Chapter 42 The Past With Albert
Yvette and Albert met during the summer of their second year of junior high.
It was a scorching summer.
At that time, Yvette's father, Will, was still alive. He ran a factory in the countryside, producing agricultural products. The raw materials were readily available there, and labor was inexpensive.
Yvette's brother, Wayne, had been frail and sickly since childhood. Lassie couldn't handle both children alone, so Yvette attended school with Will in their hometown.
That summer, two brothers from Luken, Amanda's grandsons, arrived in the village. Rumor had it they were good-looking and resembled TV stars.
Many people went to see them that day, but Yvette didn't bother. She preferred TV over boys who looked like TV stars.
However, she eventually crossed paths with the legendary Albert.
Returning home from the factory, she walked alone on the village's narrow path and coincidentally encountered the lost Albert.
The scorching sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting shadows on the ground like distant shimmering water surfaces. The ground swayed gently with the wind.
That was the first time Yvette laid eyes on Albert. The adolescent Albert was already taller than most adults, standing over six feet tall in junior high. He was slender, delicate, and almost girlish in appearance, but his slightly rebellious demeanor betrayed his boyishness.
Sweat trickled down his forehead, sticking to his hairline. His eyebrows furrowed together. He scanned his surroundings, eyes filled with disdain. He stopped Yvette and haughtily asked, "Hey, country girl, where's the store?"
Yvette gave him a cold glance, looking him up and down. She had a very poor impression of him. She didn't want to engage with him and prepared to walk away.
"Hey, I'm talking to you."
Yvette halted, raising her gaze slowly. "What did you say?"
Yvette retorted with a standard Luken accent, a familiar tone that sparked a hint of surprise in Albert's eyes.
"You're from Luken. What luck," he quickly responded to Yvette's question. "Which way to the store?"
"The sentence before that."
He paused and said, "Country girl?"
Yvette pursed her lips and smiled at him. "Oh, head east. Just keep walking straight."
The next day, after finishing her meal, Yvette headed home. She walked along the rural path she traversed every day. Albert, who had been waiting for some time, saw her familiar figure and hurried across the path to intercept her aggressively.
"You little brat!"
He was unfriendly, but Yvette felt no fear and instinctively glanced around. By a neighbor's yard wall, there was a pile of red clay bricks, which she noted could serve as a weapon if needed.
Angry, Albert stood with his hands on his hips, pacing back and forth in front of Yvette. Pointing at her forehead, he said, "You purposely led me the wrong way yesterday, didn't you? You made me end up near someone else's sheep pen. I had to run far because of a chasing dog!"
Yvette noticed the bloody scratches on the exposed part of his arms and legs.
Yvette remained impassive. "Well, that's your carelessness. A sheep pen isn't a road. Can't you even tell the difference?"
"You..."
Yvette raised her head, fearlessly locking eyes with him. "What?"
Albert was seething, but he wouldn't harm a girl and had to leave it at that.
"Just you wait," he said.
Yvette shrugged, feeling a mischievous delight in the success of her trick.
After all, he did call her a country girl.
After that day, they found themselves in conflict. They argued nearly every day.
The young people in the village had all moved to the city, leaving only the elderly and young children behind.
Yvette's once boring life became interesting with Albert's presence. Because of Yvette, Albert no longer insisted on returning home.
One evening, Yvette went to buy ice cream. On her way back, passing through the fields, she heard someone calling for help in the distance.
Approaching cautiously, she asked, "Who's there?"
Upon hearing Yvette's voice, the person stopped shouting, which struck her as strange. Moving closer, she discovered that it was Albert who had fallen off his bicycle into the field. He had twisted his ankle and was in too much pain to move.
Standing on the field edge, looking down at the disheveled Albert sitting in the field, Yvette folded her arms and said lightly, "You pester me every day so that I won't help you."
Albert, provoked by her words, held his injured foot and angrily retorted, "I didn't ask for your help."
"Fine."
Yvette walked away, leaving Albert with a sullen expression.
A few seconds later, Yvette returned.
"You're lucky today. I'm a kind person."
Yvette, in her early teens, couldn't carry Albert. She could only loop his arm around her neck, using her body as a makeshift crutch to help him limp back to the road.
It was the first time they had been so close. Albert showed great restraint, knowing he was heavy and wary of burdening her. His carefulness sparked an inexplicable feeling in her heart.
The moon's silver light spilled onto the tranquil path. Albert's determined eyes shone brighter in the darkness, and her heart suddenly began to beat faster.
Sensing the atmosphere had turned strange, he broke the silence.
"Have you also come here for the summer?"
Albert's voice had gained a low, smooth quality of an adult, clean yet seductive. His voice from above sent shivers down her spine.
Usually quick to react, she was slower at that moment. It took her a while to answer after regaining her composure. "I've always lived here."
"How come you have a Luken accent then?"
"My family is from Luken, and my dad works nearby."
They walked together for a while until she saw Albert safely home.
She stood at his doorstep. Before Albert entered the house, he glanced back at her several times. His lips moved, as if wanting to say something but hesitating. Finally, he simply said proudly, "Thanks for today."
With that, he limped into the house.
He seemed just like usual, yet Yvette found him somewhat endearing in that moment.
After that day, they became friends.
Albert visited her every day to play, and their relationship grew closer.
Time passed quickly, and the summer was coming to an end. They were going back to the city.
On the eve of their departure, Albert ran to Yvette's house.
His chest heaved, and he breathed heavily. He was eager to see Yvette, but he remained silent upon seeing her.
Yvette stayed silent, just gazing at him. Her heart was reluctant to part.
Thus began a budding romance in their youthful hearts.
He stared straight at her, suddenly grabbed her hand, and placed something in her palm.
Yvette opened her hand to find a custom-made firefly necklace.
Made of platinum and elegantly designed, it was the most precious gift she had ever received.
Stars seemed to twinkle in Albert's eyes. He said firmly, "I will come back to find you. I will definitely come back. Don't forget me, Yvette."
Driven by this promise, she waited and waited. But Albert never returned.
Eventually, Will passed away in an accident. With his business left unattended, Lassie had to sell the countryside factory and take Yvette back to the city for high school.
On the first day of school, she saw Albert.
Yet, he didn't even spare her a glance.
