Fortunate to Have You This Lifetime

She did not rise immediately, but remained lying in bed, hugging her pillow, blurry-minded, wondering how she had fallen asleep.

…It was strange, why would she dream of that boy out of the blue?

They say your thoughts by day are your dreams by night, yet after so many years, she couldn’t even remember his face. She was utterly confused as to why she would dream of him.

However, reflecting on her high school days was quite embarrassing—she had actually given him a lecture right off the bat.

What had he done wrong?

He was just trying to pursue you, so what were you doing, giving him a lesson on morals right at the school gates?

Thinking back on this now, she still felt somewhat awkward.

Ultimately, she had been too proud back then, somewhat disdainful of students squandering their time doing nothing.

At the age of sixteen or seventeen, what a beautiful time it was, yet they spent their days smoking, horsing around, teasing girls, and also blustering about how they controlled their own lives.

She felt that wasn’t taking control, it was giving up on oneself.

Upon closer reflection, some details in her memory became clearer. She remembered that boy had had a small group, pupils who often gathered to fight, gamble, and brawl. The leader among them was apparently called… Brother Summers?

Surname Summers…

Could it be a coincidence?

She sat up, still hugging her pillow, and thought: Where did Alexander Summers go to high school?

Well… that question, she would have to ask him about it later.

…

She was unaware that there was more to this dream, more to the story.

When the boy returned to his companions, someone handed him a cigarette, offering comfort, “That chick doesn’t appreciate you, let’s find someone to teach her a lesson later! To take out your frustration!”

“No need,” the boy said dispassionately, tossed the rose away casually, and walked to the side with the cigarette.

Alexander went over, patted his shoulder, “Stop thinking about it, she just said those harsh words on purpose to reject you.”

“That’s not it,” the boy said as he smoked, shaking his head, “I think she made some good points.”

Alexander raised an eyebrow, “Oh, which part was she right about?”

Instead of answering, the boy looked up and ahead, asking, “Brother Summers, did you know that the boss of the small store in front of the school, Dempsey, is actually a graduate of our school?”

“Yeah, I know,” Alexander said.

The boy continued, “He didn’t go to college after graduation, nor did he find a good job, so his mom had him take over the family’s small store, and now Dempsey is married and has children.”

Hearing this much, Alexander guessed what he was trying to say.

Dempsey’s wife, in her thirties, was somewhat attractive. The charm of a mature woman was very appealing to adolescent boys, and some indecent ones liked to flirt with her at the store whenever they bought cigarettes or a bottle of water, just to get their fix.

The boys had even given Dempsey’s wife a nickname, Hanes, because she liked to wear Hanes stockings.

When they covered a Russian classic during language class, they even gave her a new nickname, calling her Popova.

Every time they went to buy something, they would mischievously call out, “Popova, a bottle of water, please.”

Hanes would laugh and scold them a bit, and that was all; she couldn’t do much to them.

Dempsey knew about this, too, but even when he saw male students flirting with his wife, he acted as if it were nothing unusual, after all, these students were the store’s main source of income, and he couldn’t afford to offend them lightly.

After a heavy drag on his cigarette and expelling a faint white cloud, the boy said, “Suzanne Saunders is right, I don’t love her, but someday I will meet a woman I do love. Brother Summers, I don’t want my woman to live a life like Hanes.”

The boy tossed the cigarette butt away and turned to leave.

The students around asked Alexander, “Why’s he leaving?”

Alexander said, “He’s going to ask his dad for a private tutor to help him catch up on his studies. He says he wants to turn over a new leaf and study hard.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

They laughed uproariously, as if they had heard the greatest joke of all.