The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 1078

"Honey, sleep as long as you want. I want you to have a good rest. Recently, you have been exhausted. Don't worry with the kids. I'll drive Clark and Shirley to the kindergarten. As for your breakfast, Nancy prepared it already. Just remember to eat it when you get up. I told Nancy to warm it as soon as you go down. Oh, and don't leave. Wait for me here. When I return, we'll pick Mom up." Charles told these things to Sheryl without stopping. He did not even look at her. His gaze was fixed on the mirror to make sure his tie was perfectly tied.

Sheryl was still in the bed savoring the precious moments. Upon hearing his litany, she answered lazily, "Hmm...So, I will just give myself a break and go back to sleep. When you return, let's pick Mom up. I will go to the company in the afternoon."

"Great! It's good to be on the same page. Go back to sleep now. I will check if Shirley and Clark are all ready. They should be finished with breakfast by now," Charles replied. Charles approached Sheryl, leaned down and kissed her lovingly on her forehead. Then, he went out of the room and down to the dining room.

His kisses, just like this one, were the support Sheryl had in all the difficulties she faced and would face in the future. Those made her strong and fearless enough to face everything in life.

After a couple of minutes, Sheryl heard the car start and drive away. Then she fell asleep.

What made Sheryl exhausted lately? The case she was working on was too tiresome. It demanded lots of effort. Because of her reputation of being strict and rigorous, a client personally requested her to handle it. Therefore, she needed to work hard. And since she did not go to the office this morning, she knew she had to work until midnight to make up for the time she missed. Otherwise she would fail to give her client a perfect business plan on time.

Since they were picking Charles' mother later this morning, she might as well take the advantage to sleep later than usual. Anyway, this opportunity rarely came and she was very fortunate to have this moment at the right time.

It was already past 8 in the morning when she woke up again. Charles was already by her bedside looking at her. She smiled, "Why didn't you wake me up upon your return?"

"I don't have the heart, honey. You were sleeping like a baby. And you needed it. We're not in a hurry. Any time to pick Mom is okay," Charles responded, smiling. The room was filled with sunshine, and it reflected on Charles' hair making it golden. It also made him look like an angel with the golden rays behind him. Sheryl felt like she was the happiest wife in the world for having a husband so loving and beautiful inside and out.

Remembering her mother-in-law, she asked, "Have you called her already?"

"Not yet. I was thinking about giving her a call. But when I already held the phone, I started to worry what I would tell her. After all, we haven't seen nor contacted each other for so many years. I don't even know how to start a conversation with her," Charles explained. He looked pretty distressed. Then he continued, "I decided to wait for you to wake up. Any suggestion?"

Sheryl totally understood Charles' worries. People changed a lot in just a short period of time, more so in fifteen years. Fifteen years of separation was literally long. Honestly speaking, they could be considered as strangers to each other. It would be getting-to-know-each-other stage for the mother and son.

"Don't worry too much. If you don't know what to tell her, don't make the call yet. There's plenty of time for that later."

Sheryl got up and sat beside him. She put her hands around his waist. She placed her chin on his shoulder, her mouth near his ear. In a soft voice, she continued comfortingly, "Later, when you call her and she answers, simply ask her where she lives. From there, you can make small talk. You can ask her about other things when she's here already. You have years ahead of you to get to know one another."

Charles felt relieved after listening to Sheryl. There was wisdom in her words. Though he thought exactly the same, he didn't feel confident enough to decide what was best to do. He needed Sheryl whom he trusted and loved to reassure and encourage him.

It was very rare nowadays to find couples who knew what the other thought and felt, who would give each other the support and encouragement needed, who would share the joys and bear the burdens with, who would understand each other. Luckily, Sheryl and Charles were one of those rare couples.

Though they had gone through so many hardships before, they knew that there would be more ahead of them. They believed and were confident enough that they would overcome these difficulties as long as they were together.

As soon as she finished her bath, she readied herself. She chose a simple yet classy dress that emphasized her long legs. She put on her make-up and brushed her hair. Since she would be meeting her mother-in-law for the first time, she wanted to impress her somehow. First impressions lasted, as the saying went. After giving herself a last look at the mirror, she went down for breakfast.

Meanwhile, Charles finally gathered enough courage to dial the number his grandfather gave him. 'This is it!' he thought as he heard the ringing of the phone at the other end. When a woman answered, remembering Sheryl's suggestion, he made the call as simple as he could.

On the other line, the woman introduced herself as Melissa. Inside, she was happy to learn that the caller was her son. After a few exchanges, she gave Charles her hotel's address.

Melissa couldn't contain her excitement after the call. She had been waiting for a call from any of her relatives. When the phone rang, she wished it would be the call she was waiting for. She even thought it might be Gary calling. Oh God! This was her lucky day! She was granted her wish! Much, much more actually... The caller turned out to be her son!