When Mrs. Brown saw the girl returning the phone with tears in her eyes, she felt quite sad and didn’t know how to comfort her. Everyone was worried about Tom. As Mrs. Brown passed by Agnes, she gently patted her shoulder and then took the dishes from the dining table to the kitchen to reheat them one by one.
Agnes silently shed tears; she was genuinely very sad… a sharp pain twisted in her heart. She wanted to go out and look for him but didn’t know where to start. She was a girl who found it hard to feel happiness, always so sensitive and particularly afraid of losing.
By now, it was completely dark outside, and the rain was getting heavier. Her heart tightened bit by bit. Twenty kilometers away, cars were stuck in a long queue as night fell, and car lights lit up. Outside the car window, torrential rain relentlessly lashed against the glass in waves.
Tom sat in the back seat of a taxi, impeccably dressed, anxiously glancing at the rain beating on the window and streaming down. His phone had completely run out of battery and shut off automatically. On his lap was a large gift box filled with beef jerky that Tom had specially taken a taxi to buy for Agnes from another district. It was a specialty from that area, made by a family shop with their secret recipe, generally unavailable elsewhere; it had been gifted to him by a friend.
Unexpectedly, on his way back, it started raining, and traffic got jammed. No one knew exactly what had happened ahead; they only saw fire trucks and ambulances passing by one after another. However, seeing people handling it gave hope that the road would soon be cleared.
Tom didn’t know how many times he had checked his watch; his handsome brows furrowed in worry. He had promised Agnes he would return for dinner. She must be waiting for him and worrying about him too.
In the apartment, Agnes had no appetite for dinner. She told Mrs. Brown to eat first while she waited for Tom. But how could Mrs. Brown have any appetite? She was equally worried about Tom; it was already dark, and the rain kept pouring harder.
He had left the lab, but no one knew where he had gone. Agnes sat on the carpet by her bedroom window, hugging her knees and looking out like an abandoned child. The room’s main light was off; only the crescent lamp he bought emitted a warm yellow glow behind her.
She sat motionless like a puppet drained of thoughts, worrying about him as large tears rolled down her cheeks… truly worried about him, praying for his safety.
About an hour later-
Tom’s taxi finally stopped downstairs at the apartment building. The rain hadn’t stopped yet; he shielded the large gift bag with his body as he got out of the car. Though it was just a few steps, he still got wet because the rain was so heavy.
Before entering the elevator, he shook off some rainwater from himself and checked his watch again as he stepped inside-it was already ten o’clock at night. He felt very sorry and wished he could fly upstairs.
Mrs. Brown sat in the living room waiting, not sleepy at all, filled with worry for Tom as she imagined various possibilities…
The sound of the door opening startled Mrs. Brown; she quickly stood up and turned to see Tom’s figure. She walked towards him, “You’re back?” finally breathing a sigh of relief.
“Yes, Mrs. Brown,” Tom replied gently. “Where’s Agnes? Is she asleep?”
Mrs. Brown sighed as she looked at him soaked by the rain and holding a large bag of things; she told him everything that had happened here.
“Agnes knew you were coming back for dinner; she personally cooked several dishes and made soup for you. But you didn’t come back, your phone couldn’t be reached, and she’s been worried sick about you-how could she sleep? She cried out of anxiety and didn’t know what to do alone.”