Chapter 145: This Is A Great News
Ada's lips raised with a sweet smile, her delicate face glowing. "Congratulations, Mrs. Clarkson."
Helen blinked at her and replied with blessings.
"I'm sure you will find a good man very soon, too, Miss Clinton."
Ada's eyes slid out of focus and back again. Her smile went a little stiff, but she managed a "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Helen replied as she turned to tell the news to the rest of the room.
Ada calmed herself and sat down, her feet reached to either side, her heart was raging, yet there was no ripple on the surface.
She had known his family back in her university days when Helen and Richard went to visit Keith. She was their company at lunches and dinners, although their relationship was never noted. Keith did treat her differently from other girls, but she was also well aware that she was not there as his girlfriend.
As a woman herself, Helen could clearly feel what Ada had in mind, especially when she hadn't learned to hide her emotions. The mother was a strong believer in individual freedom and was fond of all the girls around Keith. She loved and trusted her son and believed in his friends.
Therefore, she had helped to push their relationship when it wasn't quite clear. But as soon as she had pointed it out, Keith refused. He told his mother explicitly that he had no more feelings for Ada than a superficial fondness of her look, and he would certainly have no further plans with her.
Helen supported her son on this and expressed her apologies to Ada. At the time, Ada, despite her reluctance, managed to take it easy, thinking that she couldn't be too emotional if she still wanted to stay friends with Keith. She accompanied the Clarkson to show them around nevertheless, which confused their common friends even more in their relationship. Keith, in regard to her courtesy, never said anything about this unless he was demanded in person.
Helen kept passing letters with Ada, though. Ada was a cultural enthusiast and studied Chinese at university. She and Helen have become pen pals ever since.
The mother was sensitive enough to notice Ada 's affection for her son and told her the news as soon as she knew about Keith and Cathryn. She hoped to have her blessing while the latter was in her last marriage. The young woman wasn't pleased when she heard that. In fact, she was so sorrowful that she replied with an old poem, to which Helen replied with another in consolation.
Helen tried to be as good a mother-in-law as possible. She knew as a woman that the loyalty of the husband was what a young bride cared about most. Now that Ada was here again, she wanted to do Cathryn a favor to terminate Ada's attraction to Keith once and for all.
Ada stood still and looked at Helen running up and down, greeting friends, her smile gradually faded to sadness.
Elaine came by. She was confused about what Helen had just told her in Chinese. Seeing everyone happy, she bowed her head and whispered to Ada, "What did she just say?"
Sorting her skirt, Ada took a cup of tea on the table and answered, "Her son's wife just gave birth to a little boy."
"Oh! This is great news!" Elaine was happy from the bottom of her heart, and her red face was full of excitement, her blue eyes shining like stars.
"I think you knew Keith from school?" Elaine employed her as a tutor partly because of Keith. "None of us has met his wife yet, I wonder if you have?"
"I haven't had the pleasure." Ada smiled politely. She added to Elaine, "But I have seen her photo."
"She must be a beauty!" Elaine exclaimed.
Hearing this, Ada was slightly relieved and secretly pleased. The woman in the photo had a facial feature that was 70% similar to hers.
"Indeed." Ada cheered up and smiled genuinely, "She is."
Keith ended the conversation with his mom and returned to the ward. Cathryn was asleep, the nurse had taken the child to the baby room, and her parents were sitting there watching her.
After they came all the way from Jonathan City, he waited for a day outside the delivery room and never took a moment to rest. Keith asked John to take them to take a rest so he could have some time alone with Cathryn.
Cathryn had been through too much today. The delivery was a great pain to her, and Keith felt like his heart was shattered too.
Sitting next to her, Keith looked quietly at her sleeping face, and a touch of happiness came up. It came with bitter distress and an eagerness for what was coming next. He felt strongly that he was in love with this woman once again.
He gently took her resting hand, bowed his head to give it a kiss, and went back to staring at her face again, realizing that he could stare at her like this for a whole day.
Cathryn spent a whole day giving birth and was already exhausted in her sleep. When she opened her eyes again, it was in the middle of the night. It was natural childbirth for her, and all her indicators were fine. She was simply recovering now in the ward and was free to leave as soon as she was strong enough again.
After a day of panting, Cathryn felt her mouth dry and empty in her stomach. She moved her fingers and tried to get herself up. With the child gone from her belly, she felt much lighter and more flexible. It didn't take much effort to move her body, and she sat up on the bed.
She felt, as soon as she lifted herself up, that her hand was clenched. She looked down and saw Keith raising his head and looking up at her with a faint smile.
"There is a bed right over there, how did you fall asleep like that?"
Having strained all day, he was in no better condition at this hour. Looking into his eyes, his pupils were still shining like the deep dark ocean in the night, but exhaustion was obvious too.