Love You Can’t Say

Dennis nodded, handed me the file directly, then raised his eyebrows. “Take a look!”

I…

Nathan smiled and looked at Dennis. “You two look like you’ve known each other forever.”

I always thought it sounded like a deliberate question.

Dennis lifted his eyebrows, slid the hair on my forehead behind my ear, and said in a warm voice, “Well, we’ve been married for seven years.”

There was a gasp in the air, and even Nathan stiffened slightly, as if he hadn’t expected it.

Dennis didn’t seem to care. He smiled when I looked up at him, “What? You don’t think I’m a decent husband enough to be Clariana’s father, so you’re pretending you don’t know me?”

This was evidently on purpose.

I froze for a moment, then pursed my lips and said nothing more.

Someone in the office began to whisper, “She’s Dennis George’s wife. Oh, my God, so…”

There were a lot of surprises.

The gossip of the past few days was dispelled by itself.

I sighed. He came to see me in the office today on purpose probably because Nathan said something to him.

“Is everything done?” Dennis said, and as he spoke, he took my hand.

I nodded and stood up.

He looked at Nathan and said, “Dinner together?”

Nathan shook his head slightly, “I’m gonna pick Joey up tonight and go visit my mom, so you guys go ahead, and we’ll take a rain check.”

We left the hotel and got into the car.

I looked sideways at him. “When did you come?”

“Just arrived!”

Along the way we talked a little, but not unfamiliar.

When Clariana came out of the school with her bag on her back, she saw Dennis from a distance and she seemed to be very happy.

She waved to Dennis with an excited face. Dennis smiled and raised his hand to greet her.

I smiled. “How’s Dr. Bennett?”

It had been a long time.

He looked sideways at me, and his hand had closed around me. “He’s gone to H Town, maybe he’s looking to expand there.”

“Is he married?” It had been four years. Diana seemed to him like a silent passer-by.

He pressed his lips together. “He probably won’t get married.”

I looked up at him with some curiosity. “Is there anyone he can’t forget?”

“Uncle Dennis!” Clariana came out, and the conversation between us ended abruptly.

He picked her up and got in the car. Dennis looked at Clariana and said, “What do you want to eat?”

“Ice cream, family bucket!” The little guy blurted out, almost without thinking.

Dennis smiled, eyes on me, and his voice was light. “You might want to ask your mom.”

Looking at me, Clariana pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders, then said wisely, “What do you want, Mom?”

It was so hot that you could hardly eat anything at night. On reflection, I said, “Let’s eat at home!”

Clariana was a little upset. She bowed her head and said, “All right!”

Her reluctance was evident.

Dennis smiled and turned the car toward the alley.

Perhaps because of the hot weather, we hardly had any appetite. I made a simple stir-fry. Clariana didn’t eat much before she went to the yard to pick watermelons.

She came back with a big one, looked at Dennis and said, “Uncle Dennis, why don’t you eat it with me today? I was gonna eat with uncle Kennedy last time, but he went home.”

Dennis looked at me. “Uncle Kennedy?”

“It’s Leo!” I didn’t mean to hide it.

He nodded as he took the watermelon from Clariana and split it in half. We grew Kirin Melons. They were not big, but they were very sweet.

They were half and half, which seemed like a good match.

“Your father is setting him up on a blind date. He came here to see you and Clariana?”

He said, his eyes on me, a little deep.

I paused and smiled, “I’m not the reason why he ran away. It was probably because he had someone in his heart and didn’t know it, so he came to me.”

I did wonder, though, who that girl was.

Hearing this, he said no more. He scooped out the central pulp of the watermelon and held it to my mouth.

Forced to take a bite, I said, “I don’t really like watermelon.” Otherwise, Clariana wouldn’t have gone to the fields every time someone came to visit. She liked to share it with others.

As the night wore on, Toby came over. Dennis stood up, hugged Clariana and looked at me. “It’s getting late. Good night!”

I froze for a moment. “Won’t you…?”

But I didn’t say the rest words.

When he came, I welcome him. And when he left, I did not detain him.

Clariana cocked her head at him and asked, confused, “Aren’t you staying at our house tonight?”

He smiled and squatted his long body beside Clariana. “I’m busy. I’ll see you when I have time,” he said softly.

Clariana nodded, frustrated.

He stood up, looked at me, and smiled. “Good night!”

I watched him and Toby leave in silence for a long time, then took Clariana back to the house. It was still hot in August.

And Clariana was about to turn five.

…

The next day.

It was the weekend. I was not surprised Toby’s here. He was carrying something that surprised me.

It was all home cooked food for the health. We had all this stuff in the yard. If Dennis asked him to deliver it, it would seem a bit redundant.

He knew I had these things in my yard.

“Madam!” Toby said in a hoarse voice, as if he hadn’t slept well last night.

There was a black ring around his eyes and he looked very tired.

“What happened?” I motioned him in. He stood where he was, handed me what he was holding, and said, “Mr. George has been drinking a lot of wine in City P these days, and has suffered some serious bleeding in his stomach. He didn’t want you to worry last night, so he went to the pub himself.”

I froze for a moment and said nothing. I just listened as he continued to speak.

“He wouldn’t let me talk to you, but it’s been going on too long, and he won’t go to the hospital. I’m afraid he’ll break down if this keeps going on. Will you please go and talk to him?”

I pressed my lips together, feeling calm, and said, “Since when?”

“Four years ago, after you left, he was like this. He seemed intent on pouring his energy into his work, but in fact he was driving himself to death. Sometimes he drank all night and had to go to hospital several times for stomach bleeding. The doctor told him not to touch alcohol, but he didn’t listen and continued to drink. You know better than anyone, ma’am, what you mean to him.”

I took the dish in his hand and said, “I’ll be there later. Give me his room card. Go back and have a good rest.”

When I agreed, he smiled like a child and handed me his room card. “Thank you.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g