Dennis nodded, handed me the file directly, then raised his eyebrows. âTake a look!â
I...
Nathan smiled and looked at Dennis. âYou two look like youâve known each other forever.â
I always thought it sounded like a deliberate question.
Dennis lifted his eyebrows, slid the hair on my forehead behind my ear, and said in a warm voice, âWell, weâve been married for seven years.â
There was a gasp in the air, and even Nathan stiffened slightly, as if he hadnât expected it.
Dennis didnât seem to care. He smiled when I looked up at him, âWhat? You donât think Iâm a decent husband enough to be Clarianaâs father, so youâre pretending you donât know me?â
This was evidently on purpose.
I froze for a moment, then pursed my lips and said nothing more.
Someone in the office began to whisper, âSheâs Dennis Georgeâs wife. Oh, my God, so...â
There were a lot of surprises.
The gossip of the past few days was dispelled by itself.
I sighed. He came to see me in the office today on purpose probably because Nathan said something to him.
âIs everything done?â Dennis said, and as he spoke, he took my hand.
I nodded and stood up.
He looked at Nathan and said, âDinner together?â
Nathan shook his head slightly, âIâm gonna pick Joey up tonight and go visit my mom, so you guys go ahead, and weâll take a rain check.â
We left the hotel and got into the car.
I looked sideways at him. âWhen did you come?â
âJust arrived!â
Along the way we talked a little, but not unfamiliar.
When Clariana came out of the school with her bag on her back, she saw Dennis from a distance and she seemed to be very happy.
She waved to Dennis with an excited face. Dennis smiled and raised his hand to greet her.
I smiled. âHowâs Dr. Bennett?â
It had been a long time.
He looked sideways at me, and his hand had closed around me. âHeâs gone to H Town, maybe heâs looking to expand there.â
âIs he married?â It had been four years. Diana seemed to him like a silent passer-by.
He pressed his lips together. âHe probably wonât get married.â
I looked up at him with some curiosity. âIs there anyone he canât forget?â
âUncle Dennis!â Clariana came out, and the conversation between us ended abruptly.
He picked her up and got in the car. Dennis looked at Clariana and said, âWhat do you want to eat?â
âIce cream, family bucket!â The little guy blurted out, almost without thinking.
Dennis smiled, eyes on me, and his voice was light. âYou might want to ask your mom.â
Looking at me, Clariana pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders, then said wisely, âWhat do you want, Mom?â
It was so hot that you could hardiy eat anything at night. On reflection, I said, âLetâs eat at home!â
Clariana was a little upset. She bowed her head and said, âAll right!â
Perhaps because of the hot weather, we hardly had any appetite. I made a simple stir-fry. Clariana didnât eat much before she went to the yard to pick watermelons.
She came back with a big one, looked at Dennis and said, âUncle Dennis, why donât you eat it with me today? I was gonna eat with uncle Kennedy last time, but he went home.â
Dennis looked at me. âUncle Kennedy?â
âItâs Leo!â I didnât mean to hide it.
He nodded as he took the watermelon from Clariana and split it in half. We grew Kirin Melons. They were not big, but they were very sweet.
They were half and half, which seemed like a good match.
âYour father is setting him up on a blind date. He came here to see you and Clariana?â
He said, his eyes on me, a little deep.
I paused and smiled, âIâm not the reason why he ran away. It was probably because he had someone in his heart and didnât know it, so he came to me.â
I did wonder, though, who that girl was.
Hearing this, he said no more. He scooped out the central pulp of the watermelon and held it to my mouth.
Forced to take a bite, I said, âI donât really like watermelon.â Otherwise, Clariana wouldnât have gone to the fields every time someone came to visit. She liked to share it with others.
As the night wore on, Toby came over. Dennis stood up, hugged Clariana and looked at me. âItâs getting late. Good night!â
I froze for a moment. âWonât you...?â
But I didnât say the rest words.
When he came, I welcome him. And when he left, I did not detain him.
Clariana cocked her head at him and asked, confused, âArenât you staying at our house tonight?â
He smiled and squatted his long body beside Clariana. âIâm busy. Iâll see you when I have time,â he said softly.
Clariana nodded, frustrated.
He stood up, looked at me, and smiled. âGood night!â
I watched him and Toby leave in silence for a long time, then took Clariana back to the house. It was still hot in August.
And Clariana was about to turn five.
...
The next day.
It was the weekend. I was not surprised Tobyâs here. He was carrying something that surprised me.
It was all home cooked food for the health. We had all this stuff in the yard.
If Dennis asked him to deliver it, it would seem a bit redundant.
He knew T had these things in my yard.
âMadam!â Toby said in a hoarse voice, as if he hadnât slept well last night.
There was a black ring around his eyes and he looked very tired.
Please Love Me, Mr. George ï¤Chapter 326 Going Back to City P âWhat happened?â I motioned him in. He stood where he was, handed me what he was holding, and said, âMr. George has been drinking a lot of wine in City P these days, and has suffered some serious bleeding in his stomach. He didnât want you to worry last night, so he went to the pub himself.â
I froze for a moment and said nothing. I just listened as he continued to speak.
âHe wouldnât let me talk to you, but itâs been going on too long, and he wonât go to the hospital. Iâm afraid he'll break down if this keeps going on. Will you please go and talk to him?â
I pressed my lips together, feeling calm, and said, âSince when?â
âFour years ago, after you left, he was like this. He seemed intent on pouring his energy into his work, but in fact he was driving himself to death. Sometimes he drank all night and had to go to hospital several times for stomach bleeding. The doctor told him not to touch alcohol, but he didnât listen and continued to drink. You know better than anyone, maââam, what you mean to him".
I took the dish in his hand and said, âIâll be there later. Give me his room card. Go back and have a good rest.â
When I agreed, he smiled like a child and handed me his room card. âThank you.â
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