“No, it won’t be enough. I’m going to get rid of her, so she can’t make a terrible impact on my daughter anymore.” Said Mrs. Natty.
***
Meanwhile, Alex is locking himself in his room. He sat at his study desk, staring out his window. He was very giddy thinking of a way to make Drake stop being angry and forgive him. Alex is also sad and can’t stand being ignored and always avoided by Drake.
He desperately wanted to resolve the misunderstanding between them, but Drake always avoided him and wouldn’t listen to him. He feels like he's desperate, he wants to be angry but Alex doesn’t know there’s no one to blame for this misunderstanding either.
Alex then opened his drawer and took a picture book with his oil paint and brush. He decided to assuage his frustration by painting. He looked up at the blue sky from his window and closed his eyes. He’s trying to remember memories of the past where he was happy, running freely under the orange sky.
Old memories that he’s forgotten a long time ago, memories of when he was very young and lived life like an ordinary child. At that time the whole family was camping on the shores of a beautiful lake. Alex can remember that time they were pleased. Laughing and joking while running under the orange sky. Good memories that never come again.
Alex also painted a beautiful view of the lake and orange sky with the help of pieces of his memory. Time passed until Alex finally finished his painting and the sky was dark. He was so immersed in painting that he didn’t realize time was passing quickly.
Knock! Knock!
The knock on the door wakes Alex up and brings back his attention from the painting he’s looking at. Alex then glanced at the clock in the corner of his study desk. The clock shows at 7 p.m. and means it’s time to have dinner and hang out with his family.
“Alex, come out and have dinner together.” Said Gretta.
After hearing the sound of his mother’s feet leaving his room, Alex came out and went down to the dinner table. Alex remained silent and put on his flat face when he saw Dad, Mom, and his twin sisters already sitting at the dinner table.
Alex immediately suspected that dinner today would not be pleasant. That’s because his father was in his chair at dinner only when he wanted to say something hurtful or to show off his position as head of the family.
At least that’s what Alex always thought about his father. He never liked his father and it’s very hard to try to respect someone who’s always putting pressure on his son. Rules like a dictator who doesn’t like to listen to or understand others.
***
Alex sits in his chair quietly. He ate without saying a word, trying to maintain silence and let those around him eat. But the quieter he got the more he felt alert as if he felt a sense of calm before the coming storm.
The silence he felt became more and more depressing. He s getting to see the little moves that people around him are making. Alex acts like he’s not paying attention, but actually, he can indeed get the glanced being delivered by his father and it makes him feel uncomfortable. It disturbed him even as someone was putting pressure on his mind.
Alex gave up, and he put his fork on the plate. Then he stared at his dad like he wanted to ask, or he was cursed with his gaze. But it seems everybody is waiting for him to say something. Everyone stared at Alex like they wanted him to say something.
“If there’s anything you want to tell then just say it, don’t bother me in that way” said Alex.
Her mother and even her two younger sisters were shocked to see Alex behaving to her dad. Only his dad seemed relaxed enough that he looked Alex in the eye. But that stare left Alex disappointed and hurt.
“Your grades this semester are out, I think you’ve seen it, too. You must remember our deal, too.” Said Mr. Maxwell.
“Yes, I have to stop painting if my ranking go down. But it shouldn’t matter because somehow I’m still ranked number one.” Said Alex.
“Yes, I know. But your grades have dropped a lot. If it’s like this, anyone can catch up with you. You don’t want to quit painting anymore, do you? If you can’t be sure your grades will go back to the way they were before, it’s better to quit painting now than be a failure.” Said Mr. Maxwell.
Alex was really disappointed in his dad. He’s used to hearing sharp words, but still, he’s still feeling the pain. He’s down because of a misunderstanding between himself and Drake and it’s compounded by his father attacking him with his sharp, straightforward words.
Alex was very disappointed that his dad could not see his anxiety or sadness. They only care about his school grades and his rank, as if he lives only for it. He felt treated like a tool to fulfill his parents’ obsession. He’s sick of his life at all, indeed with his dad pressuring him to be number one. Alex’s emotions broke even as he clenched his fist and tried hard to contain himself, still tears streaming down and wetting his cheeks.
“Rank one is what you keep saying! Can’t you just ask me how I’m doing? Look at me! Do I look okay? I’m not okay, I’m sad and need someone to say everything’s going to be okay even if it’s just a lie. Is it hard to once see me as your son, not as a tool to fulfill your obsession? Stop telling I have to be number 1 or fail because the world doesn’t go that way! There are more important things than being number one, and right now I’ve lost one of them.” Alex said he was emotional.