Sofia, who normally has much to say, confessed that even she was unable to correct Lucas when there was a certain look on his face. Lucas was Ben's playmate and Ben is Sofia's son. Each boy was often found at each other's house during the weekends and holidays.
This was what was said during a ladies' meeting. Quite a few ladies ended what they were saying quite abruptly to hear about this look that would even stop Sofia's ever flowing commentary. According to Sofia, It was a certain curling of Lucas' lips. She attempted to purse her lips in imitation of the 10-year-old's expression.
When I got home, I asked my husband and Keziah (my last school-going child). The former could not catch head nor tail of what I was saying. Keziah, however, had seen that look. She was a few years older than Lucas and was friends with Lucas' sister. Keziah had noticed Lucas sneering at his sister once. Keziah was of the opinion that when Lucas sneered, one should stop talking and save one's breath. Nothing would go into his thick skull just then.
All that happened a good 14 years ago. Interestingly after Lucas graduated, he asked for a year's break. His family gave him six months to rest. At that point of time, no one thought that those particular six months would be of any significanse. Yet as events developed, his sixth month ended on March 2020, the very month that COVID-19 hit Malaysia with the first wave. Most people were forced to work from home unless they were in what the Government termed essential industry. It is now November 2020, Lucas did get his one entire year of break and more. Yet with the economy stagnating and perhaps even shrinking in certain sectors, how was he going to get a job as a fresh graduate with no working experience?
I would not call Lucas stiff-necked, yet he could be rather hard headed sometimes. Perhaps it was not by chance that he was handed a difficult hand in his young life.
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