Carla was confused. Everything was fine earlier, and Jombo even agreed to stay for dinner. Why is he suddenly angry?
"Don't bother. Let's eat now." Zayn made her sit at the dining table before he went to send Jombo off.
"Where is great-grandpa?" asked the kids after they came out of the washroom.
Carla was unwilling to lie to them, so she answered frankly, "Your great-grandpa has just left."
"I thought he is going to stay for dinner? Why did he leave?" With his brows knotted, Josh asked worriedly, "Did he leave because I went to chase after Dori when I was performing martial arts?"
"Great-grandpa's car is still outside!" Venus ran out of the house.
Josh and Dori followed suit.
Randy, on the other hand, remained seated while calmly drinking water.
"All of them have gone after your great-grandpa. Why didn't you join them?" Carla asked curiously.
"If great-grandpa wanted to leave, he must have his own reason." Randy handed a small bunch of grapes to his mother. "Mommy, the grapes are sweet and juicy. Have some."
"Thank you, Randy." Carla took the grapes. After some hesitation, she asked, "Randy, did you say something to your great-grandpa?"
Randy was composed. "We have a few words. I just wanted to protect mommy."
Hearing that, Carla's heart tightened. She knew her son well. Randy was more mature and cleverer than his peers. Thus, most probably, he knew all that was going on between her and Jombo.
If that was so, it was not surprising that he would do something out of the ordinary.
Carla suddenly thought of Simon, the boy who suffered a great deal because of the toxic relationship between his parents. The enmity between the two families had eventually caused the three- year-old boy to go to the extremes when he stabbed Lena with a pair of scissors.
She wouldn't want to see Randy become the next Simon.
Holding Randy's hands in hers, she said, "Randy, this is between the adults, and it has nothing to do with you. Don't think too much, alright?"
"I didn't, and I won't meddle in it. Don't worry, Mommy, " Randy comforted his mother, "I know what I'm doing."
Carla was at a loss for words.
Right then, Josh and Venus were back. The two were still sulking over their great-grandpa, who suddenly left.
"Hmph! Great-grandpa didn't keep his promise!"
"We're not sharing hot cross bunnies with him next time."
"Yeah! We're not sharing with him!"
"That's it! Let's eat!" Zayn picked the kids up and put them in their junior chair. Then, he asked Mrs. Bolistin to serve dinner.
"Daddy, mommy, Mrs. Borah, let's dig in!"
The presence of the kids in the house would always liven up the atmosphere. Including Dori, there seemed to be four children in the house.
The dining hall was filled with the kids' laughter and jovial chatter. Carla soon cast her worries away. The heartfelt smile never left her face as she enjoyed dinner with them.
As for Mrs. Borah, she hadn't seen the kids for a long time. Throughout the dinner, she was busy filling the kids' plates with food.
The whole family had wonderful dinnertime together.
After dinner, Zayn and Carla took a walk in the garden with the kids.
As the cool evening breeze blew, Zayn wrapped his coat around Carla and his arm around her shoulder. Sitting on the bench, the two watched the kids as they played. The contentment and blissfulness brought about by the lovely family moment brought smiles to their faces.
"If only we can live a simple yet happy life like this forever, " Carla said, "with the whole family staying together, and we will accompany the kids as they grow up."
"Yes, we will." Zayn was optimistic about the future. "Don't worry. Grandpa will eventually give his blessing."
"How are you so optimistic?" Carla plastered a bitter smile on her face. "He was angry when he left just now. I don't think he will agree to us marrying."
"Oh, Carla, you're such a pessimist!" The man ran his fingers through her hair. "Trust me, grandpa will agree for the sake of the kids."
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