Joe saw the car approaching them slowly.
"Dad, Mom, I see uncle!" he exclaimed.
Jackson and Cherry glanced at their son and then up at the car, seeing Derek in the driver's seat.
The car stopped by the small family and Selina got out. She hurried to Cherry, a delightful smile adorning her face.
"Cherry, I've missed you so much," Selina said, as she embraced Cherry tightly.
"You've finally come back! My unborn baby missed you," Cherry replied, reciprocating Selina's smile with a warm one of her own as she affectionately stroked Selina's arm.
Ending their embrace, Selina leaned down and put her ear to Cherry's pregnant belly. "Sweetheart, I'm back. Did you miss me?" she whispered tenderly.
The others laughed softly and smiled at Selina.
Cherry fixed her eyes on her brother. "Wilson, you must have had a wonderful honeymoon, right?" she asked. She had noticed the bright smiles shared by the newlyweds, assuring her that they must have had a great time.
"Yes, we did," Wilson answered smiling. "How have you been recently? Your due date is approaching, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Cherry answered.
Derek cut in,"Cherry has been well looked after. Nothing to worry about."
"Uncle, Uncle! I have taken care of mommy as well!" Joe broke in eagerly as he walked up to Wilson.
"I see. Joe is a good boy," Wilson responded with a jolly smile, picking Joe up.
"Well, let's get inside. Lily has prepared the food. We can eat soon," said Jackson.
"No time like the present, let's get inside," Wilson suggested.
Selina and Amy each held one of Cherry's hands and the three ladies walked inside together.
Cherry and Selina chatted eagerly, with the occasional addition from Amy. They seemed to have forgotten about the men.
Derek watched them talking in the hall. "Look at those three, they're completely ignoring us."
Wilson simply smiled.
"Perhaps Cherry has been bored at home these days and missed Selina dearly. She's probably begging Selina to tell her some interesting stories," Jackson responded, his eyes fixed on the woman he loved.
"Look at Cherry, she is so happy now," Wilson observed, glad to see his sister's bright smile.
"Cherry, you need to hear! We met so many weird people on our honeymoon!" Selina whispered to Cherry and Amy.
"Tell me then, I want to hear!" Cherry urged.
"Well, we had just finished enjoying the nearby hot spring, so we were on our way back to the hotel. Another couple followed us into the lift. The woman was begging her husband not to be mad at her and he was angrily shouting at her. He was demanding to know the father of her unborn baby and his wife just sank into silence," Selina told.
"What happened then?" Amy asked eagerly. Her curiosity was apparent.
"She stayed silent for so long that I couldn't help but interject. I told him that of course he was the father of his wife's unborn baby," Selina continued. Her face turned serious. "Do you know what that man said to me?"
"What did he say?" Cherry asked anxiously. Amy and Cherry hung on Selina's every word.
"That man said to me, 'I've been on a business trip for six months, but it has been two months since she got pregnant. How could that baby be mine?'" Selina put on an impression of the irate man.
Amy and Cherry burst into laughter at last.
"Unbelievable!" Amy exclaimed with a hearty smile.
"If I were that man, I would divorce that woman," Cherry said in a resolute tone.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Ice and Fire