7. Where my Amelie go?

"Oh, my granddaughter! You look even more beautiful now that you have grown up." Marie said, upon seeing the girl entity standing on the doorway with two large bags carried in both hands.

Marie's wrinkled hands immediately embraced Amelie's body and rested her head on the shoulders. She inhaled a soothing scent of rose on the girl's body. Once satisfied, Marie released her embrace on the girl, Marie grabbed one of the big bags Amelie was carrying and walked inside.

"Come in, I've prepared some food for you."

The girl nodded and walked behind the old woman, as she looked around. The house changed significantly from the last time Amelie left the house. The patient was 12 years old then.

"Thank you, Grandma." Amelie replied that she was seated on a dining room chair.

"Thank you for what? It's my duty to feed the grandchildren I love so much."

The food, including Amelie’s favorite chocolate cookies, was laid out on a square table in front of her. Meanwhile, Amelie continued to wander around, as if looking for someone.

Marie, who had noticed her granddaughter's movements, said; "Your grandfather has some business, he'll be back as soon as it's over."

"Oh..." Amelie replied before picking up her grandmother's chocolate biscuit and popping it into her mouth.

"I also bought a fish hangi for you, Amelie."

Amelie turned her head with sparkling eyes, and she loved hanging fish. She had eaten hangi many times, but the girl felt that the hangi from Waikato tasted even better.

Marie opened the packing and removed the aroma from the dish. I do not know where the nausea came from, but Amelie's stomach felt like it was being stirred. She quickly ran to the bathroom to spill the contents of her stomach, which urgently needed expulsion.

Marie, who saw the incident, ran a little after Amelie, who vomited in the bathroom. The woman's wrinkled face appeared worried, even though she knew that nausea was normal for a pregnant woman. This is especially true in the first trimester of pregnancy.

"Are you okay, Amelie?"

The girl then turned her head. She finds Marie's face dotted-with worry. Amelie, realizing this, smiled, tried to reassure her grandmother, and said, "I am fine, Grandma. You don't have to worry."

Amelie got up and walked into the room. Marie guided her granddaughter very carefully, worried if the girl would suddenly fall.

"You should get plenty of rest," said Marie as she wrapped her arms around Amelie, who was lying up to her chest.

"By the way, how many weeks pregnant are you now?"

Amelie squinted her eyes and tried to digest the words spoken by the old woman. Marie knew that she was pregnant. Why wasn't she angry at all?

"Grandmother, you know that I..." Amelie grimaced with a slightly scared face.

"I heard about your pregnancy from Robert."

"Why isn't Grandmother angry with me?"

"How could I be angry? You're my favorite grandchild. Anyway, you'd better get some rest. Have your pregnancy checked tomorrow." Marie said before leaving Amelie's room.

***

It was a gloomy evening for Jonathan. He just sat listlessly like a statue every time Theresia asked him a question or engaged him in conversation. The conversation that night was about his marriage to Elena. Theresia, meanwhile, took Jonathan's silence as a 'yes' answer.

"You'll live happily once you marry Elena, Jonathan. Stop thinking about that stupid girl!" Theresia finally screamed after Jonathan ignored what the old woman said.

Jonathan just shrugged his shoulders. The man walked over to open the window curtains. He looked up at the cloudy Auckland sky that night.

His gaze kept looking up at the sky. He kept saying to himself, 'What are you doing now, Amelie? I tried so hard to find you, but I didn't get the slightest clue to your whereabouts.

Passing over the shoulder, the man looked back. He did not find the woman who had been uttering nauseating sentences.

Jonathan walked into the garden of the house. I looked at the roses that were growing well in Amelie's care. His eyes were distracted when his sense of hearing caught the sound of booth shoes clashing with the floor of the maid's room corridor.

He walked over to the heavy-set figure, who he was sure knew the whereabouts of the girl of his dreams.

"Uncle." greeted Jonathan, who immediately received a wry look from Robert.

Jonathan, who felt guilty for Amelie's departure, smiled weakly and understood Robert's attitude towards him. The atmosphere was heavy at once.

Irene, who witnessed the meeting of the two men, perked up her ears from behind the closed door of the room.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked Robert with an unchanging, sour look.

Jonathan tried to catch his breath to look calm. He was currently preparing to receive instructions from Robert, whom he believed knew where Amelie had gone.

"Please tell me where your daughter went. I'll catch up with her right away." Jonathan said it bravely.

At the same time, the young man's legs felt weak. A flash of anger could be seen in Robert's eyes.

"Aren't you satisfied, sir? All the abuse and insults that Madame Theresia has heaped on Amelie have not only hurt her, but they have torn my heart to shreds," Robert said with his hands clasped to his chest with a huffy face, while his eyes began to glaze over. "She was my only daughter. Her mother and I raised her with love. And now, you're destroying our precious togetherness. If only you hadn't impregnated my daughter, maybe she would still be here with us."

"I understand, Uncle. And I apologize for my mistake. Tell me where Amelie went, and I will follow her wherever she goes." Jonathan said it softly with a pleading look.

The soft-hearted Robert could not bear to look at the young man, who was currently making a pitying face in front of him. He immediately looked away in all directions.

"Isn't your haughty mother going to marry you off to a girl from a wealthy family? Please stop asking about Amelie's whereabouts. I would be very grateful if, after this, you forgot about Amelie and no longer asked about her whereabouts."

Jonathan was still rooted to the spot after hearing the door slam quite loudly.

"Honey, you shouldn't have been so loud when talking to him." Irene whispered as she rushed over to her husband, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I know that. But at the same time, I feel disappointed in him. If he hadn't approached Amelie in the first place, Amelie might still be in our midst today, Irene." Irene stroked Robert's shoulder and tried to understand her husband's attitude towards Jonathan.

"Don't you know, darling? Love can come to whomever it pleases. We can't keep blaming Amelie and Jonathan." Irene said in her soft voice, trying to calm Robert down.

Robert was still downcast and silent. He wanted to deny the truth that his wife had just told him.

"Whatever happens, let it happen. I believe God will always love Amelie and our grandchild in her womb. Stop blaming them and yourself, Robert."

***