Hearing that, Yvette was puzzled. “Mom, isn’t Mark your favorite? Why won’t you let him come, don’t you miss him?”“I do, but I can’t let him visit. He must have worn himself out during the three years in Athana. You must help him recuperate and let him have more rest.”“Mark can’t be as weak as you, could he? Don’t worry too much, you rest well.”“The three years in Athana had really worn Mark out…”“Mom, like I said, you pampered Mark too much; believe it or not, which of your words are not trying to defend him?”“If I don’t defend or pamper him, who else will do it?”At this, Ms. Moore raised her voice and continued,“When Mark was in Athana for over a year, he was searching every day for doctors and surgeons who could cure Raine’s face. But as Raine was recovering, I felt unwell and was sent to Athana to treat my cerebral hemorrhage. Mark had labored to care for me and had not rested.When I was in a coma for three months, he stayed by my side to care for me. Although I awo
In these recent years, Ronald had become more unruly.It was a quiet atmosphere in the car. Nobody said a word. Charlotte looked around her, feeling bored.‘Why isn’t mommy talking to the rascal?’“Mommy, why aren’t you talking to uncle?”Hearing that, Mark looked at her, then turned and locked his eyes onto Summer.Summer did not seem to notice him; she took out a Yogurt drink, plunged a straw into it, and gave it to Charlotte. “Because mommy has nothing to speak to uncle.”Charlotte bit the straw and nodded as if she understood it. “Now I know, mommy must hate uncle a lot!”“Why?” Mark interrupted.“Because when mommy is with uncle Dean or uncle Handsome, she isn’t like this. They will talk and laugh, but when she is with you, she doesn’t say anything. She must hate you!”Hmph, she also hated uncle Rascal, just like mommy! That was what her tiny brain concluded.She was afraid of him because when he got angry, he shouted at her, but mommy, uncle Dean, or uncle Handsome neve
The leaves were emerald green, and under the sunlight, its greenery was in full display; the leaves rustled at the gentle breeze, and the grapes dangled in the air like crystals.The air was filled with the scent of grapes, accompanied by the scent of nature; it was very aromatic.She turned and saw that he was at a booth beside them, and in it sat a middle-aged man.He took out fifty dollars from his wallet and handed it to the man; in return, he picked up three baskets, two large and a small one.Charlotte could no longer hold her excitement. She wanted to get down and struggled to free herself from her embrace.Summer bent down to let her stand on her feet. The notice board read adult tickets, twenty dollars per person; children, half price.There were extra charges for eating grapes; for takeaway, it would be measured by kilograms; tiny grapes cost six dollars per kilogram; large grapes and raisins cost twelve dollars per kilogram.The price was reasonable; furthermore, the
Charlotte beamed, and her eyes squinted; she raised her tender arms and picked more grapes.After a while, Summer felt fatigued in her arms; they were sore and numb and could hardly carry Charlotte any longer.Just as she prepared to put Charlotte down so she could rest her arms, Mark had swiftly stretched out his arms and carried Charlotte. Dumbfounded, Summer stared at his back for a moment and then retracted her gaze.Mark was athletic and could naturally carry Charlotte to a greater height. Reaching out her hand, Charlotte plucked a purple-reddish grape. “Mommy, ahh.”Seeing the compelling look on the little one, she couldn’t resist but walked up and ate it.The grapes here were different from the ones available in the shops; they were fresh, sweet, and very juicy.Retracting her hand, she plucked a tiny and unripe grape and looked at Mark mischievously; in a soft voice, she said, “Uncle, ahh.”Mark couldn’t tell what she had in mind; he twitched his eyes but kept his mout
“No, there are so many grapes here that are waiting to be picked. Why do you want to pick those at the highest point?” Summer asked, with no hesitation. “Because those grapes are red and big. I want those.” Charlotte was insistent, looking at the grapes at the highest point. “I would weigh down Mark,” Summer said in a soft voice. When Charlotte was about to speak, a deep voice drifted over. “You won’t. Just climb onto my back.” Charlotte nodded her head like a chick. “Mark is a man, and Mommy won’t weigh him down, just like a monster can’t beat Ultraman, and Mommy can’t weigh down Mark.” Summer really did not know whether to laugh or cry upon hearing Charlotte’s logic. She wondered what was going on in her little head. She could understand why a child would think this way. But why would Mark also want to echo what Charlotte said? “Charlotte, stop messing around. The grapes here are big, too. Let’s pick the grapes here, okay?” “No.” Charlotte’s voice was loud. She turned
The afternoon sun leaked through the gaps between the grape leaves, and fell on the backs of the three of them, creating a warm and harmonious scene. “Mommy, pick more. We have to pick more. Our teacher said that grapes can be made into wine. Mommy will make grapes into wine, and then I can drink it every day.” She walked under the grape trellises, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “Mark is amazing! Look, I have said that Mommy can’t weigh down Mark.” Summer could not care less what Charlotte was babbling about down under. She sped up her action, wanting to end this as soon as possible. Forget about what happened four years ago. Given the two of them were vying for custody of Charlotte, and they were in a hostile relationship, their actions and gestures now were not only too intimate and ambiguous but also improper. But they could not help themselves in restraining their runaway hearts. ‘This was wrong,’ she secretly told herself in her mind. The sun in the summer afternoon was
Mark stared at the two of them, the corners of his lips curled up. He then turned around and proceeded to checkout. After that, the cartons were loaded into the trunk. The three of them got into the car and left the vineyard. It was evening by then. The three of them had picked eight cartons of grapes. Eight cartons were too many for them, but Charlotte said she wanted to make wine, so they had picked more. They had also gotten a carton of seedless grapes. Charlotte said that the seedless grapes were easier to eat because she did not have to spit out the seeds. The sun in July was the most brutal. After running and screaming under the sun all day, Summer could hear that Charlotte’s voice was hoarse. She gave a bottle of water to Charlotte. Charlotte held the mineral water bottle with both hands and drank half of it in no time. She was apparently thirsty. She passed the remaining half bottle of mineral water to Summer, and then leaned back in the back seat and protruded he
Mark hit the nail on the head. “You held her tightly in your arms even when she was asleep. If it weren’t for your legs getting numb, you wouldn’t have put her down. You had been so alert. If I were to tell you beforehand, what would you have done? You would have probably carried her and jumped out of the car.” “Mark, she is my daughter; I have the right to take her away.” She reminded him in an icy voice and flung his hand away. “I didn’t say that she was not your daughter, did I?” “So I want to take her away.” Summer spelled out the words as she stared at him. “Ms. Hart, she is my daughter, too. Trust me, you can’t take her away.” Mark squinted and smiled and reminded her as well. “When can I take her away, Mark? You have got to give me a definite answer.” Mark raised his lips with a half-smile and stared at her with a casual and lazy look on his face. “I can even give you two answers. The first one is that after you apply for a change of custody, you can take her away