Book To Read
Chap 32
Abigail placed her bag on the bar table and walked towards the pantry, opening the fridge and drinking cold water straight from her bottle. “Let me know if Grandma invites Uncle for lunch or takes him out. Anywhere and anytime. I’ll be like a leech sticking to Uncle,” she declared loudly as she walked towards her room. “Good night, Uncle. Have a nice dream,” she added with a smile before closing the door.
Gladwin didn’t respond to Abigail’s statement. The man strolled into his room and opted for a warm shower, changing into fresh clothes afterward. He then lay on his bed and opened a video uploaded by Ignazio on his YouTube account. Didn’t Flavia know that her eldest brother often posted videos of their daily activities?
Gladwin opened the latest video titled “Rasa Cinta” (The Essence of Love) that Ignazio had uploaded. In the video, Abigail and Flavia were standing at the doorway. Ignazio played the guitar, and Akara sang a verse of a song with her melodious voice. Lastly, the beautiful Francisca and her cousin Falisha ended the video with a funny closing remark typical of children.
The video was unedited and had been uploaded about four hours ago. It had garnered a lot of views, thumbs up, and numerous comments.
“Oh my God, is that really Abigail? Introduce us, please…”
“Wow, does this family have some special genes? How can their descendants be this talented?”
And there were other comments requesting Abigail or Flavia to be their partners or urging Francisca and Falisha to grow up quickly. Some women also commented, asking Ignazio and Geremia to be their boyfriends.
Gladwin smiled to himself. Nowadays, kids had their own quirky ways of expressing their feelings.
Gladwin knew that his nieces had a YouTube account. It had been just a year since they started playing around with social media accounts. There wasn’t any specific content on it; the kids used “Diary Ignazio Family” as the title for their stories. The videos mainly featured their family activities, with many showcasing Ignazio playing his favorite musical instrument, the guitar.
A few months ago, Ignazio began uploading cover songs, playing them with Adaline or with Flavia as the singer. Playfully, the boy even uploaded funny videos of Francisca, Falisha, or Abigail singing loudly.
Watching the videos made by his nieces was, in fact, one of Gladwin’s remedies for missing Flavia. Flavia was a reserved girl, even on her own social media account; she rarely posted personal photos, unless someone else was in the picture.
Gladwin opened the chat application on his phone and searched for Flavia’s name.
**Me:**
How are you doing now?
Feeling better?
Via:
I’m better now, Uncle.
Uncle hasn’t slept yet?
Me:
Just arrived at the apartment.
Via…
Via:
Yes, Uncle?
Me:
Love you.
Always.
Silence. No response.
Me:
I know you’re still unsure.
But I won’t give up.
I hope you’ll give me a chance.
Don’t you feel sorry for me?
I’m an old bachelor, you know.
Again, just silence. Two clear blue checkmarks indicated that Gladwin’s message had been read by Flavia, but there was no response from her. Whether she intended to reply or deliberately ignored it, he couldn’t tell.
Me:
Wait for me.
If you really don’t want to respond to my messages,
I’ll chase after you in your dreams.
Love you.
Gladwin placed his phone on the nightstand. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Flavia could only stare blankly at her phone. This was the longest message her uncle had ever sent her.
Flavia couldn’t believe it. What was happening with her uncle? Just when she intended to put an end to everything, he reappeared and expressed something that Via had buried in her thoughts. Flavia couldn’t sleep the whole night, contemplating the various options she would face if she chose to accept or reject her uncle’s confession.
In the morning, after closing her eyes for about two hours, Flavia decided to return to her routine. “Good morning,” a warm greeting from a man that left Flavia stunned.
“Uncle…!” Her two younger siblings shouted simultaneously. What was her uncle doing here so early in the morning? Flavia wondered in silence.
“Brother, why are you here so early for once?” Claire asked, having finished hanging her baby’s clothes.NôvelDrama.Org owns all content.
“I asked to be dropped off here. His car was left here last night. His assistant was supposed to pick it up, but it didn’t happen,” Gladwin replied, whether it was indeed the fact or if there was another reason.
“And where’s Abigail?” Claire asked since her chatty niece wasn’t heard.
“She’s already gone to the location. I’m hungry, mind if I join for breakfast?” he said and took a seat without waiting for permission.
Flavia, who had finished her toast, was now moving the hot bread onto a large plate while the house assistant brought bread and jam. “What toppings would Zio and Francis like?” Flavia asked as she placed the bread on the table.
“I want sunny-side-up eggs.”
“I’ll go with sausages.”
“I want both, sausage and sunny-side-up eggs,” Gladwin requested without being asked. Flavia just nodded and returned to the kitchen. Shortly after, she came back with two plates, each containing semi-cooked sunny-side-up eggs and sausages.
Flavia, who usually sat on the left side of Antony, now found herself sitting next to Ignazio because Gladwin had taken her usual seat.
“Why don’t you have breakfast at Mom’s place? Mom would be happy if you ate there,” Claire suddenly asked.
“Lazy,” replied Gladwin, taking a big bite of his toast. Flavia ate in silence, not intending to comment on anything.
“Tired of being asked about when you’re getting married, huh?” Claire teased again.
“You already know the answer. Don’t bother asking.”
“I’m just curious. Mom brought it up again yesterday. Why don’t you just say yes to her request? Isn’t it nice to have a wife, someone who pays attention to you?”
“Someone to accompany you in bed,” added Antony. “Marriage is enjoyable, brother. Every night feels warm.” Antony’s whisper made Gladwin choke on his food.
“Are you mocking me?” Gladwin glared at Antony.
“Not mocking, just stating the actual facts. Altezza and Gian even regret not getting married sooner. What age are you planning to get married? Or are you just not desirable?” Antony’s question made Gladwin choke on his food again. His brother-in-law was exceptional; he could insult someone without any expression.
“Who said I’m not desirable? Being single and choosing to remain unmarried are different, Antony,” Gladwin defended himself.