The baby had no idea how blowing worked. He sputtered and drooled all over the frosting, spraying spit across the icing with every attempt, and then, thrilled with himself, slammed both tiny fists into the cake and smashed it to pieces.
Mom's eyes darted to me. When she saw I wasn't upset, she turned back to Lucius with a beaming smile.
"My boy is so strong! What a good baby!"
I watched in silence. Oh, he's strong all right. The kid could barely walk in a straight line, but in a few years he'd manage to shoot a toy gun with enough force to blind both eyes of someone's show dog worth over a hundred thousand dollars.
A real little powerhouse.
After coming home, I threw myself into studying. Mom would toss out jabs whenever she passed my room. "What's the point of all that studying? Why don't you come help me wash the dishes, or play with your brother for a while?"
I ignored her completely. I kept my head in my books and signed up for every academic competition I could find.
Every winter and summer break, I went straight to the countryside to be with Grandpa and Grandma.