Chapter 16 The Danger of Swimming Pool
Rachel immediately tossed away her phone. She looked back at the man standing behind her who acted like her "shielding umbrella" all the while and replied, "Yes, it's enough."
"If that's enough, let's hurry up with the shopping. My client will arrive early. I'd better not be late." Hiram looked at her smiling face and said gently. Then he went straight to the aisle where men's clothes were displayed.
"This one, this one and that one. Please pack these up for me." Hiram said to the salesperson with his finger pointed towards the clothes which he had chosen.
Rachel couldn't help touching her nose. She was shocked at his way of shopping. All of a sudden, she remembered: "Shucks, I almost forgot, I also have to buy a few things."
It took her much longer than Hiram to do her shopping. Before she came back to the car, Hiram had looked at his watch to check the time, many times.
"Shall we go back directly or go to the other place first?" After tying her seat belt, Rachel turned to Hiram and asked.
"I don't have time to go back first. You have spent a lot of time on shopping. We will go directly to the meeting place and you can wait for me outside." As he was speaking, he started the car, turned the direction and went out of the garage.
Rachel looked at the back seat. She had bought so many things that there was no space left and there were more in the trunk. With so many things purchased within such a short time she thought she was quite fast.
The car kept moving. It was heading towards the biggest business leisure club of H City.
On the way, Hiram gave Rachel a senior VIP golden card of the club and said "When we arrive there, you help yourself with some food. I will call you as soon as I finish my work."
"How long will it take?" Rachel accepted the card and asked. She wanted to know that answer in order to arrange her time properly.
As soon as they arrived, Hiram released his seat belt. He looked at the woman who had been rather quiet on the way and answered "I'm not sure yet. It depends on how the negotiation goes. I guess it may take one or two hours before we are done."
Rachel nodded her head and got out of the car as well.
As he left, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. She stretched out her waist which had been tired because of sitting for too long. Then she walked into the business leisure club right behind Hiram. Staying with this man was driving her crazy. It seemed like all the active cells in her body were being squashed to death.
Hiram was the kind of man who liked to stay quiet. She had known it since their first meeting. She had to stop herself from talking too much, to avoid creating an awkward atmosphere. And it was a huge torture for her.
She was a talkative person, and she liked talking very much. That's why she had chosen the sales profession.
Fortunately, according to their signed marriage agreement, there were only twenty-four days left before their fast-food like marriage got terminated.
If she had to spend the rest of her life with Hiram like this, he would definitely drive her crazy.
As soon as she got into the business club, she went to the dining room. It was almost 12 o'clock, and she was too hungry to do anything else.
She thought that Hiram might also be having lunch with his client while negotiating with each other.
"Waiter, I want the Pan-Fried Goose Liver, Spaghetti and Macaroon, that's all. Thank you!" Looking at the menu, Rachel was quite attracted to the pictures which were brightly colored and looked quite sumptuous. After that, she felt even more hungry.
It did not take long before her food was served. Just as she was about to enjoy her meal, her cell phone rang inappropriately.
"Hello, Mom." Rachel answered the phone, it was a call from her mother. Rachel cut a piece of Goose Liver and inserted it into her mouth with the fork and spoke while eating. She was so hungry that she had to enjoy her meal while chatting with her mother.
"Rachel, have you finished your meal?" Over the cell phone, there was the voice of her mother, Fannie Ruan. She sounded quite concerned.
"I'm having my lunch right now. I'm very hungry. What's the problem? If you have something to say, straight it out!" Rachel looked at the Spaghetti and was eager to have it right away. So she rushed her mother to talk quickly.
"Is everything going on well between you and Hiram?" Fannie laughed and asked.
"Oh, dear Fannie, what made you start caring about your daughter?" Rachel replied in a complaining tone while she kept taking bites of the goose liver.
"Don't you remember who threatened me to sign the agreement? And Who threatened me to cut off the mother-daughter relationship with me if I wouldn't sign?"
Fannie sighed and said "My dear daughter, you'll know in the future that whatever I have done was for your good only. Take this for instance, if I didn't put pressure on you, how long would it take before you get married? I couldn't wait.
By the way, I'm very open-minded. If you get pregnant, just keep it! We are in modern society now. It doesn't matter whether you have held the wedding ceremony or not."
"Ahem...Ahem..." Rachel couldn't stop herself from coughing fiercely. Rachel felt choked by what her mother said, she began to cough and said "Stop! My dear Fannie, perhaps you are longing for love, I wouldn't mind if you bring me a step-father."
"You petty girl, can't you show some respect towards your elder!" Fannie scolded Rachel over the phone. Then she remembered something and said "Do you still remember your uncle Nico's daughter? According to your uncle Nico, she has graduated from the university this year and will go to work in H City very soon. Uncle Nico asked if you could take care of her."
Rachel made a sound by clicking her tongue and said "Sure, even if you want to find me a step-father, I won't object to that either. How about Uncle Nico? I think he would be good for you. But his daughter, she is kind of too..."
Before Rachel could complete her sentence, Fannie interrupted her and said "Don't judge other people. Mandy is just a poor girl. Her mother died when she was young. Her father was too busy to subject her to discipline. She has a good spirit! She's a good girl."
Rachel knew uncle Nico very well. He was an honest and reliable man. They used to be neighbors. So she knew Mandy too. To her, Mandy was kind of a "bad" girl. The year when Mandy graduated from high school, she asked Rachel to accompany her to the hospital to have an abortion.
In Rachel's opinion, Mandy was kind of "slutty". She liked anyone who was handsome or rich. As she grew up, she wanted those types of men even more. Now that she had graduated from university, Rachel was afraid that her boyfriends would be too many to count.
As compared to her, Rachel thought herself much more lucky. Though they both came from a single parent family, still she knew that having a mother was much better than having a father.
As she grew up, she felt more strongly towards this fact.
"Ok, I know. I am sure she has my phone number. If there's anything I can help her with, ask her to call me. And my dear mother, would you let me hang up now. Your beloved daughter is almost starving to death. Can I finish my meal first?"
"Alright Alright! I'm hanging up. But you better hurry. You know Hiram well. He's a cold and passive man. So if you show a little more initiative, you would be able to warm him up one day."
By the time she hung up the phone, Rachel had lost her appetite. She was just chewing the goose liver without savoring its taste. She was asked to show more initiative, but was that really necessary? Hiram sometimes gave her the illusion that he was worthy of relying on. But in an instant, he would break all that down. His cold demeanor would completely break down her imagination always. After lunch, Rachel walked around the club to digest her meal. As she walked, she found that it was indeed the most prominent business club in H City. It was splendid and glorious. The state of the art decoration looked terrific. Every aspect of that place seemed unique and exclusive. And it was completely equipped with all sorts of entertainment facilities.
It was afternoon time. Rachel walked along the glass window near the swimming pool and watched the children playing in the swimming pool.
Many children were in the water, swimming or just splashing about with roaring laughter erupting continuously. Among them, Rachel saw a chubby, lovely little girl who was playing so happily that it made her cheer up as well.
With an orange flavored lollipop in her mouth, Rachel watched leisurely and joyfully through the glass window.
Rachel enjoyed this scene very much. In the pool, she also saw a super handsome man swimming backstroke freely and fluently. Actually, Rachel didn't see his face. But on the basis of his long arms and legs she assessed him and assumed he was a super handsome man.
As she enjoyed the pleasure of watching, suddenly she felt something was wrong. A little child was playing on the edge of the pool without any adult watching over her. But she couldn't see the kid anymore. Where could she go in such a short time?
It was a lovely little girl with two ponytails. And Rachel was attracted by her loveliness, that was why she noticed her.
Shucks! She might be in the water, Rachel thought.
Without thinking, Rachel took the lollipop out of her mouth and threw it into the garbage can near her. Then she dashed towards the entrance of the swimming pool. ☐☐☐☐