Uncle Dave was a relative on their father's side. Back when their dad was still alive, he used to visit them all the time.
Every visit had the same real purpose: borrowing money.
The family didn't have many relatives, and even fewer who stayed in touch. Out of the handful who did, Uncle Dave had come around the most and borrowed the largest amount over the years.
After their father passed, the man must have realized there was no more money to be had here, because he almost completely stopped coming around. He never once mentioned paying anything back, either.
The last time they had seen him was so long ago Noah couldn't even remember exactly when.
The college acceptance party was months late—the exam results and admissions letters had come out ages ago. Throwing a celebration this delayed made it obvious how badly he wanted to show off.
In the Miller family, not many kids had grades worth bragging about. Getting into college was the kind of achievement that let the parents strut, and they would want to broadcast it to the entire world.
Except for Noah. When he had gotten into Loane University, their celebration had simply been a nice dinner with the Vales next door. They had no interest in comparing themselves to so-called relatives and no desire to show off.
Evelyn didn't care about the man's ridiculous, pathetic need to brag. She had only agreed to come because she wanted to collect the debt Uncle Dave still owed their family—the money their father had lent him. As his children, it was only right to get it back for him.
Uncle Dave's house was a bit of a distance from theirs. The party was being held at a fairly upscale hotel near his neighborhood.
It wasn't as fancy as the ones in Loane, but the décor and atmosphere were decent enough. He must have dropped a decent amount of money on it.
Noah and Evelyn stepped off the bus and immediately spotted the large hotel that served as the designated drop-off point.
They walked inside, explained why they were there, and a staff member led them to the private room Uncle Dave had reserved.
The space wasn't very big—just room for three or four tables. Made sense. Given the hotel and Uncle Dave's budget, he couldn't have afforded anything too extravagant.
They weren't early; quite a few people were already seated. A middle-aged man with a flushed, glowing face stood on the small stage, arm around the shoulder of the boy beside him. Once everyone had arrived, he launched into the speech he had clearly been rehearsing for a long time, looking immensely pleased with himself.
"Everyone probably already knows why we're here today. I invited you all to celebrate my son, Tyler, getting into Weston Polytechnic University!"
Enthusiastic applause rose from the tables, making the man look even more triumphant. He held up his script and began reading in an overly dramatic way. His rough voice and off-key tone turned the flowery language especially awkward.
After a long while, Uncle Dave finally put the paper away, ending what he thought had been a passionate speech. He led Tyler to an empty seat at one of the tables and started boasting to all the guests about how successful his parenting had been, every word dripping with pride.
He naturally noticed Noah and Evelyn sitting quietly off to the side. Forcing on a warm, friendly uncle smile, he called out to them, "Nate, Evelyn, is the food to your liking?"
"It's great, Uncle. You really went all out." Evelyn gave a polite, proper smile. The single slice of meat she had put in her bowl remained untouched.
"As long as you're enjoying it." The man took a sip of his drink, then steered the conversation pointedly. "By the way, you've been working for a few years now, right? Where are you these days?"
Evelyn hadn't actually been teaching for long— Noah had been her very first group of students. Uncle Dave didn't know their situation; he was just guessing from her age that she was working, smugly assuming she wasn't the college type and had started working early instead.
After all, he never bothered keeping up with Noah's family. The whole reason he had invited them was to use them as a contrast, to make Tyler look that much more impressive.
"It's a pretty ordinary job, nothing worth mentioning." She had no interest in this pointless one-upmanship and dodged it.
But the man wouldn't let it go, clearly determined to use her as a foil for his son. "Come on, tell us. No big deal. Worst case, your uncle can hook you up with something better."
Seeing Uncle Dave refuse to drop it, Evelyn decided not to spare his feelings anymore.
"Since you put it that way." A hint of mockery crept into her smile. "I'm currently teaching advanced calculus at Loane University. I just finished my PhD exams."
Loane University was one of the country's top institutions, while Weston Polytechnic was just an average second-tier school—nowhere near flagship status, let alone comparable to Loane.
"This… well, that's great." The man's smile turned painfully awkward, almost forced, with no way out.
He thought for a second, then turned his attention to Noah, trying to salvage some dignity. "What about you, Nate? Where are you studying these days?"
"I'm a freshman at Loane University." Noah didn't overthink it and answered directly.
"Loane University too… nice, nice."
Uncle Dave knew he was losing face. He turned back and pointed at the dishes on the table, urging everyone to eat more and shifting the topic to avoid the embarrassment.
Noah and Evelyn had no appetite. Their bowls barely had anything added.
They smiled politely and dodged the occasional questions thrown their way by the so-called relatives, waiting for the party to end.
"Why aren't you drinking this time?" Evelyn pushed the half-full glass in front of her over to Noah. The clear liquid carried a strong alcoholic scent. "Your sister says it's okay."
"I'm afraid I'll get drunk and act crazy with you again. And if Mom sees when we get back…"
"But I've never blamed you for that."
"Still, better not. Let's just grab some soda on the way home."
"What if your sister gets drunk instead?" She pulled the glass back, gently swirling the fragrant liquid inside, her eyes seductive and full of meaning.
"Eve… you really want to drink?"
In Noah's memory, Evelyn was a terrible drunk. From hugging and kissing him wildly back then to stripping his clothes later on—every time he had been the one to suffer. But there was no helping it; if she got drunk, he would have to take care of her.
"Just kidding." She ruffled his hair. "Once this is over, I'll take you out for a late-night snack."
The drinking and toasting at the table went on for a long time. Glasses clinked, compliments flew—middle-aged men and women praising Tyler's hard work and success, giving face to the host as if the boy had already made it big in life.
As for Noah and Evelyn, who had embarrassed the host, no one paid them any more attention. Glasses gradually emptied, guests left one after another, and the table was left covered in cold leftovers.
Tyler went to the restroom midway, leaving only Evelyn, Noah, and Uncle Dave at the table. The man asked with feigned concern, "Nate, Evelyn, aren't you heading back yet? The last bus will be gone soon."
"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle. We're about to leave. But before we do, we'd like to help our father collect something that's owed to him."
Mentioning their father made the man instantly understand what she meant. That debt he had owed for so many years—he had almost forgotten about it. Now they wanted to pull money out of his pocket? No chance in hell!