I was about to knock on the door when I heard Channing said, “Anthony, I was too sick to travel to your wedding when you and Rachel got married.”
He fished out a pretty box from his pocket and handed it to Rachel. “Rachel, this is a small gift from me. Before I went to fight in the war in Venria, my wife gave this to me and I had kept them since. It is a bracelet. I gift it to you now. Please take it.”
Rachel was surprised and delighted. She looked to Anthony, seeking his consent to accept the gift.
Anthony was also caught off-guard by this gesture of Channing. He came around and held the box. “Mr. Oberick, we appreciate your generosity. This bracelet was from your late wife. It is too precious. I cannot accept this gift.”
Mr. Oberick was a little displeased he rejected the gift. “Who said it is for you? I am giving this to George’s granddaughter-in-law. Take your hands off. Let Rachel take it.”
He took the bracelet from the box and put it on Rachel’s wrist. “Rachel, from now on, have a blessed life with this rascal.”
Rachel was not expecting this gift. She looked to Anthony, confused.
Anthony was frowning slightly. However, when he saw Channing was happy, he kept quiet, so as not to dampen the joyful moment.
I did not want to interrupt the conversation, so I turned around to leave.
“Mrs. Featherstone, you are here.” Joseph was standing behind me, a tray of fruit in hand.
I was taken by surprise. I took a moment to recover from the shock before mumbling, “Oh, you went to cut the fruit?” He nodded.
We attracted the attention of those in the room, and they turned to look at us.
“Hello, Sienna! I heard you went to harvest the fruit and had a fall. Are you alright?” Since Channing already saw me, I could not turn around to leave anymore.
I put on a smile and entered the room. “Don’t worry, Mr. Oberick. I just slipped. It was no big deal,” I assured him.
He laughed and recalled, “When George and I were fighting the war in Venria, there were days when the combat zone would become slippery and muddy because of a storm the night before. Sometimes, we would slip and roll down the mountain. Those were the difficult days. You kids have an easy life now.”
We were nodding to Channing’s story when I turned in Rachel’s direction and caught sight of the bracelet. It was unintentional. The bracelet was very exquisite, so I took a second look at it.
Rachel must have thought I was after the bracelet, so she put her other hand over it to hide it from my sight.
I was amused and looked away.
We had a good time chatting and enjoying the fruit Joseph served.
After a while, we could see Mr. Oberick was getting tired and nodding off.
We ended our conversation and Anthony helped Mr. Oberick into the car to head for lunch at the visitor centre. The plan was to send him home after lunch so he could rest. Mr. Oberick must be tired after a long morning, given his age.
Joseph got into the driver’s seat while Anthony helped Mr. Oberick settle into the backseat. Rachel joined them in the backseat.
Joseph was stunned. He looked at me, then turned toward Anthony with a questioning look in his eye, but Anthony kept quiet.
Joseph observed I did not get into the car, so he asked, “Are you not joining us?”
I shook my head. “I will head there with Leedon and his team.”
“Leedon is transporting a load of stuff in his vehicle. It will be packed.” Joseph was concerned.
“Not a problem,” I assured him.
“Joseph, get going,” Anthony commanded coldly. He was obviously not happy.
Joseph was bewildered but drove off compliantly. I let out a small sigh and consoled myself. It’s okay.
Back at the base, Leedon was surprised to see me. “Ms. Stanhope, did you not meet Mr. Featherstone?”
“There were a few people with him. It would not be convenient for me to join them in their car. The visitor centre is not far from here. I can cycle there,” I replied.
Leedon nodded and reminded me, “The path is muddy. Ride carefully. You wouldn’t want to get all dirty again.”
“Noted.”
The path leading from the base was indeed muddy, as Leedon had forewarned. Luckily, the weather was good in the morning and dried out the road a little, so I did not fall. I only got some mud stains on me.
The lunch was at the hotel at the visitor centre. I returned the bicycle and cleaned off the mud stain on my shoes and pants before heading to the hotel.
Just then, Nora called. “My dear, what are your plans for tonight?”
“I had a long day. I want to get a good night’s sleep later,” I replied.
“Tsk. What a waste of time!”
“What do you have in mind then?” I questioned her instead.
“Aren’t you working on a project at Lavelian Village? We decided to pop over and spend Valentine’s Day with you. There is a big field just behind Lavelian Village. We can camp there tonight, watch the sunrise in the morning, then spend the whole of tomorrow there. We already bought stuff for a barbeque tomorrow.” She sounded pleased with her plan.
“We?” I was curious.
“Armond, Linda, Tabitha, Laurel, Tessa, and you. We know you are busy at work, that’s why we chose Lavelian Village for our outing. We can have a get-together without affecting your work schedule. Oh, by the way, Tabitha’s fiancé is joining us too. This going to be fun!” she chirped.
After a pause, she whispered, “Do you want to invite Anthony to join us?”
“It is not necessary,” I declined. “What time will you be here?”
“Soon. In about an hour. Shall we have lunch together?”
I would actually prefer to meet them for lunch. However, since Anthony had arranged for a lunch meeting with Mr. Oberick, I could not commit. “We shall see. You go ahead with your plans. I will join you once I am done on my side.”
“Okay!”
“Oh, I dirtied my clothes, so please bring an extra set of clothing for me,” I requested.
“No problem.”
After ending the call with Nora, I went into the hotel and was ushered to the private dining room Anthony reserved.
Almost everyone has arrived, and Channing was delighted to have such a lively group join him for lunch. He was chatting with Anthony and Rachel.
Their conversation soon turned to children. “Come to think of it, you were married for many years. Do you have kids?” Channing asked.
Rachel blushed, but Anthony was tongue-tied, and he turned to look at me.
I casually turned away to avoid his gaze. I could hear him diverting the subject. “Mr. Oberick, you should take some tomato basil soup later. It is appetizing.”
Channing may be old, but he is not senile and can see through Anthony’s little trick.
However, that was a subject close to the old man’s heart, so he refused to let go of it. “My boy, you are not young anymore. You have to start planning for your future. Both of you are over thirty and you had been married for so many years. It’s about time you consider having kids.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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