Chapter 366 Can You Call Me Mom Too
After getting her hands on a clue of her eldest daughter’s whereabouts, Eleanor warmed up a lot, and she even started smiling at Benjamin. Naturally, that gave him a huge shock.
After finishing her soup, she took the napkin her maid gave her and wiped her mouth off elegantly. She then looked at Benjamin. “Benjamin, I’m going to Beshya with Amelia for a while. I’ve never left Saspiuburg for more than twenty years, and the world has changed drastically. I want to see the changes for myself, or I’d end up as a bumpkin.”
Benjamin was surprised that his wife actually came up with that idea, so he looked at his daughter. Did she come up with this? Eleanor doesn’t seem the type to go on trips all of a sudden.
Putting her silverware down, Amelia voiced, “Dad, it’s not every day Mom wants to go around, so just let her, all right? If she keeps cooping herself up, she’s going to go mad, eventually.”
Giving it some thought, Benjamin agreed, “I’ll take some time off to go with you, Eleanor. I can’t just leave you two as you go around on your own.”
Oddly enough, Eleanor was not angry that Benjamin offered to go with her. All she said was, “Benjamin, I just want to go with Amelia. I’ll be back once I’ve seen enough of Beshya.”
Benjamin wanted to argue some more, but in the end, he relented. Eleanor—for the first time in ages—beamed at him.
Her smile captivated Benjamin, and it lifted his dour spirits up.
“You gentlemen should get to work now. It’s late.” Eleanor took Benjamin’s suit and wore it over him, just like how every nice housewife would do for their husband. Sean was perplexed about the whole situation, and he looked at his sister. Is Mom on one of her episodes again? That was the question written in his eyes.
Amelia shrugged, telling Sean that not even she knew what was going on. Maybe she thought she’s been too cold to Dad for too long, so she’s changing for once.
Amelia and Sean said nothing, but the silent conversation told the latter about everything he wanted to know, which was nothing. On the other hand, since Benjamin finally saw his wife smile at him, he and Sean went to work feeling happy for the first time in a long while.
After the men had gone to work, Eleanor quickly held Amelia’s hand. “Amelia, do you know what your sister likes? We can get it for her at the mall later. Oh, and you said she has a two-year-old boy, right? What does the boy like then? Oh my, I’m a failure as a grandmother. He’s already two years old, but I haven’t even seen him yet. I have to look my best. I shan’t scare them now.”
Eleanor was positively buzzing with excitement, but that only stoked the flames of Amelia’s jealousy, and she found her feeling a lot less friendly toward the other Amelia.
She grew up being the center of attention, no matter where she was. Even though she acted like a proper lady in front of everyone, she still could not shake off the selfish, spoiled child within her. Whatever she liked, she wanted to take them for herself. Naturally, seeing her mother—who gave her whatever she asked for since she was a kid—looking so excited for someone she had never seen before made her jealous.
Even so, she held her jealousy back for the time being. “Just calm down, Mom. Amy has everything she can ever wish for. She’s living a pretty good life, so just buy her something random. You don’t want to make her feel awkward, remember?”
“Ah, but that’s simply unacceptable, dear. This is my first time seeing her after so long. I can’t take this too easily. If I leave a bad impression and push her even further away from me, it’d be bad.”
“Mom, is Amy that important to you? Do you really want to dump all of us just for her? We’re the people who care about you, you know?”
“What is wrong with you, Amelia? How could you say such a thing?”
God. Amelia held her frustration back once more. “Mom, that’s not what I meant. I just want you to calm down. If you look too excited, Dad and Sean are going to get suspicious. You don’t want them to stop you from going to Beshya, do you?”
Upon hearing that, Eleanor calmed down once more, but that didn’t stop her from getting some gifts for the other Amelia at the mall. In the end, Amelia had to go with her mother to haul the stack of gifts back.
When they returned, Eleanor told the maids to pack all the gifts up nicely and went about her day. After having breakfast the next morning, Eleanor was already prepared to travel to Beshya.
“Oh, you’re leaving so soon?” A frown appeared on Benjamin’s forehead.
Eleanor held her excitement and, for the first time in ages, replied to him gently, “It has been a long time since I was in Beshya. I wonder how much the city has changed. I’ve been looking forward to this, so I’ll be staying there for a few days.”
“Why don’t I go with you, then?”
“Do you want me to stay at home forever, Benjamin? Fine, I won’t be going then, and I won’t be seeing the therapist anymore, too. I mean, if this is how it’s going to be, death is actually a more preferable choice,” Eleanor refuted, tensing up.
Benjamin relented again. “Think nothing of it. I was just speaking my mind. Just have a fun time there. Call me if you run out of money. Don’t have too much fun there and remember to come home.”
At that, Eleanor broke into a smile again. After they had breakfast, Benjamin and Sean sent the ladies to the airport. Benjamin wondered why his wife bought so many things for her trip. It seemed unnecessary for him, but since she might get mad at him, he decided to stay quiet and told the maids to send them to Beshya.
“Amelia, take care of your mother, all right? She’s not as healthy as she used to be, so always keep an eye on her. Make sure she has a pleasant trip, you hear me?”
Amelia simply responded with a nod.
Worried, Sean chimed in as well, “Amelia, I’ve put Mom’s meds in your bag. Remind her to take it on time. I know a trip is fun, but don’t neglect Mom.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know, Sean. I’m not a baby anymore. I know how to take care of her.”
Even though Amelia insisted she could take care of Eleanor, Benjamin and Sean kept telling her what to look out for and only let her board the flight half an hour later.
After they got onto the airplane, Eleanor looked at the photo Amelia gave her, and she teared up. “Oh, she looks just like me,” she mumbled. “Amy hasn’t changed one bit even after two decades. Everyone says she has my eyes. I never thought I could have a chance to see her in my lifetime. Thank you, Amelia. Thanks to you, I can see your sister now.”
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