“Yup,” Nora answered simply before asking, “Where have you been these few days? I couldn’t find you and couldn’t reach you over the phone as well. Are you trying to worry me to death?” Seeing that the man had finally picked up the phone, she did not waste one moment to throw him all the questions she had.
After Nora finished speaking, Armond let out an affectionate chuckle and replied, “I was busy, so I didn’t go back to the hotel. Don’t worry, I’m alright!”
“But I’m not. We’ve already not seen each other for three days and I really miss you. Let me tell you, if you don’t come back to the hotel right now, you can continue enjoy being single!”
Obviously, the woman was throwing a tantrum. It was amazing how people could say all sorts of ridiculous things in a relationship.
Armond nodded at the other end of the phone before saying, “OK, OK, I’ll be right back!”
Then, Nora sat up on the bed and looked at the time on her phone. “How long would you take?”
“Ten minutes!” The man answered immediately.
“OK,” Nora answered simply before ending the call. Immediately after, she bolted up and dashed into the bathroom.
Knowing that she was probably in a rush to wash up before meeting him, I couldn’t help but smile.
Shortly after, Nora was done. She had already put on makeup and was dressed seductively when she emerged from the bathroom.
After making a 360-degree turn in front of me, she asked, “How do I look? Okay?”
I nodded before crossing my arms in front of my chest. Sizing her up, I asked, “Actually, I’m quite curious. Have you guys… done it?”
Nora lowered her head pretentiously and covered her mouth with her hands. Acting embarrassed, she replied, “I’m such a pure and innocent girl! How could you think of me that way?”
I touched my forehead and was speechless at once. “Please say something I can understand!”
With a sudden change in her mood, she pouted and said, “Not yet. He doesn’t seem to be able to get it up whenever we try. There’s nothing I can do about it either!”
My lips twitched and looked at her. “How many times have that happened?”
Nora sighed and looked almost depressed while she answered, “I didn’t keep track of it, but ever since we started dating, we have never succeeded. Recently, all we have been doing was to cuddle each other to sleep. Apart from that, we haven’t done anything yet.”
I didn’t know what to reply to that. Feeling worried, I suggested, “Shouldn’t you persuade him to see a doctor?”
That wasn’t a joking matter. After all, they would have to think of having children if they got married. It would not be fair for a Nora, a woman in her prime years, to be sexually deprived.
However, she merely shrugged and replied, “Let us try again tonight. Maybe we’ll succeed this time round?”
I was stunned for a moment by her reply and asked, “Have you guys considered using some medication?”
“Yup,” she replied absentmindedly before realizing what I meant. Staring at me wide-eyed, she asked, “What do you mean by using medication?”
Um…
Before I could answer, Nora replied to her own question, “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe we should try?”
It seemed like she was starting to panic and was going to try any workable methods. I stopped her and said, “Calm down first. I think you should consult a doctor before trying anything. Didn’t Linda said previously that it might be due to a psychological issue? What if he took the medicine and it still doesn’t work? Besides, it might damage his health instead. That would be a disaster, don’t you think?”
That probably made sense to her as she nodded and said, “You’re right. When we go back to A City, accompany me to look for a doctor.”
After she finished speaking, she took a glance at her phone before saying, “OK, I’m going next door now! Talk again tomorrow!”
After she left in a hurry, I couldn’t help but sigh. Her situation reminded me of my own previously. It seemed to be a psychological issue as well. Since the doctor did not have any solution, we had to figure out ways to solve the issues ourselves.
That was a problem only Armond himself could solve. If he was not able to cross his psychological barrier, seeing a doctor wouldn’t help either.
Just then, Anthony called again. I answered the phone and heard Summer’s sweet voice. “Mommy, are you sleeping already?” she asked.
I couldn’t help but smile, feeling happy. “Not yet, but soon. You? You can’t stay up too late yeah? If not, you won’t be able to wake up early tomorrow. Understand?”
“Yup!” she replied. Then, the girl continued in her sugary voice, “Can I just talk to Mommy for a while before going to bed?”
I nodded and lay down on the bed. After standing for almost the entire day, my legs were aching so badly. “What does Summer want to tell Mommy?”
“I saw Mommy’s photos. You look so pretty! Mr. Featherstone said that when you’re back, the three of us can go and take more pretty photos together!” The little girl was being very chatty.
I just listened to her quietly and responded intermittently. She shared with me every detail of her life, including miscellaneous events at home and punishments her classmates received from their teacher for fighting with each other.
I nodded and smiled bleakly. After another thirty minutes of conversation, the voice on the other end of the line got softer and softer. She was probably getting sleepier by the minute.
A while later, I heard Anthony’s deep, low voice over the phone. “She has fallen asleep. I’ll send her back to her room first—wait for me to come back!”
I nodded. “Alright.”
I couldn’t help but yawn too—it had been a very long day. Five minutes later, I heard Anthony’s voice again. “Are you very tired today?”
I nodded and replied miserably, “Just a little!” I had been working from morning till night, and my entire body was wracked with fatigue.
“Have you washed up yet?”
I shut my eyes and nodded my head hastily. “Of course, I have.”
An odd thought floated into my head that very moment, and I found myself thinking about Armond and Nora. Rather hesitatingly, I ventured, “Anthony, what happens when you men can’t…you know…”
I heard him suck in a deep breath on the other end of the line. After a short pause, he asked, “Can’t what?”
Hearing his suggestive tone, I knew he was thinking all sorts of rubbish again. I opened my mouth and said, “It’s like this. Armond and Nora are in a relationship now, aren’t they? But Armond seems to have some sort of trauma regarding intimacy. I think it stems from something that happened to him in the past. What do you think he should do?”
After all, who could understand a man better than another man?
Anthony laughed lightly. “That’s their own business, I suppose. Why are you poking your nose into it? Stop thinking so much and go to sleep!”
I pouted and replied in a dissatisfied voice, “Gosh, you’re no fun!”
Anthony laughed again. “I’ll be coming over to A City tomorrow. What do you want to eat?”
Almost immediately, I replied, “Korean barbeque and Japanese cuisine! I’m absolutely craving them right now,”
I only had Nora to thank for that—she kept talking about them last night, and now I wanted to eat them too.
Anthony chuckled softly and said, “Alright then, sleep earlier. Make sure to shut the door and windows properly—double-check the locks, do you hear me?”
Getting tired of his nagging, I said consolingly, “Alright, alright, I got it! You should get some sleep too. See you tomorrow!”
After hanging up the call, I flipped myself out of bed and went to lock the door, after which I headed into the bathroom to wash up. Perhaps it was because work had tired me out too much, but I fell asleep almost as soon as my head touched the pillow.
I woke up early the next morning. September in A City meant lots and lots of sunlight—the dews on green leaves on the trees glistened in the morning sun like precious gems on a string of pearls.
I had slept very well indeed, so I felt very relaxed when I woke up.
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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