Chapter 138
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Harold stepped into his room. Alex stood in the hallway, gripping the promissory note, lost in thought. His eyes landed on the crutch beside Harold, and he recalled how the village woman had called him a “cripple“.
.
Alex walked towards Harold’s room. He lowered his head in respect, and said, “Mr. Thompson, I really came to apologize. I was a fool last time, and I promise it won’t happen again.”
Alex stood at the door for a long time, but Harold did not answer. As thunder rumbled outside, Alex realized he needed to help Joanna cover the chicken coop with a tarp.
“It’s thundering; you should go back,” Joanna said, busy with her hands and urging Alex to leave.
After they finished, Joanna stepped back inside while Alex lingered outside, staring at the old wooden door for a long while. It wasn’t until raindrops started to fall on his head, soaking his forehead, that he sprang into action.
Alex settled into the driver’s seat, resting his arm on the window, a cigarette pinched between his fingers. He kept this position until deep into the night.
The small village, battered by heavy rain, was eerily quiet. Darkness surrounded everything, with only the continuous sound of rain breaking the silence. The surrounding stillness felt unsettling.
Alex’s eyes burned from tiredness, yet sleep continued to evade him. Checking his phone, he saw it was two in the morning. He leaned his seat back, getting ready to rest for a moment when the wooden door creaked open, and Joanna came out.
“Mrs. Thompson,” Alex said, surprised to see Joanna outside in the rain at that hour.
To her surprise, Joanna noticed he hadn’t left yet. “What are you doing here in this storm? Go home,” she exclaimed and pushed past Alex to knock on the neighbor’s door.
“Mrs. Thompson, why do you need a car?” When Alex heard Joanna was planning to borrow a car from the neighbor in the middle of the night, he took off his coat to shield her from the rain.
The front door opened, revealing an elderly man in a raincoat. “I need to borrow your car again; I’m taking Harold to the hospital,” Joanna explained.
When the neighbor said his car was still broken, Alex grabbed Joanna’s hand and pulled her back. “Mrs. Thompson, I will drive Mr. Thompson to the hospital.”
Reluctantly, Joanna agreed. After a night of relentless rain, Alex struggled for several minutes, but the car tires spun uselessly in the mud. Frustrated, Alex got out of the car and squatted in front of Harold. “Mr. Thompson, I will carry you.”
Harold pushed him away and tried to pull back. Without thinking, Alex grabbed Harold’s arm and lifted him onto his back. “Mrs. Thompson, lead the way.”
“Put him down. It’s over an hour on foot,” Joanna protested.
“I can manage.” In the dark of the night, Alex carried Harold, whose body was wrapped in a raincoat, while Joanna walked beside them for support. The three of them trudged through the pouring rain, navigating both mud and water towards the hospital.
This was the closest he had ever been to Ellie’s parents. Carrying Harold felt like carrying his own dad. Soaked to the skin, with muddy water filling his shoes and his pants covered in dirt, he pressed on urgently, eager to reach the hospital.
Hours later, dawn broke. The heavy rain had turned into a steady downpour but showed no signs of stopping. Harold was admitted to a hospital ward, and due to limited medical resources, the doctor gave him a quick examination.
It seemed he had a minor concussion from a fall into a pigpen, which had worsened his existing illness and caused him to vomit and lose
consciousness.
“Mr. Warren, please don’t tell Ellie about this,” Joanna said, her attitude towards Alex softening a bit in the hospital corridor. “Thank you for your help; you should go back while the rain eases.”
“Mrs. Thompson, please sit for a moment,” Alex urged, guiding Joanna into the room and pressing her to rest beside Harold’s bed.
About half an hour later, Alex returned to the ward, one hand carrying breakfast and the other holding a pair of women’s rain shoes, his clothes
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Chapter 138
soaked again.
“I’ll keep watch; Mrs. Thompson, go wash your feet and change,” Alex said, offering the rain shoes to Joanna.
The other patients, witnessing this, began to praise him. “Your son is so kind.”
Joanna corrected them, saying he was not her son, which led to more praise. “What a lucky family to have such a son–in–law.”
Embarrassed, Joanna struggled to explain, while Alex had a mixed expression, his gaze down. For three days, despite Joanna’s insistence that he leave and Harold’s indifference, Alex stayed by their side. On the fourth day, Harold insisted on going home.
“Hurry up and leave,” Harold said, his expression serious as Alex followed him home.
With no arguments left, Alex said, “If you keep pushing me away, I’ll tell Ellie you’ve been in the hospital again.”
Harold grumbled, limping through the door with clear annoyance. Once inside, Joanna wasted no time, and Alex followed closely behind her, helping with everything.
“Mrs. Thompson, let me take care of this; you should rest,” he offered, taking the cleaver from her hand to chop pig feed, surprisingly mimicking her technique quite well.
Seeing Alex’s efforts, Joanna turned to prepare a meal. After making several dishes, she paused for a moment before deciding to make one more.
At that moment, Harold entered quietly, placing two eggs on the counter. Joanna cracked them into a pot. “Tell Alex it’s time for dinner,” she instructed.
“I won’t go.” Harold retorted, balancing his crutch in one hand while holding a plate as he backed into the hallway.
While Alex worked outside preparing the pig feed, he heard Joanna call him for dinner and quickly stood up. The once–fastidious heir to a wealthy family had become so accustomed that he didn’t even wash his hands before sitting down to eat.
Cautiously, he sat across from Harold and began to wolf down his meal.
Halfway through, Alex looked up only to see that his plate had been filled with two more eggs. His eyes filled with unshed tears, and he immediately tried to keep them from falling.
“Eat quickly, then get back,” Harold urged, pushing the dishes closer to Alex.
“Mm.” Alex nodded, focusing on his food, unable to gather the courage to meet Harold’s gaze.
After finishing, Joanna placed some hay under the car tires to help Alex drive out. Standing at the Thompson’s door, Alex hesitated, not wanting to leave.
With worried glances at Harold, he finally said, “Mr. Thompson, I have bought a wheelchair for you, and I will bring it in a few days.”
“Mr. Warren, we are still in your debt; there’s no need for any more expenses,” Harold said, his tone softening a bit when he noticed Alex was ready to leave.
Alex shook his head. “My parents treat Ellie like she’s their own child. I beg you, forgive me for my Grandpa and my parents. Treat me like your own child; scold me, or hit me.”
“Let’s put the past behind us,” Joanna urged, pushing Alex toward the car.
Noticing that Harold was still silent, Alex, feeling desperate, embraced both Joanna and Harold. “Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Thompson, I swear I will take care of Ellie for life, and I will never argue with her again.”
Harold and Joanna exchanged looks when they heard this. Finally, they encouraged Alex to get into the car.
“Wait.” As the car began to move, Harold, leaning on his crutch, came up to the front. He pulled a handful of peanuts and pecans from his pocket. “Have these to snack on during the trip.
Inside the car, Alex held peanuts and pecans, watching as Ellie’s parents walked away. His eyes filled with warmth, a red hue settled in his vision.
“Mr. Thompson, I will bring the wheelchair in a couple of days!” he called out, his voice thick with emotion, directed at Harold.
From a distance, Harold waved back at him, saying, “Just go home.”
