I remained glued to the ground at the airport for a long while, until a baby’s wails brought me back to my senses. Turning around, I saw Sabrina struggling to coax the baby in her arms. Instantly, it warmed my heart to realize that I had a good friend accompanying me whenever I felt down. Without any hesitation, I hurried over to help her coax the little one.
Yet, the baby could not stop wailing no matter what we did. “What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s probably hungry. I’ll find a place to feed him.” Sabrina ushered me to follow her to a cafe and requested a private room.
Inside the room, I sat down, sighing.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure there’s always a solution to every problem. Cheer up,” comforted Sabrina.
“I guess so,” I muttered with my face covered. “But somehow, I feel like trouble is always looking for me. No matter how I try to live my life, I can never live in peace. Mrs. Lane has finally accepted the fact that Christopher and I are together, but now…”
Sabrina calmly muttered, “Christopher understands you a lot, so I’m sure he won’t be angry with you. You guys can have a good discussion when he’s back and see if there’s any way to convince Mrs. Goldstein.”
I shook my head bitterly after a slight ponder as I could not think of any good idea. “My mom cries every time she talks about my uncle. I know they have a close-knit relationship though I’ve never seen my uncle before. And I could tell that Mom is against me being with Chris unless Mrs. Lane has nothing to do with that matter. But Mrs. Lane has admitted it herself…”
“Console Mrs. Goldstein first. Look at Mrs. Lane; she used to be persistent and forbade you from getting together with Chris. But you’ve managed to win her heart. So I’m sure there’s a solution when it comes to your mom, too.” Sabrina hesitated for a second before continuing, “Why don’t you listen to her wants first? Follow whatever she asks you to do. When she’s feeling better, things will naturally take a positive turn.”
“I guess so.”
That night, I stayed with Sabrina since she was alone at home. By the time she put her baby to sleep, she already looked utterly exhausted. Despite so, she did not want to hire a nanny as she enjoyed the process of taking care of her child by herself.
There was a lot that I wanted to tell Sabrina, but I refrained from doing so after seeing her so lethargic that she could not keep her eyes open. Later, I reached for my phone and tried calling Christopher twice, yet I could not get through.
Lying on the bed, I threw my phone aside and switched off the lights, sighing away. After some time, when Sabrina realized I was still not asleep, she muttered, “There’s no way the call could get through. When Zach’s on missions, he doesn’t turn on his phone. I’ve already gotten used to that, and so should you. Christopher is an elite soldier; whatever mission he’s on must be a tricky one.”
My fear and anxiety at the thought of Christopher being angry with me were instantly replaced by my worries about his safety instead. As such, in the next two days, I could not perk myself up to get things done.
Two days later, I received a text message from an unknown number. It contained only five words – I’m safe; don’t miss me.
Seeing the text message, I immediately figured that it was from Christopher. I pulled myself together and began visiting Isabelle frequently. Sabrina’s right; I need to satisfy Mom so that I can have her acknowledgment.
Right then, I received a call from Yvette. Surprisingly, she brought me a piece of news – that Dad was admitted to the hospital. He was critically ill and wanted to meet me.
“What did you say? Dad’s sick? How is it possible that he’s suddenly sick?” I asked, surprised. The Tanners had been met with a series of problems recently and the family business had suffered from drastic stock price fluctuations. Dad just released an official statement yesterday; he looked pretty rejuvenated then. Could it be because of Mom?
“Stop pretending. Don’t you know perfectly well why Dad is sick? Everyone knows you and I aren’t on good terms. If Dad didn’t ask to see you before he fell unconscious, do you think I’d call you?” Yvette questioned in dismay.
“If you still take Dad as your family, then make a trip down.”
