Marriage And Love Again

Austin arrived at Bishounen ten minutes before six p. m. The meeting in the afternoon lasted for nearly two hours. He only came out of the conference room at about five p. m. As soon as he got out of the conference room, Austin drove here directly. On the way here, there was a traffic jam for more than ten minutes, so the original half an hour earlier was now ten minutes earlier.

The waitress of Bishounen knew Austin. As soon as he came, someone stepped forward and asked, “Mr. Johnson, are you making an appointment with a friend or booking another private room?”

“A friend, Mr. Murphy.”

The waiter soon came to his senses and said, “Mr. Murphy is not here yet. Mr. Johnson, this way please.”

“Ok,” Austin answered and followed the waiter to the private room.

Two minutes later, the waiter stopped at the door of the private room. He raised his hand and slightly pushed the door open. “Mr. Johnson, Mr. Murphy is not here yet.”

“Bring me a tea set.”

The private room was neither big nor small, about 20 square meters. There was a dining table and a bench next to it. Soon, someone came in with a set of teaware. Austin ordered black tea – a shot in the dark. He learned how to make tea from Suny but had no idea if this could help him impress Mr. Murphy.

Soon, the door of the private room was open again. The waiter led in an old man leaning on a crutch. The old man was dressed in a brown suit. His hair was a little gray and there were many wrinkles on his face. They were marks left by the years. Austin looked up and saw the old man’s sharp eyes. The old man glanced at him and sat down on the chair with a poker face.NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

“Mr. Murphy.”

Austin stood up and handed him a cup of tea. Mr. Murphy looked at the tea set in front of him and handed his walking stick to his assistant. He then said, “Mr. Johnson, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“This is what I should do.”

The waiter came in with the menu. Mr. Murphy asked Austin to order and said, “It’s my first time here, so I don’t know much about it. Mr. Johnson, please order for us.”

The waiter took the menu and went out. The door of the private room was closed, leaving three people in it.

Mr. Murphy took a sip of tea and said, “Mr. Johnson, I don’t like to beat around the bush. I think you know why I asked you out today.”

“Sir, you can just call me Austin.”

Mr. Murphy scoffed, “I wouldn’t dare to call Mr. Johnson ‘Austin’.”

They just had met each other for ten minutes, and Austin had already been defeated. Mr. Murphy was well aware of what had happened over the past three years. So Austin had no choice but to sit there, waiting for his atonement.

Seeing that he did not speak, Mr. Murphy put down his teacup and said, “Mr. Johnson, you are a smart man. I will not say mean words. Young people are always full of vigor, lest you think that I am using my seniority to threaten you.”

As Mr. Murphy spoke, he paused for a moment. “Suny’s parents died early, and it took me a long time to bring her back to the Murphys. She used to face hardship alone, but now she has us. Suny doesn’t mind what happened to her in the past, me neither. Mr. Johnson, I shouldn’t remind you of what you have done to Suny, should I? We loved Suny’s mother, and Suny is her daughter, so the Murphys cherish her. Although the Murphys are not a noble family, we can still protect her. I won’t pursue the past because I don’t want Suny to recall the heartbreaking experience. But…”

At this point, he suddenly paused.

Austin pursed his lips and looked up into his hawk-liked eyes.

“I don’t want you two to get back together.”

Mr. Murphy cut to the chase. He did not curse Austin, but what he said just now was even more difficult for Austin to face than verbal abuse. He didn’t even know how to react. Mr. Murphy’s self-mockery reminded him of how they looked down on Suny in the past.

“You’re a man, so be generous. Since you divorced Suny, you should have your own lives now.”

His words rendered Austin speechless. He lowered his head slightly and said, “Mr. Murphy, I admitted it I was wrong. That’s my fault. But everyone makes mistakes. Now that I know that I was wrong, I hope that you can give me another chance.”

“I believe Suny gave you many chances in those three years.” Mr. Murphy scoffed. “If you had cherished one of them, I would not have come all the way here to lecture you today.”

“You’re right, so I’m full of regret.”

“There are many things in life to regret, but there’s no going back.”

The atmosphere in the private room was heavy and oppressive till the waiter pushed open the door and served the dishes that the suffocating atmosphere eased up a little.

Austin glanced at Mr. Murphy, who was also looking at him. He was an old man in his 80s, but his hawk-like eyes were still sharp as if he could see through his heart. Austin didn’t eat much for this meal, and he didn’t pick up the knives and forks often. But Mr. Murphy had a good appetite. After dinner, he asked his assistant to pay the bill.

Only they were left in the private room. Mr. Murphy took a sip of tea and said, “I don’t want Suny to know about our meeting. I think Mr. Johnson should share the same thoughts as me.”

“Of course,” Austin responded. He looked at Mr. Murphy and said, “Mr. Murphy, no offense, but I still want to tell you that Suny only loves me.”

“Young lad, it is good to be confident, but sometimes, it’s annoying when you crossed the line.”

“Mr. Murphy, Mr. Johnson has already paid.” Mr. Murphy’s assistant returned and reported.

As the assistant spoke, he walked over and helped Mr. Murphy up. Austin wanted to help pull out a chair, but Mr. Murphy raised his hand to stop him dismissively. Austin’s hand froze in the air. After a long time, he took his hand back and watched Mr. Murphy being helped out of the private room step by step. Well, the second meeting? Boom!

It was already completely dark when Austin left the private room. He lit a cigarette in the car. It had already been several months since he last touched this thing. When he thought back to what he promised Suny that day, no matter what she didn’t like, he gave up. Austin glazed over at the shop in a faraway stare.

He had promised her. He couldn’t go back on his word, could he?