The Legacy of Seán – Part 1: The Orphan’s Plight

Chapter 2: The Special Student | Episode 5

Earlier inside the house, Kevin had already discovered his own private room upstairs, next to Mrs Gupta’s bedroom. It was a small cosy chamber complete with a comfortable bed, a large desk for studying, and ample storage space for his belongings. His luggage had already been delivered to his room by Mr Batra before his arrival. Those boxes and packages now sat at a corner ready to be unpacked. 

Kevin had a very distinctive set of possessions of his own. He had two large suitcases, his school backpack and a big box that appeared to be an encasing for some sort of musical instrument. One suitcase contained his clothes and other necessities. The other one was filled with his sports gear, lots of academic and storybooks and a hoard of accolades he won in his previous schools. He also brought his bicycle which was presented to him on his last birthday. The boy was carrying nearly everything he needed to make his life comfortable in a new environment. 

Kevin’s usual routine after the meal was to study for an hour or two before going to bed. But on that day he was very tired. So, instead of unpacking and arranging his belongings right away, he decided to take a rest.

Clad in his nightgown, he jumped into his soft bed and tucked himself under the warm blanket. He had had an exciting day with lots of new exploits at the school. He wanted to recall those before going to sleep. He laid there with his eyes closed but not asleep. A swarm of images came rushing into his mind.

Kevin, being a child prodigy, had often experienced a unique set of circumstances and interactions with his peers in the schools he previously attended. The older students would frown upon him, often not being able to quite accept his presence in the class. The younger students and those who were of his age wondered why he was smarter than them, considering him to be some kind of ‘alien’. Either way, he was the object of envy to those who could not quite conceive his intelligence level and match his wavelength. Thus being an orphan with extraordinary talents but no parental lineage had never been quite easy for Kevin to handle.  

In the new school, he had noticed the same inquisitive glances, the whispered questions, and the lingering curiosity of his classmates as he experienced before. The inquiries about his academic achievements, his interests, and his unique talents were commonplace. But when it came to his family, he felt a little embarrassed and nervous. 

He particularly remembered the four girls from his school who repeatedly asked whether he had some kind of royal lineage or not. Although he avoided answering personal questions from those ever-curious schoolmates as much as he could, he still doubted that one day they might discover the truth behind his silence. And then there was that big macho boy of his class who despised him as if he did not exist at all.

Oh, how he dismissively disregarded Kevin’s valuable contribution to an important discussion about solving a mathematics equation. Finally, he refused to acknowledge the boy as a prodigy, criticising him as a show-off genius with a disdainful attitude.

‘Reynold,’ Kevin muttered to himself, ‘Why does he dislike me so much? Is it because of my age? Or maybe it’s something else entirely.’ Reynold’s insensitive attitude towards him had surely stirred a feeling of uneasiness in him.

‘But Annie was so sweet,’ Kevin felt an instant relief as soon as he recalled the name.

Annie’s friendly attitude had left a lasting impression on the boy’s mind. He felt sorry when he recalled telling that lie to the girl. He shouldn’t have. Maybe, one day, he should disclose the truth to her and ask for forgiveness.

As he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep, his thoughts still lingered on the bright smiling face of that fifteen-year-old girl. He hoped to build a close friendship with her in the future.

The next morning, Kevin woke up early, eager to settle down into his new routine. He stretched as the sunlight gently filtered through the curtains of his room. He peeped through the glass window.

Aha, the rain has stopped! Now is the time to explore the outside world, he thought. It was a Saturday morning. With no school for the next two days,  Kevin had some time to himself, and a chance to adjust to his new environment.

He quickly washed up, changed into fresh clothes, brushed his teeth, and neatly combed his hair. Then he promptly went downstairs to greet Mrs. Gupta. 

‘Good morning, Aunty!’ he said warmly. 

Malika Gupta was instantly caught by the infectious joviality of the boy. Kevin’s lively expression, sparkling eyes, and vibrant energy could easily lift anyone’s spirits.

After a hearty breakfast, Kevin decided to spend some time arranging his belongings in his room. The bicycle, having been parked safely inside the old barn in the backyard, had already found its place. He was not yet ready to open the box containing his musical instrument and requested Mrs Gupta to allow him to keep it away for the time being. It was decided that the box would be kept in the cellar. Having settled with the two important stuff in his list of belongings, he started unpacking his suitcases. 

Kevin’s room overlooked both the eastern side of the house and the southern backyard of the cottage. There was a large window next to the bed offering a perfect view of the rising sun each morning. The two smaller windows, one giving a view of the front porch and another the backyard were perfectly set in the stone walls for cross ventilation. 

A chest of drawers stood beside the bed to suffice as his wardrobe. He carefully placed his neatly folded clothes inside the drawers and hung his coats and hoodies on the wall hooks. A few knickknacks including the trophies he had brought along found their places on the wall shelves above his bed. 

Kevin’s study table was placed in front of the window with the backyard view. He liked it very much as it allowed him to work while gazing out at the peaceful garden beyond. After arranging his academic books and copies on the table he turned his attention to his beloved storybooks of adventure and mystery. They were stacked on the small wooden shelf beside the bed. Those books were like his old friends, always gave him company whenever he felt the need to escape into the imaginary world of crime-solving.

When he unzipped the second suitcase, the sight of his slightly worn cleats, the old football and the accolades he won in various extracurricular activities brought a rush of memories from his time at Derby and Manchester. He remembered the countless matches he played with his school team, how he felt about scoring a goal, and the cheers from the sidelines. His foster father and his teachers never actually acknowledged his indulgence in sports. They considered it as a distraction to his studies. They expected him to concentrate solely on his academics as if he were on the verge of becoming the next Einstein overnight.  

I wonder what sports would be like here, he thought. I hope I will find a team here too, he kept wondering. His elaborate sports gear soon found a spot under the bed. 

When every one of his belongings was neatly arranged, Kevin looked around his room once again. It was simple, but for the first time, he felt a sense of ownership.

However, there was one thing notably absent from Kevin’s belongings and that was any photographs of his parents or anyone from his past, not even his foster parents. And that was rather unusual for a child like him who was sent away so far from his foster family. The void left by this absence was a persistent reminder of his orphanhood, a chapter of his life that remained shrouded in mystery.

The weather was fine that day, a rarity in the English countryside, which is, as you know, notorious for its unpredictability. So, Kevin decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the surroundings. 

There was a stretch of green meadow just behind the cottage. It seemed to beckon the boy as if almost luring him to an adventure in an unknown land beyond the periphery. Kevin had never lived in the countryside before. It felt different from the bustling streets of Manchester. The air felt still and so overwhelming that he found himself contemplating the change.

Sunday morning arrived with the sun shining brighter than the day before. Kevin decided to join Mrs Gupta in the vegetable garden as a helping hand. Together they spent half of the morning trimming and weeding the entire plot. In the evening Kevin was introduced to Gabriel, a young lad of twenty who worked as a truck driver from the nearby Cilian’s Grocery Store. The friendly grocery boy used to visit Mrs Gupta every Sunday to deliver her weekly supplies. He helped Kevin carry his large box of musical instruments down to the cellar. As he did, he couldn’t help but wonder what such a massive box could possibly hold for someone so young. 

In a nutshell, Kevin had a pleasant first weekend at his place to stay, filled with new discoveries and a sense of comfort. Now, it was time to see if the experiences that awaited him would meet the expectations he carried or not.

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