âOkay,â Martin Weiss replied respectfully.
Mrs. Corbyn made dinner. She prepared four dishes and a soup, all of which were pretty good.
The small square table seemed to be more crowded than usual because Martin Weiss was joining them.
As they ate, Mrs. Corbyn said, âAfter what happened today, the whole neighborhood knows that youâre married now, so donât do it again. Besides that, are you okay with the baby in Kylaâs belly taking the last name Zhuo?â
Martin Weissâs eyes glimmered slightly as he clenched his hand holding the chopsticks. âTaking the last name Zhuoâ¦â
âYes,â said Martin Weiss.
âAnd have you spoken to your family about your marriage?â Mrs. Corbyn asked again.
âI can decide my own marriage. Iâll talk to my family about it when I have the chance,â said Martin Weiss.
âOkay, I donât want your family to object and give my daughter trouble,â said Mrs. Corbyn.
Martin Weiss nodded. âI wonât let my family members give Kyla trouble, of course.â
After the meal, Martin Weiss took the initiative to clean up the dishes. He took them to the kitchen to wash them.
Mrs. Corbyn did not stop him and let him do the dishes. Mrs. Corbyn looked at Kyla. âLetâs leave your marriage as it is now. Now that the neighbors know, we can get away by saying that heâs often away on business and wonât be back much.â
âOkay,â answered Kyla.
Nelson Corbyn had now entered the kitchen. He looked at Martin Weiss, who was doing the dishes.
âMommy said things will remain the same after you get married. Is that so?â
Martin Weiss paused and looked at his son before him. âItâll remain the same for your mommy, but not me. I feel honored to be her husband. Itâll be my most honorable identity.â
Nelson Corbyn seemed to listen with a hazy notion.
âNelson, I love your mommy. My love for her is the kind where I can give up my life for her,â said Martin Weiss.
âNo. If you loved Mommy, you wouldnât have treated her like that. Mommy said if you really love someone, you wonât upset them at all!â argued Nelson Corbyn.
Pain flashed through Martin Weissâs eyes. He put down the dishes he was cleaning and squatted down as he looked straight at his son.
Many of his sonâs features resembled him, but only his eyes looked like Kyla. When his son smiled, it was as if Kyla was smiling at him.
However⦠Kyla and even Nelson had stopped smiling at him because of his recklessness and willfulness.
Martin Weiss said solemnly, âThatâs because I was stupid enough not to realize that I loved your mommy. This is my punishment. Nelson, donât be like me. If you ever meet someone you like, donât be as stupid as me and hurt someone you like in a self-righteous way. Itâll make you regret it for the rest of your life.â
Nelson Corbyn listened quietly. Although he had always hated his father, he was not hostile to him right now. Instead⦠he somehow felt a little sorry for his father!