The next morning, the weather is gloomy.
Penelope had a headache. It is probably due to the fact that she sat there and caught a chill last night. She felt a bit dizzy.
Mrs. Brown wanted to give her two pills, but she was not sure if the pregnant woman could take them. She had to give her water constantly.
“Drink more water, and remember to wear a thicker coat when you go out,” said Mrs. Brown.
“Okay.”
At three in the afternoon, the driver came to pick her up.
Penelope took Ross into the car. She smiled and said, “Please help me take him for his vaccinations today.”
“Okay.” The driver happily replied as he drove off.
****
Grace was not holding the party at the Duncan’s House. She was probably afraid that her friends wouldn’t enjoy themselves with the elders. So, she found a full-featured spa hotel and decided to spend her 21st birthday there.
Penelope didn’t buy a birthday present. Firstly, there wasn’t enough time. Secondly, Penelope thought that Grace already had everything that Penelope could afford.
However, Grace was very unhappy to see her empty-handed. In any case, Penelope is considered her sister-in-law. She didn’t bring a gift, which is hardly justifiable.
Penelope explained to her, but Grace didn’t accept it at all.
“Grace, we are waiting for you! Hurry up!” A man on the second floor stretched out his head and waved to Grace.
“Can you play mahjong?” Grace asked her.
“No, I can’t.” Penelope shook her head. “What about Bridge?”
“No.”
“UNO?” Grace is almost speechless with arms folded over her chest.
“Err… I know a little.” Penelope is too embarrassed to say no.
Grace took Penelope upstairs and said to her friends, “We won’t play mahjong today. Let’s play UNO!”
“What? It’s too boring!”
“Grace, what are you doing?”
Everyone whined and showed no interest.
“Today, I have the final say, don’t I?” Grace asked Penelope to sit down and said, “Give me the cards, the loser…”
“Has to finish a whole bottle of wine?” Someone suggested.
“What wine? Orange juice only!”
Everyone is surprised, looking at her. Is this really Grace Walker?
Penelope wanted to laugh. The arrogant girl, though sharp-tongued, always kept looking at her.
Although they’re playing UNO, everyone is not bored, and the ambiance is quickly changed because they are close friends.
When it’s time for dinner, some people will have already drunk a lot of orange juice, which is really filling. Juice is not like wine. The wine will evaporate, but the juice won’t.
Thinking of a stomach filled with orange juice is really terrible.
Warren and Phillip arrived late with a birthday gift for Grace.
“Uncle Warren! Uncle Phillip!” Grace left her friends behind and ran to them. She wrapped one arm around Warren and wrapped the other arm around Phillip. Grace is extraordinarily complacent.
She’s never too tired of hugging her handsome uncles with a lot of money.
Her crazy friends immediately returned to normal. They knew that Warren and Phillip were doing business with their parents. They should be conscientious.
“Uncle Warren! Uncle Phillip!” Their greetings are uneven but loud.
Phillip said with a smile, “We are just a few years older than you. You don’t have to be such a prude.”
Some boys immediately lean on Phillip and chat with him. Everyone is laughing and joking, which is not like a traditional relationship between elders and juniors.
But they still behave themselves in front of Warren. Although they are still joking, they are not very presumptuous.
Penelope was sitting there dozing off. She always lost playing UNO, so she didn’t play with them and just watched them instead. As time goes by, she falls asleep on the couch.
A pair of sharp eyes crossed the crowd and fell directly on her cheek. Penelope slowly slumped sideways….
“Oh…” Penelope tilted her body and suddenly woke up.
“Wake up?” The cold male voice came overhead.
Penelope blinked and focused hard. “Mr. Duncan, you’re here…” She sat up and stretched herself, feeling refreshed.
Just when she refreshed, she also saw Phillip, who was chatting with other people. He isn’t wearing that sweater, and he changed it into a thick white one, which makes him look nicer.
Is he, or not? Penelope is caught in a tangle again.
Warren noticed her reaction, and he looked sullen.
He didn’t want to overturn the previous conclusions about her, but if she really fell in love with Phillip, he wouldn’t mind being a bad person and splitting them apart.
Penelope didn’t know that she was being misunderstood as a woman of easy virtue at this time. She was still pondering over it and trying to find clues to prove that Phillip was not that guy on that night.
But this thing itself is very difficult because there is no clue about the clothes and stature. It is a paradox, contrary to what she expected.
Dinner began. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
Grace got drunk and danced everywhere. Today, she was the celebrant, so even Warren danced with her.
Only Penelope had not yet been her dancing partner. She twisted herself over and pointed to Penelope, saying, “You didn’t give me a gift. You should be punished.”
Penelope smiled and stood up. “Well, please let me punish you by making you dance with me.”
“No way! It is not a punishment!” Penelope muttered with her eyes glowing. She reached out and said, “I punish you by making you sing for me. My brother would sing for me if he were here…”
She said as if she were crying.
“I will sing, don’t cry.” Penelope quickly passed a tissue to her.
“I won’t cry, I just miss my brother….” Grace covered her face and fell on Warren’s shoulder beside her.
Warren patted her hair and persuaded her, “You drank too much. You will feel it tomorrow.”
“I feel it now…” Grace leaned back on his shoulder and looked at Penelope with a pair of wet eyes. “Do you sing well? If not, I won’t listen…”
“Not bad.” Penelope smiled.
Someone had already turned off the music on the dance floor. They applauded and urged Penelope to start singing.
Penelope generously smiled and said, “Then I will sing a song, hoping to make up for Asher’s absence.”
Grace sat there and said nothing.
Penelope took the microphone, stepped over, and spoke to the pianist.
“Delta dawn, please forgive me if I don’t sing well.” She looked down and smiled gently, just like a blooming flower.
The lights dim. Penelope appeared in the spotlight.
The prelude sounds and the smooth notes pour from the pianist’s fingers.
Penelope closed her eyes, and a low voice overflowed from her throat.
“What’s that flower you have on? Could it be a faded rose from days gone by
And did hear you say he was meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky
She’s forty-one, and her daddy still calls her “baby.”
All the folks around Brownsville say she’s crazy
‘Cause she walks around town with a suitcase in her hand
Looking for a mysterious dark-haired man
In her younger days, they called her Delta Dawn
Prettiest woman you ever laid eyes on
Then a man of low degree stood by her side
And promised her he’d take her for his bride.”
She sang with her eyes closed as if she had returned to New York, that noisy and lonely city.
She comes and goes. Nowhere is her home.
Desolation, helplessness, anticipation…. A variety of complex emotions mix together.
New York, London, where is her home?
When the last note of the piano fell, she opened her eyes with the microphone in her hand.
In the dark, she accurately captured a pair of deep eyes.
With a glimpse of her left eye, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she heard the sound coming up from her heart.
You care about him.