Veronica, who loved porridge, was actually reminded of the porridge prepared by Matthew as she ate the porridge she cooked.
Although porridge was the only dish the jerk knew how to make, Veronica had to admit that the porridge he made was very tasty.
After she was done eating, she packed her stuff and went online to check the train tickets. She then pondered about it and ended up purchasing a ticket to go back to her hometown—Cabot Town, Lothian— three days later.
By the time Veronica settled everything, it was almost 10 o' clock.
At that instant, she picked up her phone and was about to call Elizabeth to tell her that she did not wish to be involved in planning Matthew and Tiffany's wedding, but her phone rang as Elizabeth had beat her to it.
"Grandma, I was just about to call you, but
you actually beat me to it!"
Veronica smiled as she thought, What were the odds ?
"Haha, really? You cheeky girl. If I don't call you first, there's no chance we'll be in a call together."
Elizabeth laughed heartily from the other end of the line as she was in a very good mood.
"That's not true. I legit was about to call you to talk about something."
"What is it?"
"Grandma, well... I'm heading back to my hometown in a few days, so I can't help to plan Tiffany and Matthew's wedding anymore. So sorry about that."
Veronica felt apologetic as she genuinely felt she had let Elizabeth down.
Though Elizabeth had saved Veronica's life multiple times, Veronica just wasn't capable enough to repay her kindness.
"Oh! I actually called to discuss this matter with you too. Where are you now? I'll come and find you," Elizabeth replied.
"Oh, please don't. Where are you? I'll come and find you instead."
"I'm at the park where you saved me last time."
"Alright, please wait for me. I'll be right there."
After hanging up the call, Veronica changed into a sports attire and went straight to the park with her motorcycle.
20 minutes later, she met Elizabeth beside the lake in the park.
Veronica walked up to Elizabeth and greeted the latter with a bright smile. "Hello, Grandma!"
"Hey, Veronica. You're so quick to arrive! Haha..."
Catching sight of Veronica making her way toward her, Elizabeth smiled kindly and reached out her hand to hold Veronica's. Then, she sighed and said, "I asked you out to tell you something... My brain is not working as well these days compared to last time. That's why I said something silly like asking you to help plan for Tiffany and Matthew's wedding. Please don't be unhappy with me."
At once, regret and guilt spread across Elizabeth's aging face as she continued holding Veronica's hand tightly.
Veronica alertly noticed something was not right. Then, she recalled Elizabeth suddenly asking if she knew where her youngest daughter was the last time they met. While putting the pieces together in her head, Veronica asked, "Grandma, do n you...
Do you perhaps have Alzheimer's?
Veronica did not dare to ask the question as she was afraid to hurt Elizabeth's feelings.
However, Elizabeth shook her head and heaved a deep sigh. Then, she held Veronica's hand and went to sit on a bench at the side. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it at first too. But now, my brain is getting worse day by day, and I could easily forget things, so I have no choice but to accept the fact that I have Alzheimer's. Sure enough, one's
greatest fear will come to pass."
Now that the doubt Veronica had all this while was cleared, she was not too surprised but accepted the truth calmly.
"When did you find out about this? Does Matthew know?"
"I found out about it a few months ago, but I don't have the guts to tell Matthew." Staring at Veronica with her gray eyes, Elizabeth patted the back of her hand.
"Promise me to not tell Matthew about this lest he will be worried. This child has already gone through a lot of suffering."
Elizabeth and Veronica sat in the park and had some heart-to-heart small talks.
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