A Quest For Love - S01 E09

Story 2 days ago

A Quest For Love - S01 E09

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 9

A Quest For Love

The town of Green Valley felt very empty to Leo. Even though there were still many people walking around and many cars driving on the roads, it felt like a giant hole had been poked in the middle of the world. Leo went to the park every day after school. He sat on the grass near the wooden bench. He looked at the red swing. It was still there, but it did not look happy anymore. Without Mr. Okafor sitting nearby, the park felt like a library where all the books had been taken away. There was no one to watch the red swing. There was no one to wait for the grandson. There was no one to give a yellow flower to. Leo felt a deep sadness in his belly. It was a heavy feeling, like he had swallowed a bag of marbles.

But Leo was not a boy who gave up easily. He remembered everything Mr. Okafor had told him. He remembered the son, David, talking about the big city. He remembered David saying that the new house was near a very famous park. Leo was a smart boy. He went to the school library and looked at a big map of the city. He saw a picture of a park that was very famous. It had a very big fountain in the middle of it. The fountain sprayed water so high that it looked like a silver tower. Leo had a feeling in his heart. It was a tiny voice that whispered to him. The voice said that if Mr. Okafor was lonely, he would go to a place that reminded him of home. He would go to a park. He would find a bench.

That Saturday, Leo decided he had to do something. He went to his mom and his dad. They were sitting in the living room. Leo stood in front of them with his hands behind his back. He looked very serious. "Mom, Dad, I need to go to the city," Leo said. His parents looked at him with surprise. They asked him why a little boy wanted to go to such a big and noisy place. Leo told them about Mr. Okafor. He told them about the wooden box and the tiny blue shoes. He told them about the letter that said "I am sorry." He told them that his friend was like a prisoner in a place where no one talked to him.

Leo’s parents looked at each other. They saw the sparkle of determination in Leo’s eyes. They knew that their son had a very kind heart. "It is a very big city, Leo," his dad said. "There are thousands of people there. It will be like looking for a needle in a giant haystack." But Leo did not care. "I have to try," Leo said. "Because everyone needs a friend, even in the big city." His parents smiled. They agreed to take him. They packed some sandwiches and some water, and they got into the car.

The drive to the city took a long time. Leo watched the trees go by. Then he watched the buildings get taller and taller. Soon, there were no more trees. There were only gray walls of glass and steel. The noise was very loud. There were horns honking and sirens screaming. It was not quiet like Green Valley. When they reached the famous park, Leo gasped. It was huge. It was much bigger than the park in Green Valley. There were thousands of people walking everywhere. There were people on bicycles and people walking dogs. There were children running and shouting.

Leo’s heart sank a little bit. How could he find one old man in this sea of people? But he did not stop. He began to walk. He walked past the big fountain. The water made a loud splashing sound. He walked past the gardens full of roses. He walked past the playground where children were sliding down silver slides. He looked at every single bench he passed. He saw old men reading newspapers. He saw young couples eating lunch. He saw people taking naps. But none of them were the "stone man." None of them had the face that looked like a cracked sidewalk.

They searched for hours. Leo’s legs began to feel very heavy. His feet hurt. The sun was starting to go down. The sky was turning a soft orange and purple color. His mom put her hand on his shoulder. "Leo, it is getting late," she said gently. "Maybe he is not here. Maybe he is at home." Leo felt like crying. He looked at one last path that led toward a quiet corner of the park. It was far away from the loud fountain. It was a place where the trees were thick and the grass was long.

Leo ran down the path. And then, he saw it.

There was a bench tucked under a large weeping willow tree. The long branches of the tree hung down like a green curtain. And sitting on that bench was a man. The man was wearing a heavy coat, even though it was not very cold. He was sitting perfectly still. His hands were tucked into his pockets. He was staring at nothing. He looked like he was made of shadow. Leo knew that shape. He knew that way of sitting. It was Mr. Okafor!

But as Leo got closer, he saw that something was wrong. Mr. Okafor looked worse than he did in Green Valley. His face looked very thin. His eyes looked like they had no light left in them. He did not look like a soldier anymore. He looked like a man who had given up on everything. He looked like he was just waiting for the world to turn off. He did not see Leo coming. He did not see the birds or the trees. He was lost in a very dark place inside his own mind.

Leo did not say a word. He ran as fast as he could. He reached the bench and threw his arms around the old man. He hugged him as tight as he could. "I found you!" Leo cried out. His voice was full of joy and tears. "I found you, Mr. Okafor!"

The old man jumped a little bit. He looked down at the boy. For a few seconds, he did not seem to know who Leo was. But then, he saw the messy hair and the brave smile. He saw the boy who had brought him flowers. Mr. Okafor’s arms moved slowly. He hugged Leo back. He did not say anything. He did not have any words left. He just held onto the boy like he was the only real thing in the world. He squeezed Leo tight, and Leo could feel the old man’s heart beating. It was a slow and tired beat.

Just then, another person appeared on the path. It was David. He was wearing his shiny suit, but his jacket was open and his hair was messy. He looked like he had been running. He had been looking for his father. When he saw Leo hugging the old man, he stopped cold. He looked very confused. He looked like he was seeing a ghost.

"You again?" David asked. His voice was full of wonder and a little bit of anger. "How did you get here? How did you find us? This is the city. You are just a child."

Leo let go of Mr. Okafor and stood up. He was much smaller than David. He was just a little boy in a t-shirt and jeans. But he did not feel small. He felt very tall. He looked David right in the eye. He did not look at David’s fancy watch. He did not look at David’s expensive shoes. He looked at the man’s soul.

"You are very lucky," Leo said. His voice was very clear. It was a voice that did not shake. "My grandpa is gone. He is in heaven now. I cannot talk to him. I cannot give him a drawing. I cannot sit on a bench with him. I would give everything I own, all my toys and all my soccer balls, just to sit on a bench with him for one minute. I would give anything to hear him tell me a story."

David did not say anything. He just stood there and listened.

Leo pointed his finger at Mr. Okafor. "You have your dad right here," Leo said. "He is alive. He is sitting right in front of you. He has a heart that is full of love for you. He has a wooden box full of shoes and cars from when you were a happy family. But you are not treating him like a dad. You are treating him like a box of old clothes. You are treating him like something you want to put in a dark attic and forget about. You are so busy with your meetings and your money that you are missing the most important thing in the world."

The park became very, very quiet. It was like the whole city had stopped making noise just to hear what the little boy was saying. David stopped moving. He looked at Leo. Then he looked at the thousands of people walking by in the distance. He saw how busy everyone was. He saw how everyone was rushing and pushing and shouting. Then, he looked at his father. He saw the old man sitting on the bench. He saw the sadness in his father’s eyes. He saw the thin hands and the heavy coat.

For the first time in many years, David really saw his father. He did not see an old man who was in the way. He did not see a problem that needed to be solved. He saw the man who used to push him on the swing. He saw the man who had written a letter saying "I am sorry." He saw the truth. The truth was that he was losing his father while the man was still sitting right next to him. He saw that he was the one who was acting like a stone man.

David’s face began to change. He looked like he was waking up from a very long and bad dream. He looked at the letter he had kept in his pocket. He looked at Leo, who was standing like a tiny hero. The silence between the father and the son was finally starting to fill up with something new. It was not anger. It was not silence. It was the beginning of an answer.

David took a slow step toward the bench. He looked at his father’s face. He saw a tear rolling down the old man’s cheek. David reached out his hand, but he did not know what to do next. The suspense was so high that it felt like a string that was about to snap. The sun had almost disappeared, and the shadows were getting very long. Everything depended on what David would do in the next few seconds.

Why do you think Mr. Okafor looked worse in the city park than he did in Green Valley?

Leo told David that he was treating his father like a "box of old clothes." What do you think that means?

If you were David, how would you feel after hearing a little boy say those things to you?

Do you think it is possible to be lonely even when there are thousands of people around you?

What do you think David will do now that he has finally seen the truth?