All Chapters of Always the Guest: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

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 wh

"Where is the card?" I asked again.Dad sat down first. "Caleb, don't get worked up."The moment I heard those words, my palms went cold."The money is gone?""No, it isn't gone." He quickly waved his hands. "We just moved some of it temporarily."I turned to Mom. "How much?"She avoided my eyes. "Two hundred thousand."My ears started ringing.There had been $216,000 in that account.For five years, ever since I started working, I had transferred most of my paycheck to Dad every month after setting aside enough for living expenses.When I first graduated, I had earned barely over $4,000 a month.Dad had told me that young people were no good at holding on to money."I will save it for you."When you are ready to buy a house, nobody will touch that money."He had even bought a special ledger just for this purpose. On the cover, he had written a few words: [Caleb's House Fund.]Last year, when my account balance finally passed $200,000, Mom had been over the moon. She had

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

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

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