Jimmy explained and looked bewildered, but he was more worried that he would upset Martha.
In his eyes, what he did was a betrayal to his mother. He thought it would make his mother unhappy when he appeared close to Stefan in front of her, so he chose to avoid him.
Martha smiled helplessly and couldn't imagine Jimmy had rejected Stefan for her sake. "So, sweetheart, you did that because you didn't want to upset mommy?"
"Jimmy, mommy respects your choices. I won't force any of my wills on you. You're an individual and you should have your own opinions and choices. Got it?"
These words might sound too difficult for a four-year-old boy to understand. But Jimmy was different and could understand it.
Martha wanted to tell Jimmy that she wouldn't meddle in the business between Stefan and him.
Then, Jimmy smiled happily.
"Anyway, it's not right to do something like that to a person who loves and cares about you. It's rude, and it hurts," said Martha.
"Sweetheart, you can reject it politely but you can't be unreasonable. OK?"
Jimmy nodded and agreed. What he did wasn't cool.
When he recalled how disappointed Stefan looked, he couldn't help but feel guilty. It seemed that he had hurt his father.
Meanwhile, Stefan left the hospital and drove back to the office. All the way, he was down and couldn't stop recalling how Jimmy had avoided him. He was disappointed and sad.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Goodbye You Never Loved Me novel (Martha and Stefan)