novelraw Chapter 208: My Brother Is a Big Dummy
Chapter 208: My Brother Is a Big Dummy
Ruby Sullivan was eager to know what Ethan Sterling had said to Honey, because the next day, her daughter was unusually cheerful, smiling at herself in the mirror while washing her face and humming songs on the way to school. But every time Ruby asked Honey why she was in such a good mood, the little girl would change the subject, saying things like how pretty her mom looked today or how delicious the breakfast eggs were. In any case, she had learned to dodge her mom’s questions.
Of course, Ruby Sullivan couldn’t take Honey’s behavior as lying, but watching her daughter spinning tales gave her a sense of pride and heartache, like having a daughter just starting to grow up at home. My little Honey is growing up, and the grown-up Honey has her own opinions, no longer the girl who shared everything with her mother.
Perhaps, this is a path every child must take, but it left Ruby feeling a bit gloomy.
Ruby Sullivan didn’t entirely want to ask Ethan directly either, but recalling his nonchalant attitude the night before, she was too annoyed to ask anything at all.
To avoid making Honey unhappy if she saw Ian again, Ruby planned to send her home first after kindergarten and then pick up Seth. However, Honey insisted on going with her to pick up her brother no matter what.
She even gave Ruby a sneaky look, leaving Ruby feeling slightly embarrassed and wondering if she should explain the true meaning of divorce to Honey.
Once mother and daughter were seated in the car, Ruby asked seriously, "Honey, why do you insist on coming with me? Don’t you dislike Ian?"
"Of course, I don’t like Ian because I already have a dad and don’t want another one," said the little one reasonably. She thought for a moment and continued, "Besides, I quite like Jack; his hair looks like a prince from TV."
Ruby frowned, "So you’re not actually wanting to pick up your brother from school, you just want to keep an eye on me?" That made her a bit unhappy.
She didn’t have a great interest in Erin, but eventually, she would want to have a boyfriend to be with, right? What would happen then? Would her little girl cry and ask her if she chose that man over her?
Just thinking about Tibet gave Ruby a headache from overthinking; Honey’s pace of growth this year was quite astonishing.
Seeing that her mother was a bit upset, Honey sat seriously in her car seat and said, "I’m not watching you, I’m protecting you."
Alright, this reason was one Ruby Sullivan couldn’t rebut, "Well then, Miss Honey, please sit properly, we’re setting off to pick up your brother now."
Today, things happened as they did yesterday; Ruby waited a while beside the car, and then Ian appeared. Since they had been introduced before, this time, he directly inquired about Ruby’s daily life, asking about her schedule and so on.
Before Ruby could answer, Honey impatiently said, "Mom is busy on weekends and definitely doesn’t have time to date you." These words were tips from Nina, who was a little genius at dealing with adults. No matter how bizarre the situation, she could quickly come up with a reasonable response. Honey wished she had such a gift for conversation but understood it was a talent, so she was content that her friend could teach her how to talk.
Even though she had practiced with Nina multiple times, talking to Ian made Honey nervous. Seeing him look at her, she quickly hugged her mother’s leg and hid behind her.
In any case, she couldn’t let her mom go on a date with any man other than her dad.
Ian was somewhat embarrassed, not expecting his intentions to be bluntly exposed by a child; he rubbed his hands and chuckled, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Ruby Sullivan also chuckled, "Well, I am indeed a bit busy on the weekends."
"I know a café with particularly tasty handmade cakes. I’ll introduce it to you when you have time." Although he hadn’t been explicitly refused yet, Ian felt it would be better to clarify his intentions.
He and his son both liked this Oriental woman whose eyes turned into moons when she smiled, and she was also single; he was certain he would regret not pursuing her.
"Sure." Ruby gave a polite but indifferent response. Although she said "sure," she didn’t really mean it, while Honey wasn’t happy at all, clearly committing their conversation to memory to report to her dad later.
After martial arts practice, Seth and his good friend Jack went to the changing room to change.
Jack couldn’t help but mention that his dad wanted to invite Seth’s mom for dinner. During training, he had kept glancing that way, apparently caught by the coach, who glared at him but let him off the hook.
"Do you think your mom will agree?" Jack asked, a bit uncertain. Seeing his dad and them chatting happily earlier, he thought he should relax and trust his dad’s social skills but couldn’t help but ask Seth for a more fitting answer.
"I don’t know if my mom would agree, but with Honey around, your dad’s chances for success are especially low."
Hearing that, Jack became anxious, leaning against the locker without bothering to change, and asked, "Does your sister not like my dad and me?"
"It’s not that she doesn’t like you; she just doesn’t understand what divorce means. She still thinks the whole family should be together forever, and now there’s a man trying to replace our dad’s role, which surely makes her very upset."
Being from a single-parent family himself, Jack understood these sentiments but was drawn to the idea of befriending the Shaw Family for the same reason; after becoming friends, they could tease each other and make life more interesting.
"Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to make Honey understand that mom and dad are already divorced."
The two changed clothes and carried their things out, noticing that neither group of parents was particularly talking; Seth felt Jack’s dad had already met some resistance, and he patted Jack’s shoulder without saying much.
On the way home, Honey was very unhappy and questioned her brother, "Brother, did you know Jake’s dad is pursuing mom?"
Seth glanced at her and replied bluntly, "I knew, but I think it’s mom’s right to meet new friends."
"I disagree!" Honey’s voice rose by eight decibels as she protested, using shouting for the first time to counter her brother.
Seth, startled by her volume, rubbed his ears, "You don’t need to shout; you’re going to hurt your throat."
Ruby couldn’t help but burst into laughter, realizing this was just how brothers soothed their sisters, though it felt a bit off somehow.
Honey huffed, folded her arms as she did yesterday, and suddenly thought about how could her brother allow her and mom to become friends with that man’s father just because he was their dad’s friend? Her brother must have been made dumb by that primary school, turning someone so smart into a big fool!