I just found it ironic and ridiculous.
"Mom, how are you doing?"
"If I ever find the person who hurt you, I'll tear them to pieces!"
My son's eyes were red like he was about to cry.
His acting was truly impressive.
Even now, for a fleeting moment, I almost believed him.
When I didn't respond, he quickly added, "Mom, last night was the company's anniversary celebration. I was the only one on duty, so I couldn't return."
"Please don't be mad."
"I even asked my boss to save some of the good dishes from the party for you. There were meatballs, beef stew and lobster."
Deryl unwrapped the plastic container and the sour stench of spoiled food hit me instantly.
My son really was a smooth liar.
Anniversary celebration?
These were clearly just leftovers from Cynthia and her daughter.
"Eat it yourself if you want it!"
Just then, Lucy burst into the hospital room, snatched the leftovers and dumped them straight into the trash. Then she pulled out a thermos of chicken soup and a bag of KFC.
"Grandma, we won't eat other people's leftovers anymore."
She said with a cold expression.
"You … "
Deryl was taken aback and then immediately put on a stern face. "What's gotten into you today? How dare you be so wasteful? Don't you know our family's situation?"
"Grandma's sick. What's wrong with her eating something good? Why must she eat spoiled food?"
Lucy retorted stubbornly, but tears welled up in her eyes.
Usually, Cynthia's daughter, Summer, drove luxury cars, wore designer clothes and carried purses worth over a hundred thousand dollars.
She swapped phones, laptops, necklaces and bracelets every few days.
She'd toss out half-eaten fruit and unfinished milk tea without a second thought. If her shoes got dirty, she just bought new ones.
My son supported all of this unconditionally.
But if Lucy didn't eat leftovers, she got scolded.
How could she not feel wronged?
"You brat, you've grown bold, haven't you? Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson."
Deryl didn't realize his mistake and instead angrily raised his hand.
"I was the one who told Lucy to buy it. If you want to hit someone, hit me, too."
I glared at him.
"Mom, weren't you always extremely frugal before? Why are you … "
My son was stunned.
"Lucy just said I'm sick."
If this had happened in the past, I would've happily eaten whatever food he brought home.
Now, these leftovers felt like knives stabbing into my heart.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't think it through."
Deryl quickly apologized.
Then, I deliberately tested him. "Instead of blaming Lucy, maybe you should deal with Summer."
"She smashed an ashtray over Lucy's head in public."
Last night, Lucy was working part-time as a waitress at the hotel and was bullied by Summer.
Not only did she not get her wages, but she was also injured.
"Mom, this isn't Summer's fault."
"The hotel staff said Lucy cursed at Summer first and made Summer cry."
My son instead blamed Lucy, "We may be poor, but we should have integrity. Don't do things like that in the future."
"Lucy never curses!"
I retorted seriously.
"Mom!"
"You just dote on her too much."
"I am a bit strict with Lucy, but it's all for her own good."
Deryl put on a helpless expression.
I'd prepared a dozen arguments, but hearing him like this, I swallowed them all.
Because no matter how much I said, my son wouldn't believe me.
Lucy bit back her tears and said to her father, "If you don't stand up for me, then at least move Grandma to a VIP ward. Get her the best meds and hire some nurses."
"That way, she'll recover faster."
My son sighed, clearly troubled. "We can't afford a VIP ward in our situation."
"Then what about the follow-up medical expenses?"
Lucy pressed.
"You can help me cover them for now. When Grandma gets better, we'll take her to the beach for a few days to relax."
