Shadows of Enigma

Lucas Anderson

Lucas looked away, as if lost in thought. After a brief pause, he opened his mouth to begin to speak, but he closed them back.

He shifted his gaze and continued his gardening. “Sigh!”, I felt somehow at his secrecy. I also continued helping him to clear the pruned plants.

"Life has not been kind to me. I've faced struggles and hardships that I wouldn't wish upon anyone."

I felt a pang of sympathy as I listened to his words. "I'm sorry to hear that, Lucas. If you're comfortable, you can talk to me about it."

He nodded, as if relieved to have found someone willing to listen. "My parents are no longer with us. They passed away when I was young, leaving behind me and my younger sister, Lily."

My heart ached at his words. The loss of his parents at a young age was a tragedy I couldn't even begin to fathom. "I'm so sorry, Lucas. That must have been incredibly difficult for you."

“They both owned a law firm and made pretty good amount of money. Every evening, they would come home and I and Lily would rush towards them with excitement and Dad would carry us on his head”, Lucas smiled bitterly.

“Mum, would then act jealous and say “Jerald, did you get married to them or me?”, with pouted lips”, he said with tears welling up in his eyes.

I was full of sympathy and pity towards this young man who was full of compassion.

“Dad would then prove strong and also lift Mum, and say “ Are you now happy baby?”, with a captivating smile.

The tears were now pouring like a waterfall, but he was still silent. I gave him a hug as a sign of comforting him. I was also loved to tears.

Some moments later, I asked “How did it happen Lucas?”. He was silent for some times before replying me.

“They were involved in a very serious case, as I was told by my Grandmother who we stayed with, but died few years back. It was a group of drug dealers they we’re against. They we’re winning the case already, but on the morning of the final court hearing, they were involved in an accident. They’re brakes failed.”

I covered my mouth in shock of the pain Lucas and his sister must have gone through. The trauma of losing both parents on the same day.

“All family members deserted us. They took all the properties belonging to my parents and even….our house”, he said with anger firing in him.

“The house where so many memories were made is now taken away.”

Lucas continued, his voice growing softer. "After our parents' death, I became responsible for taking care of Lily. We had no one else, and life became a constant struggle. I worked odd jobs to provide for us, doing whatever it took to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I forsook school to be able to focus on giving Lily the best”.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to his story. Lucas had faced adversity with remarkable strength and resilience. "You're incredibly brave, Lucas, to have taken on such a heavy burden at a young age."

He gave a faint smile, the first genuine one I had seen from him. "Thank you, Miss Isabella. Lily means the world to me, and I would do anything to ensure her well-being."

I couldn't help but admire Lucas for his unwavering dedication to his sister. It was a touching sight to behold, "And where is Lily now?"

Lucas's smile faded, replaced by a hint of sadness. "She ought to be in a boarding school in another city, but I can’t gather enough funds for her school materials. She’s in her finals of high school and she’s still working part time in a Café, due to my incompetence.”

“ I wanted her to have a chance at a better life, away from the struggles we faced, but I’m still failing at the best I could do for her."

I felt a deep sense of respect and not pity for Lucas.

“How much are the materials in total?”, I asked, bringing out my phone to make a transfer ASAP. He looked at me with a surprised expression.

“Around 800 dollars”, he replied.

“Here, input you account details”, I said handing my phone over to him.

He typed his details, quietly and handed the phone back to me. “I sent you 1000 dollars. Something extra for Lily, not for you, okay?”, I said smiling.

“I’m really grateful, Miss Isabella”, he said as he fell on his knees “How can I ever repay you?”

“Come on”, I said pulling him up “I’m just glad I could help”. “And tell Lily to quit that job and focus on her schoolwork. She’s in her finals and can’t afford to f**k it up, okay?”

“Just holler at me whenever you need something”, I said with a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks a million times, Miss Isabella”, Lucas said with tears in his eyes.

"You've done something noble for your sister, Lucas. I'm sure she's proud to have you as her brother."

He nodded, a glimmer of pride in his eyes. "I hope so, Miss Isabella. It's been tough, but I would do it all over again for Lily's sake."

I placed a hand on his shoulder, a gesture of comfort and support. "Thank you for sharing your story with me, Lucas. You've shown incredible strength, and I admire you for it."

He offered a small, appreciative smile. "Thank you, Miss Isabella. Your kindness means more to me than you know."

As we wanted to continue our conversation, I heard a car honk at the gate. It was Alexander’s!

“You should go inside now, Miss”, Lucas said out of concern.

“Yeah, I should hurry”, I said running towards the back door.

Something dropped in my mind and I smiled. I ran back towards Lucas who was perplexed.

“Call me big sister from now on, okay?”, I said and made my way back into the house without waiting for his response.

As I walked away from our conversation, I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and compassion for Lucas.

I got to my room just in time. I quickly peeped out of the window to see if Alexander was coming in already.

Behold, he was hand-in-hand with Ella!