The sunlight gradually fades at the edge of the horizon. Faint streaks of clouds drift into the distance like forgotten brushstrokes on a canvas. The twilight envelops the city in a melancholic hue, blending the sorrow of the evening into his heart. Nolan walks silently along the empty street, each step weighed down by the burdens of the dreams his mother entrusted to him.
For half her life, she lived with countless regrets, her unfulfilled desires becoming haunting shadows that tormented her every night, tearing at her soul with unending pain. One day, his mother found solace in passing on all her hopes to him. If her crippled hands could not dance upon the piano keys, then let him fulfill that dream. If she could not enter the prestigious medical school, let him walk the path she had to abandon.
Every step he takes, every note he plays, carries her expectations, soothing the old wounds of her heart.
Nolan had not failed his mother, consistently holding the top rank, a position he never relinquished. Meanwhile, you, forever trailing behind him on the honor roll, had worked tirelessly to overcome each of those sparkling grades. And today, at last, you have claimed the top spot, pushing him into second place.
As you head home after school, the joyful chatter and laughter of the day fade into a distant echo. The shadows from the overhead canopy stretch across your white shirt, blooming with each step. Your cheerful mood shifts when you see him standing in a narrow alley, his vacant gaze as if battling an invisible storm.
The harsh words from his mother’s voice over the phone cut through the evening’s stillness like cruel, sharp knives: “I wish I had never given birth to you!” and “You’re nothing but a stupid pig!”
When the call ends, Nolan stands motionless for a few moments before suddenly collapsing, his desperate sobs rising from the depths of his soul and filling the empty alley. In the end, he softly muttered to himself:
"When will you finally be satisfied with me, Mom?"