When she heard that Carlos was going to take her out, Debbie was thrilled. "Awesome! Let's go!"
Just as they stepped out of their bedroom, they came across Valerie and Megan who had just come upstairs.
Seeing Debbie and Carlos both fully dressed, Megan asked, "Uncle Carlos, Aunt Debbie, are you going somewhere?"
Debbie ignored her. Carlos nodded. "Grandma, we're going out for a bit."
"What for?" Valerie asked.
"A movie," Carlos replied. It was Debbie's suggestion. Her idol's new movie was just released. She had been talking about seeing it for a couple of days now. It was about time that he took her out on a date, and the theater seemed like the perfect excuse.
Megan's eyes lit up. "A movie? Uncle Carlos, I want to go. Can I go with you?"
'Bitch, we're on a date. Can't you see that?' Debbie thought.
"Next time. I don't think you'll like this one," Carlos said, flatly refusing. Debbie was relieved. She had been worried that Carlos would have agreed to everything Megan asked.
Megan trotted to Carlos and held his sleeve. "Uncle Carlos, I'm bored here. I want to go to the movies with you. Grandma Valerie will go to sleep later, and then I'll have nobody to talk to and nothing to do. Please let me go with you. Please."
Valerie knew Megan's intent. She decided to help her. "Yes. To keep me company, Megan's been cooped up here for days. As her uncle and aunt, you should take her out for some fun."
Several minutes later, Debbie, Carlos and Megan left the house together.
In the cinema, Debbie took Carlos to the self-service machine to get the tickets through her phone, while Megan went to buy some snacks and drinks.
According to the tickets, Debbie's seat was right between Megan and Carlos, yet in the theater, Megan took somebody else's seat and sat beside Carlos.
So now, Carlos sat between the two women.
"That's somebody else's seat," Debbie reminded Megan.
Megan responded casually, "Nobody else is coming. Uncle Carlos' assistant rented the entire theater."
Debbie was surprised. 'How come I didn't know that?
"My assistant arranged that when you were in the bathroom," Carlos explained.
'Fine. I knew I shouldn't have gone to the bathroom. I needed to keep my eyes on Megan!' Debbie thought regretfully.
The movie started. It starred Ramona Lu, a fantastic singer who became an actress. Her success as an actress proved that she could not only sing but also act. It was a period piece, and Megan had to stifle a groan. Megan hated those kinds of movies, where everyone wore robes and even funny headgear, and they had so many rules about the roles of women and society. Even more than today. She much preferred the more fantastic ones, with mighty magics and eye-popping special effects, but she was left with this. It was called "The Heart Abides"— about two star-crossed lovers. One a prince in exile, the other a palace servant. Of course, it was scandalous in the days of the Song dynasty. At least she was with Carlos. Debbie, of course, was delighted. She had been waiting for this since it went into production, and she heard that her favorite actress was starring in it.
Looking at the middle-aged woman on the screen, Carlos told Debbie, "Your idol is Curtis' sister."
"Huh? Mr. Lu's sister? But they don't look anything alike. Is it because she is wearing makeup?"
"Nope. She's his half-sister, so odds are they wouldn't share any family features.
" Debbie remembered that Jared and Damon were half-brothers. 'It seems that there are a lot of half-siblings in rich families, ' she mused.
She popped a chip into her mouth and asked, "So Damon's dad married Jared's mom, but only after Damon's mom had passed away. What about Mr. Lu's dad?"
Last time when she and Jared were at the Lu family's cruiser party, they had seen very few Lu family members.
"The Lu family is complicated. Outsiders know little about it. Maybe next time you can ask Curtis to tell you about his family himself." Carlos assumed that Curtis actually was concerned about Debbie. He'd made some reference that made it sound like Debbie was related to him in some way. Thinking about that, Carlos glanced at Debbie, who was focused on the movie. He decided to do some investigation about the connection between Debbie and the Lu family.
Having no chance to cut in, Megan took out a bottle of lemon-flavored C100 and handed it to Carlos. "Uncle Carlos, I can't open it. Please help me unscrew the lid."
Carlos looked at the beverage and handed it to Debbie, who seemed to be on the verge of going ballistic. "Honey, you open it."
Debbie tore her eyes away from the film, and had put her full attention on Megan and Carlos as soon as Megan opened her mouth. She wasn't going to let anything Megan did get between them. Debbie was surprised by Carlos' reaction, but she reflexively took the bottle. 'Why did he do that? Does he think I'm his servant or something?'
With the bottle in her hand, for a long moment, Debbie was too stunned to react. "Here, let me help you," Carlos said.
He quickly opened the bottle and gave it back to Megan.
Both Megan and Debbie were surprised.
Hence, Carlos was actually helping Debbie instead of Megan.
Megan was embarrassed. And not only that, she had created an opportunity for Carlos to express his affection for Debbie. He threw it right in her face. She had no one else to blame but herself.
When the movie was over and the end credits were rolling, they walked out of the cinema. They were caught by a gust of cold wind that blew on them right when they hit the streets. Megan crossed her arms over her chest and trembled. "It's so cold," she said.
"Are you cold?" Carlos asked Debbie.
She shook her head. She was wearing a down jacket while Megan was sporting a reversible cashmere overcoat with few buttons.
Carlos walked to the car and opened the door. "Get in the car first if you're cold," he told Megan.
After giving Debbie a look of triumphant satisfaction, Megan got in the car.
Just then, Carlos closed the door and said to the driver, "Megan is cold. Turn the heat up and drive her home."
The driver was hesitant. "What about you and Mrs. Huo?"
"I'll ask my assistant to come and pick us up."
Megan was deeply disappointed.
Through the lowered passenger seat window, Debbie snickered at Megan.
After the car had driven away, Debbie wrapped her arms around Carlos' waist and sang and screamed. "I pray to be with you through rain and shiny days. I'll love you till I die. Deep as sea, wide as sky. The beauty of our love paints rainbows everywhere we go."
Carlos smiled and kissed her on the lips. "Love me that much, huh?"
"Of course," Debbie answered firmly.
With a wider smile, Carlos bent over and patted his back. "We might not have a car right now, but you have me. You gotta be tired. Come on. I'll give you a piggyback ride."
Debbie stared at Carlos' broad back. Warmth spread through her body. She raised her head to look at the sky as she tried to hold back her tears
Carlos carried her easily.
Riding on his back, she called out, "Carlos."
"Yes?"
"Why are you so good to me?"
"Because you're my wife, silly."
Although Carlos' gentleness was nothing new to her, at this moment, Debbie was still intoxicated by his tenderness. The man was nothing short of amazing sometimes. She pressed her cheek against his back to feel his warmth. "Would you have done this for me if I weren't your wife?"
Carlos smiled. "No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You're my wife, my one and only. I'll treasure you forever. Remember that."
"Okay. If you go back on your word, I'll... I'll... I'll jump into the sea with you." Debbie laughed.
"No problem. If I ever break my promise, you can punish me however you want."
"Remember, a promise is a promise."
"Yeah."
It started raining as they approached the Huos' residence. Worried that Carlos was tired, Debbie got off from his back.
"You've worked all day. I don't want to wear you out in the evening too."