Monica had been taking care of Charles all this time. She had never been to the city before, so of course she had gotten lost.Joey was anxious when she heard her grandmother on the phone. She was worried about her safety if she stayed at the taxi stand, so she said hastily, "Grandma, can you give your phone to the driver? I'll talk to him.""Okay, okay!" Monica handed her phone to the driver.The driver sounded impatient. "What is wrong with you?" he scolded. He continued, "How could you let your grandmother roam around without supervision? She doesn't even know where she wants to go. You're wasting my time!"Joey apologized, "I'm so sorry for the trouble, sir. Can you drop her off at Watersgate Apartments? I'll be waiting for her there. I'll pay you three times the fare when you arrive. Is that okay?"Watersgate Apartments was a luxury neighborhood. Mollified by Joey's politeness and the offer of a tip, the driver agreed. "Fine. If you're not there, I'll leave her by the side
Joey arrived just in time to meet Monica's cab. She felt relieved when she saw her getting out of the cab."Grandma, you should've told me you were coming. I would've picked you up myself. I worry about you, you know."She paid the cab driver his fare before turning to take Monica's bag from her. "Come on, let's go home. Take it easy."However, Monica did not move. She shook her head. "It's alright, I don't want to go to your apartment. I'm here to drop off Zachary's chamomile."She opened her bag with a trembling hand and showed Joey the contents. There were several plastic bags of dried chamomile flowers in the bag."The last time you brought him home, I remember he really liked the chamomile tea that I made him. We had a lot of chamomile blooms this year, so I got Leonard from next door to pick and dry them." Monica looked happy at the mention of her grandson-in-law. Her smile was warm and kind. "Don't worry, they're clean. I washed them several times, and covered them with
Monica cooked dinner and made chamomile tea as the evening approached. However, when dinner time came around, she did not start eating. She kept looking over at the door. "Why isn't Zachary home yet?"Joey looked at her. She felt sad when she thought about what Leonard had said.She couldn't imagine how she had made her way to an unfamiliar city half-blind with so many things. She'd never even left their little town.Monica was worried about her. She was worried Joey would be all alone and left with no family after her death.Did Joey think she was going to die soon and wanted to see if her granddaughter was having a good life? How could she let Monica worry about her?Holding back tears, Joey forced out a smile and stood up. "He's busy. Don't worry, I'll call him."She went to her bedroom and wiped away her tears. After some hesitation, she called Zachary. She knew what she was doing. She needed Zachary to come over, even if it meant having to beg. All he had to do was have a
It was a call from her grandmother, Monica. Joey cast a wary look in Zachary's direction. As their gazes locked, her expression betrayed a mixture of unease and anticipation—a sentiment that did not escape Zachary's notice.Urged by a longing for a response, Joey's lips were slightly parted. Yet, no words escaped, and she turned to leave in silence. "Grandma …" Joey answered the call and closed the office door.Monica's voice came through the phone, asking, "Joey, have you picked up Zachary?"With dusk settling in, Monica foresaw a compromise in her vision once the room lights illuminated. To spare Joey from worry, she kept her eye struggles to herself. Monica's sole desire was to witness Joey and Zachary leading a happy life together. However, uncertainty lingered about whether she would get to see them embrace parenthood.Lost in contemplation, it took multiple calls from Joey to bring Monica back to the present."Huh? Pardon me?""Zachary is still in the meeting. I sti
"Since both of you are busy, I didn't want to be a bother. I can find my way here by myself," Monica chirped as she patted Zachary's hand."It's not a bother at all, Grandma. Are you saying this because you don't see me as your grandson-in-law?" Zachary's tone carried a hint of seriousness, signaling his genuine concern. Monica waved her hand in dismissal. "No, of course not! I'm just concerned that both of you are busy, so I—"Zachary interrupted, stating, "No matter how busy we are, you remain our priority. You are not a trouble at all."Monica nodded, a joyful smile on her face.During the meal, Zachary took such good care of Monica that Joey didn't even have a chance to help out with anything.Her eyes gleamed with appreciation and awe while fixed on Zachary, acknowledging his outstanding acting skills. If not for his prior mention, she wouldn't have been able to discern that he was merely putting on a performance. After the meal, Joey cleaned the table and went to the kit
"Your grandmother is here?" Selena exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the full story. She pouted. "You're not going to keep up the act, are you? She's pretty sharp."Joey knew that. She replied helplessly, "I'll keep up the act for now. She's not in the best condition and has lost a lot of weight. She came to check on us. If I tell her that we're divorcing, she might not be able to handle it. I can't take that risk."Selena rubbed her chin and voiced her concern, "You should remind Zachary to keep his distance from Julia. Otherwise, if he's caught having an affair, he'd better be prepared to face the consequences." Despite Monica's gentle demeanor, she would stand up for Joey if anyone bullied her.When Joey was about four or five years old, she nearly got abducted. Armed with a sickle, Monica pursued the kidnapper for three blocks, eventually wearing down the kidnapper until he had to abandon his attempt to take Joey. Monica didn't stop there—she then gave the kidnapper a good
Monica was busy in the kitchen when they both arrived. Joey entered the kitchen, washed her hands, and said, "Grandma, I'll help you."Monica entertained the idea of rejecting it but grinned when she saw Zachary coming in while taking off his coat. "Sure! You youngsters seem to prefer food differently than me, so feel free to prepare it based on your liking."Joey settled into the chair beside Monica when she noticed a fish fillet in her bowl. Casting a glance, Joey discerned that Zachary was behind it. Despite responding with a smile, Joey muttered silent curses at him, given her usual aversion to fish. Was Zachary trying to get back at her for ruining his date with Julia?Fuming with anger, Joey placed some fiery quesadillas on Zachary's plate. Wearing an innocent face, she remarked, "Darling, I thought you loved quesadillas! Have some more!"Hailing from Flowville, Joey had a high tolerance for spicy food. The quesadillas she prepared were extremely spicy, with abundant jala
Zachary followed the sound of her voice, his thin lips pursing slightly. After a few seconds, he spoke, "I saw two extra blankets on Grandma's bed just now. She probably found it too cold. Why don't you go get them?" Joey thought for a moment and replied, "It's fine."Joey couldn't take the blankets if she was really cold. And if Monica were to sniff them out because of that, then everything they had done would be in vain.While she was still contemplating her sleeping arrangements, Zachary made some space for her. He said casually, "Sleep here."Joey didn't know what to say. She hesitated for a moment before walking to the bed expressionlessly. She lifted the blanket and climbed into the bed before switching off the bedside lamp.Convincing herself that they wouldn't engage in anything inappropriate, and considering they had shared a bed before, she assumed his nonchalance meant there was nothing to worry about.However, she couldn't fall asleep even after closing her eyes.Jo