Chapter 17 Brother
Queenie had woken up with a headache in the morning, but she clearly remembered what had happened. Although she had drank a lot, she had not been dead drunk. Last night, she had bared her soul to Timothy and even taken liberties with him by pretending to be drunk, and he had almost thrown away his armor and surrendered.
Although Timothy had said he did not want to get back together with her and asked her to think about it carefully, his actions had revealed his deep affection for her.
He seemed to be suffering a mental struggle, but she could not understand why. It was him that would benefit more if they got back together, right?
Queenie finally got an opportunity, so she asked, "By the way, when did you have a son? Since you're not married, how did you get a child?" After a pause, she added, "Did you adopt him?"
Timothy shook his head, "No."
Queenie gritted her teeth, glared at him, and asked, "Is he your illegitimate child?"
She stomped her feet in anger, took a deep breath, bit the bullet, and said, "Fine! I will forgive you even if he is your illegitimate child! Tell me the truth!"
Seeing her trying to convince herself to forgive him for cheating on her, Timothy couldn't help laughing and then said softly, "He is not my illegitimate child."
"Really?" Queenie asked, "If so, where did that kid come from?"
Timothy said, "He is of your blood."
"What?" Queenie glared at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense! I've never given you a baby. Men might be cheated into a parent, but women are different! Are you talking nonsense because you think I am willing to forgive you no matter what you do?"
"He is of your blood," Timothy sighed, "But he is not your son but your brother."
Queenie looked at him in shock and asked, "My brother?"
Timothy nodded.
"Biological brother?" Queenie asked.
Timothy nodded again.
Queenie scratched her head lightly, looked at him in disbelief, and asked, "My mother gave birth to him?"
"Yes."
Hearing Timothy's affirmative answer, Queenie took a deep breath and licked her lips which were a little dry because of the night wind. After digesting the information for a long time, she finally accepted the reality that she had a younger brother now.
After being her parents' only child for twenty-four years, she suddenly had a younger brother. Well, her parents were amazing. At the thought of this, she blurted out, "My father is amazing! He's old but vigorous! When was my brother born?"
"Five years after you went missing," Timothy said, "Ruby insisted on a test tube baby program, but she died of an amniotic fluid embolism."
"An amniotic fluid embolism? Did my mother die of difficult labor? Why? She was old! Why did she insist on having a child? "Queenie said angrily, "Was she afraid that no one will take care of them after she got very old? But she still had you! Why did she make such a stupid decision?"
"You misunderstood her." Timothy shook his head, "Ruby was not afraid that no one will take care of them. But since you disappeared, Kelvin had been looking for you all the time and often encountered accidents. Ruby was worried about him and wanted to have another child to comfort him."
"My dad had been looking for me all the time?" Queenie asked softly.
"Yeah! During the first few years of your disappearance, Kelvin had been looking for you like crazy," Timothy said lightly, "When Ruby said she wanted to have a test tube baby program, Kelvin didn't agree. However, she told him that she did not want him to have any family after they pass away and that if they could leave him a family member, he would not be lonely when you come back. Kelvin did not agree until hearing this."
Queenie raised her hand to wipe her tears. But her tears kept flowing out like tap water, so she couldn't wipe them off in time. She suddenly remembered that when she had left home, her mother had packed a large bag of bacon and sausage and asked her to bring it with her. She had been unwilling to carry it and argued with her mother because she had thought they were too heavy. And her mother had not given up until her father had intervened and advised her to send it to Buena by express. Thinking of this, Queenie slapped herself in the face hard. She hated herself! It had been just a bag of bacon and sausage, so they had not been that heavy! She should have brought it with her. If she had done so, she would be able to taste the food that her mother had cooked. The sausage made by her mother had always been full of streaky pork that she liked the most. After it was steamed and cut, the chopping board would be full of oil, and it was very delicious. But she could never eat it now.
Timothy grabbed her hand that was slapping herself hard and said, "Stop it."
"I feel sad," Queenie said, "I'm going crazy if I don't slap myself."
"Calm down. It's all over now." Timothy comforted her softly, "They loved you so much, so they would be very happy if they knew you're back. They would never bear to see you hit yourself!"
Queenie then stopped slapping herself and nodded heavily. Her father had loved her very much. The only 20,000 dollars she had now was from him. When she had left home after the New Year holiday, he bad secretly shoved the money into her hands and asked her to keep it. He had known that her daughter had been hard up for money because she had just gotten married and bought an apartment. He had given her the money because he had wanted her to live a well-off and comfortable life.
At that time, Queenie had tried to recline but accepted it happily in the end. When her father had seen her casually put the money in her bag, he followed behind her and worriedly asked her to keep it well to prevent it from being stolen. 20,000 dollars had been enough to put a down payment on an apartment in a small city back then. Her father had saved the money for a long time and had been reluctant to spend it himself, but he had given it to her without hesitation.
Timothy stood by her side, patted her shoulder gently, and said, "Don't be too sad. Kelvin and Ruby both believed that you would come back one day, so they gave birth to Albert. He is the best gift they gave you. "
"Yes!" Queenie nodded vigorously and smiled with tears in her eyes, "Timothy, I still have a brother! I am not alone."
She wiped her tears off and said in a choked voice, "Take me to see Albert. I want to meet him."
"Okay." Timothy's eyes were also a little red when he gently pulled her up from the ground and said, "He's at school and can't go home until 8:30 pm. Let's go to pick him up together."
Queenie nodded slightly, "Okay."
On the way to the school, Timothy told Queenie a lot of things that he had not dared to tell her for fear that she would feel too sad.
After she had disappeared, Kelvin and Ruby had looked for her everywhere for many years. When she had suddenly gone missing, many people had said that she had been killed, but Kelvin had refused to believe it. He had quit his job and focused on looking for her. He had posted missing posters all over the country and offered a high reward online. Many scammers had contacted him and cheated him out of a large amount of money. After desperately searching for five years, Kelvin encountered a mudslide on the way and almost died. Ruby had been scared. She had been afraid that her husband would die while looking for their daughter and that her daughter would be alone after coming back home in the future, so she had wanted to have another child.
At that time, Ruby had been fifty-one years old, so the hospital had refused to perform IVF surgery on her. But she had made up her mind, so she had applied for Queenie's death certificate and gone to several hospitals to tell them why she must have another baby. Finally, a hospital in Starland had accept her as a patient and successfully made her pregnant with Albert. She had had her second child at the age of fifty-two, but after giving birth, she died of an amniotic fluid embolism caused by postpartum complications. Everyone had tried to persuade her out of the IVF surgery because it was too dangerous for elderly women, but she had not listened. She had thought she could overcome all the difficulties for the sake of her family.
But God had not heard her prayers. After she had passed away, Kelvin had told Timothy that he couldn't take care of Albert. He still had not given up looking for his daughter. If he had stopped looking for her, he would feel very upset as if he were on thorns. Only when he had been looking might he have peace of mind.
He had believed that as long as he kept searching every corner of the country, he could find her sooner or later.
Kelvin had said to Timothy, "Son, wait at home. I will be able to get Quira back. Please take care of Albert. This is also doing Quira a favor."
Looking at the baby in the swaddle, Timothy nodded in agreement. Albert was Kelvin and Ruby's child and Queenie's younger brother, so he resembled her very much. At that time, Timothy had thought that if Quira had not gone missing, their children would look like Albert. After all, he would be their uncle. Since then, Timothy had taken care of Albert and told others that he was his son.
Kelvin, as he had predicted, had died outside. He had been looking for his daughter without stopping, always carried missing posters in a large black bag, and posted them wherever he went, so he had sometimes been blamed and driven away by city management staff. He had traveled all over the country and inquired thousands of people, wearing the sneakers his missing daughter had bought for him.
He had been very sad before dying. When lying on the hospital bed, he was shedding tears silently. Timothy had known that he didn't want to want to die because he had not found his daughter yet, but he could do nothing about it.
Timothy had held Kelvin's hand tightly and told him over and over again that he would wait for Quira and take good care of Albert. He had said as long as he waited, she would come back sooner or later.
Kelvin had gradually lost his strength and body temperature, and when his heart had stopped beating, the ward was full of endless pain and unwillingness.
Timothy had sent four old people away in the past 23 years, and Kelvin was the last one. No matter how many times he had experienced the pain of losing a beloved person, he could never get used to it.
The silver car finally stopped at the entrance of Buena City Northenhill High School. Some parents had parked their cars by the road near the school gate in a queue when waiting for their kids. Timothy and Queenie came early, so the queue was not long. After parking the car, Timothy took out a few tissues from the tissue box and handed them to Queenie. He didn't say anything to comfort her because he knew it would be useless. She needed to cry to give full vent to her sadness.
The car was quiet. One of them was crying, and the other silently handed over tissues to her now and then. When Queenie calmed down, Timothy said, "Albert doesn't know he is your brother, and he regards me as his father. I've never told him about his origins. And I don't know if he can accept it."
As speaking, Timothy sighed apprehensively. He didn't know how to tell Albert about it. He had taken care of him as if he were his biological son all these years, and now, he was afraid the truth would hurt him. Albert was a very sensitive child because he did not have a mother. Could he accept the fact that he was not his father?
Seeing his worried face, Queenie asked, "You've deeply bonded with Albert, right?"
"Yes. He is very sensible. He has always been well-behaved and smart. His grades are much better than yours when you were his age. He is among the top three in his grade." Timothy said in a proud tone, "He can play the piano and the drums. And he is also good at guitar and saxophone. He won first place in the National Youth Go Competition last year, and a Go master had offered to teach him in person. He is also very good-tempered. Many boys are naught and restless, but he loves quietness. He possesses exceptional powers of concentration and pursues perfection in everything."
Timothy smiled while he speaking. Seeing this, Queenie also felt happy. She found the boy Timothy was talking about sounded the same as him when he had been a child. He used to be smart, quiet, sweet, and sensitive.
"He is very caring for others. When I am sick, he will give me a massage, fetch me medicine and water, and get up at night to check on me like an adult. He is also very diligent. When he was six years old, he could wash his clothes and clean up his room by himself. Many of his classmates still need their parents to help them do such things now. It is said that raising a child is hard, but I don't think so. And I feel grateful to have him. I have never felt lonely these years because he is by my side." Timothy smiled with tears in his eyes. He loved Albert so much that he didn't want to hurt his feelings at all, but he was Quira's only family member now, so he couldn't stop her from telling him the truth.
"Will he be happy to know the truth?" Queenie asked.
"I don't know," Timothy answered honestly, "Maybe, he will."
"I don't know either." Queenie lowered her head and pondered silently. Would he be happy to know that he had been born to wait for a sister who had gone missing? Would he be happy to know that he had never received love from his biological parents? Would he be happy to become an orphan after knowing who his biological parents were?
Even Queenie would not be happy, let alone a teenager.
Queenie covered her face with her hands, rubbed her eyes that were sore because of her crying, and said, "Forget it! Let's not tell him the truth for the time being."
Timothy looked at her and then lowered his head with a smile. He felt warm in his heart, so he said softly, "OK."
Ring! Ring! Ring!
With the sound of the bell, the school became noisy in an instant. After two minutes, some students lively came out of the gate in groups. Some kids were walking, some were riding bicycles or motorcycles, and some got in their parents' cars. Timothy hadn't told Albert that he was coming to pick him up, so he got off and waited on the side of the road. Queenie also got out, went around the car, and stood beside him. Looking at the young faces of the kids running past her, she clenched her clothes nervously, bent over to look into the rearview mirror of the car, fixed her hair, and cleaned her face which had been stained with tears. Then, she took a deep breath and straightened herself after making sure she looked OK.
"Albert!" Timothy raised his hand and waved at a boy in the crowd. A teenager raised his eyes, showed a bright and surprised grin, and left his companions, saying, "Dad, why did you come to pick me up today?"
Queenie looked intensely at Albert's face. He was tall and thin with fair skin. His eyebrows and eyes were almost the same as those of her and her father, but the other facial features were more like her mother's, and he had also inherited her bright and warm smile. Seeing him, Queenie almost burst into tears. But she had managed to restrain her emotions by clenching Timothy's clothes. Timothy patted her hand comfortingly, raised his head, and said gently, "Albert, didn't you say that you're hungry when school is over every day? I want to pick you up and have supper together with you."
"Great!" Albert said happily, "Where are we going?"
Timothy said, "Didn't you say you wanted to go to the steak restaurant in the west of the city?"
"Yes! I like steak!" Albert's happy smile grew bigger, but when he saw the woman standing beside his father, he asked with a frown, "Is she going too?"
Timothy nodded, "Yes, she's going too."
Queenie wanted to speak but didn't know what to say, so she could only nervously look at him with a flattering smile.
Albert looked between them and sensed something unusual, so his face became gloomy. He didn't greet her but said with a frown, "It's getting late, so girls should go home."
"It doesn't matter. We'll send her home later," Timothy said.
Albert's face became even gloomier, but because of his good upbringing, he did not say any more offensive words despite his dislike for her. Then, he walked to the car with his head down, opened the door, and sat in the back seat.
Timothy and Queenie exchanged awkward glances with each other and got into the car too.
Unexpectedly, some parents of Alberts's classmates who were waiting for their kids at the school gate had seen all this. A woman asked, "Is that women Albert's father's girlfriend?"
"I bet she is! Otherwise, he would not have brought her to pick up his son."
"That woman looks too young. Will she be Albert's stepmother?"
"You never know what will happen..."
"Albert's dad must be rich."
"Yes! Otherwise, such a young woman would not have been willing to date him. After all, he is at our age."
"Albert's dad looks very serious and righteous, so I didn't expect him to date such a young girl!"
"You know nothing about men. They all like young women."
"Tsk, Albert will suffer in the future. When his father gets married and has another child, he will lose his place in his family."
"Yeah..."
The discussion in low voices gradually dissipated as the children came out one by one.
After Timothy, Queenie, and Albert arrived at the restaurant, a waiter led them to a six-person booth beside the floor-to-ceiling window. Timothy and Albert sat on one side, while Queenie sat on the other side. The sofa was soft and could make people unconsciously relax, but Queenie was still staring at the boy opposite her nervously.
Timothy took the menu over from the waiter, opened it, handed it to Albert, and asked gently, "What do you want to eat?"
Albert didn't look at the menu but directly ordered his favorite, "A fillet steak."
"I want it too," Queenie quickly said, wanting to taste her brother's favorite steak.
Timothy smiled, handed the menu to the waiter, and said gracefully, "Three filet steaks, medium well. Three glasses of grapefruit juice."
"Okay, sir," The waiter took the menu over and left. Queenie hurriedly sat up. When she was about to have a chat with Albert, the latter suddenly opened his schoolbag, took out several books, and began to do his homework.
Queenie wanted to chat with him very much, so she asked several questions, but the latter ignored her without answering. Seeing this, Timothy could only say, "Albert, you can do your homework when we get back home. Your classes just ended, so you should let your brain have a break."
Albert stopped writing and looked up at Queenie with a dissatisfied expression. Seeing this, Queenie quickly waved her hand and said, "Let him do whatever he wants. He must have a lot of homework. If he does it here, he will be able to go to bed early when you get home."
Albert glanced at her and resumed doing his homework, refusing to communicate.
"Albert loves studying so much, so his grades must be good, right?" Queenie casually asked.
Timothy nodded, "Yes, he is always the first place in his class and among the top three in his grade!"
"Wow, that's amazing!" Queenie sincerely praised. Albert snorted and glanced at her. He didn't know what was wrong with his father. He had never seen his father date before, but now, he had brought such a woman to meet him.
Albert pushed his books away, asked Timothy for his phone, and started playing a game. The two adults at the table were looking at each other silently, and Timothy felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected Albert to be so indifferent today because he was always a very warm and well-behaved child.
"Do you often come here to have meals?" Queenie casually asked.
Timothy said, "Yes, Albert likes the food here. The steak here is very tender, and the sauce is tasteful. You'll know after you try it."
"Albert's favorite food must be delicious," Queenie said flatteringly, but her flattery did not work at all.
In Albert's eyes, she was a young swindler who wanted to cheat his father out of his money.
Soon, the dishes were served.
"Albert, it's time to have dinner. Stop playing the game." After Timothy reached out and took his phone back, Albert immediately jumped up and tried to snatch it back, asking, "Why? I can neither do my homework nor play the game. Do I have to engage in your awkward conversation?"
Hearing this, Timothy frowned. When he was about to blame him, Queenie hurriedly did the peacemaking and said, "Don't blame him. Let him do whatever he wants!"
Timothy couldn't help shaking his head as he looked at her doting expression, and then, he lowered his head with a smile. When they had first gotten married, they had discussed the education of their future children. As for the question that who would be the "bad cop", Queenie had confidently said she would be responsible for it because he was too soft-hearted to scold children. Now, it seemed that she had been talking big!
The appetizers, soups, bread, and steaks had all been served. When Queenie began to eat the steak, she was 80% full, so she couldn't eat a whole piece of it. After cutting it in half, she naturally put a half onto Timothy's plate. Timothy froze for a moment, and then he silently cut it neatly and began to eat. Seeming their intimate interaction with a cold look, Albert began to guess where his father and this woman had reached. Since his father could naturally eat her food, he thought they must have secretly become very close!
They quickly finished the meal in embarrassment and got back in the car. Timothy drove Queenie home first. After she got out of the car, he also got off and said softly, "I'll send you upstairs!"
Albert looked at the building where he had lived before and asked coldly in the car, "Is she living here?"
Timothy nodded. Albert turned his head aside silently, pursed his lips, and sulked. They had not moved out of the apartment until he had gone to primary school. He had many memories here. This was his parents' first apartment after they had gotten married, so his mother had lived here before. And this was the only place he knew where there were traces of his mother. Even though they had moved away, his father was reluctant to sell it or rent it out, and he took him to clean it up several times a month no matter how busy he was. But now, he had let another woman live in it! Albert was furious, feeling that their most sacred territory had been invaded, so he had been angry with his father for the first time.
Queenie walked behind Timothy and couldn't help glancing back at Albert. There wasn't a trace of love or intimacy in his eyes, and when their eyes met, he even gave her a hateful look.
Queenie sighed and went upstairs with Timothy. At the door, he looked at her and said, "I'm going back first. Call me if you need anything. I'll send you to work tomorrow morning."
Queenie bowed her head and hesitated for a while before saying, "Timothy."
Timothy said, "Yes?"
Queenie stared at him, suppressed her affections and emotions, and said softly, "Can I go home with you? I want to live with you. You did not get remarried, so I am still your wife, right? So... can I go home with you?"
Queenie smiled while speaking, but the cautiousness in her eyes was obvious. Seeing her so pitiful, Timothy felt a sting in his heart. He wanted to nod his head regardless, but he could not.
Timothy turned his head aside and whispered, "Quira, I know you want to go back with me, but I think you should think about it carefully."
"What do I need to think about? Albert's matter?" Queenie asked.
Timothy replied, "No."
"So, what is it?" She asked, "What do I have to consider?"
Timothy closed his eyes and said after a long while, "My matter."
Queenie shook her head in disbelief, "I don't understand."
Timothy smiled wryly and said, "Quira, you just came back and have no family in this world now, so you can only rely on me. I am the only person that can give you a sense of security now. But you do not love me. It was caused by the drawbridge effect. So, let's talk when you calm down, okay?"
"Are you afraid that I will regret it and despise you in the future?" Queenie looked at him in disbelief and asked, "You don't believe me?"
Timothy said softly, "I just want you to see more of the world and get to know more people before you make the decision."
"Why should I see more of the world? Why should I know more people? Can't I have only you in my world? You're the best man in my eyes!" Queenie shouted in an angry and aggrieved voice because she had been distrusted, and then, she added, "Timothy, I love you no matter whether you are twenty or forty. Even if you are sixty now, I will still love you."
Hearing this, Timothy smiled with tears in his eyes and said gently, "Quira, who you love is the man twenty-three years ago."
"I also love the current you," Queenie said stubbornly.
He shook his head, "In your eyes, I'm the same as when I was twenty, so you think you still love me. But you're wrong. It is just ten hours for you but is twenty-three years for me. It is too long, so I have changed a lot. I am not the man you love anymore."
"You don't believe me!" When she glared at him stubbornly, he bowed his head and said, "No, I believe you, but..."
He thought he was not good enough now.
Queenie could not bear to see his sad face, so she closed her eyes and said, "Okay, I won't force you. If you want me to calm down, I will calm down. If you want me to see the world, I will do it. But after I see the world, I will still love you."
Queenie looked at him firmly with her eyes full of deep affections. Seeing this, Timothy immediately turned around to avoid her gaze and said softly, "Go to bed early. Albert is still waiting for me downstairs."
Queenie didn't stop but stared after him until he got out of her vision.
When Timothy got back into the car and closed the door, Albert said dissatisfiedly in the passenger seat, "Why did it take so long?"
"Because we chatted for a while." After calming down, Timothy started the car. Albert asked, "Who is she? Do you like her?"
"Yes, I like her," Timothy answered without hesitation.
Albert frowned at this answer and said, "Even if you like her, you can't let her live here."
Seeing Timothy driving silently with a serious face, Albert added angrily, "Isn't she too young to be my stepmother?"
Timothy said with a sad smile, "She can't be your stepmother but can only be your sister."
"Why? She doesn't want to marry you? If so, why did you allow her to live in our apartment? Dad, don't believe her! She is trying to deceive you!" Albert said in an angry and contemptuous tone because he thought that Queenie was deceiving his kind-hearted father.
"That is her apartment," Timothy murmured. Albert didn't hear his words clearly, so he asked, "Pardon?"
"Nothing." Timothy raised his hand to rub Albert's head and said, "You don't need to worry about the adults' business."
"But I have to worry about you!" Albert retorted quickly, "I'm not against you dating, but I think that woman is too young and unreliable. Is she willing to be together with you? What's more, she should not have lived in your apartment before she agrees to date you. Has she ever asked you to buy luxuries for her? Dad, have you given her money? If you want to date someone, I think Aunt Ursula is more suitable. After all, she has been chasing you for many years."
Timothy couldn't help laughing as he heard his son nagging and showing his worry about his emotional life.
"Have you told..." After hesitating for a while, Albert finally asked vaguely, "Have you told her about your bad health?"
"No," Timothy whispered, "I don't want to tell her."
Albert felt relieved to hear it. His father was a responsible person. Since he hid this matter from her, Albert believed he was not going to marry her.
When they returned home, Albert went back to his bedroom to do his homework, and Timothy also went back to his. After closing the door, he immediately turned on the light. After the room lit up, he sat down on a single sofa beside the floor lamp, robbed his slightly throbbing temples, and couldn't help but gasp in pain. After a while, his right hand began to tremble. He held the trembling right hand with the left one, but it still kept shaking.
After enduring it for a while, he stood up, pulled out a drawer, grabbed a bottle of medicine, and screwed the cap open with difficulty. Because his hand was trembling violently, the medicine bottle fell to the ground. He picked up the two pills from the floor with his trembling hand, swallowed them without water, and closed his eyes forcefully. After a long time, his hand finally stopped trembling.
But his headache didn't subside, so he couldn't help groaning in pain.
In a trance, Queenie's face with tears popped into his mind. When she had firmly said that she loved him, he had wanted to go over and hug her tightly. He had wanted to hold her hand and promise that he would always be by her side for the rest of his life like before. Even though he was in his forties, he still wanted to hold onto her selfishly.
He had waited so many years that his mental and physical health had been greatly damaged, but he still loved her.
He loved her so much that he had never had feelings for other women and that his heart would still race as long as he looked at her, but...
He didn't want to let her know that the man she loved had become old, weak, and sick...
She used to like reading romance novels and had said that he was no worse than the heroes in those novels because he used to be handsome, smart, well-learned, and cute. She had said that she would write a novel based on him and believed it would be very popular and become a best seller. If it could be adapted into a drama, she would let him play himself.
At the thought of this, Timothy smiled bitterly with tears in his eyes. Now, he was not the bright and pretty boy she liked but a middle-aged man in his forties. Because he had epilepsy sequelae due to the brain surgery, he could be paralyzed by a stroke at any time. How could he agree to get back together with her? He could not ask her to take care of him, right? If she wrote a novel based on such a man, she might not be able to have a single reader at all.
Timothy laughed for a while and then burst into tears with one hand covering his eyes. Why? He had been looking for her for so many years. When there had been no news about her, he had been very anxious. But after she had come back, he was still heartbroken.
Queenie's name had rung in his mind countless times during the past 23 years, and it was still resounding non-stop now.
But it didn't matter. He had long passed the age of impulse, so he would not be so sad that he wanted to kill himself if he could not be together with his beloved woman. He had already grown mature and gotten used to it...
Since she had come back, he did not care about such things anymore.
Wasn't this what he had prayed for countless times late at night?
He had told God that as long as she came back, he would ask for nothing else...
God had already replied to his prayer, so he could not be too greedy.
When Albert was doing his homework in his room, he found a math problem was too difficult. He had tried several methods but failed, so he picked up the test paper and asked his father for help. When he was about to knock on the door, he heard a strange voice coming from inside as if a wounded beast were whispering to itself. He frowned, quietly opened the door, and peeped inside, only to see his father slumping on the sofa. He was covering his eyes with one hand and bowing his head, and his shoulders were trembling slightly. Seeing his usually straight figure looked so lonely and dispirited, Albert felt distressed, so he closed the door softly with red eyes. His father had brought him up, so he knew his epilepsy occasionally attacked. When it was not serious, his father had a headache, but when it was serious, he went into convulsions. His illness had become more and more serious over the years although he had kept taking the medicine. But outsiders could not see it at all, so they thought he was elegant, calm, and reliable.
When Albert's grandfather had been alive, he had told him that his father used to be in good health. He had gotten ill when looking for his mother. When his maternal grandfather had gotten news that a female college student had been kidnapped and locked up in a small village that looked like his mother and at a similar age, his maternal grandfather and father had rushed there overnight but encountered a mudslide. To protect his maternal grandfather, his father had been swept away by the stones rolling down. When he had been rescued, his head had been so severely injured that he needed surgery right away.
However, the best hospital nearby had been a county-level hospital where the doctors had not dared to perform such a difficult operation. In the end, his maternal grandfather contacted his grandfather and spent a lot of money on renting a medical helicopter to take his father to the best hospital in Buena. Then, they had invited several brain experts for consultation and treatment, but they had missed the best treatment time, so even though his father had been rescued, he had gotten severe sequelae, such as epilepsy, frequent headache, and amnesia. Some experts had even said that his father was very likely to have a stroke after the age of fifty.
But even so, his father had still gone out to look for his mother as long as he had heard any news. When his grandmother had been alive, she had tried to stop him many times but failed. His father had always been looking for his mother and even missed the opportunity to study abroad. When his grandmother had been dying six years ago, she had taken his father's hand and made him swear that he would never go out to look for his mother anymore. She had said she would never rest in peace if he refused.
Albert remembered she had passed away after the first snow in Buena that winter. She had been lying in the hospital for more than half a month, and his father had always been taking care of her in person. She seemed to have sensed when that day would come, so she stubbornly held his hand tightly and forced him to swear in a choked voice over and over again.
Albert remembered his father had been wearing a thick black down jacket that day. Although his legs would swell and hurt on snowy days, he had slowly knelt on the ground with his head down while shedding tears. He had held her hand, rested his forehead on her hand sadly, and said in a low and nasal voice, "Mom, I'm sorry for making you worried. I swear will never go to look for her again. Please don't worry about me anymore!"
Hearing his, she closed her teary eyes and kept saying, "You must keep your promise."
"Yes, I will."
"You won't look for her anymore."
"I won't look for her anymore."
"You must live a good life."
"Okay, I'll live a good life. Mom, don't worry."
"You must keep your promise."
"Yes, I will."
"You must keep your promise..."
"I will, Mom, I will."
When she had been dying, she had kept repeating those words, and his father had knelt beside the hospital bed and replied to her again and again. After her repeated words and his sobbing reply had lasted for a long while, she passed away worriedly.
Then, his father had finally given up looking for his mother.
Albert had never seen his father cry since his grandmother had passed away. He was always taking good care of and protecting him like a strong giant. But today, his father cried. Even though he was standing outside the door, he could still feel a strong depression. Was it because of that woman?
Did she dislike his father?
Albert clenched the test paper in his hand and felt heartbroken at a young age. He felt sorry for his father and wanted him to get happy because he was always depressed. He barely smiled, even if he smiled, there was a trace of sadness in his eyes. Albert walked back to his bedroom slowly, closed the door, put the test paper on the table, took out a dark blue notebook from a drawer, slowly opened it, and pulled out a photo. The photo was old, so it looked a little yellow and was not very clear. In the photo, his father was young and wearing a white shirt, jeans, and a black trench coat, looking simple but graceful. He was sitting leisurely on a bench with cherry blossoms in full bloom behind him. He was smiling at the camera gently and elegantly, but the excitement and joy in his eyes were obvious. Albert could see he was very happy at this moment at a glance. A girl in a long white dress was sitting close to him with her head slightly tilting toward him. She was beaming with joy with both hands making the gesture of victory over her chest like a fool.
Albert looked at this photo in silence. It was the only photo of his parents he had. The other photos of his mother had been taken away by his father after his grandmother had passed away, and he had not found them yet. He had hidden this photo here for a long time.
He remembered his grandmother had not liked him very much back then. Whenever he had cried and looked for his mother, she had always said fiercely, "Your mother died a long time ago."
But he had believed his mother was still alive. Otherwise, his father and maternal grandfather would not have looked for her for so many years. He had secretly taken this photo to his grandfather and asked, "Is she my mother?"
His grandfather had answered, "This is your father's wife."
Albert had concluded, "So, she is my mother,"
His grandfather had touched his head lovingly without saying anything more, but Albert had known that she must be his mother because his father wouldn't like anyone other woman but his mother.
Albert knew his mother had gone missing on the way back to Buena after spending the New Year holiday in her hometown. Many people had secretly told him that his mother had run away with another man, but he had never believed it. His father was such a good man, so his mother would never bear to leave him!
Some people had said that his mother had already died. Otherwise, she would have long come back.
Albert had been very angry to hear such words when he had been young. He had firmly believed his mother whom he had never seen would come back as his father and his maternal grandfather.
One year, his father had attended a high school reunion, and he had been sent back by two uncles because he had been drunk. After he had been placed on the bed, he had gotten up and thrown up in the bathroom for a long time. When Albert fetched him a glass of warm water, he was fumbling for something in his pocket and saying in a daze, "Where is my cell phone?"
Albert had quickly helped him find the phone, and then, his father had turned it on, shown him a piece of news online, and said with red eyes, "What the heck! Nonsense! How could there be such a thing? It's all nonsense! Albert, look, this is fake news! Don't believe it! There is no such thing in this world. How is it possible? After that woman had gone missing for more than ten years, her husband found her in an exhibition cage on Tahibom Island. How is it possible? There is no such a thing! I... I've searched so many cities and villages in Cathamona, but there are still many places I haven't been to. I haven't looked for her in foreign countries yet. Tahibom Island? Ingrid Island? The world is so big! How can find her? I can't find her! I can never find Quira. Is Quira waiting for me to rescue her now? But I can't find her!" Timothy had then bowed his head in pain.
Albert had been ten years old at the time and hoped that one day his mother would come back, but he had suddenly said in a calm voice, "Maybe she's dead. Dad, you should listen to grandma and stop looking for her because she's dead! My mom has long passed away."
Saying this, Albert suddenly felt relieved because he had accepted the fact that his mother had died and decided to stop waiting for her. After he had given up hope, he would not feel anxious or disappointed anymore.
Therefore, he had hoped that his father would do the same. He had believed he would lead a better life if he could accept the fact that his mother had died.
But his father had been unwilling to give up. He shook his head firmly and said as if he were trying to convince himself, "No, she is not dead. She will come back. She will come back... Maybe she'll be back when it's dawn."
Hearing this, Albert had kept silent. He had never seen his mother before, so he had been curious about her and looking forward to meeting her. He had imagined her hug, warmth, face, and voice and had believed they would lead a happy life after she came back.
But at that moment, he had suddenly hoped that his mother had already died because he had wanted his father to give up and have peace of mind instead of being repeatedly tortured every day. Moreover, if she had died, his father would be more stable because there would be no need for him to travel around to look for her anymore. If he had known where his beloved woman was buried, he would just need to go to visit her now and then after getting this spiritual sustenance.
But she had been missing, and no corpse had been found, so his father had always been worried about her, looking for her, and looking forward to meeting her...
This was like an unfinished story, and his father was still waiting for the ending, so he was soaking in the sea of despair every day and expecting an impossible miracle.
Looking at the girl's face in the photo, Albert slowly frowned and showed a serious expression because he found the woman he had met today looked like his mother in the photo very much! No! They looked the same!
Had his father taken that woman as a substitute for his mother? No wonder he was so sad after being rejected.
Albert could not figure it out. He was only fourteen years old and spent every day at school. Moreover, he had not read that news, so he had never expected the young woman he had met today was the very woman in the old photo.