Chapter 8: Not to Stick at Trifles
The printed marble dining table was set with a hearty breakfast, but Alicia suddenly felt grieved. At the Joliot-Curie family's house, she never had a chance to have breakfast with her family. Actually, it could be better to say that she was not allowed.
When she was admitted into that house at the age of nine, they had made her invisible, never calling her at breakfast, and she also wouldn't join them at the table being unabashed. At an early age, because of her backbone, starvation was nothing to her. It wasn't until many years later that she suffered from a serious gastric disease. Only then did she began to realize that being angry with others meant giving a hard time with herself and nobody in the world would care about her.
Only the wearer knows where the shoes pain.
Seeing her sit still, Mrs. Sara asked with concern, "Why don't you eat? Are these not to your taste?"
"Oh, no, no."
She picked up the spoon and took a mouthful of tremella porridge.
"By the way, you are going back to Alicia's parents' home today, aren't you? I'll tell the housekeeper to prepare gifts for you later."
"I have no time."
Carlos coldly refused.
Master Edward frowned, "You have no time? Are you going to let her go back alone?"
"What does it matter to go back by herself? It's already the seventh time for me to get married, so don't make it look like the first one."
"What are you talking about? You are married for the seventh time, but it's the first time for Alicia. How can you..."
"It doesn't matter. My family doesn't stick at these trifles, so there is no need to do that. Besides, I have to work."
Alicia interrupted Sara, but she immediately felt it inappropriate as soon as she said that, because she wasn't sure whether a wealthy family like the Noel-Baker family could accept her work of showing herself in public.
It seemed that she should discuss it with Carlos first.
"What kind of work do you do?" Sara asked curiously.
"I am a teacher, in a middle school."
"Ah, you're a teacher. No wonder you are so educated and sensible."
Alicia smiled modestly, "Mom, you're flattering me."
"Where is it? Carlos can give you a ride after breakfast."
"It's out of my way."
Mrs. Sara gave him a glare, "She hasn't said it yet. How do you know it's out of your way?"
"No matter where it is, it is not on the way."
Alicia came in for the rescue, "There is no need to bother him. It's very convenient for me to take the bus."
"Bus?"
Mrs. Sara gaped at her, "How can the daughter-in-law of our Noel-Baker family cram into the bus? All right, since he doesn't want to give you a ride, I'll arrange someone to drop you off and pick you up every day."
"No, there is no need to do that," Alicia shook her head, "I don't like to be in the glare of publicity, and it's better to keep a low profile." "But..."
Master Edward interrupted, "Well, since Alicia has made the decision, let's not put her on the spot."
After breakfast, Alicia and Carlos went out of the house. Carlos, who walked in front, suddenly turned around and said to Alicia behind him, "You should come out ten minutes later after me. I am not used to someone following me like this."
Alicia was almost driven speechless by him and she asked out of curiosity, "You said this because you're unhappy with me going out to work after getting married?"
Carlos sneered. What a bumptious woman she really was! He looked her in the eye and told her word by word, "Keep it in mind that as long as you don't cuckold me, it doesn't matter to me what you do!"