Chapter 20: October 06, Wednesday– Smart (Chapter .15)

Until the weather was good and apples were in season, Pan Rita brought a crate of them to give to her students every Wednesday morning. Her parents had orchards in the countryside, so she was supplied with apples for the whole year.

“Must be nice to be a first year high school student. I’m never getting anything from my head teacher besides nagging.” Emi was crunching on Sae’s Wednesday special as they made their way to her extra lessons after school. Although Sae’s school was nowhere near H Junior High, the English academy Emi attended was in the same direction as the way home. That made it easy for Sae to take a tiny detour and walk Emi to her class on days their schedules aligned.

“Kaikai wanted me to give you his apple, but I ate it,” said Sae. “I mean, I ate one of the two. Maybe that’s Kaikai’s apple you’re munching on.”

The little girl crunched on a bite with passion. “If I happen to be eating Kaikai’s apple, tell him thanks for me.”

Sae glanced at her. “How would I know if you ate his apple?”

“Sae,” Emi said after some chewing. “Don’t you think you’re smart?”

Sae thought about it. He was smart, so of course knew that Emi was out to get him with these little jabs. But if he said something now, where was the fun in that? Hence, he stayed silent, and they walked towards the academy without a fuss.

“This is why I don’t want to talk to you,” said Emi, but her heart wasn’t in it.

At this time of the year, the afternoons still held a balmy atmosphere, the sun warming everything it shone on. With every other step, Emi kicked at the yellowing leaves scattered at the side of the road. She wore a long scarf that trailed down the front of her uniform – two pumpkin coloured stripes hanging on each side with tassels at their end. Sae had to look away; wasn’t she hot wearing a scarf so soon?

Once Emi finished the apple, its core promptly landed in a trash bin they passed on the street. She smacked her lips and asked, “What clubs have you joined?”

Sae’s tone was light. “Nothing.”

“Weird.” The little girl made a face. “I would’ve sworn Kaikai already talked you into something after the failure of the basketball team.”

“Not yet.” Well, it’s not like Kaikai did not try, but Sae wasn’t about to commit to anything this term. The school year just started. He wanted to get into things such as clubs and extracurriculars when he was up to pace. One month was only the trial period for figuring things out.

“Is he still down about it?” asked Emi.

“Haha, no. I think his parents arranged some fancy activities for him. He’s turning his hair every which way trying to come up with some reason and ditch them.” They turned the corner to High Street. Sae sneezed as the sun shone into his eyes. “The poor soul even considered running with the neighbourhood joggers committee as a last resort.”

The little girl fished a tissue from her bag and held it over. “Isn’t that just a bunch of grannies and grandpas?”

Sae gave the affirmative, “Exactly.” Imagining such a scene made them both smile. Sae thanked the offered tissue. “What about the track team?”

Emi made a sound like Oof. “Rise Chan joined last Monday. He appeared at training and said he’d be staying.”

Hearing this, Sae raised his straight eyebrows. Over the frame of his glasses, they looked like little dunes of black sand.

“Yeah,” Emi nodded. “It’s cool. I’m cool.”

“I know you are. You are a cool little girl. Just don’t fight with anyone.” Emi snorted, and Sae smiled behind the tissue hiding half of his face. “Did he try to...”

Before he could finish, Emi interrupted with, “He doesn’t dare to look at me. I think he’s embarrassed.”

The two arrived at the English academy but did not go in right away. Emi told Sae about this new girl who also joined the team and had impressive shoes to go with her impressive endurance. Amidst listening, Sae saw a figure clad in M High’s uniform entering the five-storey building. That figure looked an awful lot like... Shum Deil?

Surely not. What would he do in a place like this?

“Sae, Sae!” Emi bounced up and down before him and waved her hand at his face. She turned around to look as well. “What is it?”

Sae’s gaze roved over the tall windows again, but he couldn’t find any familiar-looking boys in the lobby. “Nothing.” I just thought I saw… He shook his head, thinking he must’ve been wrong.

Before saying goodbye, Sae asked, “Your mom’s home for the weekend?”

“No, not this time. Mum said she’ll get a week off at the end of the month if she takes shifts every day this week. What about yours? I don’t see her that much these days. Isn’t she home?”

“Half the time.”

The little girl bobbed her head in understanding. She started to back away, approaching the academy. “I’ll drop by on Saturday. You need to explain secondary bonds to me, okay? Ah, and thank you for bringing me today!”

Sae nodded. “Got it.”

They waved goodbye before Emi went inside. Sae stood at the same place and tipped his head back, watching the tall building. There were different signs and slogans advertising classes. The lobby was a busy whirl of coming and going students.

A language academy, huh? Interesting.

---

 

Deil had a problem. He had many problems, to be honest, but the most pressing one out of them all was that he always burned cash faster than he’d get his refill.

Professor Shum had a nice job, the working hours adjustable to his needs and the pay adequate. He closely followed when and how much his son got and tried to teach him the ropes of responsible spending. Needless to say, it did not work.

Deil was a teenager; he had basic needs. He had been shopping for himself since he turned thirteen; that included clothes, food, and daily necessities. Deil liked to game and not spend time at home.

But where was he if he wasn’t at home? PC rooms, cafes, shops, the cinema... He browsed books and bought them, spent close to whole days playing games, and smoked like a chimney. Almost anything he did required some money, money his father earned.

For Deil, one of the most detestable things was asking and asking without a face to back it up. He was not about to beg, so he never asked for more than what was absolutely necessary.

However, he was smart. Deil had a brain unlike most, and that could be exploited. After starting high school, he thought about it and figured, wouldn’t it be sublime if he got compensated for having a good mind? So he planned to get himself a job as a tutor – a ‘study partner’ for junior high students.

Deil’s aunt ran a language academy. Coming from a family of scholars, she could’ve done better, but at least the building was all hers. It was a big building. Deil stood before it and felt small. The last time he met with his aunt was a few months back, during the first half of the year.

The last time he really spoke to the lady had been a long time ago. And now, today.

“A tutor. Not a student?” asked his aunt, Shum Illa. “You want me to enrol you as a ‘study partner’...”

“A guide of some sort. Like a one-on-one study buddy, two times a week. Doesn’t that sound good?” Deil tried to smile with conviction, but the pale-coloured walls behind him made him look washed out, stripped of his usual bravado.

“Not really,” replied his aunt. She thanked one of the staff members for bringing in two cups of tea. Her office was small, unlike a chairwoman’s office, but warm. They sat at the wood block table in the middle of it. Aunt Illa rearranged the cups on the table but did not take one, nor did she take a sip. “Does my brother know about this?”

“Like, does he have to?” Deil moved around, crossed his legs, then uncrossed them. “I’m just trying to help kids...”

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“And get money for it, I presume. Who would even hire you? Kids don’t come here to play.” Aunt Illa was unlike the rest of the Shum family. She moved to Mongolia for a year fresh out of uni, then refused to work as a journalist ever again, dipping her hands in the stock market for a short while. She gave regular headaches to her parents but was more self-sufficient than anyone else Deil knew, so maybe she understood.

Sitting across her, Deil sighed. “Can we try? Put out a flyer and some of my previous specs. Two times a week, 60 minutes, Maths, Physics, Chemistry. You can hire me under the academy.”

“This is a language academy.”

Deil nodded. “So I’ve heard.”

The woman gave him a look. “What about your payment?”

“You decide. Just make it so the commission fee is to my advantage.” At this, his aunt gave a faint smile. Deil felt his plan turn from impossible to possible and coaxed, “Aunt, please?”

The afternoon sun shone through the office’s windows as Aunt Illa put a steaming mug before him. “Will you tell me the whole reason?” She leaned back in her seat. “I need to trust you to employ a minor, you know. When was the last time we spoke?”

A thin layer of sweat broke out on Deil’s palms. He felt like he had walked into a trap. His long fingers weaved around the warm mug.

“You don’t have to tell me what you don’t want to. Only the key points.” His aunt went on to tell him, “If I’m going be the boss, I have to know about this nephew of mine, don’t I? I’m doing business here.”

“I can… do that.”

“Good.” A smile broke out on her face. “You look good. Better than I expected.” Aunt Illa said this like her looks were encouraging. They weren’t. She looked like the model for the fried chicken place down the street.

Deil wasn’t sure how to respond. “Thank you?”

“Oh, it was a compliment; you don’t have to sound so offended.” His aunt continued, “What do you want the money for?”

“I don’t want to ask dad to buy everything for me. I have… hobbies. So,” Deil didn’t finish this sentence.

“So you want to earn it?” A light glinted in Aunt Illa’s eyes. Against the sunlight, her irises turned to a golden brown and the eyeliner drawn on her eyelids curved like a cat’s tail. She blinked at Deil. “Very well. What hobbies? Why don’t I know about your hobbies?”

“There’s the football team, and I… smoke...” Wow, that sounded dumb.

“Only cigarettes, I hope.”

“Jesus, Aunt.”

Aunt Illa burst into laughter. “I never knew teenagers were so high maintenance.” She looked at the little nephew that personally sought her out for help. She used to like Deil and obviously wanted to keep the same sentiments. “Tell me more.”

“What do you want to know?”

“How’s my brother?”

“Haven’t you talked to him last...” Deil wanted to say week, but that did not seem right. Month? Several months? “Time. We met. Last time we met.”

Aunt Illa’s smile still stayed on her lips, but it no longer reached the eyes. “You mean in February?”

“That too…” So the siblings did not talk. Deil didn’t know why it had to be him to play messenger. This conversation felt like he was reporting. He hesitated. “Dad is the same. He’s good.”

 “And how are you?” Aunt Illa seemed to never run out of questions.

“I’ll be positively better once you tell me you’ll help.”

“How about now?”

“Uh, nervous?” Deil tugged at his ear. “Aunt, I really need this.”

The woman did not bat an eye at Deil’s pleading. She continued asking, “How’s school?”

“Fine. It’s not,” He was about to say bad but changed it to “…demanding.”

Deil took a sip to wet his lips. The tea instantly warmed his whole chest. Great, he was already sweating. What was it with both sides of his family and tea?

Opposite him, Aunt Illa sipped the scalding hot beverage with ease. She didn’t seem stifled even in a jacket. “Will you have time for this? High school first-years are all about making friends, aren’t they?”

“I can manage the time,” said Deil. “And I can be friends with whomever I’ll study with, right?”

“Why don’t I feel like I’m talking with my nephew?” The woman blinked at him. “Feels like this is some kind of interview. I’m only asking questions.”

Deil chuckled. “Well, isn’t it just that? A job interview… effectively.”

A phone rang outside the office long enough to hear over the closed door before one of the teachers took it. Aunt Illa’s office was interconnected with the teachers’ in the academy. Just like the principal’s office in school. She was old school like that, even though she persisted to be the owner of things only in name.

“Fine,” she said, breaking the quiet, “Send me your records. But. I have to talk to your father – he’s your legal guardian, and you’re a minor. The law is the law.”

“What will you tell him?” asked Deil.

“That we agreed you try to help out at the academy. It’s a good opportunity to learn about having responsibilities.”

“Will you actually pay me?”

“We’ll have to see about the price. It’s debatable with the parents. But yes, as long as you do your job, you’ll get paid for your efforts.” The chair creaked as Aunt Illa leaned forward, forgetting about her tea altogether. She tapped the desk with a bony finger. “This means no scaring people off by coming to class with bruises. I’ve heard about your tricks, kid. One-time offence, and our little deal is off. I have a reputation to hold.”

Deil thought this through. It wasn’t exactly what he envisioned, but it seemed fair enough. “That’s fair. I’m not going to mess this up.”

What a mature, perfunctory answer. Deil’s aunt scoffed at hearing it. Finally, she said, “Deil, I’m glad you came to me.”

“Thank you, Aunt Illa.” He really meant it. A steady and permanent cash flow. Something to keep him on track. If this actually happened, he’d be more than okay.

Aunt Illa waved a hand and smiled at him, which Deil returned with a lift of his mouth. “Now get out, kid. I have a lesson to attend.”

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