Chapter 74
Sophia walked into the classroom, and there stood Brandon, rooted to the spot and not budging an inch, just giving Louis and his family the cold shoulder. Then he shifted his gaze slightly, landing on Martin who was sporting the same chilly vibe.
Martin’s face was missing any hint of joy or excitement, a far cry from his earlier eagerness to zip over to Wye City.
Martin caught Brandon’s eye, but only offered a cool glance from a short distance before turning his attention to Louis, who was trying his hardest to keep his excitement in check. He couldn’t take his eyes off Louis and stayed that way.
Brandon also took a quick peek at Louis.
Louis was over eighty, and who knows, maybe the travel had taken its toll because he looked a lot more worn out and frail than he did a few months back.
It had been a hot minute since Brandon had seen Louis, and in his memory, the guy had always been in tip-top shape, an eighty-something you’d mistake for seventy. But just a couple of months apart and the man seemed to have aged a bunch. Louis was all eyes on Marian, totally oblivious to Brandon nearby. However, Patricia caught sight of him.
Her eyes rimmed with red, she walked towards Brandon with an excited face and a placating smile, “Brandon, Yolanda’s back.”
Her words instantly redirected everyone’s focus from Marian to Brandon.
Brandon’s dad, Daniel, couldn’t hide his excitement either and waved Brandon over, “Brandon, come here.”
Brandon gave him a frosty look, no words, no movement.
Martin, who had been silent until now, chimed in, “Marian’s got class, let her go to class first.”
Then he looked at Louis, “Grandpa Louis, you’re not in the best shape, and you’ve been on a plane for so long. Better head back to the hotel and rest up, don’t wear yourself out.”
The others joined in the persuasion, “Right, right, you should rest first. It would be a shame if your granddaughter finally finds her way back and then you go and keel over.”
As they urged him, they helped Louis walk away.
Martin took the opportunity to nudge a totally bewildered Marian back into the classroom.
“What the heck is going on here?” Marian, finally finding her chance to speak, asked Martin with an urgent whisper, as she tried to poke her head out of the classroom to talk but was pushed back in by Martin.
He whispered back, “Take your class first, I’ll explain later.”
His palm resting on her shoulder, he seemed affectionate as he half-forced her back into the classroom.
Brandon watched the whole scene unfold with an icy expression, not stepping forward to greet anyone, nor offering to send them back. Sophia, inside the classroom, didn’t want to pay attention to any of this, but when she looked up, she couldn’t help but catch the scene of Martin affectionately nudging Marian. She was torn between being happy for Marian finding her family and being annoyed. She remembered Marian saying her current family treated her well and she wasn’t looking to find her biological ones, and she was worried about whether to go back or not.
As Marian turned around, she caught Sophia’s eye and pouted at her.
Sophia couldn’t help but smile back, her reassuring smile prompting Marian to pull a funny face and nod towards the group by the door, her eyes full of speechlessness and sarcasm.
Sophia couldn’t help but glance towards the door as well.
1 = 1 3 = 5
Louis was looking back at Marian with a lingering gaze that accidentally met Sophia’s. Sophia was taken aback for a moment, her eyes instinctively meeting Louis’s, but his gaze had already moved on to Marian, his eyes brimming with tears, soft and affectionate.
Sophia just smiled and looked away, only to lock eyes with Patricia.
Patricia’s look went from surprise to chilly disdain, and her judgmental and condescending look brought back all sorts of unpleasant memories from Sophia’s marriage, stirring up a bit of PTSD.
When class was over, Sophia sent Brandon a text. [I’m heading back to my apartment. I didn’t bring much with me, can you pack up my stuff and have someone drop it off?]
After sending the message, Sophia gathered her things and headed back to her apartment.
The last thing she wanted was to burhp into Patricia and Daniel, who would surely be staying at the Starlight Hotel. Sophia didn’t want to see them, but Patricia wasn’t about to let her off the hook.
After school, Sophia ran into Patricia and Daniel sitting in their car at the school entrance, apparently having waited there for a while.
Sophia hadn’t noticed them at first, but as she walked past their car, Patricia rolled down the window and called out to her.
“Sophia,” in that same condescending tone.
Sophia turned to look at her.
Patricia took off her sunglasses, rested her elbow on the window sill, her chin slightly lifted, looking at her, “Let’s have dinner together.”
And then she added deliberately, “My treat.”
Sophia let out a chuckle, “No need, thanks.
