Sonia frowned upon receiving the basket from him as it was so heavy that she was certain it weighed more than ten pounds.
Charles helped her to place the basket on her desk and explained, "This is nothing. Since you like them so much, my mom purposely brought more back and got me to bring them to you since she rarely visits my grandmother. She's not sure when her next visit will be, which is why she brought more back for you so that these will last you until her next visit."
"It sounded like your mother went to visit your grandmother just to bring some of the local produce back. It makes me feel bad." Sonia laughed.
"Don't be." Charles reached over and took an apple from the fruit tray on the table and munched on it as he sat on the side of her desk. "Since my mom sees you as her own daughter, she bought a lot of it knowing that they are your favorite. Isn't it normal? After all, mothers would want their daughters' to be able to eat their favorite food."
"Even so, Mrs. Lane has bought me a lot of my favorite food all these while, but I rarely buy her anything. It makes me feel bad," Sonia said as she patted the basket.
"If you feel bad, you can visit her often if you have the time. You don't have to buy her anything since she doesn't really need anything else. Moreover, you don't have a hometown that you can go back to, so it would be hard for you to get local produce for her. She'd be happier if you go and visit her." Charles spoke with his mouth full as he chomped on the apple.
"You're right. Sure, I'll go visit her when I'm free." Sonia then took the basket from the table and placed it on the side. "I shall accept these then. Please thank Mrs. Lane for me."
"No worries, it's just some dried mushroom that doesn't cost much." Charles waved his hand at her as he spoke. Soon, he suddenly recalled something and pointed at the basket before saying, "Right, my mom also got something for Toby. She wants me to remind you to cook it and let him eat it."
"She wants me to cook it for Toby?" Sonia paused and looked to the direction of the basket before continuing, "What did Mrs. Lane get for Toby that I have to cook for him?"
Could it be some aphrodisiac food? From her memory, elders would normally prepare such food for their sons or son-in-laws. Sonia was thinking whether Grace was hinting at her and Toby to get married soon and have children. She felt embarrassed by such a thought and blushed at once.
Charles, who was unaware of what she was thinking, didn't notice the look on her face. After he finished chomping on the apple, he threw the core into the bin and patted his hands. "I'm not exactly sure what it is, but my mom told her that it helps bone to heal faster."
"It heals the bones?" Sonia was surprised that it wasn't an aphrodisiac. She blinked while in a daze.
"Sonny, what's wrong?" Charles noticed the distracted Sonia and waved his hand in front of her.
Noticing that, Sonia snapped out of it and grabbed onto his hand before giving him an awkward smile. "Nothing, I just recalled something."
"What is it?" Charles asked.
"Nothing much. Just tell me why your mom got Toby food with bone healing properties and stop asking me about anything else," said Sonia while looking at him.
She would be embarrassed if he probed her about it, and she wouldn't be able to answer him about what she was thinking since it was something embarrassing. She couldn't believe that she actually thought that it was some aphrodisiac. She patted her hot, flushed face and was in disbelief that she actually had such thoughts.
It must be Toby. Yeah, it must be him. His head is full of such things, and it has influenced my thoughts, which is why I related it to something like that. That must be it. She pursed her lips and convinced herself.
"Well, the reason is simple. Didn't Toby break his arm before this when he was trying to save you? My mom wasn't aware of how it happened, but she knew that he got hurt in order to save you. Thus, she did some research about food that is good for bone healing before visiting my grandmother. It's her way of thanking Toby for saving your life and helping you lighten your heavy heart." Charles got down from the table and spoke.
"I see." Sonia finally understood after listening to his explanation and nodded. She felt warmth in her heart and couldn't help placing her palm on her chest as she exclaimed, "Mrs. Lane has been really good to me, so much that I don't know how I should repay her."
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