That's My Spotlight | ✔

ii. numb little bug

But they were all used to the silence.

Even Constance, who tried to be a little positive, despite knowing the truth deep down. "Alex, is Mommy watching over us from heaven above?" She questioned innocently as her eyelashes fluttered. 

"Yeah, she is. Mom is watching us right now, somewhere up there," Alexander answered briefly. He didn't want to say anything harmful to his little sister, considering that things weren't bad enough, but really, there wasn't another way to put things for a seven-year-old without causing potential emotional harm. But deep down, it was in the entire Choi family's hearts. It was nothing but everlasting pain and suffering, which made them all feel numb inside in a way. It felt weird, but they had to go through with it every single day, like a bug struggling to survive. 

"Okay, I wonder what she's thinking about how things turned out," Constance blurted before planting a finger over her chin. "Dad is struggling to pay the bills while we're responsible for chores and stuff. Well, you are, actually." 

"I'm sure that she wishes well for us and hopes that things get better," Alexander said in a way for a seven-year-old to comprehend — short and simple. One thing that he always noticed about his little sister is that she speaks to her mind, regardless of her age. Constance says what she believed, and frankly, she's always been like that. She is an intelligent and bright kid, which Alexander has grown to notice over the years.

Unlike his sister, Alexander wasn't much of a talker. He preferred to keep things to himself because he was more of a lowkey guy. He wasn't like this because of a particular incident or such — he was just not a guy of many words. Talking was not his way of expressing his feelings and emotions. Instead, singing was. Singing made mere words transform into harmonious melodies, all flowing together to form a beautiful sound.

With music, he could express any emotion possible, hence why he started taking choir as his Fine Arts elective all the way back in middle school. Singing alone may have been what he was used to at first but singing choral arrangements with the presence of others was even better. It wasn't lonely, dull, or quiet, like his life was. Choir allowed him to sing within the presence of others, awarding him joy and happiness. It was something that he knew deep down in his heart that he'd cherish forever.

Once Alexander's plate was empty, he hummed to himself as he took up both his and his sister's dishes to wash, just like his father commanded. Unlike most people, he didn't mind housework all that much because it helped pass time. But that didn't mean that he favored chores, either. Chores could get icky and disgusting, especially when it came to deep cleaning. Luckily, that wasn't what he was doing. That didn't stop him from complaining, however. Alexander groaned at all the dishes piling in the sink, but he didn't complain all that much. The dishes wouldn't wash themselves, so he had no choice but to wash them right at that moment.

As soon as he poured out the dish soap on a tattered, yellow and green layered sponge, the pleasant lavender aroma of the detergent spread in the air quickly, which was practically music to Alexander Choi's nose hairs, considering that the only soap he smelt for a majority of the day smelled like complete plastic. Lavender flavored dish detergent was surely an upgrade from what Alexander will smell on a daily basis this day coming forward. It didn't matter all that much, but he continued to think about it as he scrubbed the dishes, the foam of the soap attaching itself to his fingers. Within a matter of minutes, the dishes and utensils were clean, sitting on a rack beside the sink so they could naturally dry.

Alexander headed upstairs to his bedroom, closing the door shut behind him. His room was a simple room — beige walls, tan carpeted floors, and LED fairy lights strung across the top of his walls near the ceiling. The boy took a seat at his desk before he opened his laptop. As he waited for it to boot up, he retrieved his copies of the sheet music Dr. Terry gave him earlier that day. His plan was to listen again to the music so he could familiarize himself even more with it.