NovelEnglishAbner kicked the first-aid kit under the bed, put on sclothes, and opened the door.
Shirley stood at the doorway, peering inside. Seeing the half-finished exam papers on the desk, she sighed with relief.
"Mr. James mentioned you've been at it again. Is the pressure getting to you? Why have you beening back so late?" "No, I'll keep acing them." Shirley walked over to his desk and flipped through the other test papers he hadpleted. Each one was meticulously written, and he had even graded them himself.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtFeeling reassured, she turned to leave but paused, her nose twitching. There seemed to be a faint scent of ointment in the room, though she wasn't sure if she was imagining it.
"Shirley, you look exhausted. Why don't you get srest?" Shirley had also been working late nights, and with the added stress offorting Mrs. Davis, she and Abner rarely saw each other. Tonight, however, her concern had driven her to check on him.
Seeing him seemingly fine, she reached out and tousled his hair affectionately before leaving.
As soon as she was gone, Abner's face turned pale, and cold sweat broke out. He took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeve, and continued applying ointment. His skin was burning, and even the slightest touch caused searing pain.
With sweat beading on his forehead and wary of taking a shower, he wiped down with a towel and curled up in bed. But the pain was too intense, and he couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning, he even got up to vomit blood at one point.
Early the next day, Mrs. Davis contacted Shirley, ecstatic that they had managed to clear their debts. Mr. Davis wouldn't have to face jail time.
"Mom, where did all that moneye from?" "It was from one of your father's former students, though I don't know exactly who. Your dad'sing htonight. We thought we'd drop by your place for a get-together, maybe formally meet Abner too. Let's not let this situation sour things between us." Shirley didn't say much. The relationship was already strained as it was. But she didn't want to upset Mrs. Davis and decided not to protest.
She texted Abner, asking him toe hearly.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn the afternoon, Mrs. Davis arrived with groceries in hand.
"Your dad will be here by seven. Will Abner be late? We can save sdinner for him." Shirley joined her in the kitchen, and for a while, neither spoke. Finally, Mrs. Davis sighed.
"Shirley, about Mark..." "It's over between us." "I ran into Mark on my way here. The money... it was him who loaned it to us." Shirley paused, a frown creasing her brow. The guilt was evident on Mrs. Davis's face.
"I didn't know it was him. The money's already paid back, and we can't return it now. I thought we could pay him back together." Paying back hundreds of thousands of dollars wouldn't be easy.
Especially since Mr. and Mrs. Davis were already retired with modest pensions. This clearly put all the pressure on Shirley, leaving her no room to refuse. She remained silent, a bitter smile tugging at her lips, but it only made her heart ache more.
Mrs. Davis set aside the vegetables she was chopping.
"I talked to him. He said he was afraid we wouldn't accept it, which is why he lied about being a student of ours. The kid meant well. I always thought he was impulsive, but it seems he's trying to change for you." swn Shirley knew her mother harbored traditional beliefs deep down, insisting that every family needed a man. Now that Mark had quietly contributed a hefty sum, Mrs. Davis was more convinced than ever of his reliability, choosing not to side with Shirley this time. mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1
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