I'll Love You Forever

I woke to the sound of an electronic voice. “Arriving at East City in ten minutes.” I didn’t remember falling asleep.


Yawning, I rubbed my eyes and absently glanced around the train. The few passengers were standing and gathering their bags by them. Outside, the beginnings of dawn could be seen as a blend of red and yellows in the distant sky.


When the train pulled into the station, I grabbed my duffle bag and got off. The train station was basically still empty as bleary eyed night-shift workers were replaced by energetic smiling employees.


I passed a hot dog stand and bought three. It wasn’t nearly enough for a Saiyan—even one with reduced energy—but it would have to do. I wasn’t rich like Trunks, and the little money I had had to be saved for somewhere to live.


I walked out of the train station into the fresh air of morning dew. The air wasn’t as crisp in the city as it was in the country, but I didn’t mind. Air was air, no matter where you breathed it. Cars held up in traffic blocked the main street so I decided to walk instead of hail of taxi. I had no destination in mind anyway.
An hour later, I had wandered into a less crowded portion of the city. Here, parents rushed around clutching the tiny hands of their children, scolding them for being late for school. Judging from the apartments, I thought it to be a residential area. This could be a good place to live.


Scanning the surroundings, I spotted a small diner at the end of the street. As luck would have it, the owners were hiring. I immediately entered and asked to speak to the owner. I waited at a table as she disappeared through a back door.


A few moments later, a slightly balding man appeared where the waitress had left to. The waitress, who followed behind him, whispered something in his ear and his eyes flicked to me.


I swallowed loudly. I was always nervous at job interviews, probably one of the reasons I never secured one. “Hello, sir,” I greeted, standing and shaking the owner’s hand. “My name is Go…han,” I lied. Never much of a good liar either.


He smiled and shook my hand. “Firm grip,” he commented of the handshake. “That shows strength in a young man. I’m Mr. Smith(lack of imagination here…). I hear you are looking for a job?”


I nodded. “Yes sir, I can do whatever you’d like.”


He chuckled. “Well, this job isn’t too demanding. We’re actually in need of a dishwasher.”


“Oh, I see,” I murmured, put off by the fact that dishwashing was all he needed. I was hoping to be a waiter or something. Any position would earn more than dishwashing. But thinking back on what I had seen in the city, no other places were hiring, and I was probably lucky to find any job so quickly. “I’ll take it.”


He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure, son? I wouldn’t want you to be indecisive and quit on me in a few days.”


“No sir,” I reassured him, “I’m a loyal and hard worker.”


He paused, appearing to think it through. “All right then, report back here tomorrow, and we’ll see how you do.”


“Thank you sir,” I gushed, shaking his hand again and bowing slightly. “Thank you very much.”


I left the diner, happy with my new job. It wasn’t much, but it would pay for housing expenses. I could probably find a night job to pay for food.


I stood on the sidewalk and looked down at my duffel bag. “I guess it’s time to find a new home,” I muttered.


As it started getting dark, I finally found a shabby little one roomed apartment a few blocks away from the diner. The place wasn’t pretty, but it came with a bed, two towels, and was cheap. I dropped my duffel off, showered, and changed. As there was nothing for me to do in the dreary little apartment, I decided to wander the city streets.


It turned out to be the wrong choice.

Everywhere I looked, people were walking together. No one walked alone. I was the only one. And everyone was smiling. Only I frowned.


That thought made me chuckle bitterly. Me, Son Goten, frowning? Who would have thought…


When my stomach’s grumbling was loud enough for people nearby to hear, I found a place to eat. I tucked myself away in a corner and ordered my food, not too much as I couldn’t afford a full Saiyan meal yet.

While the food was prepared, my eyes wandered the restaurant. There were many couples. You could tell the girls had dressed up because many of them tugged uncomfortably at the bottoms of their tight shirts. The guys seemed to have had quite a time choosing clothes too, because most of them wore clothes that clashed. For example, one guy wore a pink sweater and maroon pants. What kind of person wears that combination?

But the important thing was that they were happy. No matter how uncomfortable or nervous they were, it was evident that they were happy to be there.


My food arrived and I devoured it hungrily. I hadn’t eaten since those three hotdogs at the train station. I quickly paid my bill and fled from the happy couples. I didn’t belong there either.