Chapter 107
A few minutes later, Anastasia pulled over by the side of the road. Joey was nowhere in sight
âYou can get out now,â Anastasia told Gianna
Instead of getting out, Gianna dug out a pack of cigarettes from her bag, lit one up, rolled down the window, and started puffing away in her own world.
It was pretty clear to Anastasia that Gianna was in a bad mood, so she opted to keep her mouth shut.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, Gianna suddenly asked, âWhy arenât you saying anything?â
Anastasia glanced at her and said, âI donât feel like getting screamed at
Basically, anything Anastasia said at this point would have just pissed Gianna off, so she chose to remain silent.
Gianna flicked her cigarette ash and said, âTheres a coffee shop over there. Iâll buy you a coffee.
Anastasia quickly replied, âNo, thanksâ
Gianna: âI bet youâre really enjoying this, arenât you? My lifeâs a mess right now. Iâve always had it better than you. My family could afford to buy planos worth tens of thousands of dollars, while you struggled to even go to school. I always had fancy cars and luxury goods, while you had to scrape by selling everyday items on the streets. I married a great guyâ
But Giannas voice trailed off there.
With Joeyâs infidelity, it didnât feel right to continue this line of comparison.
Anastasia glanced at her and said. âI ve never compared myself to you. Yes, my family isnt as well-off as yours, but why should I compare myself to you? Why should I care about how well youâre doing? Everyone has their own life. Donât think too highly of yourself!
Gianna was resentful. âI donât believe that youâre not jealous of me.â
Anastasia was speechless and didnât feel like arguing with Gianna. âYeah, yeah, youâre right. Iâm jealous of your wealth, Iâm jealous of your husband being the director of a hospital, and Iâm jealous that your husbandâs mistress is pregnant with their second child. Happy?â
âAnastasia.â Gianna called her name, her face turning pale with anger
That last statement was obviously meant to upset Glanna.
Anastasia looked at Gianna again. âDonât yell at me. Iâm not Joey, Iâm not Dora, and Iâm certainly not your mother. I donât have to put up with your tantrums and mood swings. If you have the guts, go divorce Joeyâ
âJoey, that bastard, he wonât divorce me Gianna fumed. âHeâs been stringing me along while courting his mistress Just when I was about to soften and give him another chance, he went back to his mistress. This time, I have to get a divorce.â
-As Gianna spoke, her anger and frustration grew, and tears started to well up in her eyes. The last sentence was somewhat impulsive in nature. Once the
tears started flowing, they couldnât be stopped.
Gianna was in full-on sob mode. âDo you have tissues?â
Anastasia pulled out a box from the glove compartment. âGo ahead and cry. There are plenty of tissuesâ
Crying it out was the only way to clear the emotional blockage in her heart.
Anastasia really didnât want to get involved in Giannaâs problems. They were only acquaintances, after all. Gianna was probably crying in front of her because she had been suppressing her emotions for too long and couldnât hold it in any longer.
While crying, Glanna continued to curse: That pair of dogs, theyâre disgusting. I checked their hotel records. Theyâve been together since five years ago. Their eldest daughter is already in kindergarten, in the one right under our building. Can you believe that?â
Anastasia agreed, âYeah, that is pretty infuriatingâ
Gianna continued angrily. The tuition for that kindergarten is so expensive. Heâs really generous, even renting a big house for his mistress. The rentâs really high tooâ
As Glanna listed all the money Joey had spent on his mistress, Anastasia also paid attention to the cost, but her thoughts were different from Giannaâs.
If it cost so much to educate a child, how was she going to afford it now that she was jobless and relying on Hermanâs income? After paying rent, they didnât have much left. How were they going to afford a child, let alone buying a house?
Apparently, even having kids was something the poor needed to consider carefully.
Out of curiosity, Anastasia asked, âWhere is this house located? Why is the rent so high? And what school is it? The tuition is really high. Does it include living expenses?â
Gianna was speechless. She was originally very angry and sad, but Anastasiaâs questions distracted her, and she lost the train of her sad thoughts.