Pricing Every Hug in a Loveless Home

My world is simple. Everything has a price. A goodnight hug from Mom costs one dollar. Three minutes of Dad spinning me around in his arms costs five dollars. I keep track of it all in my head, then count out the coins from my bear purse to pay them. Dad calls it "splitting bills". He says it teaches me to be independent and never leech off others. I don't have any friends because I have no idea how to pay for friendship. I'm not scared of monsters in the dark. I'm scared of Dad looking over the bill and saying, "Kevin, you overspent on love today." So, I save every penny I can, hoping to buy more and more love. Then comes the day a stranger offers me a candy wrapped in shiny paper. Out of habit, I ask him how much it is. He says it's free, and I just need to walk with him for a while. Chapter 1 My teacher, Ms. Alice Hudson, gave me a star sticker. It shimmered under the light, resting on the back of my hand like a real star. The other kids lifted theirs up to show their moms, but I didn't. I carefully peeled mine off and tucked it deep inside my pocket. I kept my fist clenched around it all the way home while my mind raced. My father, Henry Malone, had taught me that everything needed to be evaluated to offset against my "education budget". How much was this sticker worth? Ten cents? 20 cents? I was nervous. If I guessed too high, Dad would say I was being dishonest. If I guessed too low, I'd be letting Ms. Hudson down. When I got home, my mother, Esme Lowe, was mopping the floor. I ran over, dug through my faded bear purse, and fished out a single coin before holding it out to her. "Mom, I want to buy a hug," I whispered. Something flickered in Mom's eyes, but it vanished just as quickly. She straightened up and opened her arms. I leaned in. One second. Two seconds. She pulled back, took the coin, and dropped it into a glass jar sitting on the kitchen sill. A thin layer of coins was already resting at the bottom. Dad was sitting on the couch. He glanced up for a second before looking back down at his phone. "What did you accomplish at school today?" he asked, his eyes glued to the screen. Nervously, I pulled the star sticker from my pocket and handed it over. He took it without a word of praise, snapped a picture with his phone, and uploaded it with a note. "Educational ROI: Non-monetary asset x1, valued at an estimated 20 cents, to be deducted from educational expenses." I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness, my estimate had been pretty close. Just then, the doorbell rang. Mom went to answer it. Aunt Sophie Lowe and my older cousin, Howard Nash, were standing at the door. "Esme!" Aunt Sophie scooped me right off the floor and planted a big kiss on my cheek. "Look at you, my sweet little boy! I missed you so much!" I went rigid. Aunt Sophie's hug was warm. It wasn't rushed like Mom's, and she didn't count the seconds in her head like Dad. But… But this hug was way too expensive. I squirmed out of her arms, scrambled behind Mom, and tugged at her apron. "Mom, how much does Aunt Sophie's hug cost? I don't have enough money. Can I put it on credit?" The smile faded from Aunt Sophie's face. She stared at me in total shock, then turned her gaze back and forth between Mom and Dad. Howard was only a year older than me and couldn't read the room. He ran over and shoved an action figure into my hands. "Here, Kevin, you can have this!" Panicking, I shrank back and pulled my bear purse tightly against my chest. "I can't just take your things for free." "Henry! Esme! Look at what you've done!" Aunt Sophie finally blew up. Her finger trembled as she pointed at Mom and Dad. "Are you insane? You're turning this child into a monster! This is a home, not a company!" Dad adjusted his glasses and said, "Sophie, you don't get it. This is our progressive parenting philosophy. We're teaching him self-reliance so he won't take advantage of others. It'll give him a real edge in the world." "Self-reliance? An edge?" Aunt Sophie let out an angry laugh. "He's four years old! He needs unconditional love, not your damn transactional exchange!" Mom caught Aunt Sophie by the arm and muttered quietly, "Come on, Sophie, calm down. We have our own way of doing things. Just stay out of it." Aunt Sophie looked at Mom with sheer disappointment. The argument ended in a complete mess. Aunt Sophie turned to leave with tears in her eyes, but before she went, she crouched down and secretly slipped me a piece of candy. The wrapper sparkled brighter than anything I had ever seen. She lowered her voice and said, "Listen to me, Kevin. What I give you is love. And love is free." I squeezed the candy tightly in my fist, utterly bewildered. Love… was free? Chapter 2 In the middle of the night, a fever hit me. My body swung between freezing cold and burning hot. I felt terrible. I wanted to call for Mom, but I didn't dare. I quietly unzipped my bear purse. Inside were just two coins and a few "Family Love Vouchers" I had drawn myself. Getting sick meant Mom had to take care of me, and that came with a fee. Nighttime service was bound to be even more expensive. I didn't have enough money. I couldn't afford it. And I was terrified of running a negative balance. Dad always said that owing a debt was disgraceful. So, I wrapped myself tight in my blanket, clutching the candy Aunt Sophie had given me. It was the only free thing I had. I endured the misery, praying for the morning sun to hurry up. The next morning, Mom came to wake me. The moment her hand touched my forehead, she gasped. Her hand was cold, and it felt so good against my skin. Dad's instant reaction, however, was to pull out his phone and open his ledger app. "Estimated medical costs are eight dollars. My errand fee, based on minimum wage, is two dollars. That brings the total to ten. Esme, transfer five dollars to the family emergency medical fund first." "Henry! Go buy the medicine first! Kevin is burning up!" Mom's voice quivered with tears. "We must follow the rules." Dad wouldn't budge. They started arguing right by the door. Words like "expenses", "payments", and "unfair" drifted through the bedroom door. Getting sick meant spending too much money and throwing our family into a deficit. It was all my fault. I crawled out of bed and ran to them barefoot. I pressed my bear purse, all my savings inside, and Aunt Sophie's candy—the one I had been saving and couldn't bear to eat—into Mom's hands. "Mom, I'm giving everything back to you. Please stop fighting," I sobbed. "I promise… I promise I won't get sick anymore." Mom stared at the things in my hands, then at my fever-flushed face, and suddenly broke down. For the first time ever, she screamed at Dad. "Henry, look at him! Just look at what you've driven our son to!" It was the first time I had ever seen Mom stand up to him. Somewhere deep down, a tiny part of me felt happy. Dad was stunned by Mom's outburst. As he glanced at the imported candy in my hands, his gaze turned even colder. "It's precisely Sophie's interference that distorted Kevin's values! It must be corrected!" His idea of a "correction" was a far more detailed "Family Contributions and Returns Assessment". Dad taped it to the wall. It listed two points for wiping the table, three for lining up everyone's slippers, five for going downstairs to the convenience store alone… And a bedtime story required ten points to redeem. Just to hear a story before sleep, I stood on my tiptoes, pushing with all my strength to wipe a dining table taller than I was. One day, Dad sent me downstairs to the store to buy a bottle of soy sauce. He gave me the exact amount—not a penny more, not a penny less. Outside the store, I saw a strange man handing out candy to other kids. The wrappers looked just like the one Aunt Sophie had given me, bright and sparkling. I remembered Aunt Sophie's words—"Love is free." The smile on the man's face looked a bit like Aunt Sophie's. As I stared at him, those strange feelings began to stir inside me once more. That night, Mom and Dad got into another furious argument over a 20-cent discrepancy in splitting the electric bill. Hiding behind my bedroom door, I listened to them shout about "losses", "unclear ledgers", and "unfairness". It was me. I was the one consuming too much love. I was the one bringing losses to this home. I had to earn money for my family to cover the deficit. I needed to go outside, find that free love, and bring it back home. Chapter 3 The next day, the house was deathly quiet. Mom and Dad were giving each other the silent treatment, not speaking a word to each other. There was no breakfast on the dining table, and no one was in the living room. This only made me more determined to go out and "earn money". I got dressed and slung my bear purse over my shoulder. Inside were my two coins and a few "Family Love Vouchers" I had drawn with hugs and smiley faces. I also brought the candy Aunt Sophie had given me, which I still hadn't dared to eat. This was my entire net worth, as well as my credit verification. At the front door, I hesitated for a moment and looked back at the silent home. I whispered into the empty air, "Mom, Dad, I'm going out to earn money for our family." Then, I turned the handle and walked out. Guided by memory, I walked to the neighborhood garden where I had seen the strange man yesterday. Luckily, he was there again. The moment he spotted me all by myself, his eyes lit up, and a warm smile instantly washed over his face. He walked over to me and pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. It was even bigger than the one Aunt Sophie had given me and was wrapped in golden paper with a cartoon bear printed on it. It looked prettier than any candy I had ever seen. He held the candy out to me. "Hey, little guy, you can have a piece of candy." I took a step back. Mom and Dad had taught me well. I couldn't just take things from others for free. I looked at him guardedly and asked in all seriousness, "Sir… How much is this candy?" This was the single most important rule Dad had taught me. The man paused for a second, then seemed to realize something. He played along with my logic. "This candy is very special. It doesn't cost money. But you need to do me a favor." I understood right away. This was a payment method based on "labor exchange", just like wiping the table at home to trade for a bedtime story. It was fair. I nodded earnestly. "Okay. What kind of favor?" Smiling, the man said, "I can't find my way home. Come with me and help me find my mom, and this candy is yours." Without a single shadow of doubt, I held out my hand, letting his big, warm hand take mine. I was even a little thrilled because I was about to earn such a pretty piece of candy. I could bring it back home and tell Mom and Dad that I hadn't let them run a "loss". And just like that, we slowly walked out of the neighborhood. The evening sun fell on my face, feeling warm and gentle. … That evening, the silent treatment at home finally came to an end. Mom was getting ready to cook dinner when she realized I was nowhere to be seen. At first, they thought I was hiding in one of the rooms or playing at a neighbor's place. They searched the entire apartment and asked the neighbors but found nothing. Panicking, Mom called Aunt Sophie. The moment Aunt Sophie heard the situation over the phone, she felt something was terribly wrong and urged them to call the police immediately. Dad was still complaining on the side, saying that calling the police was making a mountain out of a molehill. He even muttered under his breath, wondering whether they would have to pay for wasting public resources if the police failed to find me. Right then, Mom found a small piece of paper under the doormat by the entryway. It was a crayon drawing I had made. In the picture, a little boy handed a big bag of gold coins to his parents. Beside it, in the crooked letters I'd just learned to write, were the words "Off to earn money". Chapter 4 I felt like I was growing lighter, floating up into the air like a single feather. Everything before me went pitch black. My body didn't hurt anymore, and I wasn't scared at all. Just a little cold. I saw another "me", dressed in my clothes, lying on a cold iron bed. The man who had offered me the candy was talking to another stranger. "This batch of 'goods' is top quality. You can settle the bill now." I didn't understand what they were saying, but I had completed the "payment" for that candy. Maybe, just like the picture I drew, I had "earned" a whole lot of money for our family. When Mom and Dad saw the receipt, they were bound to be so happy. I missed Mom. The moment that thought crossed my mind, I drifted upward, floated right through the walls, and returned home. The house was still as quiet as ever. Mom and Dad sat on the couch, neither saying a word. I saw the drawing I had left by the entryway, along with those few crooked words: "I went to earn money". I was thrilled. They would find out very soon that I had made a real contribution to our family. I watched Mom spot the note. Her face instantly drained of color, turning whiter than the wall behind her. I didn't quite get it. Why didn't she look happy? She grabbed Dad's arm and screamed, "Call the police!" in a voice I had never heard from her before. Dad's face turned strange too. For the first time ever, he tossed his phone with the ledger app right onto the couch. I drifted behind them to a place filled with men wearing uniforms. I heard Mom and Dad describing me to one of the officers, saying I liked "splitting bills", loved "making transactions", and never left the house without my bear purse. The uniformed officer's expression turned deeply grim. I felt a little proud inside. See? Even adults I didn't know understood my rules. Then I appeared on a screen. I saw myself holding the man's hand and getting into a white van. Mom and Dad became hysterical all at once. I was happy too. Were they here to pick me up from "work"? But soon, a phone call came in. The officer said the license plate was fake. Mom broke down crying on the spot, and Dad slammed his fist into the wall. I floated over to Mom's side, wanting to give her a hug the way Aunt Sophie did, but my hands passed straight through her body. For the very first time, I felt lost. Why were they so sad? I left to earn money. Wasn't this something to celebrate? Aunt Sophie rushed over too, and the house descended into complete chaos. Dad kept raising the reward amount online, muttering over and over, "Any amount is fine! I'll pay! I'll pay!" I looked at those numbers. They were endlessly bigger than all the money in my bear purse and all my drawn "Family Love Vouchers" combined. It turned out Dad was so rich. Then why did I have to pay for a single hug in the past? The phone rang again. They said a child matching my description was found in a neighboring city. I floated beside the car as Mom and Dad drove fast, so very fast. I heard Mom sobbing continuously inside the car. She said that once she found me, she would never keep a ledger again. She promised to buy me the best toys in the world and every piece of candy I ever wanted. A gentle warmth filled my chest. So, completing such a huge transaction could yield this many rewards. Except… that child wasn't me. I heard Mom let out a horrifying wail. Dad held her close. That calm, rational Dad was crying too. Floating beside them, I felt their grief for the first time. Just as they were at their absolute lowest, the officer called out to them. I followed them into a small white room. At a single glance, I spotted my favorite jacket. Only it was covered in bright red, like the red paint I used to spill by accident when drawing pictures. Lying beside it was the golden candy wrapper I had "earned". I was so glad. That was my "receipt"! They had found it! Now it could prove that I completed the transaction. The moment Mom saw that jacket, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed onto the floor. Dad caught her just in time. Panicking, I wanted to tell him, "Dad, don't be scared! I earned this!" But no sound came out, no matter how hard I tried. I heard the officer whisper to Dad, his voice trembling with effort. "…The child's organs… have been harvested… Based on the items left at the scene, we compiled… a bloody receipt." A receipt? I was so familiar with that word. I tried my best to look at Dad's face, hoping to see the relief on his features after a "settled account". But I didn't. On Dad's face—the face that was always calculating—I saw a complete, hollow blank for the very first time. At that moment, I finally understood. This final transaction of mine… seemed to have gone horribly wrong.