“Mr. Fuller!” Summer interrupted our conversation.
He carried her into the car. “What would you like to eat?”
“Ice-cream and a family bucket!” the munchkin blurted at once.
Ashton took a peek at me and said under his breath, “You might want to check with your mommy first.”
Knowing what my answer would be, the sulky smart girl tried her luck by rephrasing her request, “Mommy, what do you want to eat?”
Dining out in a heatwave wasn’t an appealing choice. I pondered slightly and said, “Let’s eat at home.”
Feeling let down, Summer replied unwillingly, “Okay.”
Ashton changed his route and drove us all home.
I made a few simple dishes since nobody had a voracious appetite in this hot weather. After having only a few bites, Summer went to pluck a watermelon again.
She came back with a large one. “Mr. Fuller, let’s eat this together. I wanted to have it with my uncle the last time but he left early.”
Ashton turned to look at me. “Uncle?”
“It’s John.” I had no intention to hide it from him.
He nodded, took the watermelon from Summer, and broke it in half. The ones we planted in our yard were not big, but very sweet.
The man held a big piece and the child, a small one. It was so cute to see them both sharing a fruit.
“Your father tried to match make him, so he came here to look for you and visit Summer?”
He continued looking at me, waiting for an answer.
I was taken aback. “He didn’t escape that because of me. I could tell that he’s fallen for someone but he hasn’t realized it. So, he came to me.”
Speaking of which, I wonder who’s that girl.
Ashton did not ask further. He scooped a spoonful of watermelon from the center of the fruit and sent it to my mouth.
I was forced to have a bite. “I don’t like to eat watermelon.” That’s why Summer always serves our guests that. She loves having a company while eating watermelon.
When night fell, Joseph came by. Ashton stood up and hugged Summer. “It’s getting late. You’d better go get some rest.”
“Aren’t you…” Staying over? I was baffled, but decided not to finish my sentence.
I’ll welcome him if he stays; I won’t keep him if he plans to leave.
Perplexed, Summer asked, “You’re not staying in our house, Mr. Fuller?”
He leaned over and explained, “I have something that I need to attend to. I’ll come visit you next time.”
Summer was dismayed.
“Go to bed early,” he reminded me.
I remained quiet when we sent both Joseph and Ashton off. The heat in August was unbearable.
Looking at the calendar, Summer would be turning five soon.
The next day, which was a weekend, Joseph came by.
I was not surprised to see him but was quite astonished to see the loads of goods he brought over.
There were a lot of organic vegetables, just like the types I had in my yard. It’s redundant for Ashton to make Joseph send these over, especially when he knows that I don’t lack any.
“Mrs. Fuller.” Joseph looked exhausted with two obvious dark circles and a croaky voice. He probably did not sleep well last night.
“What’s wrong?” I prompted him to enter the house, but he stood on the spot and handed over those items to me. “Mr. Fuller has been attending quite a number of business events in K City these few days. He had a bit too much to drink and had a stomach ulcer. Last night, he didn’t want you to be worried so he put up a night at the hotel.”
I waited for him to finish.
“He doesn’t allow me to tell you and isn’t willing to go for a checkup. If this drags on, I’m afraid his condition will get worse. Can you persuade him to go to the hospital?”
Feeling like a cat on hot bricks, I tried to suppress my anxiety with a faint smile. “How long has he been like this?”
“Since you left four years ago. From the outside, he looks like he’s devoted all of his time and energy to his work. In actual fact, he’s driving himself to a point of no return. Sometimes, he would drink throughout the night and resulted in several hospital visits due to a stomach ulcer. The doctor has advised against alcohol but he never listens. Mrs. Fuller, you know how significant you are in his life, better than anyone else.”
I accepted the vegetables he brought. “I’ll head over in a bit. Please give me his room card. You should go get some rest and take care of yourself.”
His face instantly brightened up like a child as soon as I agreed to see Ashton. “Please go see him as soon as you can.”
I spaced out when he walked away. After all these years, some people are treating their wounds, whereas some are still struggling in hell.
From a woman’s perspective, a man is said to be very much in love with a woman if he’s lost without her.
Yet, it’s different with Ashton. He seems to have turned over a new leaf by putting an end to his reckless years. What emerged after four years of transformation was sophistication and maturity.
