“It’s not you I’m looking for; I want to speak to Sonia. Is she there with you?” Grace asked on the other line, prompting Charles to glance over at Sonia.

“She’s here,” he answered.

 

“Pass the phone to her.”

Having made a noise of agreement, Charles handed Sonia his phone while saying, “Here, it’s my mom.”

Sonia took the phone over and greeted pleasantly, “Mrs. Lane.”

“Sonia! I’ve missed you so much.” Grace beamed as soon as she heard Sonia’s voice on the other end of the call.

 

Sonia, on the other hand, smiled as well. “I’ve missed you, too, Mrs. Lane.”

“You could always drop by to see me, you know,” Grace pointed out, feigning dejection.

 

“Sorry, Mrs. Lane. I’ve been tied up with tons of stuff recently. I barely have time to breathe,” Sonia winced and said apologetically.

“Well, you could come over for a meal right now if you have the time. I’ll bust out a few of my best recipes for you,” Grace cajoled kindly.

Sonia was just about to say something when Charles—who had been eavesdropping—spoke up instead. “Mom, I’m bringing my darling for seafood.”

Grace, however, was insistent as she countered, “You know how restaurants never run a quality check on their seafood supplies, and it’s not as if they could do better than me when it comes to cooking.”

for the offer, Mrs. Lane. We’ll go over to your place in a

chortled happily, elated that the younger

Sonia a resigned look. “Well, it looks like we’re

go and pick out gifts for your parents.” With

their rounds through the boutiques in the mall, they finally picked out an elegant cloak for Grace and a tasteful necktie for Curtis. Then, they made their way to the Lane

family than anything else. In particular, Grace had been best friends with Sonia’s mother.

pulled up in front

dropped by in six years, though she noted that the house looked the same as it had before. As such, she did not feel out of place at all and rather felt a warm

ran out of the house to greet her guest when she heard the sound of the car pulling up. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Sonia, and she approached the latter with her

Sonia greeted with a

side and drawled sarcastically, “Don’t mind me, Mom. I’m just your biological son,

of it. My attention is on Sonia now. Come here, Sonia, let me

by the remark. “No,

Grace insisted. “Your face is

so now I appear a little more slender than usual,” Sonia placated. “Alright, that’s

took her by the hand and led her into the

noted that there was no one else at home

with his buddies. No matter. Sonia, why don’t you tell me how you’ve been for the past six years.” Ever since Grace watched the

the life she had had with the Fullers, though she kept it brief to save

last of the story. She slapped the edge of the coffee table in a physical show of frustration and snapped, “I knew those Fullers were rotten! You should have told us how badly they were treating you, Sonia. If you had told us, then we would have stood up for you and gotten them

he bit into an apple. “That’s what I

marriage wounded him, and the rage he felt never went away. That

of Charles and Grace’s outward concern, Sonia felt warmth course through her. Tears pricked her eyes as she said, “I didn’t

all, she had lost both her parents, and the closest thing she had to a family was Grace and the rest of the Lanes. She might have been able to get them to stand up for her throughout her marriage to Toby, but they couldn’t come to her defense all the time. Besides, they weren’t actually

with you?” Grace gently prodded the younger

good-naturedly as she wrapped

and smoothed Sonia’s hair

then, Charles frowned as he sniffed the air curiously. “Mom, what

and her eyes lit up with panic. She rose to her feet in a

simmering in the pot, and thankfully, she made it

chowder was saved, she brought two tall glasses of juice over to Sonia and said, “Here you go, Sonia. Have some juice while you watch a bit of television; I’ll be in

Sonia nodded with a warm

look. “Come and

Charles blinked. He could hardly believe what he had just heard as he pointed at his nose. “Are you serious, Mom? What could I

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