Wendell felt helpless. He was seriously down on luck.
Instead of his son, he thought that he had found himself a bossy superior.
It was a heartfelt reunion after 30 years of separation, and yet the first thing Wayne talked about was an announcement about his marriage rather than expressing words of concern for his family.
If it were any ordinary woman, Wendell wouldn't have minded it. But the person he insisted on marrying was none other than Olivia! She was a divorced woman with four kids! On top of that, Olivia's ex-husband was Wendell's nephew! The divorced couple was somewhat entangled with each other too.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtEthan and Wayne were both dear to him. What should he do? Wendell was at his wit's end.
Ignoring Wendell's dilemma, Wayne handed him a cigarette.
But Wendell refused, "I quit it." Wayne lit a cigarette and squatted on the ground. Instead of a ruler of a land, he appeared more like a construction worker.
Wendell massaged his forehead at that. How had his son grown up to be like this? Wayne blew out a puff of smoke. "Yes or no? Givea definite answer." Cautiously, Wendell said, "I must say that it is quite a task. It won't be easy. It's not about matching social status. Even if you like a beggar, I can arrange a marriage for you right away. But she's from the Fordham family.
"You might not be aware of this, but they have sissues recently. Olivia's family doesn't share the sblood as the Fordhams. Besides, it's quite a mess over there. The marriage is unlikely to happen." Wendell discarded his cigarette. "So, it's a no? Geez, I shouldn't have called you Dad." He walked away, leaving Wendell stunned.
Had Wayne always been this carefree? Instead of reuniting with his family, he seemed more like he cto get himself a wife.
And when he failed to do so, he abandoned his father! Alan explained, "Please don't take it to the heart, Mr. Procter. He has always been like this." "Has he been doing well?" Wendell chere in a rush, so he didn't know a thing about Wayne's past.
Alan shook his head. "Honestly, no.
He managed to cthis far without any background, connections, or resources. He relied solely on his fists and wits. If he weren't lucky, he would've died hundreds of times.
"And please don't let his aloof attitude get to you. He grew up in a slum, where all kinds of people lived. He had to deceive to survive. It would be unfair to compare him to those well-raised rich men oneven ordinary people." Wendell felt terrible to learn how much Wayne had suffered.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn contrast, Alexander grew up leading a luxurious life. Yet, Wendell's very own biological son ended up like this.
"Does he not have adoptive parents?"
Alan chuckled. "I think you've had life too easy that you don't yo now bawor With kind lives. We grew up with whoever was kind enough to take us in. His life was tragic.
"He might've yearned for parental love when he was four, but he had to slog through those hardships on his el own. You can't expect him to be a kid anymore. He's already in his 30s." "Does he genuinely like Olivia?" asked Wendell. "Having worked with him for so many years, we've never seen him becoming interested in a woman. She's an exception, the only exception. Making the marriagehappen will be difficult, and we know that.
"Don't blyourself because of this. He has always been asingle-minded mah People like us never really own anything anyways, so we don't feel the pain of loss."