Having been down this road before, Mrs. Moorsum looked at Estelle with kindness and offered some advice, saying, “Estelle, you are a beautiful and successful woman. Sometimes, you may not realize that the man who wants to pursue you might have secretly written a love letter for you.”
“Mrs. Moorsum, it’s 2023. No one writes love letters anymore. Besides, I rarely received love letters in the past.”
“How could that be?” Mrs. Moorsum seemed skeptical. She took out the strawberries from the water and placed them on a plate. Then she smiled and continued, “You’re being modest. I believe a girl like you must have been quite popular in school. Even if the boys didn’t dare to write you love letters, they would have been kind to you, perhaps giving you a small gift. After all, what else would teenage boys do? Study?”
Listening to Mrs. Moorsum’s words, Estelle replied softly, “We attended a top-ranked high school, so everyone was very focused on their studies. Besides, I wasn’t the most popular girl in school.”
It was true that Estelle wasn’t the most popular girl at her school. Perhaps it was because everyone knew she was Cristofer’s girlfriend, so they assumed she was not available. Consequently, she wasn’t considered when determining who the most popular girl was.
So many years had passed that Estelle couldn’t even remember what that popular girl looked like unless Mrs. Moorsum brought up this topic.
Then Eva quickly interrupted, “Estelle, if you weren’t the most popular girl at your school, who could it have been? A supermodel?”
Hearing that, Estelle recalled what that girl looked like and still thought she was gorgeous, resembling a movie star.
Mrs. Moorsum realized they had taken the conversation too far, so she said, “It’s not about who the most popular girl was at your school. I just wanted to say that you’ll always be very appealing wherever you go because you’re beautiful and kind. I wanted to remind you that some men will be attracted to you.”
Estelle blinked her large eyes and fluttered her attractive eyelashes innocently. She sighed, “But I’ve already had three children. Can’t they see that?”
“Mr. Wern didn’t see that,” Eva replied seriously, “Trust me, Estelle. He asked you to dinner because he was interested in you. Otherwise, why would a customer invite you to dinner alone while I was still sitting there? Clearly, he’s attracted to you.”
Mrs. Moorsum was stunned upon hearing it, saying, “Yes, you have no idea how much those men desire to be with you. Plus, Estelle, take a good look at yourself in the mirror; you’re really beautiful.”
“What?” Estelle gazed at her reflection in the cupboard and exclaimed, “That can’t be. How can they not see that I’m a mother of three children? But maybe Mr. Wern genuinely couldn’t tell. He doesn’t seem to take his girlfriend seriously even though she’s beautiful.”
Eva suddenly realized there was more to discuss, so while enjoying the strawberries, she asked, “You mentioned that you rarely received love letters before. Does that mean you’ve actually received love letters? Did Mr. Hans ever write one for you?”
Estelle chose to address the simpler question first. “A few guys expressed interest in me and wanted to ask me out, but I didn’t accept their letters.”
“Wow, so there were guys who wanted to pursue you. How did you handle them?” Eva asked eagerly, feeling like she was getting closer to some exciting gossip.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not sure,” Estelle answered with a hint of hesitation.
Eva wanted to ask more questions, but someone coughed softly outside the kitchen. When she heard that sound, she immediately stepped aside and crouched near the door, too scared to talk.
Later, Cristofer walked into the kitchen with a bowl of cherry tomatoes. He cleared his throat and said, “Though many guys wanted to do something, few would have the courage to make a move.”
Standing in the corner, Eva made a mental applause for him. ‘My boss, you are as cool as usual.’
“What did you do to them?” Estelle asked, her lips twitching.
Cristofer was furious when he thought of those guys who didn’t keep their promises, and he answered, “Not much. I just taught them a lesson with my fists.”
He was angry but also amused when thinking about the crazy things they did when they were young, and he would even feel nostalgic because they didn’t have the courage now.
“I think I finally understand why your hands always hurt at that time.”
Hearing Estelle’s words, Cristofer chuckled, “According to Newton’s Third Law, all of your actions create equal and opposite reactions.”
Estelle smiled, putting a cherry tomato into her mouth. After so many things had happened, Estelle suddenly felt sorry for Cristofer when she thought about the past. Eva and Mrs. Moorsum, standing beside her, both noticed that, so they quietly walked outside the kitchen, each holding a plate of fruits and leaving space for Estelle and Cristofer to solve their problem.
With Estelle being silent, Cristofer racked his brains to find something to say. Then he said, “Well, I didn’t manage to stop certain guys. Do you still remember the son of our headmaster? That oily boy? I didn’t fight against him for the sake of his father.”
Estelle remembered that boy because he used to hide whenever he saw her and never got too close. She had thought he disliked her, but now she realized there was a hidden reason behind his actions. “So, how did you handle that situation?” She asked, feeling a bit awkward.
Cristofer shrugged his shoulders and replied innocently, “I just warned him. I didn’t expect him to be so shy.”
After giving the three children cherry tomatoes along with Eva, Mrs. Moorsum went back to the kitchen to fetch some water. She overheard their conversation.
“I may not understand the way you young people think, but when someone is deeply in love, they can act strangely. I’ve seen many cases like that,” Mrs. Moorsum smiled and said, “Estelle, you’re fortunate to have been with a man for so many years. Not every girl is as lucky as you are.”
‘I’ve been with Cristofer since we were very young. We could have been a happy couple and ended up together without all those misunderstandings and troubles. But now, after going through ups and downs, we find ourselves in this awkward situation. So, Mrs. Moorsum, what you said is partly true. I can’t deny it,’ Estelle thought and showed a soft smile. She didn’t fully agree or disagree with it.
Then Mrs. Moorsum gave Estelle and Cristofer a reason to spend more time together, saying, “Don’t just stand in the kitchen. When I gave the kids the fruit, they asked where Mom and Dad were. Why don’t you go check on them?”