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Always the Guest
Always the Guest
ผู้แต่ง: Big River

Chapter 1

ผู้เขียน: Big River
I was crouching on the balcony, looking for a change of clothes, when I heard the front door unlock.

Mom came in carrying some medicine and two boxes of apple pie.

When she saw me wearing nothing but a thin shirt, she frowned.

"You just got back from a business trip and you are already dressing like this? Have you forgotten how you coughed for two weeks last time?"

She shoved the bag of medicine into my arms, then crouched beside my suitcase and fiddled with one of its crooked wheels.

"You need a new suitcase, too. I will get you one after work tomorrow."

I said nothing.

The truth was, Mom had always been good to me.

When I stayed late at school to study for my senior year exams, she would wait outside the school gates for two hours in the middle of winter.

The first time I drove on the highway, my palms were so sweaty from nervousness that she rode in the passenger seat and stayed with me the whole way.

Last year, when I said I wanted to buy a small house, she was the one who supported me the most. She went with me to look at four or five places. In the end, she stood in a little 625-square-foot apartment and knocked on the window frame.

"This one will do."

I thought it was too small. She disagreed.

"A young man should settle down and build a life of his own.

"Without a house, which girl's family would be willing to let her marry you? No matter how small it is, at least it will be your own home."

Her words still echoed in my ears. However, my bedroom door was now locked from the inside.

Mom followed my gaze and looked a little uncomfortable.

"Michael and his family are only staying for four or five days. Yvonne will leave after she gets engaged.

"Our house is only so big. We cannot make our guests sleep in the living room."

Dad came out of the kitchen carrying a dish.

"Caleb comes home and crashes as soon as his head hits the pillow anyway.

"He is a guy. What does he care about? Just put some bedding on the couch. It is all the same."

Just then, Michael came out of the bedroom. He was wearing the pajamas I had bought just last year. Tugging at the hem, he said, "I didn't bring any pajamas. Your mom said yours were loose enough, so I figured I'd borrow them for a couple of days.

"You don't mind, do you?"

Before I could open my mouth, Mom answered with a smile.

"What would he mind? It is just a pair of pajamas."

Michael laughed too.

"You really know how to manage a household, sis. It’s no wonder we all love coming over to your place."

Mom's face softened with pleasure.

At dinner, she pushed a densely packed list toward me. It covered everything from champagne and wedding favors to new bedsheets and hotel reservations. Every last detail had been written down.

"Take half a day off tomorrow and go with your uncle to get everything."

My fork stopped halfway to my mouth.

"I've to pay the deposit on the house tomorrow."

"What time?"

"Before noon."

She glanced at the list. "That should be plenty of time.

"We will go to the mall at nine and finish by eleven. Then you can head straight to the real estate agent's office."

I looked up.

"Mom, I've a presentation tomorrow morning. I cannot take the day off."

Mom froze for a moment, but my uncle immediately waved his hand.

"Forget it, sis. We can go ourselves. We shouldn't interfere with Caleb's work."

Instead, Mom slapped the table lightly.

"You don't know your way around here. Why should you run all over town by yourselves?

"Caleb knows his way around, and he is careful about these things."

Then, she turned to me, her voice softening.

"Just help us this once.

"Yvonne's engagement is a big deal too."

I still said nothing.

Under the table, Dad nudged my leg.

"Caleb, your mom has already promised your uncle.

"How bad would it look if we changed our minds now?"

It was always the same.

Nobody ever asked whether I was willing. They made promises on my behalf first, then came back to inform me that they had already agreed to help someone. Surely I would not embarrass them by backing out now.

I pushed the list back toward Mom. "I can help until ten thirty tomorrow."

She smiled at once. "I knew you would.

"You complain about the trouble, but when it really matters, you are more reliable than anyone."

As she spoke, she pushed a bowl of chicken soup toward me.

"Drink some more."

The soup was hot.

When I picked up the bowl, the heat stung my fingertips.

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  • Always the Guest   Chapter 9

    A year later, I bought a house again.Fifty-four square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room.It was not as cheap as the first place I had fallen in love with, but sunlight reached the balcony.On the day I signed the contract, I sent Mom the address.She arrived half an hour early.From beginning to end, she did not negotiate with the real estate agent on my behalf or make a single decision for me without asking.I asked her, "Is the kitchen a little small?"Only then did she step inside to take a look. "It is big enough for one person.""What about the natural light?""As long as you like it, that is what matters."After I paid the down payment, she stood outside the bank for a long time.Finally, she said only, "It's nice."Over the past year, they really had changed.When Robert asked again whether Ronald could stay at their house, Dad told him, "It doesn't matter if you ask Caleb."That is his room."We won't agree on his behalf."When another relative asked

  • Always the Guest   Chapter 8

    A little over a month later, my parents visited my rented apartment for the first time.Before coming over, Dad asked me three times."Is three o'clock convenient?"Would you like us to come a little earlier?"If you are tired today, we can come another day."At 3:05, the doorbell rang. I opened the door, Mom stood outside. Instead of reaching for the doorknob as she always used to, she asked first."May we come in?"I stepped aside to let them enter.Dad was carrying two cardboard boxes filled with the photo albums, certificates, and old books I had left at home. Resting on top was a small wooden sign.[Caleb's Little Room.]I picked it up and could not help smiling."You still had this?"When I was ten, I had made it out of a scrap of wood. The letters were crooked, and beside them was a drawing of something that barely looked like a flower.Dad's eyes reddened."We found it at the very back of the balcony."Mom sat down on my folding chair.My thirty-six-square-meter

  • Always the Guest   Chapter 7

    Dad dug out the old ledger again.At first, he had only wanted to account for the two hundred thousand.On the first page were my earnings from the year I graduated. He had recorded every amount with great care.[April: $3,000.][May: $3,200.][June bonus: $2,000.]As the pages went on, the numbers grew larger, but his handwriting became messier. Every now and then, a few small notes appeared in the margins.[Lent Aunt Julia $15,000.][Paid Ronald's $6,000 training fee in advance.][Aunt Lily's car payment: $20,000.]At first, Dad kept tapping numbers into his calculator. Eventually, he stopped.When he turned to one particular page, his hand suddenly froze.It was from the New Year in my second year at work. My year-end bonus had been $12,000. He remembered it clearly because it was the first time I had received a bonus of more than ten thousand.I had been over the moon that day.After I transferred the money to him, he had even taken a screenshot of my bank balance and

  • Always the Guest   Chapter 6

    Mom did not truly realize something was wrong until half a month later.At eight that evening, the doorbell rang.My mother's second-oldest brother, Uncle Robert, stood outside with his son, Ronald Zeller, and two large suitcases at their feet."The training program starts early now."We will be staying here for half a month."Mom stared at them in surprise."Staying at our place?"Robert looked even more confused than she did."Wasn't that what you said?"When Ronald comes over here, we don't need to book a hotel. We can just stay with you."Mom had indeed said that.At the last family gathering, Robert had complained about how expensive hotels downtown were. Without hesitation, she had assured him that everything would be taken care of."We've room at home."Why waste money on something like that?"In the past, she had never needed to think twice before saying things like that.No matter how many relatives showed up, there was always a way to make room for them in the

  • Always the Guest   Chapter 5

    In the family photo, I stood at the very edge.Mom's face was flushed from drinking, and had one arm resting on Michael's shoulder.After the picture was taken, she tugged at me."Smile."You are a grown man. Stop looking so miserable."So, I smiled.We got home at ten thirty that night.Mom had drunk too much, so Dad and I helped her into the bedroom. Before she lay down, she grabbed my hand."Caleb. I will buy you an even better house someday." Her words were slurred. "Don't hold a grudge against me over this little bit of money."I gently tucked her hand back under the blanket."Go to sleep."At eleven twenty, the moving company arrived downstairs.I did not take the bed, the desk, or the cabinets because my parents had bought those. I packed only my clothes, books, certificates, and a few things I had paid for myself.Michael heard the commotion and came out. He looked startled."Caleb, what are you doing?""Moving out."His face changed instantly. "Is this because

  • Always the Guest   Chapter 4

    Before the engagement banquet began, Mom pulled me aside into the hallway again."When Michael comes over later, I will bring up the money." She unscrewed a bottle of water for me. "There will be a lot of people here today."Don't make an ugly scene."I nodded.Only then did she smile."I knew you would understand the bigger picture."Twenty minutes into the engagement banquet, Aunt picked up her wineglass and stood."For my first toast tonight, I absolutely have to thank my husband's older sister!"Her face was already flushed from drinking."Two hundred thousand! She handed it over just like that, without even blinking!""Even I, her own mother, could never be as generous as she is!"The table immediately burst into chatter."A sister-in-law who'd go this far for her family? You cannot ask for more than that!"They are siblings, after all. When it really matters, family is who you can count on!"Yvonne, you had better remember to thank your aunt properly for this!"At

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