âItâs been two months since this happened,â Janie said. Iâve been feeling nauseous these past few days when I suddenly remembered this.
âThen you should go to the hospital Emmeline shivered. âIt seems that you canât have an abortion if the fetus has grown.â
âShould I tell Tony or Benjamin?â Janie looked helpless.
âYou should tell Tony. After all, itâs his child, Emmeline said, furrowing her brow.
âI feel nervous whenever I see Tony, but I guess I have no choice now,â Janie frowned.
âIf you need my help, just let me know. Emmeline held Janieâs hand.
âRight, I will!â Tears welled up in Janieâs eyes.
After returning from the Transport Guesthouse, Emmeline told Tony that Janie wanted to see him.
Tony nodded with his head down, making a sound of agreement as if he knew something.
Emmeline wanted to give them some privacy so that they could talk more easily.
She called Abel, âWhen are you coming to pick me up!â
âMy head is about to explode, Abel said gently on the other end. Iâll come over after I finish up some matters. Wait for me, alright?â
âOkayâ Emmeline nodded. Tll wait for you near the department store.â
âGreat!â Abel hung up the phone w The next afternoon at five oâclock. a sweet tone.
Tony sat behind his desk, not lifting his head, smoking one cigarette after another.
âTony, itâs suffocating.â
Emmeline deliberately coughed a few times to bring him back from his deep thoughts.
Tony looked up and extinguished his cigarette. âI forgot that youâre here.â
Emmeline furrowed her brow. âWasnât I supposed to go for training? Do we have a specific date?â
âI was just about to tell you,â Tony said. âItâs next Wednesday at the Lakeside Hotel in the capital city.
Let Abel know so he wonât worry!â
âIâve already told him. Emmeline replied.
âThatâs good, Tony said. âEmma, I have a favor to ask of you.â
âWhat is it?â Emmeline raised her eyebrows, thinking it must be about Janie.
âHelp me play matchmaker, Tony said with his head lowered.
âWho is the other party?â Emmeline pretended to be calm, but her heart skipped a beat.
âJanic. Can you ask her if she would marry me?â Tonyâs voice was somewhat heavy, âBut Iâve never done this before. Emmeline couldnât hide her own feelings anymore.
âYou just need to ask Janie if she agrees or not, Tony said.
âAlright.â Emmeline nodded. âShould I do it now?â
âMaybe tomorrow,â said Tony. âSheâs not in a good mood today.â
âOkay,â Emmeline agreed, hoping for a positive outcome for their relationship.
At half past five, Abel parked his car at the entrance of RetroWave Advertisements.
He got out of the car and helped Emmeline open the door.
As soon as he got out of the car, Emmeline immediately felt happy. But she saw his handsome face covered in dirt and dust.
âWhat happened to you?â
While laughing. Emmeline took out a tissue to wipe his face. But the more she wiped, the messier his face became.
Emmeline burst into laughter.
Abel saw her laughing uncontrollably and glanced at the rearview mirror. He couldnât help but laugh too.
âThere were layoffs at the factory, and the offices were merged. I was moving furniture.â
âAbel, thereâs something I want to tell you, Emmeline said.
âWhat is it?â
Emmeline hesitated to speak.
She wanted to talk about the relationship between Tony and Janic, but she felt it was inappropriate.
âWhy are you hesitating?â asked Abel.
âWell, umâ¦.â Emmeline changed the topic. âIâm going to the capital city next Wednesday for training.
You know, for the first batch of advertisers.â
âThe one that you mentioned to me before? So soon?â
âYes.â
âHow many days is the training?â
âThree days. Iâll arrive on Tuesday afternoon and report before four oâclock.â
âOkay. Abel said, âIâll make time to take you thereâ
âArenât things busy at the factory? You donât need to worry about it. You get motion sickness on the bus anyway.â
Back at the entrance of the community. Abel dropped Emmeline off.
Iâll still come to pick you up tomorrow morning. He released her hand.
âOkay, take your time going back.â
Although they would see each other again early the next morning, every time they parted, the pain and reluctance would always be present.