Bitterness washed over me when I recalled my younger self. I’d knitted a scarf for the first time. It had taken me days but had still turned out crooked and uneven.
I’d nervously given it to Eugene, hoping he would compliment me and caress my head as he’d done in the past. To my dismay, he hadn’t even accepted the scarf. On the contrary, he’d given me a dirty look and snarled, “Who knows whether I’ll be cursed if I wear that?”
I’d later given the scarf to our dog, Lulu. I hoped it would make her bed cozier and warmer. However, I saw it in the trash can the following day. It had been cut into pieces and could no longer be put together.
I’d dug it out, uncaring of the dirt. I’d picked up the pieces, washed them, and tucked them into a box. They’d never seen the light of day after that day.
The main door swung open, and Eugene and Phoebe were about to leave. I decided to try to make them stay. “Eugene, Phoebe.”
The looks on their faces were very different when they turned to look at me. Phoebe’s eyes lit up when she saw me, and she happily called my name.
Beside her, Eugene’s expression darkened. He seemed to want to say something but stopped himself after glancing at Phoebe.
“Can we have dinner together? Just this once is enough,” I said, nervously awaiting their answer.
“Of course!”
“No.”
The answers were simultaneous but completely different. Phoebe turned to Eugene, looking confused. “Why not?”
Yeah, why not?
“Didn’t you promise Gary that you would accompany him to an auction? That’s tonight,” he said.
“Really?” Something occurred to Phoebe when she met Eugene’s confident gaze. The realization dawned on her, and she turned to look at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, Holly. It looks like we won’t have time to have dinner together tonight.”
She smiled after some thought. “How about we do this tomorrow? We can have dinner as a family tomorrow.”
A family? I forced out an ugly smile, almost drowning in my bitterness. There was no tomorrow for me, but I still agreed to her suggestion and watched her leave the house.
Before turning away, Eugene gave me a warning look. It was sharp, and I felt like he wanted to stab me with it. “Don’t let me catch you trying to pull something funny, Holly. Touch a hair on Pheebs’ head, and we’ll come after you with everything we’ve got. Stay away from her.”
