[Spain] The State and The Mind

[Bruno]

It was midnight, the air flew cold in a refreshing night in Badajoz, the breeze served to calm and wash away the hot from the day. A single man, laid back into a wall, smoking a cigarette, his eyes darting across the street where many young couples, families and people were enjoying the night after a extremely hot day, by his side he had a backpack, a small one, drenched in black paint, it was clear that this bag was a cheap one and not a Loui Vuitton, possibly made in China or Burma.

He looked closely to the people walking in the street, dropping the cigarette and putting it out with his foot, knowing no one was paying attention to him he dropped down on one knee, and opened the bag, he smiled, not a full ear to ear smile, but more as bittersweet grin, he pulled out a object, it was a small stuffed bear, ragged looking thing, with one eye missing, and a bit of its left arm missing. He closed the bag, still knelling against the wall, a few tears drooping from his face.

He would get up, and walk towards the nearby park where dozens of people were looking at the sky, behind it stood a bar filled with people dancing to the loud music. He would sit down on a bench near the pond, alone, with the stuffed bear next to him, looking at the moon. He would mutter to himself, before looking to the bear, as if talking to it.

"Today its her anniversary... well.. it would be.. I mean it is... she used to take you everywhere.. school...shopping mall... heck even on vacation. You never left her alone, and she would never leave you." he would pause looking at the bear, the bear would be sat down, that is if you could call it sitting, it was more lumped down on the bench. "Can still tell me what she told you... to tell me..everyday."

He would grab the bear gently, putting pressure on one of his legs. It would let out a single phrase, but it was semi-noticeable that it was running low on batteries, the bear would let out a single phrase, in a jolly voice.

"I lOvE yOu dAd"

"Yup.. you still ca-" his voice would crack as tears fell down his face, he would grab the bear close to his heart, squishing him in a hug it would carry so much emotions, grief... loss... sadness. Never did a man hugged a small teddy bear so strongly. He would lay him down once more next him, he would adjust it as if he was watching the moon. After a brief few second looking to the bear, the man would reach once more into the bag, and take out a single photo.

A woman, himself and a child, passing his fingers by the woman, tears dropping down on the photo. "Why couldn't you just hold on... why couldn't you just hold on to life...why did you have to go... and leave me alone in this world... why didn't they help you both... it could have been done immediately but we didn't have the money... they would only operate when they had the money... If you just had hold on for just a few days I would have the mon-" His voice would crack as he winced and cried. Behind the photo two medical bills would drop down, alongside an unused cheque.

He would wipe his tears from his face, grief would give place to anger.... anger to rage.. and rage... to madness.

"You're a man... man up. Men don't cry, men don't feel sadness, just man up.. grow a pair... Get a job...get a life... get a new wife, make a new kid. They wont help me? Fine. Hopefully someone wont help them to."

He would grab the teddy bear and gently put him into his bag, along side the photo, he would notice both medical bills, take a good look to them, reading the name of the hospital who passed the bil, he would crumple up the paper and stuff it back into the bag. He would rise up from the bench, and start walking towards the street, following the signs that said...Infanta Cristina Hospital.