Chapter 3 , Memory 2

Imagination is always beautiful, but reality always catches you off guard!

Dominic came back under the Friday evening glow.

Yes, he came back, and he came back to Lucas''s house!

Maybe it''s because his house is closer to the station. He must be hungry after traveling such a long way. He''ll definitely leave after dinner.

But he didn''t leave. He stayed until night, lying on Lucas''s bed.

Lucas, held in Dominic''s arms, was speechless. Not only was he being held, but he also had to listen to Dominic''s endless chatter. Why did Dominic have so much to say? Was there any way to shut this annoying guy up?

Listening to Dominic talk about the new things he encountered at his new school, Lucas was unknowingly drawn in. He found it very interesting.

And Dominic''s voice was pleasant to listen to. If Lucas had to describe it, it was like a spring breeze, making one feel very comfortable.

"Uncle, can you not hold me while sleeping? I feel uncomfortable!"

"How uncomfortable? Tell me so I can make it better."

"......"

"Oh, Lucas is angry again, not talking again! Did you get used to it when Uncle was gone? Did you miss Uncle? Uncle missed you! What''s wrong with letting Uncle hold you?"

"......" If I let you hold me, will you shut up?

Dominic stayed until after lunch the next day before leaving. When he left, he made sure Lucas walked him to the road. Lucas had no choice but to follow him with a blank expression.

"Here, take this and buy some candy. Uncle''s leaving now!"

Looking at the ten-dollar bill in his hand, Lucas thought, going to school really made a difference. Dominic''s weekly allowance must be a lot. After all, Lucas only got fifty cents a day. Tsk tsk tsk!

It was as if the heavens heard Lucas''s plea. Dominic came back to Lucas''s house the next Friday as usual.

But today, Dominic was different. Besides greeting people, he didn''t say anything unnecessary.

Listening to Dominic''s strange voice, Lucas thought he must have caught a cold. Luckily, he listened to his mom and wore more clothes as the weather got colder.

Otherwise, he might have sounded as awful as Dominic, like a duck quacking. And it seemed like it was hard for him to talk. Hahaha...

Tonight, Dominic still held Lucas like a pillow, but he finally didn''t talk non-stop like last time.

Compared to his curiosity and longing for high school life, Lucas still preferred the quiet.

But Lucas thought Dominic''s cold came at the perfect time. He hoped that every time Dominic came home on break, he would catch a cold. Dominic always had so much to say.

He was normal with others, but with Lucas, he wouldn''t stop talking. Now he''s finally quiet, hahaha...

This time, Dominic stayed until Lucas finished his homework and had lunch the next day before leaving. He didn''t say anything unnecessary, but he still gave Lucas some money.

This time it was a twenty-dollar bill. This was one of the few things that made Lucas genuinely happy.

If Dominic came back quietly like this every time, Lucas could reluctantly accept being held while sleeping for the sake of the pocket money.

Later, Dominic didn''t come back every week but every other week.

Lucas also learned from his parents'' conversations that Dominic didn''t have a cold. He was growing up. This was called the voice change period, and Lucas would go through it too when he grew up.

Haha, but this voice change period was too funny. Was Dominic not coming back because of his awful voice?

Hahaha...

"Uncle, why aren''t you talking? You used to love talking! Tell me about your school."

"You want to..."

"Hahaha..."

"......"

Dominic had barely said two words when Lucas couldn''t help but burst into laughter. Finally, just like the national anthem says, the slave stood up. He could finally get back at Dominic for the ghost stories. He had his day to conquer Dominic, hahaha!

After that, no matter how much Lucas teased him, Dominic refused to speak again. But Dominic still kept coming back every other week.

Every time he came back, he would first go to Lucas''s house, stay until after lunch the next day, and then leave. When he left, he would always slip some money to Lucas, sometimes ten dollars, sometimes twenty.

After Dominic did this a few times, Lucas''s parents naturally found out.

Mr. and Mrs. Churchill thought Dominic was still a kid himself, where would he get money to give to Lucas? They refused to take his money and even wanted to know how much he had given before so they could return it.

But Dominic said it was his saved-up allowance for his nephew and that it wasn''t much.

Sometimes, to avoid being seen by Mr. and Mrs. Churchill, he would secretly slip the money to Lucas. Seeing that they couldn''t stop him from giving money to Lucas, Mr. and Mrs. Churchill had no choice but to tell Lucas not to accept Dominic''s allowance. But how could young Lucas possibly listen to them?

And so, a semester passed. Whether it was because of Dominic''s voice changing or because he gave a lot of allowance, his relationship with Lucas gradually improved.

Lucas was introverted and didn''t have many friends at school. Dominic could barely be considered a friend in his life. Sometimes Lucas couldn''t help but think, this uncle isn''t so bad!

In the new semester, Dominic''s visits became once a month, but Lucas had gotten used to being held by him to sleep.

Especially when the weather was cold, Dominic was always warm. Lucas went from being forced to cuddle to actively snuggling into his arms.

Dominic still tutored Lucas with his homework, had lunch, and then went home. When he left, he would habitually slip some money into Lucas''s bag and remind him not to tell his parents.

At some point, Dominic''s visits became irregular, making it hard for Lucas to adjust again.

Great-uncle said Dominic''s class was an experimental class, the best in the school, with a lot of academic pressure, so he couldn''t come home often.

Later, Lucas could only learn about Dominic from the adults'' conversations. It was always about winning some competition or being first in some exam...

Then there were the praises about how smart, obedient, and worry-free Dominic was, followed by complaints about their own children...

And then their own children would suffer...

Lucas had heard praises about Dominic since he was little, to the point of numbness. Every time they praised Dominic, it was followed by his own criticism session.

No matter how hard Lucas tried, even with Dominic''s tutoring before, his grades always hovered around the upper-middle level, never dropping but also never rising, inexplicably stable!

Later, for some reason, Dominic stopped coming home even during winter and summer breaks. Lucas felt like he hadn''t seen Dominic in ages, so long that he almost forgot what Dominic looked like!

This is no exaggeration because one Friday afternoon in the first semester of sixth grade...

Walking down the street, Lucas suddenly heard someone calling him. The voice was unfamiliar but pleasant, like a dandelion drifting into his ear, making it itch...

"Lucas, why aren''t you saying anything? Don''t tell me you don''t recognize your uncle?"

The man in front of him was very tall, like an umbrella in a storm.

His features were still as beautiful and defined as ever, familiar yet with a hint of unfamiliarity. The glow of the setting sun behind him made it hard for Lucas to keep his eyes open.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and Lucas raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light. Everything seemed like the morning of his first day of elementary school, but how did this man get so tall?

"Why are you crying when you see your uncle? Did you miss me that much?"

"......"

Although Lucas didn''t want to pay attention to Dominic, he couldn''t help but wonder if everyone''s voice sounded as pleasant as Dominic''s after going through puberty. It was really enviable!

Tonight, Lucas found Dominic a bit strange. After dinner, he insisted on leaving, no matter how much everyone tried to make him stay.

"I''ll come back tomorrow morning to help Lucas with his homework. I really have something else to do tonight, I need to go home first!"

"What can''t wait until tomorrow?"

"Bro, I really need to go. I''ll leave before it gets dark. You all get some rest, I''ll come back tomorrow!"

"Ah, this kid, always in such a hurry!"

Lucas thought Dominic was getting weirder and weirder.

Dominic used to find every excuse to touch and hug him. Now, not only did Dominic not sleep with him, but he also kept his distance at all times.

If Lucas got a little too close when asking him a question, Dominic would jump back a step. He used to love sticking close and sleeping together, but now he was so shy. What was wrong with him...?

Dominic''s strange behavior continued until Lucas''s college entrance exams. After the exams, unlike other students who stayed home to rest, Dominic left.

His great-uncle said he went to where his sister worked, to relax and relieve stress, and to earn some pocket money on the side.

Later, they heard that Dominic got into a prestigious university in Bliss City with the highest score in the city. Lucas never got the chance to congratulate him in person before he started school.

Lucas hadn''t seen Dominic in a long time!

He thought he had probably lost Dominic as a friend. After all, they weren''t the same age, and Dominic was his elder. They couldn''t be friends, and maybe it was just Lucas who one-sidedly considered Dominic a friend.

Dominic might have found him amusing when he was younger and liked to tease him for fun. Now that he was older and not as interesting, Dominic naturally distanced himself. It wasn''t a big deal, right?

Lucas moved on to middle school. His grades were always average, and he didn''t have time to lament the loss of a friendship. He had to spend more time studying.

He was naturally an introverted person who enjoyed being alone, doing his own things quietly. It made him feel more comfortable.

At school, he got along with everyone in a plain and simple way, without the close friendships that boys his age often had.

Dominic was an exception for Lucas. He had barged into Lucas''s life, made a mess, and then left quietly.

He made Lucas vaguely believe that he had the kind of brotherly bond other boys had, but how could they be brothers? Dominic was just an elder, nothing more!

Even though Dominic didn''t come back much after starting college, his stories were always present in the family circle. Dominic was like a mountain pressing down on Lucas, who was constantly compared to him and had to spend more time studying.

But Dominic was really something. Even though he distanced himself, he still maintained the appearance of an elder.

Every birthday, he remembered to send gifts and write little cards...

When Lucas was in eighth grade, Dominic developed some other strange habits. Whenever there was a three-day holiday, he would unfailingly return home.

Everyone knew that holidays like Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival meant family gatherings. For holidays like Labor Day and National Day, it was customary to attend various weddings and birthday banquets.

Dominic must have really been affected by his studies. In the past, whether it was a family gathering or attending various banquets, Lucas only needed to quietly and modestly eat his meal.

But now, whenever Dominic came back, no matter the occasion, everyone would first shower him with extravagant praise. Then, the unlucky ones like us, the younger ones, would get scolded!

Getting scolded was one thing, but the worst part was that Dominic would always find a way to stick to Lucas, chatting with him endlessly and even serving him food during meals.

He would serve Lucas the dishes he couldn''t reach, the ones he was picky about, the ones he liked, and even the ones Dominic himself liked...

Looking at the plate piled high like a mountain and listening to the elders'' teasing remarks, Lucas really wanted to tell Dominic to go see a doctor!

It seemed like all that studying had finally taken a toll on him. If he didn''t get checked soon, it might be too late...

But no matter how much Dominic clung to Lucas, he never stayed overnight at Lucas''s house.

Now, whenever a holiday approached, Lucas would get anxious. Dominic had become scarier than the ghost stories he used to tell!

Maybe it was because thinking about Dominic reminded him of those ghost stories, which led to Lucas wetting the bed again in middle school, just like he did in elementary school!

He used to think ghost stories were the shadow of his life, but it turned out Dominic was the real lingering nightmare...