shuhaige
Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Eileen was a bit exasperated. She stood up from the steps, finally saying in defeat, “I’ll take you to Egbert first. How do you just recognize anyone as a family?”
With that, she extended her hand, “Hold my hand”
The little girl obediently took her hand.
Eileen held the girl’s in one hand and a food box in the other. They left through the backdoor and headed toward Egbert’s lounge.
Upon opening the lounge door, Eileen found it empty.
Unwilling to leave the girl alone, Eileen decided to stay. She sat on the sofa and asked, “Have you eaten yet?”
The girl shook her head.
Eileen frowned, “What’s up with Egbert?”
Sighing, she opened her food box, “Shall we share this? You can’t eat much, right?”
The little girl immediately perked up, “I don’t eat much. Just a little.”
Eileen laughed at her response and used a disposable fork to scoop some food, feeding it to the girl,
The girl opened her mouth wide and took a big bite.
She ate with serious effort, her cheeks puffed out on both sides.
Eileen also took a bite and asked, “Don’t you know what your aunt looks like?”
The girl replied with a mouth full of food, I’ve never seen my aunt”
Eileen raised an eyebrow, “Why is that?”
“My aunt’s not home,” the girl said, swallowing her food and opening her mouth for another bite.
Eileen chuckled, scooping up more food for her. The girl obediently took another bite.
By the time they finished the food box, ten minutes had passed, and Egbert still hadn’t returned.
Having eaten her fill, Eileen felt sleepy and slumped onto the sofa.
Seeing this, the girl, who had been sitting prim and proper, imitated her by lying back on the couch.
Eileen glanced at her and burst out laughing. “You’re such a dork,”
Embarrassed, the girl quickly sat up straight again, her face flushed.
Finding her position comfortable, Eileen even propped her legs on the low table.
Seeing this, the girl didn’t imitate her. Instead, she crawled over and hugged Eileen’s waist.
Eileen absentmindedly hugged her back, saying, “You need to stop randomly recognizing people as family. You’ll get scammed one day.”
“I’m not randomly recognizing people,” the girl rested her chin on Eileen’s chest, Insisting, “You’re my aunt. I’ve found my aunt. I’m the best!”
Eileen tapped her forehead, “What a little dummy.”
The girl pouted, looking unhappy.
Eileen coaxed her, “Alright, you’re not a dummy.”
The girl looked at her and said, “Will you come home with me?”
Eileen sighed, ‘Silly girl, how many times do I have to tell you. I’m not your aunt.”
The girl stubbornly furrowed her brows, “You’re my aunt. My grandmother can vouch for me if you don’t believe me.”
Quickly, the girl grabbed her smartwatch phone and dialed a number. The call was connected before Eileen could stop her.
On the other end, a gentle female voice asked, “Isabel?”
Immediately, the girl replied, “Sonia Lopez, this is Isabel.”
The woman on the line asked, amused, “What’s gotten into you to call your grandmother? She’s at the hospital and can’t take calls right now. If you need something, you can tell me, okay?”
Excited, the girl said, “Sonia, I found my aunt!”
The woman on the other end was taken aback.
Facepalming, Eileen couldn’t stand to listen anymore and said to the woman, “This kid is talking nonsense.”
“I’m not talking nonsense! She looked exactly like the woman in the photo! She looked exactly like my grandma, especially her eyes!” the girl retorted. Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
The woman on the phone sounded alarmed, “Miss, who are you?”
Only then did Eileen realize that she was a stranger who was with the girl. She quickly explained the situation.
After hearing the explanation, the woman sighed in relief, “Oh, that’s what happened. Thank you so much.’ She then addressed the girl, “Isabel.”
Isabel responded, “Sonia”
“Isabel, stay put, sweetheart. I’ll call Mr. Reed to pick you up right.”
“Isabel?” Before the woman could finish, a stern man suddenly appeared at the lounge door
Seeing Egbert’s return, Eileen quickly lifted Isabel and walked over. She handed the girl to him, saying, “Here’s your kid, I’m leaving.”
Egbert furrowed his brow, asking, “What happened?”
Eileen waved it off, “You left her alone here, and she wandered off. I brought her back. Now that you’re back, I’m leaving. Bye, Isabel.”
“No, you’re my aunt!” Isabel insisted seriously
Eileen just shook her head, saying to Egbert, “This kid might have some cognitive issue. You should take her to a doctor.”
With that, she turned to leave.
“Auntie. Mr. Reed. Auntie left.” The girl struggled in Egbert’s arms.
Egbert held Isabel tightly, turning to see that Eileen had already left his line of sight.
Closing the door, he looked at Isabel and asked, ‘You ran out?”
Isabel immediately fell silent, sticking out her tongue nervously. She then raised her hand, attempting to change the subject, “Mr. Reed,
Sonia’s call”
Egbert looked at Isabel for a moment, waiting until she was about to cry before answering the phone, “Sonia Lopez?”
Sonia hadn’t hung up yet. She sighed. “Egbert, I’m really sorry. Something came up at home, and I had to leave Isabel with you. Don’t worry. Bernie will come pick her up soon.”
Egbert placed Isabel on the sofa, saying, “No worries.”
Sonia asked, “Who was that girl just now?”
“A friend of mine.”
“Isabel seemed to call her aunt?”
“Yes.” Egbert looked at Isabel’s disappointed face, patting her hair, “She got it wrong”
Sonia expressed her frustration, ‘My mother-in-law’s getting on in years, and her health’s been going downhill these last couple of years. She can’t get her younger daughter out of her mind. Isabel’s probably heard too much from her granny and keeps asking to see her aunt. I hope she didn’t give your friend a hassle.”
“No biggie,” Egbert replied nonchalantly.
At this point, Isabel, who had initially clammed up because she knew she had messed up, piped up softly, “She is my aunt”
Egbert glanced at the pitiful-looking Isabel, then exchanged a few more words with Sonia. After hanging up, he instructed Isabel to look at him. He looked her in the eye and asked, “Do you really think that woman is your aunt?”
Isabel nodded firmly, “She is my aunt!”
Egbert’s expression turned serious. After a moment, he furrowed his brows and stated, “All right, I’ll look into it.”