Mavis could not help but smile as she replied, "Grandma, I had something urgent come up and went to a cafe. I'm on my way back now, about ten minutes away. What delicious food did you make?"
Mildred was relieved and warmly replied, "Lots of your favorites! Hurry back."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Mildred's enthusiasm waned a bit.
She stared at the table full of dishes, her back aching slightly.
It had been a long time since she had cooked so much, and it was taking a toll on her.
Gabrielle had tried several times to persuade Mildred to take a break, but fueled by some unknown determination, she insisted on preparing this meal.
She kept her eyes on the food, and Gabrielle noticed her expression.
"Grandma, you seem a bit down. What's wrong?"
Mildred sighed, "Do you think Mae came home because she wasn't feeling well?"
Gabrielle thought for a moment and shook her head, "Doesn't really seem like it."
"An unwell person wouldn't go out to handle urgent matters. She's lying, but not very convincingly. Gabrielle, sometimes it's best to see through things but not point them out. Mae is going through a tough time. We should try to make her happy and avoid bringing up unpleasant topics."
Mildred's age gave her words a slow, thoughtful rhythm that carried a lot of weight.
Gabrielle nodded in agreement, understanding what was happening.
If she were Mavis, she might have already given up.
As an outsider, Gabrielle selfishly wanted Mavis to stay a bit longer.
After all, Mildred liked her a lot, and so did she.
…
Soon, Mavis arrived home. Mildred warmly greeted her, urging her to wash up for dinner.
Mavis could not resist peeking at the food as she passed the dining table.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Wait, She’s a Billionaire (Sheena Lawson)
The novel is too abusive it spoils the joy of reading it. I hate the punishment part between sheena and Eliot....