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Before Gordon had any real confirmation about whether Carlisle had actually been accepted into a university, he had only invited some of his old friends to the celebration. He hadn’t wanted to risk embarrassing himself if Carlisle’s acceptance turned out to be a false hope. Gordon had invited Rory, a well-respected businessman from Rainville, but in the back of his mind, he worried about how awkward it would be if the invitation had to be retracted.
“What would Rory think if he showed up and found out Carlisle hadn’t made the cut?” Gordon thought to himself, half-laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
As fate would have it, Gordon wasn’t the only one with a busy schedule. Rory, though respected in the community, was a man always on the move. When he arrived at the celebration, he grinned sheepishly. “It’s true that I’m quite busy today. Had to turn down a client just to make it here, but I’m still late! Sean’s college celebration is in two days. Let’s make sure to drink together then!”
Rory opened a pack of Sobranie cigarettes, each one worth eighteen dollars. Gordon couldn’t help but stare at them; he’d only ever admired them through the glass of a shop window. Rory handed one to him with a casual smile.
“Sure, sure! We’ll definitely do that,” Gordon replied, gratefully accepting the luxury cigarette, his hand trembling slightly with excitement. After some light chatter, Rory left with Sean, while Gordon took a deep breath, preparing himself to head home with Carlisle.
It was already the next day when Carlisle finally woke up, feeling the weight of the previous day’s events still hanging over him. He glanced at his phone, surprised to see it was already noon. As he sat up in bed and reached for a glass of water, a flashing notification from his MSN Messenger app caught his eye. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed over 20 messages from classmates. Normally, his phone barely buzzed, let alone with so many notifications at once.
This must be the reality, he thought bitterly. No one bothered with him when he was considered ‘useless’ or ‘incapable.’ But now, when he had achieved something unexpected, everyone was eager to reach out. He tapped through the messages, most of them congratulatory. He responded politely to each one, thanking them for their kind words.
Finally, he came to Sarah’s message.
“Carlisle, my college entrance party is happening on July 5th. You have to come!”
Carlisle smiled, his fingers moving to type a response without much thought. “Okay. Send me the address.”
Sarah had attended his own college party, so it only seemed right to return the favor. His phone buzzed again with messages from other classmates, each reminding him of the upcoming parties he was obligated to attend. Carlisle sighed but took it in stride. He’d attend as many as he could, keeping up the facade of social normalcy that he had always struggled with.
However, not everything went smoothly. When Carlisle showed up at Sarah’s party, he was met with a curious complaint. Sarah seemed upset, her voice barely concealed in irritation. “Your congratulatory money… it’s too little,” she said, pointing to the small envelope he had handed her. “My family was expecting more. I mean, your phone cost over $4000, but all you gave me was $100?”
Carlisle froze, caught completely off guard. How was it that Sarah, after all the support she had offered him, could be so petty about such a trivial matter? He was speechless. The way she spoke made it feel like his gesture of generosity had meant nothing. He had given her double the amount she gave him when it was his turn to celebrate. And yet, she was still dissatisfied?
Before Carlisle could respond, Sarah turned away to greet other guests, leaving him to stew in confusion and frustration.
On July 10th, Carlisle was taking a quiet afternoon nap when the sound of laughter drifted into his room, waking him abruptly. He blinked, confused, and sluggishly put on his slippers before wandering into the living room. There, he found Gordon and Hilda laughing together, their voices full of warmth.
Hilda, her eyes glistening with tears, immediately walked over to him, holding an admission letter in her hands. She could barely contain her joy as she said, “Son, look at this! Look at your admission letter!”
Carlisle chuckled softly, scratching his head. “It’s just an admission letter. Do you really need to react like this?”
“Of course, I do!” Hilda exclaimed, her voice full of pride. “This is our pride, Carlisle! Do you have any idea how much this means to us?”
She continued, her face glowing with happiness. “Hayley was right next to me when I opened it. Her eyes almost popped out when she saw it! She couldn’t believe it, and neither could I! We’ve all been talking about you—now, you’ve proven everyone wrong.”
Hilda had endured many harsh words from Hayley in recent months about Carlisle’s future, but this was the moment when those criticisms seemed to vanish into thin air. The proud smile on Hilda’s face made everything feel worth it.
After a few moments, Gordon piped up, his tone laced with a touch of regret. “Come on, son, let’s eat. After that, I’ll take you out in the afternoon to get your bank account sorted. I’ll deposit the $20,000 you gave us—so you’ll have something to use when you head off to university.”
Carlisle’s smile faltered for a moment as he listened to Gordon. There was a hint of regret in his father’s voice. Carlisle knew that they hadn’t saved nearly enough to cover his university expenses. In fact, it seemed that he would have to rely on his own hard-earned money to make ends meet.
“Keep the money for yourselves,” Carlisle said quietly, picking up his glass of water. “I can take care of my own university expenses.”
Gordon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “But you don’t have enough money to go to university. You don’t have the means right now!”
Carlisle shrugged nonchalantly. “I sold some more equipment a few days ago. I’ve got over 10,000 dollars with me right now.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. He had indeed sold the Heavenly Sword for $80,000. After giving Sean and his parents 20,000 dollars each, spending 12,000 on his phone, and a few other expenses, he still had about $27,000 left. He didn’t feel like telling his parents the full story—how he had spent a lot of it on things that mattered to him more than just tuition fees.
“That money is yours, though,” Gordon replied, clearly confused. “I need to return the 20,000 dollars to you! You won’t be this lucky all the time. University is going to cost quite a bit. Just don’t get too addicted to your games. You’ll regret it.”
Carlisle sighed. He had heard these warnings a million times before. “That’s enough. I’m a college student now, Dad. Do you really think I don’t know what’s at stake?” He smiled wryly, already growing tired of the usual lectures.
Hilda, sensing the tension rising between them, stepped in. “Carl’s a college student now. Do you think he knows less than you?”
Gordon, slightly taken aback, pulled out a cigarette. As he lit it, Carlisle quickly snatched it from his father’s hands, grinning mischievously. “Have you forgotten about our bet, Dad?” he teased.
For a moment, the atmosphere lightened. Gordon’s mouth twitched in an attempt at a smile, but it was clear that their relationship was still far from perfect. Still, this small moment of connection was enough to remind them both of how far they had come, despite the tension that lingered between father and son.
