John was equally sick of the food, but instead of leaving, he said, “Make something else next time. I’m getting sick of this.” The servant quickly obliged.
The old lady looked at the food, and when she saw all the beef in it, she smiled. It was a quiet meal, for she could see that John wasn’t happy either. However, she broke the ice. “Oh, someone told me it’s going to be Kate’s eightieth birthday in a few days. They’re going to hold a big celebration. We’ll be invited too. Do you want to go?”
John never liked these events, so he frowned. “Not really.”
His grandmother said okay, then she continued, “Logan might attend too. I heard his father is planning to introduce him to the guests there.”
John looked at her, surprised, but Belinda stared down into her plate. “Logan and Sophia seem to get along well.”
John tried to see what his grandmother was thinking, but since she wasn’t looking back, he could get no answers. A while later, he said, “Mrs. Blackwell is your friend, isn’t she, Grandma?”
“Yes, she is, but we don’t keep in touch that much now. You know how old people get. We don’t like moving around,” she lamented. Kate was older than her, so she stayed at home most of the time because of her deteriorating health.
“Will you go, Grandma?” John asked.
“Of course I will.” She smiled. “I was going to take you too, so I’m asking about it now.”
John kept eating his steak. “I’ll see how the day works out then.” That was an indirect agreement.
Belinda smiled. “Tell me after you’re done.”
Then, everything quieted down. John only had a few more bites before putting his knife and fork down. The old lady then followed suit. “You can go upstairs if you’re done. I’ll be down here for a bit.”
John grunted, then he nodded at her and left for his room. For some reason, he was exhausted despite not having done anything on this day. After staying in his room for a while, he went to William’s room.
William was scrolling through his phone on the bed, looking relaxed, but he sat up once he saw John. “Did something happen?”
John shook his head before going to sit on the sofa. “I want to talk about something.”
John never talks with someone unless something has happened. William put his phone down. “What is it? Do you have any questions?”
John smiled. “I guess so.” He organized his words before asking, “Are you upset about the divorce?”
William was shocked that he would ask this question, so he frowned for a moment before answering, “I’m not happy, but I’m not upset either, honestly.” After all these years of suffocation under Matilda’s reign, he felt like he had gotten freedom, as if a weight was finally lifted off his shoulders.
John gave it a thought. “You guys were married for almost thirty years, right?”
“Yes.” William sighed. “We helped each other a lot over the years, so it’s going to be hard leading separate lives. But you know what your mother is like. If we keep going on at this rate, we’re bound to be at each other’s throats eventually. It’s better this way.”
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