Chapter 398 Nothing But A Coward


    As Jacob became older, his fear of loss magnified. Who wasn''t afraid of losing all they had? Jacob had


    only a handful of people in his life. If James left him, it would undoubtedly be a big blow.


    As he sank into this mncholy thought, a hand touched his shoulder. Jacob realized it was a strong


    hand and there was no way it belonged to Sara.


    Sara gaped in surprise. It was James. He hade back!


    "I went to make changes with my flight reservation. It''s bustling with people out there. In that noisy


    surrounding, I didn''t hear my phone ring," James exined, his face eerily calm.


    He had dwelt on these sad thoughts for too long. Now he was calm as a millpond. He hade to


    terms with this parting.


    "Uncle James..." Jacob''s voice came as a sob. "I thought I would never see you again," he added.


    The next second he embraced James. ''These are my father''s arms, '' he thought to himself, welling up


    with emotions.


    Jacob was on the verge of tears but somehow managed to suppress them. He remembered that


    James had told him that real men don''t cry.


    The two grown men remained embracing each other. Lots of people stopped to watch them.


    Jacob, however, felt no embarrassment. He simply hugged James, praying he wouldn''t leave him.


    Just the thought of being parted from him ached his heart. His dependence on James wasn''t


    something that had formed overnight.


    He loved this man even when he was a child. In fact, he always dreamed of growing up and bing


    like him. It was a dream that seemed quite hard to achieve. However, with years of hard work, Jacob


    had be like his beloved Uncle James.


    But now, he couldn''t care less about any sess. If the price of his sess was to lose James, then


    he wished he had been oblivious of the truth.


    He couldn''t stand being separated from James. To keep him here, Jacob was willing to pretend like


    nothing had happened.


    But James was dead set on leaving. Because of the difference, Jacob had never been more terrified in


    his life.


    Sara, who was silently watching everything, noticed James''s eyes were glistening with tears. She was


    shocked. This man was the epitome of strength.


    As far as she could remember, he managed to remain calm during any sort of adversity. She had


    thought Uncle James wasn''t capable of sorrow. He was the man people went to when they wished to


    be strong.


    This was one of the reasons why people admired him so much.


    That being said, even now she admired him. He was still a strong man and such people nevercked


    admirers.


    James, noticing he had almost left his guard down, wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.


    "It''s going to be alright, Jacob. You will get over it. Trust me," James said, trying to sound cheerful.


    Jacob, on the other hand, looked at his hands. They were wide and strong.


    ''These are my father''s hands, '' he thought to himself, once again on the verge of tears. His sorrow was


    too strong that he had difficulty in breathing.


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    There was a sudden shift in his mood. He clenched his fists and stood straight. He was ovee by a


    wave of anger.


    He told himself he had been silly to worship this man. He was nothing but a coward!


    Looking straight into James''s eyes, he expressed, "Uncle James, do you know what I am going to think


    if you leave?" He spoke in a cold, hard voice. He looked at James like he was an enemy.


    If they hadn''t been in a public ce, Jacob would have screamed. However, not wanting to create a


    scene, he spoke in a low voice. In spite of this, there was an edge in his voice.


    "Jacob, you can''t expect perfection from people. We are all wed. And yes, I admit I am a coward. I


    choose to leave because I am afraid that you will me me. This is as hard for me as it is for you."


    James let go of Jacob and narrowed his eyes. At this moment, he looked a lot older than his age.


    Jacob sighed heavily. He understood James had made up his mind. Nothing would dissuade him from


    doing so.


    In fact, this determination was the sole reason he confessed the truth to Jacob.


    He also knew James was a man of his words. His stubbornness wouldn''t allow him to change his mind.


    It was certain that if he left, Jacob wouldn''t meet him again. At this thought, his heart ached unbearably.


    This man he had respected all his life was abandoning him! He growled with barely controlled fury.


    "You are nothing but a coward! Will your departure change anything? No, it won''t! Nothing is going to


    change. Don''t think escaping a problem is a way to solve it!"


    Jacob roared like a wounded bull. His sudden fury came as a shock to James. Even Sara trembled a


    little. As far as she could remember, Jacob had never raised his voice in front of James. He was


    someone that he treated with the utmost respect.


    Watching him lose it, Sara couldn''t help but gape at him. She had a premonition that something terrible


    was about to happen. She wished to speak but for some reason, words wouldn''te out of her


    mouth.


    In this end, she remained silent, not wanting to cause further trouble for Jacob.


    The situation was getting even more and moreplicated. Her interference would do no good.


    James went pale. Jacob had cut to the chase and hit the nail on the head. Even though his


    straightforward way of addressing the issue caused him embarrassment, James couldn''t help but


    secretly admire him for his bravery.


    Some people had an innate ability that helped them confess what they felt using a few words. Jacob


    was one such person. On one hand, James was happy. On the other hand, he felt uneasy at being


    exposed.


    Every word that had been uttered was true.


    James turned away his face and admitted, "You are right, Jacob! I have been a coward all my life. But


    there is nothing I can do to change that. It is who I am."


    His mouth puckered and for a second it looked like he was about to cry. He had a hard time


    suppressing his emotions. He felt lonely and lost.


    His son had grown up to be a spectacr man. However, he wasn''t lucky enough to be with him.


    James''s thoughts went back to his elder brother.


    ''Brother, my life has been nothing but a series of punishment. I felt grateful that you forgave me without


    condition. But my sins cannot be erased.


    Perhaps, with time, I will achieve more tolerance. But the pain I felt willst forever.'' James felt a great


    weight of sorrow inside him. Yet he tried to look fine on the outside. Indifferently, he gazed around at


    the passers-by.


    Jacob stared at James. A bit of his anger disappeared. It dawned on him how hard this must be for his


    uncle.


    ''His condition is worse than mine!'' Jacob thought to himself. He had to live alone and wallow up in self-


    pity and self-reproach. He couldn''t even make his son call him father.


    Jacob''s eyes filmed over with tears. He told himself he shouldn''t cry. But the ache in his heart


    continued to throb.


    Sara realized this was her chance to do something. She pulled at the corner of Jacob''s clothes and


    shook her head, implying he had behaved brutally with James.


    Jacob shook free from her grasp. He knew she was right but he wasn''t willing to ept that yet.


    He was in a bad temper today. Anger made him blind. He thought back to everything he had uttered a


    while ago.


    And now, his mind went nk. He didn''t know what his next words should be.


    This day would remain etched in his memories for a very long time. He would often think back and


    regret losing his temper before James. This realization came toote. He had already uttered those


    horrible things.


    When people felt intense rage and sadness, nobody could stop them. They would even find reasons


    that would justify their actions. Jacob was no exception. He would always recall the painful look that


    had entered upon James''s face after listening to his words.


    Sara''s pleas wouldn''t stop him. He went on, "Uncle James, I was under the impression you were a


    brave person. That''s one of the reasons why I admired you."


    He paused when he noticed James''s body was beginning to tremble. This was his cue to stop. But he


    wasn''t done.


    After a short pause, he continued, "I wish you knew how disappointed I am in you. You are not the


    person I thought you were. If you leave today, you have to remember you will always be a coward in


    my mind."


    After hearing these harsh words, James''s sorrow increased. Every now and then, someone in the


    crowd stopped to watch the conversation that was unraveling between these two


    people.