3.
On the morning of the send-off ceremony, Percy called me.
"There's a box of medicine and a few scarves in the study cabinet. Take them to the school auditorium for me. The driver got reassigned at the last minute."
I said I would.
Not because I still wanted to look after anyone for him. Because I was going to the ceremony anyway.
I carried the box in.
The white label on top had three words on it: Julia Donaldson.
She was in the standard gray team uniform, standing beside Percy, going over the schedule.
The moment she saw me, she came straight over to take the box.
"Mrs. Matthews, thank you for going to all this trouble."
I didn't let go right away.
"The label has your name on it."
"Mr. Matthews said you're careful. He feels safest leaving it with you."
"So he has his wife delivering medicine to his coworker?"
A few people nearby glanced over.
Julia gave a small smile, as if she were smoothing things over for me.
"Mrs. Matthews, don't take it the wrong way. Mr. Matthews just trusts me more, that's all. I'm the one handling all the liaison work for this project."
"Your things—hold on to them yourself from now on."
She hugged the box and turned back to stand at Percy's side.
Percy saw me and came over, urgency all over his face.
As if I were something he couldn't afford to have seen.
"Just drop it off and go home."
"Today is the send-off for the Cloudcrest Abbey joint project."
I looked straight at him.
"You didn't tell me."
"I thought you didn't want to come."
"Did you ever ask me?"
He reached out to touch my arm, then stopped halfway.
"Gladys, there are a lot of people here. Don't make this ugly."
The host onstage started reading the roster.
"Project lead, Percy Matthews."
"Members of the image-interpretation group…"
"Project liaison, Julia Donaldson."
Julia walked to the front and stood beside Percy.
When the host introduced her, he made a point of adding one line:
"Ms. Donaldson is responsible for the project's schedule, records, and on-site coordination."
I stood at the back of the crowd, my fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of my phone.
My name wasn't in the brochure.
It wasn't on the send-off roster either.
Three years ago, I stood on the scaffolding against the north wall of Cloudcrest Abbey and completed the hardest section of that entire wall—the edge-zone stability testing.
Three years later, in the project about that same wall, all I had left was "Mr. Matthews's wife."
Percy came up to me and lowered his voice:
"Don't make a scene today. I'll explain everything when we get home."
"You've only just recovered. Cloudcrest Abbey isn't right for you."
I lifted my head and looked at him, stubborn.
"I already passed the expert panel's evaluation for this."
"You can't gamble with your health just because of last night."
"Is it really my health you're worried about? Or that once I show up here, people will ask why I'm not on the project roster?"
His expression shifted.
Onstage, Julia had already picked up the microphone.
She glanced down at her script, her smile composed.
"This trip to Cloudcrest Abbey is meant to let more people see the historical value of the north wall murals."
"As for the restoration arrangements, the project team has already completed the final confirmation…"
