Suddenly, Old Mrs. Duncan looked up and asked Penelope, “Is your father still alive?”
“Yes…”
“Invite him to your wedding too,” Old Mrs. Duncan insisted.
“He… he has his own family,” Penelope replied, looking down, a strange mix of feelings welling up inside her. She clearly disliked the man, and talking about him brought back the sense of abandonment.
“What does his other family have to do with it? He’s still your father,” the old lady said seriously. “He must come, or who will walk you down the aisle?”
There were plenty of ways to fake having a “father.” Penelope could easily find someone to fill that role.
The old lady snorted as if she could see Penelope’s thoughts. “I will personally invite him; you don’t have to worry.”
Penelope’s fists clenched, and she didn’t know how to respond.
Warren gently held her shoulders and reassured her, saying, “Don’t worry. My mother is reasonable.”
In this matter, Warren still had confidence in his mother.
Chris looked at his mother, not understanding why she was so sad. Penelope hadn’t seen her father in over ten years, except for a glimpse of him on TV once. She hoped he was living a happy life and their broken family had been an unnecessary sacrifice.
Although she had such generous thoughts, she couldn’t help but lose control when they got home. Her resulting behavior involved throwing pillows and drinking wine. Warren pushed open the door and saw the messy room. Penelope sat on the floor with a bottle of wine, her hair all tangled, looking disheveled.
Warren walked over and reached out to embrace her. “You…”
“Woo woo…” She dropped the bottle and burst into tears.
Warren patted her back to comfort her. After all, Penelope wasn’t usually a pessimistic person. Venting her emotions seemed to make her feel much better. He asked her, “Are you still sad?”
“It’s over,” she sniffled. “Let’s get up and clean the room.”
“Half an hour, is that enough?” he asked.
Penelope pushed him away. “Don’t you have any compassion?!” she yelled.
“You said you’re not sad,” he replied with a smile. Warren pulled her up and said, “Getting drunk is not the way to solve the problem. Don’t do it again.”
Penelope squinted her eyes and flipped her hair.
“The honey trap won’t work this time. Half an hour,” he insisted.
Penelope hesitated and said, “If the honey trap doesn’t work, please take your hand off.”
His hand was caressing her waist. He picked up one of the pillows from the floor and grinned, “These dirty pillowcases need to be cleaned, too.”
Penelope was left speechless.
“But I’ll help you,” Warren added with a smile.
Penelope chuckled and bent over to pick up a bottle.
****
Penelope did well in her midterm exam, thanks to the senior who had shared his notes with her. To show her appreciation, she brought homemade snacks to give to him at school. Penelope walked into their classroom and personally handed over the snacks to the senior. After expressing her heartfelt gratitude, she left with a smile.
The senior blushed as he looked at the snacks in front of him. His classmates erupted in surprise and laughter. Now that they saw how easily the beauty was moved, they also wanted to share their notes with her! It reminded them of the old legend about the first person to eat crabs.
Penelope returned to her dorm and began packing to go home.
“Penelope, are you joining the class activities?” Bella asked.
“What activities?” Penelope had been quite busy lately and had forgotten about them.
“Just a get-together and some fun,” Linda explained as she took out her makeup bag.
“Oh, I get it now,” Penelope suddenly realized.
Bella said, “As the class monitor, you should participate this time; otherwise, everyone will question my ability to unite the class.”
Penelope nodded, “I’ll support you.”
“So, you’re coming?” Bella asked.
“I’ll make a call first,” Penelope said, taking out her mobile phone and heading to the balcony.
Bella asked, “Is her family strict?”
Lucinda, who was applying a mask, said with some difficulty, “She’s probably calling her boyfriend.”
However, they were mistaken. Penelope was actually calling her husband. “I won’t be back for dinner tonight; please let Mrs. Brown know,” Penelope informed him.
Warren paused his work and asked, “You’re having dinner with your classmates?”
“It’s for class activities. I shouldn’t skip them all the time,” Penelope explained.
“I won’t stop you,” Warren replied. “You can go.”
Penelope gazed at the sunset and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Why is my husband so sweet?”
“Drink less wine,” Warren cautioned, not getting sidetracked by her compliments.
“Okay!” Penelope hung up the phone and announced that she could participate.
“Tell us the truth. Is it for your boyfriend or your family?” Linda blocked Penelope’s path.
Penelope chose to say, “It’s for my family.” After all, her husband was also her family, right?
Bella checked her watch and said, “You still have an hour for makeup. Hurry up.”
“Oh, I need to do my makeup too!” Lucinda got out of bed. “I almost forgot.” Linda hurried to open her own cosmetic bag.
Penelope stood in the middle of the bedroom and casually remarked, “One hour? That’s too much.”
Bella handed her cosmetic bag to Penelope. “Perfect, then. Please help me!”
“What?” Penelope didn’t quite understand.
“Please help me look my best in half an hour, thank you,” Bella clarified as she sat in her chair. “I’ve already washed my face. Let’s get started.”
“Me too,” Lucinda chimed in from the balcony. “Please help me too!”
Penelope had the feeling of returning to her former career. They were attracting attention from their other classmates. The girls gathered around, asking them for makeup tips. Penelope was, of course, the most popular one. After finishing their makeup, they all expressed the desire to go to the bar for drinks.
Young college students often have a strong curiosity about places like bars. Penelope noticed that these were inexperienced, youthful students who didn’t fully grasp the complexities of the world. She felt the need to accompany them, as she had more experience in such situations.
“Have you frequented bars before?” Bella asked as they sat at the bar, ordering drinks.