Chapter 23 Chapter 22 Is My Dad... Going To Raise a Kid Of Someone Else?
After they left the high-speed train station and got in a cab, Timothy took Queenie back to the old house first and told her to pack her things. And then, he and Albert would come to pick her up after he told Albert about this.
Queenie did not have a problem with that. She got out of the car and went upstairs to pack her things. Actually, she didn't have much to pack, only a few sets of new clothes that Timothy brought her and some toiletries. It took her less than half an hour to get organized. And then she sat on the sofa and waited for Timothy to pick her up.
On Timothy's side. When he got home, he cleaned up the guest room first, then washed a new set of bedding, dried it and laid it on, and went back and forth in the house to clean it up. The house was still neat and tidy after his week away. It was obvious that Albert had been cleaning at home. But there were still some areas that were a bit messy, and he tidied them up little by little.
Just then, Albert Carter came back from school and was so happy to see Timothy in the house. He happily ran over to Timothy, "Dad, you're home? Next time you go to visit grandparents' graves, take me with you!"
"Sure, I'll take you next time," Timothy smiled and agreed. He wiped the dust off the cabinet with the rag in his hand, "There's something I want to talk to you about."
"What is it?" Albert Carter took off his school bag and dropped it on the couch. He also took out a rag from the bathroom and joined Timothy to help with the cleaning.
"That lady you saw last time. I want her to live in the house," Timothy put down the rag, looked at Albert Carter, and asked softly, "do you agree?"
"Are you going to marry her?" Albert asked. "Well, yes. I'm going to get married to her," Timothy replied. "Does she... Does she know you're not well?" Albert Carter asked again. "I haven't told her yet, but she won't mind," Timothy replied.
"Well!" Albert Carter nodded, lowered his head, and wiped the cabinet hard, saying, "As long as you're happy, I don't care."
"Thank you!" Timothy thanked him.
"What are you thanking me for? You are the one who is going to get married," Albert Carter buried his head and wiped the glass cabinet vigorously, "so, do I have to call her mom from now on?"
"No, you can just call her sister. She says calling her mom will make her old," Timothy laughed.
"Pretentious. I call her sister and I call you dad. But she calls you husband. The relationships are a little confusing!" Albert Carter frowned, thinking like a young adult, "what about, I'll just call her by her first name!"
"Okay, it's all up to you." Seeing that Albert agreed without any objection at all, Timothy was in such a good mood that his tone became lighter. And he couldn't even help humming an old song as he cleaned.
Looking at his father, who was happily in love like a brat, Albert couldn't help but smile too. He wanted his father to be happy. He didn't want to see his father looking at the darkness every night with empty eyes or sitting all night long. And he didn't want to see him even smiling with sadness and fatigue.
Compared to his mother, whom he had never met, he wanted his father to be joyful.
He had grown up. Even if his stepmother treated him badly, he was not afraid. He was already fourteen years old. He was a man. He could have protected himself a long time ago.
If he had younger siblings in the future, he would also be nice to them for the sake of his father. Anyway, as long as that woman was not too bad, he was willing to accept her, who would make his father happy and make the family more complete.
"Will you go with me to pick her up later?" Albert heard his father ask from behind him. And he could sense the anticipation in Timothy's voice.
" Is she going to move in today?" Albert Carter was a little surprised. Was this woman so unreserved?
"Yes!" Timothy nodded, "she wants to stay with us."
"Okay, as long as you are happy." Although Albert Carter verbally agreed, he was thinking in his heart, 'This young woman knows the situation of Dad and still can't wait to get married to him. Is it really because she is overwhelmed by love? Or, does she have other purposes?'
Albert Carter looked back at his father, who was in total bliss. And he felt a little worried, 'Dad is so innocent and honest. Will he be fooled by that woman?' "Dad, do you have to give your salary to that woman after she moves in?" "Of course!"
"What about the bankbook?" "I'll give it to her for safekeeping too!"
"The house... You're not going to add her name to the house, are you?" "That's a must!"
Looking at his father's sunny and innocent smile, Albert silently covered his heart and thought to himself, 'My goodness, the old man in love is really terrifying.' When the father and son had cleaned up the house, it was already dark. Timothy drove Albert to the old house where Queenie lived. Once Albert entered the house, he looked back and forth at Queenie. Although he had seen her once last time, he did not look at her seriously. But now he looked at her carefully. She was really pretty. Her face was soft and tender. And her eyes were big and flashing when she looked at others, as if she carried endless affection. ​He would even have a false impression that this woman loved him when he looked into her eyes. Not to mention his dad, an old man who had not been in love for more than 20 years.
No wonder his father had fallen in love!
It was a woman of great tact. He should stay alert!
"Albert, you come to pick me up, too?" Queenie was naturally happy to see her brother. She took a step forward and stood in front of him, greeting him with a smile.
'She seemed to be nice,' Albert muttered in his mind and responded in a casual manner, "I didn't want to pick you up. But my dad forced me to come."
"Well, thank you!" Queenie thanked him with a smile.
"Come on!" Timothy reached out and picked up her luggage, which she had packed to the side. Queenie tried to grab it herself, but Timothy refused and forcefully tried to carry it for her. The two of them were struggling to carry the luggage. And finally, Albert couldn't stand it any longer and went over to grab the lever of the suitcase, calling out, "It has wheels! Just drag the lever."
"Oh, right," Timothy took the lever and walked ahead with a smile. Queenie followed him with a sweet face.
Albert couldn't help but sigh, 'had my dad been this stupid before? Why didn't I realize it before?' When they got home, Timothy took Queenie to the room prepared for her, "This is your room. My room is next to yours. And Albert's room is the one opposite. If you don't like this one, there are two more rooms upstairs. Do you want to choose?"
Queenie looked around the house and found nothing unpleasant. But she asked, "Can't I share a room with you?"
Queenie's unobtrusive question nearly caused Albert, who was listening outside, to break down the door. But he was only to see his dad answering coyly with a strange blush, "Let's wait!"
"How long then?" Queenie smiled and hooked Timothy's finger, shaking it. "Well..." Timothy pondered with difficulty and wondered how long he would need. Queenie smiled and stepped forward, put her arms around his neck, and said sweetly, "Okay, okay, I won't push you. Tell me if you're ready."
"Sure!" Timothy nodded.
"Then give me a kiss first." Seeing his look, Queenie liked it so much that she wanted to kiss him again. But Timothy tried to stop her and said, "No, Albert is outside..."
"Just one kiss."
"No..." Timothy's voice of resistance grew fainter and fainter. He didn't realize that he looked like a big girl being molested in his son's eyes.
Albert, who was so embarrassed to see him, shook his head vigorously and took a few steps out into the living room, calling, "I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"
"Oh, I'm here." Timothy's somewhat panicked voice came from inside. And it took a moment for him to come out of the room with lipstick marks all over his face. He coughed a little woefully and said, "I'll go see what else is left in the fridge. It's late today and I didn't buy any new groceries, so we'll just have a casual meal!"
"Well, whatever! You go make it!" Albert said and rolled his eyes.
Timothy hurriedly went into the kitchen to cook for the kid. Queenie came out of the room with a satisfied smile on her face. Squinting, she sat on the sofa in the living room and looked at Albert with a smile, "Are you hungry? Do you want to order a take-out? Do you like KFC?"
Albert Carter glanced at her and gave a "chortle", "I don't eat those. Those are junk food." "Okay, I'll eat." Queenie didn't care about the disrespect in Alber's tone. She took out her phone and started to order the delivery. "Hey, no take-out orders," Albert Carter said in a commanding manner. "Why? You don't eat it and you're not going to let me eat it?" Queenie looked at him with displeasure.
Albert also had an unhappy face, "If you order takeout now, what will you do with the food that my dad is making now? He works so hard to make it. Will he be happy if you don't eat his food?"
Hearing this, Queenie raised her eyebrows, put away her phone, and said, "You're right."
After that, she looked at Albert and said with a smile, "Hey Albert Carter, you like your dad a lot!"
"Of course YES!" Albert Carter gave her a hard stare, "I'm telling you, if you play with my dad's feelings, I won't let you walk free!"
Queenie didn't say anything. She just looked at him and laughed, which made Albert Carter angry. He asked fiercely, "Did you hear me?"
"Yes, I did!" Queenie laughed, "Don't worry, I won't lie to him."
"You better not to," Albert Carter clasped his hands to his chest and said in an adult-like manner, "as long as you and my dad live a good life, I won't treat you badly."
Queenie laughed and couldn't resist reaching out to touch his head, "I know, young master." As soon as her hand touched Albert's head, he slapped her hand away. He blushed with embarrassment and said, "How...? How dare you touch me?"
After saying that, he stood up and ran back to his room to do his homework. Looking at her hand that was slapped red, she couldn't help but squint and smile. Her younger brother, who was raised by Timothy, had the same personality as Tim, which was so cute!
Queenie stood up, humming, and walked to the kitchen. She saw Timothy had taken off his jacket and was standing in front of the gas stove wearing a white striped shirt and casual pants. He didn't wear an apron. His sleeves were rolled up to his wrists. And the hem of his shirt was still tucked into his pants. He was skillfully holding a spatula in one hand and a pot handle in the other, stirring a pot of fried noodles with shredded meat, onions, potatoes, and diced bamboo shoots. White smoke wafting from the work was being sucked up by the hood rumbling. He stir-fried a little. He lowered his head slightly. And his hair fell slightly which covered half of his forehead. A pair of glasses were on his straight nose. And even through the thick lenses, she could see his fan-like eyelashes and his eyes with stars. His look like this was so gentle and handsome that she could not help but fall for him. Finally, Queenie walked over and hugged him tightly from behind. And he seemed to have known that she would do this. He kept frying the noodles without any surprise. However, his smile couldn't be hidden.
Albert, who heard no movement outside, quietly went out again and saw this scene in the kitchen. He couldn't help but feel his heart soften and smile along with them. Well, as long as his dad felt happy. Even if this woman was a liar, he was willing to be nice to her. He just hoped that she could lie to his dad for a little longer.
Albert walked back to his room and closed the door. He took out the only photo of his parents from the drawer, which had long been yellowed and even blurred. He could only vaguely make out the outline of his mother, who should be a pretty woman and looked a bit like this woman.
However, his mother was not as blessed as this woman!
Albert Carter took one last lingering look at the photo before placing it in a book and locking it in the deepest drawer of the room. He had to be careful not to let that woman know that she and his mom looked alike. It would be bad if she got into a quarrel with his dad because of this.
His dad was cold and reserved. He wouldn't be able to defend himself. So, the photo should be hidden.
Although he felt a little sorry for his mom, he couldn't have her picture or anything about her in the house anymore. However, as long as his dad felt happy, it was good.
Fourteen-year-old Albert was a little sad. But he had a glimmer of hope for his new life. He really hoped that there would be no more fluctuations in the days to come. He hoped that the house would always be like today. As lively, quiet, and warm as today.
"Albert, come out to dinner," Timothy called from outside.
"Oh, coming." Albert Carter put the key to the drawer in the savings jar and walked out. The fried noodles were already packed and on a plate. Timothy said gently, "There are no more groceries in the fridge, so let's just have a simple meal tonight!"
"Okay!" Albert didn't care what he ate. He picked up his fork and started to eat. Queenie also picked up her fork to eat. But only after two bites, she felt nauseous and retched. She patted her chest to ease the feeling brought by the acid. Her eyes were wet because of this terrible feeling.
"What's wrong?" Timothy asked nervously. "Is this noodle expired? It's a little stale." Queenie said, "No way. It's delicious!" Albert Carter immediately defended his father, "Women are just pretentious!"
Looking at Timothy's worried expression, Queenie hastened to comfort him, "Maybe it's my own problem. I feel nauseous about everything I eat lately."
Timothy looked at her and didn't say anything. After a while, he asked carefully, "You, you're not pregnant, are you?"
Queenie's eyes widened. That would be it! She realized that it was possible, given the frequency of sexual life after they got married twenty-three years ago!
Albert had a bite of noodles in his mouth. He felt difficult either swallowing it up or spitting it out. He stared at Queenie, thinking, 'Is my dad... going to raise a kid of someone else?'
He could bear anything else but this. He wouldn't approve of this marriage!
When Queenie took the pregnancy Test Kit from Timothy, which he had just brought downstairs, she felt a little hot on her cheeks. The last time she used this was during the summer vacation of her third year in college. Back then, they were on a trip during the summer vacation. After they returned, her period was delayed for more than a month, which made her so nervous. Back then, she thought, 'I haven't graduated from college yet. What if I get pregnant?'
She called Timothy out in the middle of the night. Biting her finger in the alley behind her house, she asked nervously, "What should we do? We're doomed."
"What's happening?" Seeing her crashed look, Timothy, then a young adult, quickly held her arms and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I..." Queenie looked at him with some embarrassment and said, "I didn't have my period this month."
Timothy, who was only twenty years old then, reacted at once and asked with a red face, "Does... Does that mean you're pregnant?"
"I don't know!" Queenie stomped her foot and said, "It's all your fault! You said you were going on a trip with me, but we ended up hiding in the room and doing this instead of going anywhere."
"I... I..." Timothy also panicked a little. And he felt a little aggrieved. Actually, he didn't plan to do anything for her. And he booked a room with two beds. It was Queenie who said he was attractive and made a move on him at night. And on the second day of the trip, it was she who was lazy, refused to go out, and asked him to stay in the room with her to sleep. He was a young and energetic man who had just known how amazing sex would be. Naturally, he didn't control his deed...
"You... You... You what? You tell me what we should do now?" Queenie asked with a fierce but pitiful look.
"If you have a baby, we will have a baby and get married," Timothy did not hesitate to answer.
"Thank you, you made this problem so easy! Then who will feed and raise the baby?" Queenie became anxious at the thought of having a baby.
Timothy said in a hurry, "I'll feed and raise the baby. If you are pregnant, I will quit the graduate school test this year. And in the fourth year of college, I can go out for an internship. With my degree, it won't be hard for me to get a job in a pharmaceutical research factory. My tutor asked me last time if I wanted to work in his lab. Although the income is not high in the first year, it would be enough for the formula for the kid. As for the baby, we can let my mom take care of it during the day, and we can take care of it ourselves at night."
Seeing that Timothy had arranged everything at once, Queenie did not panic. It was true that they will be in grade four in college next year. Two graduates of major universities would be able to find a job to make ends meet after graduation.
"But I don't want to have a baby so early!" Queenie cried anxiously. She was just craving Timothy's beauty, right? She didn't expect the aftermath of taking it to be so great!
"Don't cry, don't cry," Timothy sighed and said, "If you don't want... That's fine too."
"Great, are you waiting for me to say that? So you wouldn't have to be responsible?"
"I'm not," Timothy hugged her in a hurry, "how could I not want it? I'm sure I'd love it as long as you would give birth to it."
"Really?"
"Really," Timothy smiled, comforting, "even though it was unplanned, it's still a gift!"
"It makes sense," Queenie rubbed her belly and asked, "Is it going to be a boy? I hope to have a boy like you, so I'll have two princes."
"I like girls. Sweet and soft, like sweet honey," Timothy said. "Boys."
"Girls."
"Boys."
"Okay, whatever you say, a boy first and a girl next." Timothy's voice seemed so soft and pleasant in the dim and narrow alley.
"No way, one is enough." "Shouldn't we get married first?"
"You're not old enough." "Then let's have a wedding first..." "Okay, let's have a wedding as long as you're pregnant."
The two of them discussed the matter in the alley for a while. Later, Timothy went to the drugstore to buy some pregnancy test kits and gave them to Queenie to test when she got up in the morning. When Queenie took the pregnancy test kits, she could not help but smile as she saw both of Timothy's ears were red.
The next morning, Timothy bought breakfast for Queenie early in the morning. When he knocked on the door of the Jackson family, Kelvin Jackson was just leaving for work, "Here you are, Quira is still sleeping. Go get her up!"
"Okay. Uncle Kelvin, be safe on your way." Timothy greeted him politely. "Sure." Kelvin liked Timothy quite a lot and was happy to see them dating. Timothy entered the house, put the breakfast in the living room, then climbed up to the second floor and pushed open the door to Queenie's room. She was sleeping under a thin blanket. The air conditioning was turned down so low that she curled herself up tightly, showing only one head.
Timothy laughed, went over, and touched Queenie's head. He said, "Wake up, lazybones." Queenie ignored him. And he leaned over and called, "Quira, Quira, Senior Quira!"
Queenie rolled over with her eyes closed, still ignoring him. Timothy pinched her ears and pulled her hair, "Why are you pretending to be asleep when you're obviously awake?"
Queenie, whose eyes were still closed, said in a lazy, husky voice, "The beautiful princess has fallen into a deep sleep and needs ten kisses from the prince to wake up."
Timothy laughed, "The princess didn't brush her teeth and the prince was a little disgusted." "Ten kisses." Queenie pouted and stubbornly demanded the kisses.
"What should I do to you," Timothy said with a disgusted tone. But he had a happy smile on his face. He leaned down and kissed Queenie with "pop, pop, pop" sounds. "Okay, ten kisses."
"I feel like my face has been washed by your saliva," Queenie opened her eyes and smiled.
"Okay, stop it. Get up and get tested." Timothy had deep dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't slept last night. And he even thought about how many tables to set up for the wedding reception, what hotel to go to, and what to name the baby. And he even talked to his dad, hoping to choose one of the several houses in the family for the wedding house. And his dad agreed. He considered many, many things, and then was nervous, excited, and a little scared at the thought of having a child soon. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to take good care of Queenie and the baby. He was scared of making them suffer.
But he was looking forward to it. As long as he thought of Quira giving birth to a cute, loving baby, he was so happy that he couldn't sit still all night.
Queenie was still lying. Timothy whispered to coax her, "Good Quira, hurry up, you want to kill me?"
"There's no need for a test," Queenie said sullenly as she lay under the covers. "What's wrong?"
"It came last night." "Huh?"
"My period. It came last night."
"..." Timothy was petrified. And it took a while for him to say, seemingly relieved, "It's okay, there's still a chance later."
"Stop it. Take these and throw them away," Queenie was embarrassed to have made a fuss. She fished out the pregnancy test kits that Timothy had bought her last night and stuffed them into his arms.
Timothy looked at them and said, "You can use these next time!"
"What a good wish! You won't be allowed to touch me without protection next time." Queenie glared hard at him. But she saw Timothy wearing her favorite outfit today, a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. Clean and free. His fair arms were exposed and placed on the side of his long and slender legs. His long fingers were gripping the bag. And there was a hint of embarrassment on his face. His short black and soft hair covered his forehead in a good manner, revealing his delicate eyebrows and eyes. Under the morning light, he looked like he was being carved with a soft glamour. He looked so good. Queenie felt her heart beating wildly and turned around silently, thinking, 'This damn man is really of my taste. He looks so good in any way. I want to pounce on him. No, no, no. He is a yummy cake, but I have to be careful when I eat him.'
"Got it, I'll be ready next time." Timothy thought Queenie turned away from him because she was angry at his recklessness on the last trip. So, he hastily apologized and coaxed her with assurance.
He really didn't mean to do it. He really didn't prepare for the protection that day. And he didn't expect her to be so enthusiastic and active. That was why he was out of control. Now when he thought back, he did feel a little scared. Although he was happy to see a kid of their own, he would like to have more time with Quira alone after graduation.
At that time, Timothy thought, he was only twenty years old, and he would get married after he graduated from graduate school. He thought it would be best to prepare for a child at the age of twenty-seven when his job would be stable and he would have some savings and time to educate his child. If by then the policy allowed, he would have two kids.
Back then, Timothy was so convinced that he and Queenie would have a long time to spend together and they would have beautiful kids later. But he didn't expect it to be twenty-three years of waiting.
Middle-aged Timothy waited in the living room with his head down. The bathroom door was slowly opened. He looked up only to see the girl, who was always in his memory, walking out with some embarrassment and scratching her hair. He looked at her with expectant eyes. The girl pouted and said, somewhat unhappily, "No."
Queenie added, "I guess I had a bad stomach!"
"Well, 'no' is fine too," Timothy suppressed the disappointment in his eyes and said softly, "then let me take you to the hospital later!"
"Mmm!" Queenie didn't dare to look at him. She took two tests in the bathroom and both tests were one line. So, she should not be pregnant. Now she regretted it. Why did she let Timothy take protective measures after they got married? They should have prepared for a child as soon as they got married.
That way she could also give Timothy the joy of having a child at this point in his forties. Seeing that he was obviously disappointed and pretending not to care, Queenie had a hard time and went over to pat him on the shoulder, saying, "It's okay. There are plenty of opportunities in the future. You're still young, why don't we hurry up and make it happen tonight?"
Timothy glanced at her. He did not say yes, nor did he say no. He just stood up with his earlobes slightly red and said, "Come on, let's take you to the hospital."
"You're not working again today, huh?" Queenie asked as she followed. "I took the day off." Timothy walked ahead with his head down. "Well, well, well, another leave of absence. Be careful not to be fired in middle age," Queenie laughed and caught up with her.
Timothy turned his head to glare at her. Seeing her smiled like a little fox, he could not help but raise his hand to knock her head. Queenie hurriedly seized the opportunity to grab his hand, "Oh! How can such a beautiful hand be used to hit others? It should be in my hand."
Timothy pursed his lips and smiled. Watching her clutch his hand, he suddenly said, "Do you know what term they gave to the words you've just said?"
"What?" Queenie asked. "Cheesy pickup lines." Timothy drew back his hand and turned away, "Super cheesy."
"What?" Queenie blinked in disbelief and thought to herself, 'Didn't he used to love hearing those? What? He has evolved?"