“Helen, please accompany me to the bookstore after school,” said Lucy.
“Bookstore? Lucy wants to go to the bookstore? Are you okay?”
“I’m really fine. I just want to buy a book as a gift for Alex. Tomorrow will be his 12th birthday,” she said.
Helen became more confused. “What? For ... Alex? Alexander?”
“Yeah, Alexander. My brother. You still remember him, don’t you?” asked Lucy.
“Yes, bu...but it has been a long time since the last time I saw him. Maybe about several months.”
“That long? I didn’t realize it. You’ll be surprised when you see him again. He has been taller and more handsome.”
“I’ll accompany you to the bookstore. But you’ll wait about five minutes. I’m going to submit my paper to Mrs. Tina after school,” said Helen.
“Thanks, Helen.”
Suddenly the bell rang. So they went to their seat.
At the bookstore...
“What?
Lucy laughed a while. “Bad choice, huh?”
Lucy ordered another book to Helen. “How about this?”
“The A.B.C Murder by Agathe Christie? He likes detective novels, doesn’t he?” asked Helen.
“He loves detective novels. How can I forget? He has ten detective novel. Six of them are Agatha Christie’s.”
“Are you sure he doesn’t have this one?”
“He has that one. But I think he hasn’t bought that one,” said Lucy. She pointed at a novel and picked it. It was "Murder on the Orient Express".
Lucy paid the book and she walked happily from the bookstore. Helen just walked beside her slowly. Helen’s face looked rather sad and confused.
“What’s wrong with you, Helen?” asked Lucy.
“Nothing. I’m okay.”
“I think you should go home now.”
Helen looked at her watch. “I think so,” she said. “It’s three o’clock.”
“May I accompany you to your house?” offered Lucy.
She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I can go home myself. Don’t worry about me. You’d better go home. Your mom must be worrying about you know. You haven’t told them about this, have you?”
“I haven’t. Okay, take care. See you.”
“See you.”
Then they went home. Actually, Lucy still feel something strange that could make Helen be like that. Maybe just too tired, thought Lucy.
About twenty minutes later Lucy arrived at her house. Her house is not so big and luxurious. Just a simple house. She knocked at the door several times and wait. After a while, her mother opened the door. She came in and they walked to the dining room.
“Where were you from, Lucy? You should have went home about one hour ago.”
“I was from the bookstore, “said Lucy.
“You should tell me if you wanna go somewhere after school. I was going to call police when you knocked at the door.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I won’t do it again. But now, I’m hungry.”
“I’ve cooked your favourite food, chicken soup. It’s on the table, Lucy,” said her mother.
“Oh, thank you, Mom. I’m so happy today.”
Unfortunately, the happiness didn’t last long. Suddenly, the phone rang. Her mother went to the living room and picked the phone up.
“Lucy, it’s Helen!” shouted her mother from the living room.
Lucy ran there. Then, her mother went back to the dining room.
“Hello, Helen.”
“Hi, Lucy. I just remembered. Don’t forget to bring my physics book tomorrow. There will be a physics test next week, remember?”
“Oh, yes. Don’t worry. I’ll bring it tomorrow. By the way, Helen, what do you think if I use a red wrap for the gift?” asked Lucy.
“What? The gift? Oh, that gift. I see. Red is good. But does Alex love red?”
Lucy thought for a while. “Actually, I think he loves blue. Okay, I’ll use blue. Thank you so much for today. See you tomorrow.”
“See you.”
Lucy put the phone. Then she walked to the dining room and had a bowl of chicken soup.
“Mom, we still have some blue wrap, don’t we?”
“Yes, there are some in the drawer. For what, Lucy?”
“I’ll use it to gift-wrap a book,” answered Lucy.
“Whom will you give the gift to?” asked Lucy’s mother.
“It’s secret. By the way, where’s Alex, Mom?”
“What? Alex?” Her mother looked very surprised.
Suddenly they heard someone knocked the door. Lucy ran and opened the door.
“Dad! You go home so early today. Mom has cooked chicken soup for us. It’s so delicious.”
Then they came in and walked to the dining room.
“So, where’s Alex, Mom?” asked Lucy again. Her mother still looked very surprised. Moreover, her father looked very surprised, too. The dining room became so silent. Suddenly her mother ran to her room crying. Lucy became very confused. She couldn’t understand what was happening. She looked at her father and said, “What happened, Dad? Where’s Alex?”
Her father walked towards her and talked to her slowly.
“Lucy, I know it must be very hard to receive but you have to.”
“What are you talking about, Dad?” asked Lucy.
Her father explained, “Nine years ago, our house was on fire. That time, mom was sick and I was on duty at
“No way. That’s impossible. He’s alive. He’s alive!” cried Lucy.
Lucy collapsed. Her father brought her to her room.
The next morning...
“I’m okay. What happened yesterday? I think I remember that Dad said something about fire. I think he said that some years ago our house was on fire and...”
Dad said, “No. I didn’t say something like that. Maybe it’s just your dream or maybe because you still have a headache. Don’t think to much, Lucy. Just calm down. We don’t want you to be sick.”
“I think so,” said Lucy. “Where’s Alex?”
“It’s a bad news, Lucy. But it’s useless to hide it form you. I regret to tell you that he got a car accident yesterday last night on his way home. When his father’s car on the way here, the car crash into a truck and exploded. We have to receive this, Lucy. We can’t do anything now,” explained her father.
Lucy cried uncontrollably. Her mother tried to calm her down. His father walked to Lucy’s room. He picked an Agatha Christie’s novel and threw it to the dustbin.
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