many people with that name. But Leo remembered that the house was near the edge of town. He remembered Mr. Okafor saying he lived in a place where he could still hear the train whistle at night.

After a long time, Maya found an address. It is a small house on Willow Lane, she said. That is right at the edge of the woods. It is a very long walk, Leo. Are you sure you want to go? Leo did not even wait to answer. He grabbed his coat and ran out the front door. He did not care if his legs were tired. He did not care if the sun was starting to hide behind the hills. He had to say goodbye. He had to tell Mr. Okafor that he was still his friend.

Leo ran past the grocery store. He ran past the school. He ran past the houses with the white fences. The air was getting cooler, but he was sweating. Finally, he reached the edge of town. He saw the sign for Willow Lane. It was a quiet street with big trees and old houses. He looked at the numbers on the mailboxes. 102, 104, 106. Then he saw it. The small, lonely house at the end of the road.

But when Leo arrived at the front gate, his heart stopped. There was a big wooden sign stuck into the green grass of the lawn. The sign had big red letters that said For Sale. The windows of the house were dark and empty. They looked like eyes that could no longer see. There were no flowers in the garden. There was no smoke coming from the chimney. The house looked like it was crying.

Then, Leo saw the most terrible thing of all. In the long driveway, there was a very large moving truck. The back of the truck was open. Men were carrying boxes and old furniture into the dark space of the truck. They were moving very fast. They were laughing and talking as they worked. They did not know that they were carrying away the memories of a grandfather. They did not know about the red swing or the promise.

Leo stood at the edge of the driveway. He looked for a tall man in a heavy coat. He looked for a face as hard as a cracked sidewalk. He looked for a son in a shiny suit. But he could not see anyone he knew. The truck was almost full. One of the movers started to close the heavy metal door. It made a loud, clanking sound. Leo felt like he was watching a door close on his own heart. Was he too late? Was Mr. Okafor already inside the truck? Or had he already been taken away to the big, cold city? Leo took a deep breath and started to run toward the truck, shouting his friend's name as loud as he could.

Do you think it was right for the son to force Mr. Okafor to sell his house and move away?

Why do you think Mr. Okafor stopped coming to the park after the ambulance arrived?

If you were Leo, would you have asked your sister for help, or would you have given up on the quest?

What do you think is inside the boxes that the movers are putting into the truck?

Do you think Leo will find Mr. Okafor before the moving truck drives away forever?