Novel Square
Amazing 2
That afternoon, Vonda walked down the hallway of her office floor. The clock on her wrist showed it was ten minutes past twelve. Lunch break had already begun, and she picked up her pace. Sarah was waiting for her in the office cafeteria.
“Pssst. Pssst.”
Vonda furrowed her brow. She was just passing through a room where the employees of her department were.
The room was spacious. Big enough to hold about forty employees in their respective cubicles. At the door, three female employees smiled at Vonda in unison.
“Good afternoon, Ma’am.”
Vonda smiled back. “Good afternoon.”
As she continued on her way, Vonda heard a faint sigh of relief from behind her. It was as if the three employees were relieved. Vonda muttered to herself.
“Afraid I was going to scold them, huh?”
Arriving at the office cafeteria, Vonda immediately spotted Sarah. She was sitting at a table with her lunch already served.
“Just as you requested,” Sarah said as she watched Vonda pull out a chair. “Salad with fried chicken.”
Vonda smiled, picked up her plate, and took her first bite, savoring the delicious taste that immediately greeted her taste buds.
“Okay, if I remember correctly,” Sarah continued after taking a sip of her iced tea. “Kania’s engagement is next week, right?”
A small drop of sauce clung to her lips. Vonda noticed and grabbed a tissue to wipe it off before answering Sarah’s question, nodding briefly.
“Yeah. You’re coming, right? Mom asked about you.”
Sarah scooped up some soup and sipped at it, sighing as the various spices tantalized her taste buds.
“It’s okay. It’s just… well, Von. I don’t think I can stay overnight. Lili’s been a little fussy lately.”
Understanding, Vonda nodded. “Maybe Lili knows that she’s going to have a sibling soon. So, she’s getting jealous in advance.”
“Tsk! You’re something else. Besides, I still don’t know if those five sets of lingerie from yesterday were a success or not.”
Vonda nearly spit out salad she had in her mouth. She laughed while Sarah looked completely serious.
“Hasn’t it been about a month?”
Sarah shook her head. “Only three weeks.”
Vonda’s eyes rolled lazily in response. She clicked her tongue as she looked at Sarah again.
“Well, you could check, I suppose. All you have to do is buy a testpack.”
“Maybe not that easy. Besides, I get nervous every time I have to check. I can’t wait for the results, Von.”
Vonda laughed. “Well, you’re happy about it, aren’t you?”
A mischievous grin appeared on Sarah’s face. “Of course, I am. I mean, I’m not just happy about the uh-oh part?”
“You’re something else.”
A ring interrupted Vonda and Sarah’s casual conversation. It came from Vonda’s phone in the form of a video call from Riley.
It got Vonda’s attention again. In the past few days, Riley had not invited her to a video call through her phone’s screen.
“Hey, am I bothering you at lunch again?”
Vonda shook her head. “No, not at all, Mom. I’m done eating.”
Riley let out a long sigh. “Uh. Thank goodness. I was really looking forward to hearing from you. It’s been a while since we had a video call.”
“You must be busy, right? Too busy to remember me.”
Across the table, Sarah simply remained silent, watching her friend deepen her conversation with Riley.
For a friends-with-benefits relationship, you’ve gone too far, Von. Tsk tsk tsk! I bet you a new pair of lingerie you, can’t handle it.Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
Sarah decided to go back to enjoying her chicken soup, still keeping her ears tuned to the conversation between the two women of different ages.
“Not very busy, but uhm maybe a little busy. My friends and I are planning to start a business.”
“Wow! Impressive!”
Riley blushed at Vonda’s spontaneous praise. “You’re even more impressive,” she said. “Um, actually, I called you because I want you to come over, Von.”
“Huh? Is there an event, Mom?”
“Not really. I just want to chat. Um… how about coming here next Saturday? I wanted you to come this week, but I have to do something with my friends. So, let’s make it next Saturday. What do you say?”
When Vonda thought about it, she had just been at Max’s house a few days ago. It had only been a week. And now Riley wanted to see her again?
Despite this reality, meeting Riley was not a bad idea. Vonda liked it, but…
“How about next Sunday, Ma?”
Riley’s face showed a hint of disappointment. “Why? Are you busy?”
“Well, you know. My sister’s engagement is next Friday night. So, I guess I should go home.”
“Oh!” Riley’s eyes widened. “So that means Max is coming with you?”
Vonda looked surprised. “W-what?”
“Yes, of course he should go home with you,” Riley said enthusiastically. “Later I’ll have Max talk to your parents about your relationship, okay?”
This time Vonda’s eyes widened and Sarah in front of her just shook her head. As if she was not surprised at all.
I told you, Von. Our people are emotional. Especially those mothers who only have one child. Especially if that child is already in the marriageable age range.
While Sarah seemed calm, Vonda was the opposite. She looked like a fish out of water, gasping for air, trying to stay afloat.
“Mom, this-”
“Just stay calm, Vonda,” Riley said firmly. “You’re coming back this time, so this can also be a moment for Max to have a serious talk with your parents.”
Vonda was horrified.
“Basically, Max has to come. Just calm down, okay?”
“Mo-”
Riley smiled triumphantly. “Okay, I’ll call Max.”
This made Vonda even more anxious.
“Mom.”
Vonda tried to stop her, but the video call was disconnected. Now Vonda could do nothing but stare blankly at her darkened phone screen.
“Um!”
Sarah’s sigh got Vonda’s attention. Sarah seemed relaxed and asked, “Where’s the guy now?”
Vonda blinked briefly and answered blankly. “I think he’s eating at his favorite Mexican restaurant.”
Sarah nodded in understanding while Vonda’s mind wandered. She imagined Riley calling Max while he was eating. The shock of Riley’s demand could be fatal for Max.
What if he choked on a whole of burrito?
The image of Max struggling with a piece of beef intestine stuck in his throat made Vonda cringe.
“Oh my God!”
*