Chapter 60
Two hours after Colin had left, Becky wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower. She dried off her body and put on her sleeping dress shirt. She looked up at the wall clock to check the time. It was five minutes before eleven already.
She knew Colin was in distress the moment he arrived, but when she asked what the problem was, he tried to wave it away, saying he was fine, that he was just stressed.
She didn’t probe further, she just wrapped him in her arms and patted him on the back.
They stayed in that posture for a very long time before they pulled apart and left her bedroom to join the others in the living room downstairs.
Betty was already setting the table for dinner. Colin had dinner with the family. They both retired to the front porch after eating, where they cuddled and talked for an hour or so. His mood had improved by the time he left.
Becky was removing the towel she wrapped around her hair when someone knocked and her brother walked in.
“Yo sister!” the boy plopped down on her sister’s bed. “I need your favor tomorrow, please.”
“What favor?” She reached for her satin bonnet and covered her hair with it. “I hope it’s not money, young man?”
“Nah, a friend of mine is coming over tomorrow.” He looked into her sister’s eyes. “Can you help me make one of your award-winning pasta dishes for that person?”
Becky said nothing at first. She fixed her gaze on her brother, with an amusing smile curving her mouth.
“Say something…” he prodded.
“When do you care about what you offer your friends?” She sat on the edge of her bed. “I’m sure that friend is a girl.”
“Hmmm…yes,” he smiled shyly. “I met her in the library like two months ago and we’ve been going steady.”
“Wow,” she smiled at her shy brother. “I can see you like this girl very much.”
“Yes,” he said. “You can say that again. Will you do it for me?”
“Don’t worry, I am going to make the best of my pasta recipe for her tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sis,” her brother hugged her.
“You are welcome, dear.” She said and asked more questions about the girl.
“Thanks so much sis,” he hugged her again when he was about to leave after they had spoken for over thirty minutes. “Have a good night’s rest.”
“You too have a good night,” she hugged him back.
Becky got under the sheets and picked her novel to continue reading. She was now in chapter twenty-two.
“That will be all for today,” Helen said and looked up into the faces of her students. “I wish you the best of the fourth of July tomorrow.”
“You too, Mrs. Grayson,” the students chorused in unison.
Helen picked up her laptop and left the lecture room. It was already three years after she graduated from the university. And she was now a lecturer in one of the prestigious private universities in Texas.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Grayson.” She heard one of her students called out and stopped.
“Hi Gloria,” Helen smiled at the redhead girl. “What can I help you with?”
“I want to know when we are expected to submit our term paper.” “That will be two weeks after the fourth of July,” Helen patted the girl on the arm before she hurried away.
She didn’t want another student to stop her. Though she enjoyed interacting with her students, but time was fast going. It was after three in the afternoon, and she would like to get to her parents on her way home.
She walked straight to the car park and drove her car away. She was just driving up her parents’ driveway when Darin called her.
“Darling, I’m sorry something just came up,” he said to her from the other end after they exchanged pleasantries. “Dylan and I have to see a client tonight in Friendswood.”
“That alright,” she opened the car door. “When should I be expecting you back?”
“Say around eight pm,” he told her. “Okay, that’s fine. I’m just getting to my parents now.”
“Okay. Give my love to them, will you?”
“Sure,” she got out of the car and shut the car door.
“Are you going to wait up for me?” He chuckled.
A lot had changed between them since she graduated, and they started living together permanently.
She chuckled, “do you want me to?” She teased him.
“Oh yes,” he all but shouted happily into the phone.
“I will,” she laughed.
“Good girl,” he said.This material belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
“See you later,” she said, and she pressed the end button.
Helen got home around six thirty. While undressing, her phone rang on her dressing table. She quickly snatched it up, thinking it was her husband.
But it was an unknown number that was blinking on her phone screen. Already used to being called by students with unknown phone numbers randomly, she swiped a finger across the screen.
“Hello,” she pressed the phone to her ear, and said the customary “hello.” And the most unexpected voice said “hello”, from the other end.
She stayed quiet for a moment.
“Hello, Helen, this is Tommy,” he said again.
Of course, she recognized his voice. She was just surprised.
“He… hello, Tommy,” her voice came out muddled.
“Good evening, Helen,” his voice came on as clear as ever. “I saw Mitchell, your old classmate today at the bank, and collected your new number from her.” He started saying.
“Oh, yes, Mitchell. I see.” Helen opened the door leading to the balcony behind her room and sat on the lounge chair there.
There was a brief silence. She didn’t know why he was calling, so she didn’t know what to say.
“Is everything okay?” Tommy asked tentatively. “I hope I didn’t catch you at the wrong time?”
“No…no, not at all, only that I never knew you would want to talk to me again.” She told him exactly what was going on in her mind. “This is a big surprise, Tommy.”
Tommy had cut off from her completely since the day they met at the supermarket three years ago, as she had demanded.
He stopped calling her; he stopped visiting, and she never saw his trace till they finished school and everyone went their ways.