Baby Ricky lay alone on the floor, his small body curled tightly as tears streamed down his face. Just moments earlier, A Tong had been right there. Warm. Familiar. Safe. Then suddenly, A Tong ran away, leaving Ricky behind without a glance. To A Tong, it was nothing serious. To Ricky, it felt like the world had ended.
Ricky cried loudly, his voice echoing across the room. His tiny hands reached forward, grasping at empty space, searching desperately for the one who had left him. He tried to crawl, but his movements were weak and unsteady. The floor felt cold, unforgiving, nothing like the comfort he had known moments before.
His cries grew sharper, filled with fear more than anger. Being alone was the scariest feeling Ricky knew. He didn’t understand why A Tong left. He only knew that he was alone now, and that hurt deep inside his small chest. Tears soaked the floor beneath him as he kicked his feet in frustration, calling out again and again.
Time passed slowly. No answer came.
Ricky’s cries began to break into sobs. His breathing turned uneven, little hiccups shaking his body. Exhaustion crept in, but he refused to stop calling. Every sound he made was a plea—come back, don’t leave me.
From a distance, A Tong finally heard the crying. He stopped running. Something tugged at him, a feeling he couldn’t name. He turned back slowly and saw Ricky still there, alone on the floor, eyes swollen, body shaking.
Guilt washed over him.
A Tong hurried back and scooped Ricky up gently. The crying stopped almost instantly. Ricky clung tightly, burying his face against A Tong, as if afraid he might disappear again. His sobs softened, replaced by quiet sniffles and deep breaths.
A Tong held him close, realizing too late how much that brief moment of leaving had hurt. Ricky didn’t need space or independence. He needed reassurance.
That day, Ricky learned how painful being left behind could feel. And A Tong learned something just as important: running away may seem harmless, but to a small heart, it can feel like losing everything.
Held again, Ricky finally felt safe.
