After lunch, Zelda headed upstairs to rest. She was emotionally drained from the recent events. She probably wouldn't have any appetite if Rebecca wasn't by her side.Everyone seemed to eat peacefully. Only Zelda felt how unbearable it was. She never thought there would be a time when she couldn't stand to hear Angela talk. As soon as she finished eating, she went straight back to her room. Everyone knew Zelda's health was not great, so no one found it strange that she had excused herself.Rebecca had cooked the food herself, and it tasted good. Everyone except Zelda seemed to enjoy it. Even the not-so-happy Angela ate quite a bit.Rebecca was very much aware of her culinary skills. She ate her food at a slow pace. She was just beginning to feel full by the time everyone else had finished.Penny went for a walk with Oliver and Cerys. The only person left at the table was Angela, who seemed to be quite satisfied with her meal. She reluctantly put down her utensils when everyone le
Rebecca smiled. She thought Angela was wrong. Losing a lot over the years had made her who she was. Now, she was even careful around her family when they seemed unkind.Before, she felt she had to be meek and mild in front of the elders, just like Zelda had been. After all she had experienced, she knew not to blindly follow the elders, but to be critical of their words.With a sigh, Angela continued, "I was glad when you came back from Riverwood. Yet, our family is in a difficult spot right now for many reasons and you're one of the big ones. That's why I wanted to talk to you."Perhaps a little tired from the walk, Angela took a seat on the wicker bench. She sat in the middle of the bench and left Rebecca with no choice but to stand. Yet, Rebecca didn't mind at all. She didn't want to sit with Angela even if she had asked her to."Grandma, so, what do you want to talk about?" Rebecca asked with a smile. She showed no displeasure to Angela.Angela would have changed her mind about
Angela was stunned. With a sense of guilt, she explained, "To love someone is to take care of them and everything that is connected to them. It works the other way around as well. You should be able to understand that."Her point was that her hatred of Rebecca was the reason for her hatred of Zelda."I realize now that I hold quite a place in your heart." Rebecca chuckled."You're my granddaughter. How can you not be in my heart?" Angela insisted stubbornly.Rebecca changed the subject. "I've barely spent a year in Rookfort, and we've hardly met up. And yet you resent me and my mom. Isn't that what you've been saying?"Angela pursed her lips and scowled at her. That was indeed what she was saying. Her pettiness was obvious now that Rebecca had pointed it out so bluntly.Rebecca had long felt that Angela was nothing like she remembered. The sight of Angela struggling to find the right words was absurd to her. Perhaps Rebecca would not have despised Angela if she had just admitted
"Grandma, I'm not going to do anything. It's just that your words remind me of something. Since you are so fond of Mary, who is also your daughter, I suppose she wouldn't mind taking care of you, would she?" Rebecca replied calmly with a smile.Angela frowned. "What do you mean?"Rebecca had a broad smile on her face. "I don't mean anything. I just think that what you just said makes sense. I'll talk to my mom about relieving the housekeeper who looks after you. It'll save you some trouble.""You—" Angela was about to retort but Rebecca turned away without bothering with the look on her face.She wasn't being heartless even though she said those words. As she walked past the housekeeper, she didn't dismiss her. She simply told her to look after Angela's health and worry about nothing else.Angela was getting old anyway, so Rebecca figured she should just leave her alone. There was no need to mistreat Angela since the Johnsons weren't lacking in material wealth.However, Rebecca f
Zelda grinned as she watched Rebecca pick out the cookies she wanted. Later, Zelda tried another one. It looked strange but tasted good, just like the one Rebecca had given her. It was crunchy and tasty.Zelda ate while she watched Rebecca, who was absorbed in her phone while enjoying the cookies. Suddenly, she had a feeling of pride in the realization that she wasn't so bad at cooking after all. It occurred to her that practice makes perfect.Even though her dishes might not be appetizing to the eyes, they could still be delicious to the palate. Any lingering unpleasantness in her heart immediately disappeared. She decided to experiment with making more dishes for her family going forward.Zelda leaned back. She was finally able to enjoy her coffee. She had been restless and torn between her respect for Angela and her desire to protect her family. But now she decided to let it go. Angela wasn't particularly fond of her anyway."Becca, if Grandma's presence bothers you, I'll have s
Zelda used to feel inferior to Mary because Angela favored Mary more. She thought that Angela's bond with Mary might be similar to her bond with Rebecca. Rebecca's kind words always warmed Zelda's heart. They made her want to give Rebecca all she had.Zelda wondered if Angela felt the same way about Mary. Yet, she decided to stop worrying. She knew that equality was a matter of will. She always did her best, even if she couldn't be perfectly fair with her children.Whether her children were mature or playful, they were all wonderful to her and she loved them all equally. Likewise, Zelda realized that she was good enough just the way she was.The afternoon was beautiful, with the chirping of cicadas and the singing of birds in the lush trees. The sunlight streamed through the colorful flowers in the conservatory and landed on the wooden table. The warmth seemed to melt away all the sadness.Angela walked slowly toward the house while using her cane for support. The conservatory upst
Angela explained, "I only found out today when I was discharged from the hospital. I just told you that Zelda has been losing her temper a lot lately, and she can't be bothered with me. I even came to the hospital by myself—""Mom, I told you long ago not to come to Fairport. But since you're here, stop being mad all the time. I'll be there in a minute. Wait for me in the ward," interrupted Mary before hanging up the phone. She acted so quickly that Angela didn't notice how excited she sounded."Mom, why are you so happy?" Serena was confused. Just a few moments ago, Mary had been cursing the Johnsons."I guess you didn't hear. Your grandpa has been hospitalized!" Mary smiled widely."Grandpa's hospitalized? Is that something to be happy about?"Mary tapped Serena on the head. "Are you being silly or what? Do you have any idea how old your grandpa is? There's no telling if he'll make it out of the hospital."Mary thought that Zelda had to be hiding the matter on purpose because s
Angela stood there stunned, as did Serena. She had been with James long enough and had seen him look frail before. She had realized he would pass away one day but to see him so frail was heartbreaking.They had just been in the hospital arguing about Mary. Now, James was suddenly lying weak in bed. He was dressed in a hospital gown, and there were tubes attached to his body."James, how did you suddenly get so sick?" Angela asked. Tears filled her eyes as she sat in the chair next to the bed. She wanted to hold James' hand, but it was connected to some monitoring equipment and the other hand had an IV.Mary stepped forward and asked, "Dad, how did you get like this in only two days? Were you feeling unwell before, but you didn't say anything about it?" She couldn't bring herself to cry, so she kept a frown on her face and pretended to be worried.She was trying to imply that James hadn't been living well in Fairport, which had led to his health problems. She implied that it was bec