Macy froze for a moment before looking at me. “How about we go and chat for a bit?”
I nodded and put my phone back into my pocket. “I don’t think bars or karaoke clubs are suitable. The smell of tobacco and alcohol is too strong. Let’s go to a café.”
“No way. What kind of café opens so late at night? Let’s just go to the hotel I’m staying at.” Jackson said. With that said, he dragged us into the car and added, “There were times when three of us used to sleep in the same bed back then. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Macy shrugged as she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.
Well, it was true. We didn’t have money during our college days. Whenever we went out on a vacation, we’d try to save money by cramming in the same room. Three of us had been friends for such a long time that Macy and I see Jackson as a friend and nothing more than that.
He started driving after turning on the navigator and he kept on chattering throughout the way there.
Macy found him annoying and didn’t bother with him anymore. She closed her eyes and slept but I listened quietly. He took a glance at me and said, “The most obvious symptoms of depression are feeling dejected, and those who have it wouldn’t sleep when it’s time to sleep and vice versa. They’d feel indifferent most of the time and wouldn’t be interested in anything…”
I started to feel frustrated as he continued to talk so I changed the topic, “Have you settled down in M Country? Are you planning on a long-term career development there?”
“Of course not!” His hands remained on the steering wheel when we stopped at a traffic light. “I’ve finished my studies on psychology and I’m preparing to return to K City. I plan to open up a clinic and live there.”
I knew that K City was Jackson’s hometown. After pausing for a moment, I asked, “Are you planning to stay now that you’re back?”
He shook his head and replied, “I still have to get back to M Country after I know what has happened to you. There are still some things I have to settle there.”
He stopped the car once we arrived at the hotel and tossed the car keys to the valet. By then, Macy had already woken up and she got down from the car, saying, “Why don’t you just open up a clinic here at J City? It’ll be much convenient for us too.”
Jackson chuckled as he glanced at her. “Why? What’s wrong with you? Is there something wrong with you emotionally or mentally too?”
She rolled her eyes but said nothing else afterwards.
He had reserved the room beforehand so after registering, we went up to the room together.
Once in the room, Jackson said listlessly, “I hate staying in hotels. It’s so boring and lonely.”
I took a glance at my phone and realized it had already turned off on its own. Macy seemed to be exhausted and had already fallen asleep on the couch.
“Since when did you notice that there’s something wrong with your emotions?” Jackson asked.
“Half a year ago,” I answered, feeling a little unsettled. “I would feel down very easily and do some very extreme things that would hurt myself or my child.”
It rarely happened and I would only lose control occasionally.
He pinched his nose bridge and said, “You know how you were five years ago, Scarlett. That’s why you gotta take this seriously. Otherwise, it would be dangerous for you and your child once you break down.”
How could I not know? Finding out about Grandma’s sickness and watching Macy’s parents die with my own eyes had a great impact on me.
When Grandma passed away, I wouldn’t have made it through if it weren’t for George.
He then sighed and said, “Luckily I learned quite a lot while studying overseas. I won’t let you go to the extremes like what happened years ago.”
I nodded. It was almost 9 p.m. and Macy was already sound asleep.
So I asked quietly, “Is there something on your mind?”
He looked normal since the moment I saw him, but the disappointment in his eyes was so obvious. I could still see it even if he tried to hide it by acting like he was okay.
He froze for a moment before smiling at me. “Your eyes are still as sharp as always.”
As he spoke, he got up and dialed the number for the reception to order two bottles of wine. Then he said, “Both of you can’t drink, so you can only watch me drink. I’m not in a great mood. Once you guys leave, I’ll be able to sleep after having some drinks.”
I couldn’t help but frown at his words. “Does it have something to do with relationships? Or is it something else?”
From what I recall, he was rarely troubled by love. But as for his family, I hardly ever hear him talk about them even though we had known each other for so long.
I didn’t know how to console him if I didn’t know the reason he was being like this.
He lay lazily on the couch and glanced at Macy who was sprawled on the other side. He avoided my question and asked, “The child in her belly, who does it belong to?”
Um.
His question took me by surprise. “You- You noticed?”
Jackson rolled his eyes at me before saying indifferently, “Even though we haven’t seen each other in a long time, I’m not blind. She used to be someone who wouldn’t grow no matter how much she ate. But now she looks like she’s put on some weight. Not only that, but she also seems more gluttonous, lethargic and she’d been subconsciously rubbing her belly from time to time. What else would she be if not pregnant?”
Alright, then.
It wasn’t my place to tell him anything so I said, “You should ask her the next time. Tell me about your thing instead. It’ll be meaningless if you don’t talk about anything after dragging us here.”
Just then, the doorbell rang and he got up to answer it. It was the waiter delivering his wine.
After he took the wine and closed the door, he said, “It’s not anything serious. I just think that it’s quite lonely even though I’ve lived for more than twenty years. Coming to think of it, I actually have nothing.”
I was rendered speechless at that. As I watched him open up a bottle of wine, I started drinking too.
