Patricia came to the police station with Byran in a car driven by the familyâs driver.
Later, Byran was sent home early to review the lessons.
So now, she needed to hitch a ride home with Balfour.
When Patricia got into Balfourâs car, she immediately saw an exquisite statue of deity.
This statue was holy and solemn, with a small photo inlaid in the middle, which showed a photo of a little girl and her mother. The little girl, like Patricia, had a red mole the size of a grain of rice between her eyebrows.
Patricia knew that Balfour didnât buy into any of that supernatural stuff, but despite that, he was willing to keep a deity figurine in his car for the mom and daughter, praying for them.
How much the woman and the girl in the photo meant to him was as clear as day.
But the people in the photo were not Patricia and her mother.
It was their fatherâs exâwife and the daughter, Pearl Howard, he had with her.
Patricia got a bit ticked off, âYou still have Pearlâs picture in your car?â
Just as Balfour was starting the car, with his hand on the steering wheel, he glanced at the figurine, his eyes suddenly warming, âYes, ! keep it as a memento.â
âBalfour, why donât you hang a picture of me and Byran?â Patriciaâs eyes were sparkling, she looked a bit down in the dumps.
âYou guys donât need to compete with her.â
âWe canât compete with her? In your heart, are we always less important than Pearl?â
Balfour picked up on Patriciaâs mood. He slowed the car down, reaching out to pat her head.
âSilly girl, youâre always by my side, I can see you whenever I want, why would I need a picture? Pearl left me when she was five, Iâve had no clue how sheâs been doing all these years. I couldnât protect her, so the least I can do is pray for her wellbeing and happiness.â
âJust because Pearl has been gone since she was a child, you should be moving on. I think Pearl wouldnât want you to live in the shadow of their disappearance. Maybe theyâve found a new family!â
Balfourâs gaze grew gloomy, he withdrew his hand and gripped the steering wheel.
He never liked hearing this kind of talk, because he refused to believe that the woman and Pearl were gone from this world, he would rather believe that they were just living incognito, somewhere he couldnât find, living carefree livesâ¦.
If anyone else had said that, he would have kicked them out of the car already, but it was Patricia who said it, so he didnât.
Patricia didnât realize Balfour was pissed, and pleaded again, âI want you to hang a picture of me and Byran in the car too, so you can think of us often when youâre driving, okay?â
âI can consider hanging up your picture, but why would I want to hang Byranâs? To remind myself that he only got a D in the final math exam?â Balfour frowned.
Feeling embarrassed for her academically challenged brother, Patricia said, ââ¦Actually, Byran is really smart, he just doesnât focus on his studies.â
âSo thatâs his excuse? Weâve hired so many great tutors for him, and he still only managed to get a D?
Iâm embarrassed to say heâs a Howard family kid!â
âUhâ¦okay! Then letâs just hang up my picture, is that okay?â
Balfour sighed helplessly, âAlright, Iâll hang up a picture of you in the car tomorrow, so I can think of you everytime I drive, okay?â Patricia nodded with a smile, âThatâs how you should treat all of us fairly!â