The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 1987

Sheryl was driving the car with Melissa and the kids on the backseat.

Melissa had been trying her best to get the kids to like her. Especially Clark, since he seemed a bit distant from her.

That wasn't surprising, though. Clark had always been more mature for his age. Even though he and Shirley were twins, they couldn't be more different. For his age, Clark could be very observant and was already more considerate of others compared to Shirley.

"Clark, how's school recently? How are you getting along with your classmates?" Melissa tried to sound nonchalant about her question.

"It's fine. I'm friends with all of my classmates," Clark answered seriously.

"Grandma, many of our classmates like Clark!" Shirley chimed in.

"Shirley!" Clark admonished, rolling his eyes at his sister's reply.

Not stopped by Clark's surly objection, Shirley covered her mouth and whispered into Melissa's ear, "Grandma, Clark is blushing."

"Shirley, stop teasing me. Or else, I'll tell them your secrets." Clark pretended to be annoyed.

From the driver's seat, Sheryl was watching everything unfold. Melissa had been trying to get along with the kids. And to see her attempts made something fragile and delicate bloom inside Sheryl's chest.

One wouldn't have thought of it before, but the kids and the older woman had a natural affection for each other. Their relationship now was a far cry from before. Perhaps it was Leila's influence on Melissa that had made the older woman treat the kids badly.

Melissa had made mistakes. Sheryl didn't absolve her of it. But the important thing now was the older woman was trying her best to correct those mistakes. Luckily, Sheryl and the kids had big hearts. They all chose to forgive Melissa for the things she had done in the past.

Sheryl didn't blame Melissa. If possible, she wanted to help Melissa get even closer to the kids.

"Clark, you're older. You should take care of your sister and not tease her. Shirley, stop teasing your older brother. Okay?" In her little ways, Sheryl wanted to teach the kids good manners. She wanted to instill the value of respect while they were young. She knew some things might be difficult for them to understand, but she had to start somewhere.

Teaching the kids was slowly becoming a habit for her. She wanted to teach them what was right and wrong, and why the wrong things were bad.

"Your mom is right. You two have to take care of each other. Okay?" Melissa choked up with feelings. She tried to push down the lump of emotion down her throat, but seeing how much Sheryl had been trying her best to accept her made her feel overwhelmed. Tears started to well up her eyes.

"Okay. But only because Mom and Grandma asked nicely," Clark answered, sounding every bit like a 40-year old in a young boy's body.

The two older women couldn't help but laugh.

Taking the kids' hands in hers, Melissa thought of the past. Every time the memories flashed back, she couldn't help but release a sigh filled with regret.

Soon, they arrived at the kids' school. There was a bus already waiting at the gates.

"Alright, kids. Say goodbye to Grandma," Sheryl said.

"Goodbye, Grandma!"

"Goodbye!"

The kids hurried out of the car and went to the school bus with their mom. Melissa stayed in the car and watched as Sheryl led the kids to the bus.

Melissa shifted into the passenger seat after the young family went out. From her seat, she could see Sheryl share a brief conversation with who she supposed was the teacher in charge before the young mother made her way back to the car.

"Sheryl, where are the kids going?" Melissa asked, curious about where the kids were going and what they were going to do.

Sheryl looked across at Melissa. "They're going camping today."

"That's interesting."

After Melissa's reply, an awkward silence filled the car. Without the kids around, they didn't know what to say to each other.