Chapter 3 [Wednesday Afternoon]

I place the untidy pile of comics lying on his study table to the side and take out my E.Math textbook and exercise book from my bag.

I'm at Joseph's house. Wednesday afternoons are 'Going-to-Joseph's-house-to-pretend-to-study-with-him time'.
He asked me to do this. Firstly, it's to show his mum that he studies, and secondly, it's to copy homework from me. He says it's a 'might as well' kind of thing.
Anyway, we've got this practice since primary school, and so I'm not really bothered.
Just that I've got to give him intensive tuition before any major tests or exams. For every subject, except Chinese, which he is naturally good at, maybe because he reads comics?
It's tiring, but when I see that he is able to pass and gets promoted together with me, I feel that my efforts are paid off.

3.06pm.
We reached his place 10 minutes ago, and he is having a shower now.
His house is a 4 room flat and he stays with his mother.
His room isn't big but has just enough space for a single size bed at the corner of the room, a wardrobe at the other corner, and a study table at the window with a soccer ball underneath it. The walls have posters of comic characters on them. Though Joseph told me so many times their names, I cannot remember.
Wait, I think one is Goku, or is it Moku?
Whatever.

Joseph walks in, drying his hair with a towel, sits on the chair beside me and looks at me solve a math problem. He then throws the towel on his bed, picks up the soccer ball beneath him and starts to play with it.

"Are you going to start on your work?" I ask.

"Shall we go Queensway Shopping Centre?" He says.

"Now?" I think it's not possible.

"Not now."

"I've a piano lesson tomorrow."

"I didn't say tomorrow." He explains.

"Then when?"

"A day when you don't have piano lesson."

"Do you want to start on your work first?" I ask again.

"Later."

I don't wish to bother about him. I continue my problem solving.

"Or shall we go ice skating?" He says after some time.

"You know how to ice skate?" I didn't know that.

"It shouldn't be that difficult."

I don't wish to bother about him still, and I continue to problem solve.
He, too, never say anything. He just sits on his bed and then lies down, and keeps playing with the soccer ball.

"Don't you think Math is a very strange thing? There are only digits 0 to 9. No matter how you write it's still 0 to 9, just jumbled up." He says.

"Keep on seeing the same 0 to 9 is very boring." He adds on.

His theory is flawed, but I cannot think of anything on the spot to rebuke him.

"You can take a nap first if you're tired." He says.

"You want to start on your work already?"

"Later."

4.27pm.
I am just going to ask him again whether he is planning to start his work, when I turn and see that he's asleep on his bed hugging his soccer ball.
I am actually thinking of waking him up, but after much thought, I give up the idea.
Carefully, I walk to his side, and carefully take the soccer ball away from him. How can anyone sleep hugging such a dirty thing, stained with mud and smells of people's soles?
He turns to lie on his right side. He seems like he's having a sweet dream.

I think, probably, I'm a little tired too.
I remember he said just now, that if I'm tired, I can take a nap.
Yes.
I'm tired.

I slowly lay down beside him, lying on my left side, and look at his face. He grins even when he's sleeping. I can hear his breaths, deep breaths. I close my eyes and fall asleep.

I was wakened by the sound of the door outside. I think I heard the door open and close. I look at my watch. 6.37pm.
I sit up. Joseph is still sleeping, but lying on his back now, still facing his right though.
Haha. He's drooling. I must capture this image in my mind and remember it forever.

"Hey boy, wake up." I shake him. No avail.

I shake him harder. He didn't even stir.

"I think your mother is back." I bend over and whisper into his ear.

It's like magic words.
Joseph immediately opens his eyes, sits up, rubs his eyes, rubs his face, wipes off his drool with the back of his hand, looks at the clock, stands up and walks towards his chair, sits down and takes out his textbook and exercise book.

I sit down on my chair, look at him, and laugh. What just happened was quite amusing.

"Oh, Dylan you're here too." It's the voice of Joseph's mother.

I turn over to greet her. Joseph greets her after me.

"Are you going to stay for dinner?" She asks.

"No auntie. I've got dinner at home." I reply.

"So how's school today, boys?" She continues to inquire.

"Ok. Not too bad."

"Did you all get back any tests today?"

I look at Joseph and widen my eyes. I hear him say 'she's a psychic' under his breath. I think so too.

Joseph takes out the test paper we got back from Mdm Lee earlier this afternoon, the one that he thinks he'll fail, and passes it to auntie. He failed. 38/100.

"How much did you get, Dylan?" Auntie asks me while flipping through Joseph's paper.

"Er... 87."

She glances at Joseph, and Joseph looks down.

"I thought both of you study together?" She asks.

"I thought you've been giving him tuition?" She turns to look at me.

"Er... Joseph's quite poor with differentiation and integration concepts then. But he's better at them now." I try to salvage the situation. I'm quite scared of Auntie actually.

Auntie didn't say anything. She walks out of the room and carries on examining Joseph's test paper.

'I think I better leave first.' I mouth these words to Joseph.

He makes a pitiful face, like asking me why I have to go now. Looking at him, I can't bear to leave, but I've got dinner at home.

I pick up my E.Math textbook from the table and before I can put it into my bag, a piece of folded paper falls out from between the pages. Those pinkish, scented kind of paper.
Before I can reach down to pick it up, Joseph already got it in his hands, opens it and starts to read.
I snatch it over and read it myself. I cannot believe my eyes.

"It's a love letter. From L.Y. Who's L.Y?" He says.

I have no idea. I look at Joseph. His grin tells me he has a plan.
And I've got a bad feeling about that.
Like our friendship will start to change because of this plan.


~End of Chapter 3~