"... Goal!"
Lumian and Laura were sitting on the couch, watching TV. Laura didn't seem quite interested in it, but Lumian, on the other hand,was quite thrilled.
Laura stood up from his lap, where she'd been resting, and pouted. "Lumian, every time football—don't you get tired?"
Lumian smiled as he gently stroked her hair. "Ah, don't worry Laura, just one more match."
"You've been saying that since 3:00!" Laura said in a shocked tone.
Lumian, still keeping his eyes on the screen, simply said, "I promise kiddo, by 9:00,I'll remove it."
"9:00!" Laura exclaimed as she kicked her legs on the sofa. "That's too long—it's just 6:00!"
Lumian didn't really respond nor pay attention to her, which made Laura fold her arms and leaned back on the chair with an angry look. Moments later, she finally said, "I thought you said we were going outside."
Lumian finally removed his gaze and rubbed his chin thoughtfully before saying, "In all honesty, I was about to take you outside by maybe 7:00, when the crimson sun had gone down… but Kelvin just called. He said we're going for a bachelor's party since, well… he's soon getting married."
Laura, having heard that, tugged on his blue shirt (the one he'd changed into after work).
"Brother, we still haven't made preparations for the ceremony! We haven't gotten the envelopes, the flowers, the suit he'll wear—basically, we aren't preparing for the marriage that's in the next four months!"
Lumian crossed his leg and sighed. "Well, there's still time. By tomorrow, me and you will help with the creation of the envelopes."
Laura scratched her head awkwardly. "I don't think there'll be need for that," she said.
Lumian gave his sister a puzzled look, and Laura, having seen it, immediately added, "No, no, no! Don't think like that, brother. One of my friends wants to visit us and help with some of the wedding preparations—that's all."
Lumian found it strange because his sister, Laura, wasn't someone who normally brought friends home—and her inability to go outside wouldn't even allow her to make friends. So Lumian found it confusing that she'd suddenly have one. He finally said in a calm tone, "Hmm… a friend? Do I know this friend?"
Laura sighed and gently said, "You might know her… and you might not."
Lumian still couldn't quite shake the uneasiness and asked again, "What's her name?"
"Maryanne," Laura said, keeping her gaze on her brother.
"Maryanne? Isn't that a name similar to St. Mary? That means she should be one of the members of the Skywalker Church, probably under the Crimson Choir faculty!"
Having dispelled any signs of trouble, Lumian returned his gaze back to the TV.
---
Knock! Knock! Knock!
About three minutes later, three quick knocks were made on the door. Lumian stood up from the couch and quickly assessed the situation. His first thought about who it could be was his landlord, Mr. Wendly, because for the last two months the Ward family hadn't paid rent—making the old man, who looked like a goose, quite grumpy.
Lumian went to the door and checked the peephole. The moment he saw the figure, he immediately opened it.
The figure was none other than Lumian and Laura's older brother. He had short, slightly curly black hair, wore all black with a black hat, and looked about 24—only two years older than Lumian.
"Good evening, Kelvin," Lumian said with a bright smile.
Kelvin looked at Lumian intensely. Lumian wasn't feeling secure under his brother's gaze and was thinking about what he might have done wrong. Before his mind could spiral too far, Kelvin smiled as he stepped inside.
"Wendly! Wendyl! Wendyl! Wendyl," he said the words like he was singing.
Upon hearing them, Lumian couldn't contain his laughter and chuckled. Because of how often Mr. Wendyl was grumpy, the Ward family started making fun of his name—which only made the landlord even grumpier and start coming personally for the rent. But the Ward family didn't care; it was just too fun to say. Even little Laura couldn't help but giggle whenever she heard it.
Still chuckling, Kelvin rested on the couch next to Laura. He then tapped her shoulder. "You see, your brother's quite hungry. Go into the kitchen and make something."
Laura immediately stood up and went inside the kitchen. Lumian then came close and sat next to his older brother.
Kelvin checked the time on his watch and sighed. "I still have to go to work tomorrow, early morning."
Lumian raised his brows slightly. "Tomorrow? Don't your office ever give you some breathing space?"
Kelvin sighed again as he crossed his legs. "Lumian, I'm just happy that the day after tomorrow is Saturday. I can finally rest—hopefully they don't call me for their so-called 'emergencies.' "
Lumian chuckled as he looked toward the kitchen door. "Laura's pretty hardworking, you might say… she's only ten and already knows how to cook—already wife material."
Kelvin smiled and nodded slowly. "Hopefully she gets a really good husband. Because you know how the saying goes—a good wife always needs a good husband." The two then chucked.
Lumian, resting his arms and head on the backrest, said, "The stocks in the house are also getting spoilt. I'm planning to go to the market tomorrow to get some things."
Kelvin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… how much do you have? Because as of now there's massive inflation in some goods."
"Massive inflation!?" Lumian exclaimed. "Then what's the use of our money—when a bag of rice can cost more than 40 pounds?"
Kelvin looked at his brother and frowned. "You don't even understand how the money system works. The system's controlled by government activities, which affect goods too. So when they withhold certain goods, it creates higher demand—and if the good is valuable… well, the price skyrockets. Without the current inflation, even 30 pounds would be enough to buy a bag of rice. 180 is the price for a house."
Lumian rubbed his cheek thoughtfully and said, "I see." Then he smiled wide, leaning closer to his brother with a devilish smile. "Kelvin, how's Helen?"
"Well, I don't know why you're asking, but she's doing well."
Lumian smiled wider as he put his arm around his brother's shoulder and whispered into his ear, "Have you guys… you know, done it yet?"
Upon hearing that, Kelvin immediately pushed Lumian away playfully, laughing.
"You—you have a really bad mind. I don't even know where you got it from—whether from our mother or father."
Lumian smiled, sitting back down and rubbing his chin. "Well, if I think about it… it's basically you."
"That's nonsense! When have I ever done anything bad?"
Lumian kept his hands on his mouth as he gasped. "Brother, have you forgotten when we were still in school… you were at the back of the class with Arin doing some inappropriate stuff."
Kelvin was at a loss, not sure whether to argue back, or just laugh it off.
Just then, Laura's voice sounded from the kitchen, "Dinner is ready!"
Lumian shouted back, "Bring it to the table!"
Moments later, the siblings were sitting at the table with the food neatly placed.
The fragrance of the food was rich—the captivating aroma of the chicken stir fry and the tender potatoes by the side, with a bowl of soup whose scent made Kelvin's stomach rumble.
Just as Kelvin was about to take a bite, Laura immediately used a spoon to slap his hand away.
"No! Let's pray first," she said in a stern tone.
The whole family clasped their hands together and said in unison,
"All ye Skywalker, may we enjoy your blessings upon us as we take your hearty meal."
When they finished, Lumian took out a chicken from the large bowl and placed it on his plate. Then he took the spoon and shared the rice and veggies among them, placing the bowl of chicken in the middle for everyone to pick from.
Kelvin, whose mouth was practically watering already, quickly dug up a spoonful of rice and stuffed it into his mouth. The rice seemed well-boiled—not too salty, not too Less. He then took a piece of chicken from the bowl and tore a big bite. The taste made him salivate even more.
"So delicious," he said, praising Laura's cooking. "Laura, you're really an extraordinary girl. You're smart, you can cook, and you're mature—you have all the qualities of a good wife."
Laura just giggled awkwardly, fiddling with her spoon around the rice.
Lumian noticed her expression and said, "What's wrong? You don't seem quite interested in eating."
Kelvin, as the older brother, kept eating without paying much attention.
"It's really nothing," Laura said. "I simply don't like the food."
Lumian took a spoon of rice and stuffed it into his mouth. "See? Sweet! Why don't you give it a try?"
She looked at her incompetent brother monstrously munching down the food, then glanced again at her rice. Hesitantly, she scooped some up and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Not bad… not bad," she said vaguely.
"Silly little girl, why are you afraid of eating something you basically prepared? The funny thing is, it's quite edible." Lumain thought Inwardly.
When the siblings had finished their meal, they stood up and went to their rooms to wash up. When they returned, they were wearing new clothes—Lumian still wore his blue shirt but paired it with blue trousers, while Kelvin wore a red shirt and black trousers. They both looked like gentlemen.
Just then, little Laura came down the stairs wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans. Kelvin looked at Lumian and said, "Is Laura following us?"
Lumian smiled. "Yes—I promised to take her out."
Kelvin raised a brow. "Then what's the point of calling it a bachelor's party?"
"It's just one girl," Lumian said while raising his index finger.
Kelvin rubbed his temples but eventually agreed.
And just like that, the siblings got into the car, heading toward their destination.