She hustled over to Beverly, grabbed her arm tightly, buried her face in her chest, and whimpered, âMom!â
She looked like sheâd been done wrong big time.
Seeing her, Serena couldnât help but feel pissed. If she didnât know the full story, theyâd think she was the bad guy!
âWhatâs up?â Beverly looked down to see a handprint on her daughterâs right cheek. If they didnât look closely, theyâd think it was just makeup.
Beverly had a hunch her daughter was up to something, so she went along with the act, raising her voice with concern, âWhat happened to your face?â All eyes were suddenly on them.
âMom, donât ask!â Alma kept her head down, her voice tainted with reproach, as if she didnât want anyone else to know.
âWhat happened?â When Alma wouldnât spill, Beverly turned to Serena, asking gently, âAlma went to see you just now; how did she come back like this? Do you know what happened?â
Serena was at a loss. How was she supposed to know what Alma was up to?
âMom, itâs not Serenaâs fault; donât question her!â Alma immediately stopped her, saying,âI did this makeup myself; I thought it was fun.â
âWho in their right mind would paint a handprint on their face?â Beverly said, reaching out to touch her face.
âOuch, it hurts. Donât touch!â Alma teared up from the pain.
At this point, everyone was looking at Serena in disbelief.
Did Serena hit her?
Beverly turned to Serena, saying tenderly, âSerena, itâs all because Alma was careless and dirtied your dress tonight. Iâll apologize on her behalf, and later Iâll take you shopping for a new dress. I wouldnât feel right otherwise.â
âI didnât hit her!â Serena felt wronged. Beverly sounded like she hit Alma because Alma dirtied her dress! But that wasnât the case at all!
âI didnât say you hit her; donât jump to conclusions!â Beverly feigned a scolding smile, speaking softly, âDonât rush; itâs Almaâs fault tonight.â
âNo, I really didnât hit her! I donât know whatâs with the handprint on her face!â Serena said, turning to Kenneth and Louisa, âDad, Mom, I really didnât hit her!â Louisa was also confused. Alma had gone to the restroom to check on Serena out of concern, and when she came back, she had a red handprint on her face that looked real, even wincing when Beverly touched it.
âSerena, whatâs going on?â Louisa wouldnât condemn her own daughter, but she wouldnât cover for her if she made a mistake either.
âWhen Alma came to find me in the restroom, as soon as I opened the door.â Serena suddenly remembered splashing water on her, smudging her makeup a bit.
Did Alma mess up her own makeup? Did she really draw a handprint on herself while retouching her makeup? Was this to frame her? That little rascal!
âSo what happened then?â Louisa saw that she stopped without continuing, wondering if something serious and unspeakable had happened.
âWhatever Serena did to me, as long as sheâs not mad, itâs okay! Mom, donât ask anymore! It will damage the harmony between us sisters and our family! Tonightâs dinner is centered around Ms. Bella, and Romeo is also present. Letâs drop it!â
Before anyone else could speak, Alma continued, âIâm really okay! Mom, donât ask anymore! The atmosphere was so good; now itâs all changed!â