Turning to look at her, I smiled faintly and asked, “Let’s stop talking about me. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
The woman shrugged. A helpless look crossed her round face. “A book I’ve read says that all the happy families are similar, but the unhappy ones are all different from one another. I totally agree with it.”
I nodded my head. Afterward, Nora scampered over to me with a plate in her hand. “Hey, try this. I grilled some meat for you two.”
Staring at the few slices of grilled meat on the plate, Laurel asked, “Didn’t we bring enough meat this time?”
Nora shook her head. “No, we brought quite a lot of them. We segregated the jobs and asked Rachel to marinate the meat, but she didn’t even touch it, so Tabitha only started to marinate them just now. These are all we have for now. Come on, try it.”
Laurel pursed her lips with displeasure. “I knew it. It takes time to find out someone’s true colors. At first, I felt that she’s quite outgoing and generous, but now I’m starting to hate her.”
Nora nodded in agreement. Looking at us, she asked, “What did both of you talk about? It seems you’re having a good time.”
“We’re only talking about our family affairs.” Putting some food on another plate, I handed it to her. “These are ready to be grilled now. Pass it to them.”
Taking the plate, Nora asked with an inquisitive expression. “What family affairs did you guys talk about? Share with me, please.”
With that said, her eager gaze was riveted on Laurel, as if she wasn’t going to leave if the latter didn’t tell her something.
Having no other choice, Laurel finally told her, “It’s about the frustrations that the married women like us have. You’ve never been in a relationship, so you can’t understand our feelings.”
Nora clicked her tongue and said exasperatedly, “What do you mean by I can’t understand your feelings? I’ve heard people talking about it before. By the way, I heard that you’re going to get a divorce. What happened?”
At Nora’s words, I turned to look at Laurel, as I didn’t know much about her marriage.
Laurel heaved a sigh. “We’ve been arguing for months. In our six years of marriage, all our child’s expenses are on me. I know I’ve no right to complain. After all, the child is mine. But I live like a widow now. I almost lost my life in Venria and lost contact with him for a long time. Yet, he didn’t even call or text me. What’s the point of being with someone like him? When I came back from Venria, he left our child with my mother-in-law and went outstation. In the name of starting a business, he took all our savings with him. I can hardly see him now. I’ve lost faith in him, so I’m thinking of getting a divorce.”
Nora nodded and let out a sigh. “Yeah, it’s pointless to stay in this kind of marriage. You’re better off single.”
She then turned to look at me. “Sienna, your case is different from hers. Anthony is a rare gem. He’s rich and loves you deeply. No matter how severe the conflict is between you and him, you both should talk it out and solve it calmly. Afterward, you can be happy ever after. Why don’t you give him another chance?”
As the conversation was directed back to my relationship with Anthony, I stood up, took the plate of food from her, and suggested, “Let’s go and grill some meat.”
Trailing behind me, she rattled on, “Sienna, what’s the use of running away from it?”
I ignored her and ambled over to the barbecue stand. The others were grilling their food while chatting away.
Glancing at the woman behind me, Tabitha passed me some grilled sausages. “Why are you babbling?”
Nora pressed her lips together. “I’m teaching her about politics.”
All of a sudden, she turned to look at Rachel and said, “You know nothing but how to flirt with men. Instead of joining us, you should just check into a hotel with your man.”
For a moment, the atmosphere became awkward. Rachel’s face turned pale. She even stopped chewing the meat in her mouth.
“Okay, okay, let’s bring the cushions out. The moon and the stars look so beautiful tonight. This is perfect for stargazing. Don’t be a party pooper.”
Laurel pulled Nora along to take the cushions. Armond and Tabitha’s fiancé followed them. With the help of the two men, they could carry the cushions without difficulty.
Leaning closer to me, Tabitha asked suspiciously, “Don’t you feel awkward?”
Puzzled, I asked her back, “Why should I feel awkward?”
“Your ex-husband and his new girlfriend are around. Don’t tell me that you don’t care at all. That’s bulls**t.”
With a faint smile, I gazed up at the starry night sky. “I think the moon and the stars are more worthy of our attention now.”
I changed the topic, and she pursed her lips. Right then, they brought the cushions to us. Everyone lay on a cushion while stargazing.
Tabitha was with her fiancé, while Armond was by Nora’s side, and Anthony was next to Rachel. All the couples looked so sweet together.
Thank God that Laurel and Tessa kept me company, so I felt at ease. Only when I lay down did I realize Anthony was lying right next to me, with Rachel by his other side.
For a moment, I actually felt slightly uneasy. Fortunately, Laurel was here to chat with me.
“I remember we loved camping and hiking when I was still in university. Looking back, I really miss those good old days.” She sighed. “In just the blink of an eye, ten years have whizzed past.”
“You’re right. I can’t believe I’m going to be thirty soon!” Nora sighed. “I feel like I’m still young and free. How did I grow old so fast?”
Gazing at the night sky full of shimmering stars, I took a deep breath. “There’s no need to dwell on the past. People just have to do what they’re supposed to do in due courses like studying, getting married, and giving birth. Our ancestors had lived for thousands of years, yet they followed the same routine. It’s not that they hadn’t thought of living their ideal lives. Perhaps they had experienced the freedom which we all long for, but in the end, they found it even more unbearable than being married and having kids.”
Nodding her head, Nora turned to glance at Tessa. “Tessa, aren’t you into philosophy? What do you think about life?”
Pressing her lips together, the woman looked intently at the night sky for a few seconds before saying indifferently, “Life and death have been fated from the start. It’s an endless cycle of torment.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Nora mumbled and pouted her lips. She then turned to Armond and asked with a sweet smile, “Mr. Murphy, do you have anything to say?”
“No,” Armond replied. His icy gaze was fixed on the night sky.
“Ouch!” All of a sudden, Rachel jumped to her feet with her hands over her stomach, and her face contorted with agony. “My stomach hurts.”
Anthony furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m having a stomach-ache. Maybe I ate something bad. Excuse me, I need to relieve myself.” Immediately, she scurried away while holding her tummy.
Watching the woman sprinting toward the end of the enormous field, everyone tried to stifle a laugh. There was no undergrowth or trees that could act as a cover across the field, so she had to run further away.
None of them had thought of this issue before camping.
Nora let out a half-suppressed giggle, moving closer to me. “I bet she’ll not be able to enjoy the stargazing tonight.”
“Why did you say so?” Staring at her enigmatic face, I couldn’t help but ask.
The woman flashed me a sly smile and said impishly, “That’s the consequence of acting all high and mighty when she knows nothing at all. I had no other way to vent my frustrations.”
Glancing at her sneaky expression, I made a wild guess. “Did you put something in her food?”
She shrugged noncommittally. “I only added a little chocolate in the glass of milk she drank just now.”
Bewildered, I asked, “Can milk and chocolate cause diarrhoea?”
She nodded her head. “Yes. Don’t worry, she won’t die. She’ll only have the runs.”
I see.
“Look! A shooting star!” someone screamed in delight. In an instant, everyone looked up at the sky.
Sure enough, a few dazzling shooting stars glided through the night sky.
“Hurry and make a wish!” Nora closed her eyes and clasped her hands together at once, wishing solemnly upon the star.
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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