"This person just died, and you’re rushing to celebrate. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?" Oscar Land shook his head helplessly. "Luke, tone it down; the show isn’t over yet."
"Yes, big brother, you’re right." Luke Land grinned, looking ingratiating. "When the ti cos, should I squeeze out a few tears in front of the dia?"
"Cry if you can cry." A rare lightness crept onto Oscar Land’s face.
As Oscar Land and Luke Land chatted happily, Asher Land’s silence on the side was notably conspicuous.
"What’s wrong? Feeling overwheld with guilt and remorse?" Luke Land nudged his chest with his elbow. "Don’t be gloomy. The matter is settled—he’s dead; it’s our release. No, it should be said, it’s the world’s release."
Asher Land lowered his head slightly and chuckled softly.
Yes, indeed, it’s a form of release.
"I need to go sowhere, so I’ll leave first." With that said, Asher Land turned around and left the room.
Oscar Land and Luke Land exchanged glances, wondering why their third brother’s reaction seed a bit off.
...
Robert Williams drove the car smoothly. It was unclear how much ti had passed before Robert Williams finally stopped the car, then turned around to speak softly to Asher Land, who sat in the back seat with eyes closed, "We’re here."
Asher Land slowly opened his eyes, the usual sharpness in his gaze dissipating completely at that mont.
Robert Williams opened the car door for him, and Asher’s polished leather shoes stepped onto the cobblestone ground as he walked forward, step by step.
He placed a white chrysanthemum in front of the tombstone, lowered his head to look at the black-and-white photo, and his lips slowly curled upwards.
"Mother, I’ve done everything I needed to do. May you rest in peace in heaven."
As the weather cooled, he wore a suit jacket but still felt cold. A light breeze lifted the dry leaves that had fallen at his feet, spinning them in the low air before they slowly settled, seeming sowhat desolate.
He stood before the tombstone for a long, long ti—so long that his legs began to ache and throb, so long until the light at the edge of the sky gradually faded into inky night.
Not bringing his mother’s ashes back to Southern County might be one of the greatest regrets of his life. Whenever he thought of his mother staying year after year in this hated land, he felt a pang of desolation in his heart.
Robert Williams approached holding a flashlight, respectfully standing by Asher Land’s side.
"President Land, it’s getting late. You should go back and rest."
"I know." He responded lightly, nodding in agreent, yet he didn’t take a step.
Because he had one last question he wanted to ask his mother, even though he knew he would never hear the answer from her mouth in this lifeti, he still wanted to ask.
"I never thought that I, Asher Land, would be a bastard who doesn’t even know who my biological father is. Mother, did you ever regret giving birth to ? Did you ever feel a shred of guilt?"
His heart felt like it had been struck hard, the pain excruciating.
The unclear identity left him feeling stifled. Living wasn’t ant to be suffering or pain. He knew that an identity wasn’t that important, but for soone as proud as him, so things were really hard to let go.
His slight sigh stood out starkly in the silent night. After a long while, he finally left.
He sat in the car, reaching up to rub his throbbing temples, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
The phone rang. He was just about to hang up, but when that na flashed across the screen, he answered without hesitation.
User Comments
0 comments from readers