When I got through to him, I could hear the robotic voice of the airport announcement. I asked with a frown, "Are you at the airport?"
Theo sounded like he was in a hurry as he said, "I need to run some errands in Salt City. I can't say for sure what time I'll be back tonight, so don't wait for m e for dinner."
I was just about to tell him that I was not going back for dinner. Well, it did not seem necessary now that neither of us would be having dinner at home.
After I hung up, I took the takeaway and headed back t o the hospital.
By the time I entered the ward again, the effects of the tranquilizer on Matthew seemed to have faded. He looked straight at me and asked, "Where’s my mother?"
I pursed my lips and said after a long moment of silence, "In the funeral parlor.”
Despite not witnessing it with my own eyes, I knew for a fact that she did not land in one piece given the sheer height of the building. The funeral parlor would probably be unable to piece her back together. 1
It was up to Matthew to decide if he wanted to take a look at her body before the cremation.
Matthew did not speak a word further. He stared at the takeaway bag in my hands and asked flatly, "What did you buy?"
I quickly opened it and replied, "Just some rice and a vegetable dish. Take a look and see if you like it. Otherwise, I'll go get you something else."
I was worried that he would refuse to eat or dislike the food I got him, so I did not buy much.
Matthew shook his head. "That won't be necessary.”
I put down the bag on the table and removed the takeaway box from inside. Then, I handed him the plastic utensils. "Try it. Eat as much as you want."
He nodded. He popped open the takeaway box and dug in.
Instead of relief, I felt anxious. I felt uneasy seeing him behave so calmly. It was bizarre to see him so composed.
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