Chapter 39: Candy I (2/2)

He collected and kept them under his bed until there was no s.p.a.ce left.

We had fun, mostly, except when our relatives came to visit.

They would talk about useless stuff like how I shouldn't play with my brother.

”You're such a smart kid. Don't let a r.e.t.a.r.d affect your future.”

They thought I was too young to understand things but they were wrong. I knew better than them.

My brother might be a little slow but I love him.

And he loves me too. Anyway, that's the reason why I hate those relatives so much.

Of course, I hated school, too, since little brother can't tag along.

He would bawl his eyes out when I leave for school every day.

I remember how the teacher would ask about our aspirations.

The year before last, I wanted to be a chef so I could cook nice dishes for little brother.

Last year, I wanted to be a cop so I could protect him.

This year, however, I wanted to be a doctor so I could cure his illness.

I attended junior middle school at thirteen but little brother did not start kindergarten when he turned five.

Mom said that kindergartens weren't suitable for him, which got me thinking about how I hated attending kindergarten as well and often cried there.

I figured it was for the best since little brother loved crying and school would be worse for him.

Mom resigned long ago in order to take care of him. She taught him how to write and draw.

I would also try to teach him language and math but he wasn't into learning.

I would coax him into studying by bringing out all my toys.

Nothing worked. His comprehension abilities were very lacking.

I had to repeat simple things multiple times before he could remember them.

For a day at that. I gradually understood how severe his condition really was.

I never thought about giving up because I knew that he was just slower than average.

I still had to teach him whatever he needed to learn.

Time was all it took, and indeed, little brother could eventually recite the multiplication table with ease.

By then, I was fifteen and was about to embark on my third year.

He was seven and should be starting on elementary school.

Mom wasn't too keen on it. She was worried that he would be bullied by his cla.s.smates.

I felt the same way.

Unable to persuade her, Dad had no choice but to agree on homeschooling.

It was the beginning of all nightmares.

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