Chapter 596: Epilogue (23)
Chloe Marshall was overjoyed. She turned to her younger brother. “Did you hear that? Your brother-in-law has spoken. You’re in your mid-twenties, it’s about time you thought about getting married. Mom and Dad aren’t around anymore, so your brother-in-law and I are your parents now. We have to worry about you.”
Zeke Marshall smiled shyly. “That sort of thing depends on fate. I’m not in a rush.”
“Well, I’m in a rush even if you aren’t. Listen to your brother-in-law. Go out and meet some kind girls, ones your sister can approve of.”
Zeke Marshall nodded. “Okay.”
Dorothy came home at noon, in a very cheerful mood. “Mama!”
Chloe Marshall answered, “I’m right here. What is it?”
“Mama, can you take me to the supermarket? I want to buy some things.”
“Okay. Why don’t you go write down what you want on a piece of paper? Mama needs to buy some ingredients for your daddy’s favorite dishes to make for him tonight.”
“Okay.” Dorothy leaned over the table, seriously writing down what she wanted. Then, the mother-daughter pair went to the neighborhood supermarket together.
When they got to the supermarket, Dorothy took the list she had written and went to pick out her items. By the time Chloe Marshall was waiting for her at the checkout with a bag of groceries, she saw Dorothy returning with a huge bag full of ice cream.
“Dorothy, is this what you wanted?”
Dorothy Ellsworth tilted her little face up and handed the list to Chloe Marshall. “Yep! See for yourself if you don’t believe me, Mama.”
Chloe Marshall took the list and looked at the words on the paper. She was instantly at a loss for words. Written on the paper was “fifteen ice creams.” She glanced at the plastic bag in Dorothy’s hands. “How many are in there?”
“Fifteen, of course!”
“But, Dorothy, you can’t eat this much ice cream. You need to put them back.”
“Mama, I’m your own flesh and blood! How can you have the heart to not let me eat?”
Chloe Marshall just hummed. “Mm-hmm. Let’s just say we’re on a diet.”
Dorothy Ellsworth wasn’t having it. “But Mama, I want to eat it.”
“But eating ice cream will give you an upset stomach. Your tummy has been sensitive lately, so you especially shouldn’t be eating cold things.”
Dorothy Ellsworth clenched her little fists. “Mama, I’ll be fine! I’ll risk the tummy ache, I’m not afraid!”
“How about this? You put fourteen of them back and we’ll just buy one to eat. Okay?”
After much hesitation, Dorothy Ellsworth nodded and obediently put them back.
On the way back from the supermarket, Dorothy ate her ice cream, her little face flushed and rosy like a blooming flower.
As they reached their front gate, they saw Elmer Grant standing there alone. When he saw Dorothy Ellsworth, he ran over excitedly, shouting, “Dorothy, Dorothy, I have good news for you!”
“What good news?”
“Do you remember Melody White?”
Dorothy Ellsworth hummed in acknowledgement. “Yeah, I remember her. Why?”
“My daddy found out where she is! She’s at a preschool not far from here. She’s come to Fravia!”
“Really? That’s great! We should have her transfer to our school. That way, we can all have fun playing together again.”
Elmer Grant shook his head. “That’s probably not possible.”
Seeing the two children chatting so excitedly, Chloe Marshall went on into the yard first.
Dorothy Ellsworth was busy slurping up her ice cream while Elmer Grant kept talking.
When she didn’t say anything for a long moment, Elmer Grant frowned. “Is that ice cream really so good?”
Dorothy Ellsworth grinned. “Of course it is. You want some too, don’t you? Too bad, I only have this one bite left.”
“I’m not eating after you!”
“Since your bride isn’t too far from here, you should go find her, Elmer.”
“I can’t go alone. So… I want you to go with me. What do you think?”
“Okay! But we’ll have to go this afternoon after school.”
“Then it’s a deal!” After saying his piece, Elmer Grant turned and ran off.
Dorothy Ellsworth, in turn, went through her own front door.
She ran into the living room and found Ethan Ellsworth reading a magazine. On the cover was a glamour shot of a female celebrity.
“Daddy, who do you think is prettier? Mama or this celebrity?”
Ethan Ellsworth wanted to tease her, so he said, “The celebrity, of course.”
Hearing this, Dorothy Ellsworth’s expression immediately turned serious. “Then who’s prettier, me or the celebrity?”
Ethan Ellsworth could barely hold back a smile. “Still the celebrity. You’re not even as pretty as Mama.”
A look of pure shock filled Dorothy Ellsworth’s eyes. Then, her little face crumpled, and she burst into tears with a loud “WAAAH!”
“Waaaaah… Daddy said I’m ugly…”
Seeing this, Ethan Ellsworth quickly tried to comfort her. “Daddy was just teasing you! Why are you crying?”
Dorothy Ellsworth sobbed, “Really?”
“Of course I was joking! In Daddy’s heart, you and Mama are the most beautiful pair of princesses. Mama is the big princess, and Dorothy is the little princess. The most beautiful princesses in the world. That celebrity can’t even compare to your little toes.”
At this, Dorothy’s tears finally gave way to a smile.
Seeing this, Ethan Ellsworth breathed a sigh of relief.
Chloe Marshall appeared at the kitchen doorway, holding a cleaver. “Hmph. Boss Ellsworth, if you ever dare to tease our little princess like that again, this cleaver will be your reward.”
Ethan Ellsworth quickly replied, “My dearest wife, your husband wouldn’t dare do it again.”
Dorothy Ellsworth laughed. “Go, Mama!”
The father and daughter collapsed in a fit of laughter.
Chloe Marshall went into the kitchen to cook with the chef.
For lunch, there were four dishes and a soup. The family of three enjoyed their meal in blissful harmony.
There was pig heart, scrambled eggs with tomato, sweet and sour pork ribs, and a serving of cola chicken wings.
However, Dorothy ate the other three dishes but refused to touch the pig heart.
Ethan Ellsworth asked, “Why aren’t you eating this one?”
Dorothy Ellsworth shook her head. “I don’t want to.”
Ethan Ellsworth said, “It’s delicious. Why not give it a try?”
Dorothy shook her head. “No. It doesn’t look tasty.”
Ethan Ellsworth put a piece in Dorothy’s bowl. “Dorothy, you should eat this. Your mama made this with a piece of her heart. It’d be a shame not to eat it.”
Chloe Marshall: “…”
Dorothy Ellsworth laughed too. “Daddy, did you say this was made from Mama’s heart?”
Only then did Ethan Ellsworth realize his slip of the tongue. “I meant, your mama put a lot of painstaking effort into making it. It’d be a waste not to eat it.”
Dorothy Ellsworth relented. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
She took a bite, then another. “Mmm, it’s yummy.”
“Then eat some more.”
**
That afternoon, Mr. Lynch went out and Leon Lynch went to the office, leaving Holly Wood and Mrs. Lynch at home.
Mrs. Lynch hadn’t left the house for several days and was going stir-crazy. She secretly texted one of her card-playing friends, asking them to call her so she’d have an excuse to go out.
Holly Wood, sitting to the side, watched her every move.
A moment later, the call from her friend came through. Mrs. Lynch answered with a beaming smile. “Hello? Oh, great! Okay, I’ll see you at the Spring Blooms Game Room, then.”
After hanging up, she looked over at Holly Wood with a wide, sweet smile, her voice softening considerably. “Oh, Holly, my friends just invited me out to play cards. I’m heading out now, but I’ll be back by six.”