In My Desperate Time

"Old Mr. Louis, are you asleep?"

I knock on his door at nine o'clock in the evening,

"Not yet. What's the matter?"

I hear his loud voice, and then the door opens from the inside.

"I just want to ask if you are in the mood for some night snack. I can cook some noodles or dumplings for you." I smile kindly at him, trying not to make myself look different than usual.

The old man shakes his head and says, "I don't like those food. You can make hot and sour noodles for me. Make sure the taste isn’t too blend."

I don’t expect him to be someone who likes spicy food. But making a bowl of hot and sour noodles doesn’t beat me.

"Okay. Wait for a second. It'll be ready soon."

I nod and leave the room immediately.

This is one step closer to please Mr. Louis.

Twenty minutes later, I bring the noodles upstairs and knock on the door again.

knocking for a

Louis falls asleep in such a

Now that is embarrassing.

to lose weight. And I don’t want to eat anything too spicy to upset my

throwing it away

is still open, so I knock on the door and walk

is on, and I walk in with the noodles in my

He seems to be fascinated by something he is reading. He is so intrigued that he can’t even hear the knock on

"Are you hungry, Frances?"

my voice

holding in his hands under a pile of documents. "What are you doing in here? Don't you know

can’t hear it."

next time." He

enter his room like that. I hand him the noodles

think I can’t hear the conversation you had with my

the lie is exposed all at once, I am truly embarrassed. "It was originally for Mr. Louis. but he didn't answer the knock on the door. I assume he is asleep,

saying anything, Frances takes the bowl from my hand, says while frowning. "Only Mr. Louis

the slight complaint, he slowly starts