One day, Jennifer called, mentioning to Curtis about her brother's child who was studying in Emberland, asking him to keep an eye on the kid.
This child Larson's mom passed away early, and after his dad remarried, the relationship between him and his son turned sour. Larson's rebellious nature and quick temper made him the black sheep of the family, causing headaches for everyone who spoke of him.
Throughout his school years, Larson was constantly in trouble. Right after he finished middle school, his dad had had enough and sent him off to Emberland. Far from home, Larson became even more rebellious, refusing to visit during the holidays and worsening the rift with his father.
Curtis wasn't particularly close to Larson. Despite them having lived in Emberland for so long, Larson, who resided in Emberland, never bothered to visit.
Now, Larson had gotten into trouble again, ending up detained after a fight, causing his father such distress that he suffered a heart attack.
Jennifer sounded exasperated over the phone: "Your aunt died when Larson was very young, and he's always had a temper, but he's not a bad kid at heart. These past few years, he's been all alone in Emberland, without anyone to guide him, it's no wonder he's fallen into bad company. Your uncle is in the hospital now and can't deal with this. Can you go to the police station and bail him out?"
At that moment, Curtis was lounging on the couch, watching cartoons with Betty, pretending to be unbothered: "Do I look like I have nothing better to do?"
"He's your cousin. Can't you help out as a big brother figure?"
"Don't you know what your son is most lacking? It's compassion," Curtis retorted, only to be met with an innocent pair of wide eyes. Without skipping a beat, he improvised, "Daddy and Grandma are rehearsing a script about a robot without a heart for today's play."
Betty was intrigued: "Betty is a robot too! Betty doesn't have a heart either!"
"Don't lead her astray," Jennifer knew how to get to him, "If you won't help, I'll call Leanne."
With a soft click of his tongue, Curtis relented: "Give me the address."
After bailing Larson out and bringing him home, Curtis found Betty clinging to Leanne's arm, begging for some ice cream.
"Mom, just one bite, please? With one bite, I'll be the happiest kid in the world."
Leanne stood her ground: "No."
Betty pouted, her big, grape-like eyes looking up at Leanne: "Don't you want Betty to be happy?"
Leanne was firm: "Emotional blackmail won't work."
The sound of a car pulling up signaled Curtis' return.
Leanne had a vague memory of Larson from years ago when his father brought him over to the Richardson family. She remembered him as a sullen, temperamental kid.
However, the person who followed Curtis inside was almost unrecognizable from her memory.
Nineteen-year-old Larson, now tall and lean, wore a black tank top with an abstract design, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, and a silver chain around his neck. His aura was just as defiant as when he was younger, exuding an air of untamed rebellion from head to toe.
His face was battered, a band-aid across his nose, contrasting sharply with Curtis, who was dressed in a bespoke suit.
The arrival of a new face at home immediately caught Betty's attention, distracting her from her ice cream demands. She ran up to Larson, tilting her head up to inspect his bruised face with genuine curiosity. Larson glanced down at her from under his cap, and she stared back.
After a brief silence, Larson asked, "What are you looking at?"
Betty's eyes widened with curiosity. "Why did you draw on your face?"
Larson was momentarily speechless.
Curtis had dressed down for the day in a casually half-buttoned white shirt and light grey trousers, very flattering of his narrow waist and long legs.
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