At the table, Sally gazed at us while serving us. “I see that Fuller Corporation has expanded very well. It’s operating at a large scale now and has a very solid foundation. You two should start focusing on building your own little family. I mean, you need to spice things up. Don’t just leave Summer with the Moores. You need to keep her by your side more, educate, and develop her as she grows up. Don’t be lazy.”
Feeling ashamed of myself, I nodded profusely. “Noted, Aunt Sally.”
We should have kept Summer with us more. There’re too many things going on earlier, but I guess it’s time to bring her home now.
While I was still thinking about this, Sally ran to the bathroom all of a sudden, leaving Ashton and me perplexed. Jim calmly followed her in, and they took a while before returning to the table.
I blurted, “Did you eat something bad and have a tummy upset, Aunt Sally?”
Smiling, Sally explained, “I’m all right. This is just a temporary symptom. Things will get better after a month or two.” She took her seat.
Jim served her some dishes and took care of all her needs.
Ashton stayed silent at the side. Meanwhile, I frowned at him. He’s such a log, not knowing how to care for his aunt.
After lunch, Jim and Ashton enjoyed a good cuppa while Sally and I watched television after doing the dishes. Suddenly, Sally pulled me aside and asked, “Letty, age is catching up with the both of you. Do you plan to have children?”
I was momentarily stunned by her abrupt question.
Upon hesitating, I answered, “Aunt Sally, I can’t conceive.”
Gasping, her smile stiffened as she said helplessly, “What a pity! Life must be tough on you two.”
I pressed my lips together tightly, unsure of how to reply. Let bygones be bygones.
After some time, Sally appeared to be unwell again. I asked again, “What’s wrong, Aunt Sally? How are you feeling?”
She shook her head slightly. “I’m okay. I’m too old for this, that’s why… Letty, have you thought about having a child through alternative means?”
I was completely baffled and tried to clarify, “Aunt Sally, we talked about this and…”
She interrupted me, “Test-tube baby, honey! Now that technology is so advanced, giving birth yourself isn’t the only way to have a baby. You can consider getting pregnant via in vitro fertilization since the walls of your ovaries are thin.”
I stared at her with a blank expression. “Aunt Sally, Ashton may not agree to this. We’re not young anymore. Moreover, we already have Summer.”
She shook her head and continued to convince me, “This isn’t about age. Look at me. If it can happen to me, you can handle it too. The Fullers are a big family, running multiple corporations. It’d be a plus point to have more children around to add cheers to your days, accompany you when you travel, and also to help out in the family business.”
I picked up the main point in her speech. “Aunt Sally, are you pregnant?”
She said admittedly, “Yes, I’m three months pregnant. It’s not quite stable yet. Jim and I are planning for the wedding, but we dare not break the news to Ashton. Hence, the delay.”
I recalled Ashton expressing his disapproval of the union between Sally and Jim. The main reason being Jim related to the Murphy family, and Ashton is wary of them.
I asked Sally earnestly, “Aunt Sally, do you know that Uncle Jim is one of the Murphys?”
Maintaining her composure, she answered, “Yes, I know. I’m also aware of the conflicts between Ashton and Armond. However, these are their battles in the corporate world. Your Uncle Jim hasn’t been involved in the business for some time now. He’s just an old professor, leading a simple life. He’s been a lone wolf all these years. Having known me now, we just want to continue living our days happily. Letty, please find time to talk to Ashton and advise him to consider my situation. I’m no longer young, so it’s not easy to have finally met a man I can depend on for the rest of my life.”
Putting myself in Sally’s shoes, I could empathize with her. I just didn’t know how to bring this up to Ashton. With Armond being sentenced to jail, there was a need for a new successor to manage the family matters. Thus, we couldn’t guarantee that there would be no further conflict between the Murphys and the Fullers. At this point, the future remained uncertain.
Two hours had passed when Ashton and Jim ended their coffee session. They seemed to have enjoyed themselves.
Jim then suggested, “We’d love to dine out with you this evening if you don’t already have a prior engagement.”
After some small talks, we bid them goodbye.
As we exited their condominium, I grabbed Ashton by the hand and asked inquisitively, “What did you talk about with Uncle Jim just now?”
He flipped my hand around and squeezed it into his. “We chatted about the Murphys. I passed the contract to him to hand it over to Mr. Muphy. Then, we also concluded his marriage with Aunt Sally.”
