Chapter 182: Karen is back
Chapter - 182
"So, who do you want to meet first?" Damien asked. Damien was driving the car with Alex sitting comfortably in the passenger seat, "Mom or Dad?"
"Let's just go home," but contrary to Damien's expectations, Alex chose neither.
"Huh... That's unexpected," Damien looked at Alex in amusement, "I was sure you would want to meet mom the first thing after you land."
"I would want to," Alex smiled, "But she must be busy at the hospital. I don't think we should disturb her there." Alex said.
"... As for dad," Alex shook his head, "I am sure he won't be at the company. He never is."
Despite whatever Martha said, Alex knew something was wrong with his father. Alex could feel that his father was hiding something, and not everything was fine between his mother and him. And now, it was up to him to dig deep into the matter and uncover the truth.
"Well, whatever you say, boss," Damien did not get much into the why and hows of what Alex was thinking.
Soon, they reached home, and Damien drove the car into the garage. Getting out of the car, instead of going inside the house through the garage, Alex made his way out to the front entrance. It has been months, longer than these three odd months that he was away, that he had seen Margaret. If this goes on, he might even forget her face.
As he stepped on the front steps of the entrance, Alex tried to peek inside Margaret's yard. And the house looked deserted. The grass had grown over a foot tall, and one could see the blanket of dust all over her house. It was clear that no one had been here for a relatively long time.
'But shouldn't she send someone to housekeep?' Alex thought.
"Oh, I haven't seen Miss Margaret as well since I have been here," Damien creeped out from behind Alex with his luggage and said, scaring Alex.
"... But why are you peeking inside Miss Margaret's house first thing after coming back?" Scrunching his nose and squeezing his eyes, Damien looked suspiciously at Alex.
"What?" Alex leaned back, trying to get away from Damien, but Damien was not the type to let go this easily.
"You know, mom told me a few things about you while you were gone," Damien looked at Alex seriously and said, "You have an awful lot of female presence around you. Not to forget the date you forget to mention to me."
"What date?" Alex averted his eyes and, pushing Damien away, walked into the house.
"Oh...Ho... What date?" Damien sarcastically asked, "That date you went on the very first weekend after joining that company." Damien reminded Alex from the back.
"... Don't think you can run away. I want to hear everything about that date." Damien followed Alex, but he had already gone inside his room and closed the door. Damien put the luggage outside his room and, slapping the door a few times, went downstairs.
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By the time Alex came downstairs, Martha was already back home. She was in the kitchen, setting up the lunch she got on her way home for everyone.
"You are back early," Alex was happy to see his mother and made his way behind Martha to give her a tight bear hug.
"I missed you," snuggling his face in the back of her neck, Alex whispered. But this small act of his sent shivers down Martha's body.
"Careful," Martha exclaimed as she tried to save the food from spilling, "We were talking every day, and yet you missed me? It's hard to believe." Martha smiled.
"You really need to get a life, bro," while Martha and Alex were having their moment, Damien walked into the kitchen and said, picking up an apple, "Being a mama's boy at your age is a big no... no..." Damien shook his head and rubbed the apple against his shirt.
"... And the reason is that you don't have a girlfriend," Damien imparted his wisdom.
"Who needs a girlfriend when I have my mom to take care of me," Alex said, still hugging Martha.
"But even I need to see the faces of my grandchildren, you know," Martha expressed her desire.
"Have you seen yourself," Alex let go of Martha and looked at her from top to bottom, "You are still far from grandma material," Alex laughed as he praised Martha.
"... And you have him to fulfil your wish," Alex said, pointing at Damien.
"... With his skills, I am sure he is in the process of making one if he hasn't made you one already." Alex skillfully shifted the focus from him to Damien, his brother.
"Is it true?" Excited by the news, Martha looked at Damien, who was busy munching on his apple.
"Do you think I would hide it from you if that were the case?" Damien chuckled, "He is just trying to be a smartass." And with that, not dwelling on the topic any longer, Damien walked out of the kitchen.
"Both of you are useless," Martha shook her head in helplessness, but then she suddenly turned her head towards Alex and took a step closer to him.
"Be honest with me," Martha looked intently at Alex and spoke. But she paused as she tried to read Alex's face. But this pause made Alex nervous.
"You..." Martha, pointing her finger at Alex and continued but paused again.
'Will you stop taking these long pauses?' Alex thought, 'It makes my bladder tingly.'
"You are not gay, are you?" Martha finally asked.
"What?" After all this suspense, this was what she wanted to ask? Listening to his mother, Alex did not know if he should laugh at her words or not.
And where she did get that idea from. By her logic, Alex never brought a guy to meet her as well, so what is he actually?
"You should know that we are not that old-fashioned to judge you," When Alex did not refute her words, Martha continued, "So you can come out of the closet and let us know," Martha said with an earnest look on her face, which made the situation even funnier for Alex.
"Mom..." Alex controlled his laughter and, with a serious look on his face, decided to play along, "If you really think it is okay, let me tell you something."
"I..."
"Wait... Wait... Wait..." Before Alex could speak, Marth interrupted him and, folding her hands, looked up the roof and prayed. She did that for a few moments, and when she was done, she put her hand on Alex's head and imparted the blessing.
"Now, tell me..." After she was done, Martha crossed her fingers and said.
"Mom, actually..." Alex tried to continue, but he was interrupted once again by the vibration of his phone.
'Who is messing with my fun?' Alex thought.
"Just a minute," Alex told Martha and pulled out his phone, but when he saw the name, he was no longer annoyed.
It was a call from his former boss, Karen.
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