Chapter 311 Are You Willing to Go to Eastgene?
Deirdre was moved into silence. Her tongue failed her, and it took her minutes to recover her voice finally. âTobey, I⦠Iâm not worth it.â
She did not deserve his concern. She was a hideous, blind, formerly-incarcerated ticking time bomb whose very presence could spell trouble at any time. She did not deserve to be with a man whose life was on the ascent.
Tobeyâs tone darkened. âDonât you dare look down on yourself, Deirdre. Or was that a dig at my romantic preferences?â
Deirdre fell silent.
âYou want me to tell you the ugly truth? Okay,â he added. âTruth is, Iâm taking advantage of the current you. Youâre at your most vulnerable, a lonely soul crying out for companionship and a place to belong.
Iâm merely seizing this moment. You know why? Because I know that even now, even when it seems like Iâm at the height of my life, I donât measure up to even a fragment of the blinding splendor you used to emanate.â
Deirdre had always been their schoolâs brightest star. Her destitute family background had done nothing to stop her academic excellence. She could have easily gotten a place among the nationâs most elite schools if she had wanted to.
Then, there were the suitors. She was the belle to so many of his peers that Tobey literally had no chance.
Deirdre bit her lip, and her eyes turned misty. âNo, Tobey, youâre wrong! Iâm not half as good as you seem to think I am. I donât want to be that thing that gets between you and your-â
âNo, Deirdre. Nobody is half as good as you,â Tobey intercepted firmly.
A long beat of silence later, he asked, âWould you be willing to come to Eastgene?â
He broke the silence caused by her shock and continued. âMy momâs hale and hearty now, but I wouldnât want her to stay in this place alone in the near future. I have a place and a job in this city now.
All I need is the right time to get my mother over here so she can stay with me. If you like, you can come and join me. too. This will make it easy for me to care for you.â
Was he asking her to come to a city she had never been to?
Deirdre was stunned. She had not thought of this option at all, but now that he laid it out in the open, Deirdre could not help but recognize its merits. This could be a new beginning. A new, unfamiliar place-
so pristine and unmarred from Brendanâs presence. Maybe this was where she could begin her life anew.
Iâm not trying to coerce you into doing anything you donât want, Dee. All Iâm trying to do is to show you our future. See, my door will always be open for you even if you reject me.â
Tobey, I. I need to think.â
âSure thing Iâm kinda beat for the day, too! Gotta hit the hay soon. Good night!â
âYes. Good night.â
Their call ended, but her emotional upheaval did not. Deirdre had come here because the familiarity of Opheliaâs origin called to her. Telling her to jettison all of this was a very high order.
Further complicating the matter was her relationship moratonum. She could not decide if she wanted to accept a man into her heart-especially when she knew she harbored no genuine love for Tobey She was still lost in thoughts when she heard a chorus of kids hollering from outside, âSheâs not a princess, sheâs a freak! Sheâs a blind, unwanted pig! No princes will wanna fall in love! Kissing her will make you sick!â
Their merry insults went on for a few times until one of them muttered quietly, âAre you sure that man.
isnât in there? What if he suddenly comes out of there and kicks my *ss?â
âNo way!â The leader of the pack brushed his concern off loudly. âMy mom saw him driving away from the village in his car last night, so I bet heâs back to working in the city or whatever. He ainât in there, you wuss! We can do whatever we like, and no oneâs gonna stop us!â
âReally?â The rest of the crowd visually relaxed. Then, squaring off their shoulders and puffing their lungs, they chanted outside the door again, âSheâs not a princess, sheâs a freak! Sheâs a blind, unwanted pig! No princes will wanna fall in love! Kissing her will make you sick!â
Deirdre could tell from the voices that these were young kids who had not started their formal schooling. Their working parents left them at home, so their grandparents spoiled them into bullies with no concept of respect or empathy.
She did not plan to pay them any attention. Lowering her eyes back to the ground, she continued uprooting the weeds. The kids would leave her as soon as they got bored.