Kapitel 5: Chapter 5: Good Afternoon, Eli
Five years ago.
"Do you have a driver's license?" Elias stared at a little girl in front of him, who was pretending to be calm. Her eyes flickered furtively to his car in the garage. He shook his head and chuckled, "If yes, do you want to drive?"
"Really? I would like to drive it." The twenty-first-year-old Becky was still a naïve little girl. Her pure black eyes were so deep that he imagined he could see all the way into her soul. She caught his arm with a shivering hand and she said in an uncertain voice, "But… After passing the driving test, I have never driven a car before… Eli, your car is too expensive… I'm afraid maybe I will fuck your car up."
"That's not a big deal." He paid no attention to his car. He handed the car key over to her. A soft light came into his eyes as he looked at her and he said pleasantly, "Try it! I will watch you."
"Really?"
He looked at her and laughed. She looked so naïve and childish, which was in contrast with her usual style, always pretending to be cool and understanding. Finally, he just nodded his head, "Of course."
"Thanks so much, Eli." She jumped for joy.
Honestly, this road was as bumpy as hell! She was absolutely a terrible driver, because she drove fast, carelessly and badly. And how could she turn this expensive car into the feeling of a racing car? That was impossible! The rough roads left their body bruised and shaken, which made him feel dizzy. This was the first time he had gotten carsick.
"Look, Eli!! The car in front of us doesn't signal ahead of time before they put it over to the curb." She grimaced, but she did not seem angry.
"Eli!! The van behind us doesn't stop. What should I do??" She was worried, afraid, and asked.
"Eli!! Somebody hit me from behind." She was so common, shouting like that so all the people outside could hear.
"Eli, Help me! I don't dare to run on the highway." She had a lump in her throat because she was frightened.
Elias quietly listened to his sweetheart next to him, who shouted excitedly all the way. He wondered how she could drive safely when she was all screaming at the top of her lungs. Perhaps she refreshed his memory. He vividly remembered the day he first met her.
Becky was truly a shameful little girl.
"Eli, you see? I can do it. Oh my God, this is unbelievable!!" She shook his shoulder, trying to loosen his rigid pose and shouted excitedly. Her face scintillated delight.
He shook his head, smiling like a tremendous burden had been removed from his shoulders. Then, a soft light came into his eyes as he looked at her. He smiled sweetly, and said, "Not too bad!"
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"Sir, we've arrived." Becky calmly announced, opening the car door for him. She called out, but he did not move or even hear her, "Sir?"
Elias, who was staring blankly across the road, shook his head to come back to reality. The smile on his face quickly disappeared, and he gradually became serious. Then he looked up and gave her a brief answer. "Yeah, I hear it."
He had never tried to block out their memories of the past, even though some are sweet or even painful.
In the CEO's lavish office.
"Is there anything special happening this weekend?" He asked.
When she heard that, she took out a sheaf of papers and leafed through them. Then she quickly replied, "Sir, I have changed the schedule, so you can have free time on the weekends. Have you got any plans for this weekend?"
"Did you say mom and dad wanted us to visit them last time? Let's go home this weekend." He suggested.
She stopped and thought for a few seconds. Then she nodded in agreement and answered, "Yes, sir. I will make the arrangements now."
"Wait, a second." When she left the room, he said in a voice that was strangely heavy and cold, "You don't need to buy them presents this time, because you always bring unnecessary things."
"Okay. I get it." Her commitment was only skin-deep.
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Despite harsh criticism, Becky was sticking to her guns on this issue. As soon as she got outside, she decided what to buy. As she remembered, Mr. Bill was interested in sports and cooking. About Madam Julia, she loved buying vintage clothing. Elias was their own son, so he could go to their house empty-handed, but she was not their natural daughter. She also did not bear her husband's surname, so it was impossible to be a member of the Sophronia family. Therefore, as a daughter-in-law, she should bring a present for the host. She had to hurry and go get them presents before the mall closed.
In her eyes, Mr. Bill and Madam Julia were a powerful couple while being nice parents. They raised their eldest son to be a serious, hardworking and responsible man and their beloved daughter to be innocent, romantic and a little childish woman. Two of them were extremely talented.
In recent years, because of being his lawfully wedded wife, Becky received a lot of love and care from the Sophronia family, which made her deeply grateful.
Anyway, she did not have parents. She was an abandoned child. After she was born, her mother ran away from home. Two years later, her father was gone without leaving a single trace anywhere. So, she grew up with love from her grandparents and she could only see her parents through photos taken. She did not know where they were and she missed them so much. When she was that age, she thought no one cared about her existence.
On Saturday at 6 pm, Elias rarely had free time to go with his wife after work. She drove to Sophronia Villa. This time, she did not have to open the door for him. He waited for her to pull up in front of the gate, then he got out and walked around the car to open the door for her. After that, he took her by the hand and led her into the villa. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he held her hand. She felt her heart beating fast. But when she saw Julia standing at the door and looking lovingly at them, it took an instant for her to react.
"Mom, we're home!" She smiled back at her and greeted with a wave of the hand.
"Darling!!" Julia smiled and told, "Come in… come in. We miss you two so much. Elias, let's go make dinner!"
"Okay, mom." Elias replied. In fact, he heard nothing. He enjoyed nothing more than being immersed in holding the soft hand of the person next to him.
"Eli?" Becky glanced at him and informed, "Mom wants us to come in."
"What? Oh, yes." He said and looked up from his hand very surprised, "Let's go, mom. Just come back inside. You're gonna freeze out here."
It was too dark to stay outside. Becky also did not intend to stay out so late. She said, smiling, "Mom, I have bought a lot of beautiful scarves for you. Wanna try?"
"Really, I like it very much." Julia answered cheerfully and hurried Becky out of him. "Oh my darling, you always have boundless kindness. I also have a gift for you."
His hand was suddenly empty. He looked at the two people walking in front of him. They looked so intimate, as if his mother treated his wife like her own daughter. He returned home, so no one cared what he was, the famous CEO, or how many material possessions he had. But after he had taken off his jacket and washed his hand, his father took him by the hand and led him from the kitchen.
"Honey, look at me! Becky bought this shawl for me." Julia excitedly looped the shawl around her neck and did a twirl in front of Bill. She was putting on her act and asked him, "Pretty, isn't it?"
"Honey, it really suits you." Bill nodded solemnly, keeping his eyes on her, "You look so gorgeous."
Julia was red with shame. Then she grabbed Becky's hands and pulled her to stand in front of Elias.
"Look! Becky looks great in this lovely dress, doesn't she?"
Julia bought this dress. Becky, who was wearing a pale pink dress that draped around her tall frame nicely and brought out a fair and soft complexion. She felt so ashamed and confused.
Bill nodded in approval. Elias focused his gaze on Becky as if in a trance. He thought he had seen her at twenty. How long had it been since he had seen her wearing casual clothes? Two years, or four years?
"Your wife is so pretty, isn't she?" Julia plied her son with questions. Maybe it just gave him a few minutes to get his nerves back.
"Yes, gorgeous." He responded to his mother. His short answer was yes, definitely.
Becky colored with embarrassment at his remarks. Her cheeks prickled with shame.
Elias was five years older than Becky. There was too big an age difference between. So, Elias, who came face to face with reality so many times and passed through many hardships, just treated her like a cute little girl. He seemed to penetrate her thoughts. She was like a kid and liked to pretend she was hard and cold. In fact, Becky was the most understanding. She was considerate of everybody's feelings. Whenever he was at her side, inevitably, she reminded him of his spoiled younger sister, Jessica - though they looked nothing alike - it was just that her cuteness, intelligence, and her fragility, too, were exceptional, unforgettable. He promised himself that he would go to the ends of the earth to be with her.
Elias remembered where he first saw Becky - it was at Susan Smith's art exhibition about ten years ago. Little did he know Becky wore common clothes, but she was always neatly dressed and kept her finger nail short and clean. Whenever he paid a visit to the exhibition hall, he could see her sitting on a small chair and reading a book. Sometimes he saw her writing or doodling in her notebook, sometimes dumbfounded. But, when she saw him, she would smile sweetly at him, eyes glinting, and greeted, "Good afternoon, Eli."
Right now, Becky brought him back to reality. His mate, who was standing in front of him, no longer wore an office uniform as usual. He had wanted to tell her to wear casual clothes for a long while, and now the time had come. He suddenly had a feeling of returning to the past and he even heard Becky greeting loudly behind him.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein