Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Margaret took Doris’s hand, her eyes glistening with emotion. “My life was saved by this wonderful young woman, Doris, I can’t thank her enough for what she’s done for me. To show my gratitude, I want to formally adopt her as my granddaughter. I hope all of you can witness this.”
The crowd broke into murmurs of approval, with someone chiming in. ‘Margaret, congratulations on gaining such a lovely granddaughter?”
Lewis was sipping water, and he choked violently, nearly spitting it out.
Doris glanced at him, raising her eyebrows as if to say, “Well, this is what you get!”
Lewis, caught completely off guard by Margaret’s declaration, quickly interrupted, “Grandma-”
“Don’t you interrupt me! I’m not finished,” Margaret snapped, glaring at him.
Turning back to Doris with a warm smile, Margaret continued, “Doris, I understand you’re already married, so I won’t push you. But I’d still like to adopt you as my granddaughter. Would that be alright?”
Doris froze and was lost in her thoughts. Adopted granddaughter? So…. does that make me and Lewis siblings now?
“Er…” Doris stammered with her brow furrowed. She cast a pleading look toward Lewis and said, “Why don’t you explain?”
Margaret noticed Doris’s glance toward Lewis and frowned. “Why are you looking at him? If you don’t think it’s a good idea, just tell me.”
“Grandma, let me explain.” Lewis began, trying to steer the conversation in a more reasonable direction.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Margaret cut him off with a wave of her hand. “No matter what you say, I’ve made up my mind. Doris will be my granddaughter.”
“Grandma, let’s talk about this inside,” Lewis said, shooting Doris a look, silently pleading for her help.
Margaret reluctantly allowed herself to be ushered inside, though her reluctance was written all over her face. Once they were behind closed doors, Lewis didn’t waste any time and said, “Grandma, you can’t adopt Doris as your granddaughter-”
Before Lewis could finish, Margaret immediately raised her hand and said with a sharp expression, “What are you saying? Are you looking for a slap? You don’t have the good fortune to marry a girl like Doris, and now you won’t even let me make her my granddaughter?”
“Margaret, please don’t be upset,” Doris interjected, gently patting her on the back. “Just hear him out, alright?”
Lewis sighed with helplessness etching on his face. “If you insist on adopting Doris, then she and I will have to get divorced first.”
Margaret froze, her expression shifting to one of shock. “What? Divorce? What are you talking about?”
“Grandma, Doris is already your granddaughter–in–law. We’re married. How could you adopt her as your granddaughter?” Lewis explained, rubbing his temples.
Margaret widened her eyes; as if not believing what she had heard. “Married? You two? Are you serious? You’re not joking?”
Without a word, Lewis reached into his pocket, pulled out their marriage certificate, and placed it on the table.
“Nadia, get my reading glasses,” Margaret called out, her voice tinged with urgency.
Nadia quickly brought over the glasses, and Margaret slid them on. Carefully, she picked up the certificate and studied it,
her
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Thiu, 27 Fe
Chapter 31
fingers tracing over the names on it.
As the reality of it sank in, her wrinkled face lit up with joy. Her hand lingered on the paper as tears pooled in her eyes, her smile growing wider by the second.
“Well, Grandma, do you believe me now? Lewis said with a small, satisfied smile.
Margaret nodded vigorously, a delighted laugh bubbling out of her. Then, with a playful smack to Lewis’s arm, she exclaimed. “You little rascal! You kept this from me? Watching me fret and fuss while you were secretly married to Doris?
“Well, considering you married such a wonderful girl, I forgive you for deceiving me.*
‘So no adopted granddaughter now?” Lewis asked with a sly grin.
Margaret waved him off, still clutching the marriage certificate like a prized treasure. “What’s the point of an adopted granddaughter when I’ve got such a perfect granddaughter–in–law?”
Lewis leaned back, his tone a little too smug. “Don’t forget, the guests outside are waiting for your big announcement.”
Margaret’s joy turned into mock annoyance as she shot him a glare. “This is all your fault!” she huffed, though a smile still tugged at her lips.
Lewis explained, trying to keep his tone calm, “You were recovering when we got married, and the doctor specifically said to avoid stimulating you.
“I wanted to wait until you were better to tell you. I thought today, after we brought you home, would be the perfect time.
“But instead, you decided to jump the gun and declare Doris as your adopted granddaughter without even consulting me. And every time I tried to explain, you cut me off.”
“Oh, so now it’s all my fault? How convenient for you!” Margaret huffed, clearly annoyed. But with a wave of her hand, she dismissed it. “Fine, I’ll let it slide. I’ll fix this myself.”
With that, Margaret marched back out into the yard with Doris and Lewis trailing behind her.
“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Margaret announced with a cheerful smile. “By the way, where were we?”
“Margaret, you were saying you wanted to adopt this young lady as your granddaughter,” someone helpfully reminded her.
Margaret waved the comment off like it was nonsense. “Oh, you misunderstood. What I meant to say was that this lovely young lady is going to be my granddaughter–in–law.”
“No, you definitely said adopted granddaughter.”
Margaret raised her chin indignantly and retorted, “Don’t think I’m senile. Lewis and Doris are already married. She’s my granddaughter–in–law, not my granddaughter.
“You all just heard it wrong. Here, I have their marriage certificate as proof.” She triumphantly held up the marriage certificate, waving it for all to see. “Look at this. Isn’t it beautiful? Aren’t they just the perfect couple?”
The crowd fell into stunned silence for a moment.
“Shouldn’t you guys say something?” Margaret said to the crowd with a smug face.
Someone broke the silence and said, “Congratulations, Margaret!”
“Congratulations!” others echoed, followed by a round of applause.
Margaret beamed and gestured toward the food. “Thank you, guys! Now, everyone, enjoy the food and drinks.”
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Chapter 31
With that, the awkward moment was swept under the rug, thanks to Margaret’s quick thinking. Lewis and Doris exchanged amused glances, both silently agreeing that Margaret was truly unbeatable when it came to situations like this
As the evening wound down and the guests departed, it was finally time for Margaret to rest. Doris helped Margaret to her bedroom on the first floor, and Lewis followed with a cup of warm water.
“Grandma, take your medicine,” said Lewis while handing her the pills.
Margaret took them obediently and held onto Doris’s hand. “Doris, it’s already dark, and Lewis had a drink earlier. I don’t feel comfortable letting you both drive back tonight.
“I had Nadia tidy up Lewis’s room upstairs. Why don’t you two stay here tonight? Tomorrow morning, we can have breakfast together before you head out. What do you think?”
Doris hesitated. Her refusal was on the tip of her tongue, but when she looked into Margaret’s hopeful eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
The thought of staying, however, made her stomach flip. If they spent the night, she and Lewis would have to share a room, a room with only one bed. How was she supposed to handle that?
Sensing her unease, Lewis answered, “Grandma, Doris can drive, and we both have work tomorrow. We’ll come back this weekend to spend more time with you.”
Margaret sighed dramatically, her expression shifting to one of exaggerated hurt. “You’re still leaving, huh? Fine, I’m just an old woman no one wants to bother with anymore. Don’t mind me. I’ve lived alone for most of my life.
I’ll survive another night. Just leave. I’m sleeping. Don’t disturb me.”
She flopped onto the bed and turned her back to them, muttering under her breath about being abandoned.
Lewis stood there, looking visibly helpless. Doris could see he was torn, caught between reason and his deep affection for the woman who had practically raised him.
Realizing that Margaret wouldn’t let this go unless they stayed, Doris decided to change tactics.
“Margaret, what would you like for breakfast tomorrow?” she asked gently.
Margaret froze for a second before continuing her grumbling. “Why would you care since you’re not even staying? Just go. It’s late. The roads aren’t safe. Leave the old woman to her fate.”
Doris coaxed her patiently, “I need to know what you want so I can make it for you in the morning.”
That did the trick. Margaret sat up immediately, her eyes lighting up as she broke into a wide smile. “You mean… you’re staying?”
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