Chapter 19 Drunk
Answering the phone, there was no longer Katniss's eager voice as usual. Normally, Katniss would start enthusiastically greeting me like a lark. But this time, when the call connected, there was sudden silence on the other end, just when I thought it was due to poor cell signal.
"Honey, have you eaten?" Katniss's gentle voice suddenly sounded on the phone, and this line was always the first thing she said when calling me. But today, Katniss's tone was a bit strange, though I couldn't quite pinpoint what was odd about it.
"I have, what's wrong? Katniss, you sound a bit weak, are you feeling unwell?" I asked curiously.
"No, I'm perfectly fine, why would I be sick?" Katniss suddenly sounded a bit nervous, caught off guard by my question.
"Good, how are Nathan and the kids?" Despite feeling strange, I didn't dwell on it.
"They're fine, nothing to worry about." Katniss still sounded a bit tense.
"After just one day, my wife suddenly starts stuttering?" I teased Katniss.
"Stop it, you're the one stuttering." Katniss finally replied in her usual tone. After saying that, there was silence on the other end. In our conversations, Katniss usually took the lead, speaking first and leaving me passive.
"Honey." After a long silence, Katniss suddenly called me with a hint of tears in her voice. I felt strange, why was Katniss suddenly crying?
"Katniss, don't scare me, what's wrong? Why are you crying for no reason? Tell me, sweetheart." I asked anxiously. At that moment, I felt a pang in my heart, something must have happened to Katniss.
"It's nothing, honey, I just miss you so much. Finish your training and come back soon, I really miss you." After calming down for a while, Katniss stopped crying and spoke to me in a heavy, nasal tone.
"Silly, I'm not gone forever, just wait for me at home and I'll bring you a gift when I return." I comforted Katniss, despite having countless questions in my mind. But at that moment, my focus was on comforting her emotions, and later I would find out the reason behind her behavior.
"Honey, take care of yourself, rest soon, and before we hang up, can you kiss me over the phone?" My wife said, usually Katniss would talk to me in a cheerful tone, so her serious and formal tone now was quite unusual.
After kissing over the phone, I wanted to say something else to Katniss, but before I could speak, I realized that Katniss had already hung up.
Looking at the hung-up phone, my questions grew even bigger. What could have happened? At that moment, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't checked the surveillance last night, nor had I monitored everything that happened at home last night. Did something happen between Katniss and Nathan last night? Is that why Katniss's emotions were so abnormal today?
I quickly took out the encrypted device from my laptop bag, plugged it into my laptop, turned on the wireless card, and accessed the surveillance page. After upgrading it, the surveillance devices at home could now both record videos and provide real-time images. I set the surveillance time to when Katniss returned home from work yesterday.
Upon returning home, Katniss seemed a bit down, perhaps because she missed me, or maybe because I wasn't there. Her only source of comfort was gone, leaving her feeling empty inside.
"Dad, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you." After tidying up the house, Katniss didn't turn on the computer as usual, but instead stood in the living room asking Nathan.
"Anything is fine, we still have leftovers from yesterday, just heat them up." Nathan was a simple man who never wasted food, always eating until the plate was clean, just like the older generation.
"Dad, life is better now, don't be so frugal all the time. You've been frugal your whole life, now that you're older, you should enjoy yourself." Saying this, Katniss walked towards the kitchen.
Dinner was ready, and Katniss made Nathan's favorite pan-fried beef ribs. As they ate, Nathan opened a bottle of wine for himself. Normally, they only drank on special occasions or when guests were over, so Nathan rarely drank. Today, seeing him pour himself a glass of wine out of the blue, Katniss felt it was strange. But as a daughter-in-law, she couldn't interfere with her father-in-law. Despite feeling a bit puzzled, she didn't say anything and ate her meal gracefully.
"Katniss, have a drink with Dad. It's rare that we're home alone, Kevin isn't here, let's have a good chat. You gave up many better men than Kevin to marry into our family, endured a lot of grievances, and together with Kevin , you've worked hard to achieve everything we have now. As the only elder in this family, I truly appreciate you." Nathan poured half a glass of wine for Katniss as he said this. I could sense the sincerity in Nathan's words.
Perhaps recalling the ups and downs we had experienced since getting married and the grievances we had endured, after hearing Nathan's words, Katniss felt acknowledged for her hard work by her father-in-law. Her eyes welled up with tears as she took the half glass of wine from Nathan.
"What are you talking about? Dad, Kevin loves me very much. He's a good man, and you're a good father-in-law, treating me like your own daughter. This family has never brought me any grievances. With a good husband, a good father-in-law, and a healthy and lovely son, what more could I ask for?" With tears in her eyes and a smile, Katniss clinked glasses with Nathan and took a sip of wine. Perhaps not used to the alcohol, Katniss coughed after taking a sip of red wine.
"If you can't handle it, don't drink it." Nathan, seeing Katniss cough, showed a hint of concern in his eyes.
"It's okay, it's rare to have a drink with Dad." After calming down, Katniss started chatting and drinking with Nathan. Gradually, as the alcohol took effect, they both opened up and shared their inner thoughts, emptying their glasses and pouring a second round.
"Katniss, you seem to have something on your mind lately." Nathan seemed to hint at Katniss, who suddenly stiffened upon hearing his words, almost dropping the wine glass on the table.
"It's nothing, Dad, you're overthinking it. What could possibly be bothering me?" Katniss suddenly blushed, avoiding eye contact with Nathan, her long hair falling to cover her flushed cheeks, perhaps recalling that night and realizing my physical condition, which no longer allowed me to fully satisfy her sexually.
"It's okay, if you and Kevin encounter any financial difficulties, just tell Dad. I have some savings and insurance, and if you and Kevin need it, I'll give it all to you. After all, I'm getting older and can't contribute much to the family, only adding to the burden. Keeping this money is useless, so it's better to use it for the family." Nathan said sincerely, and I could feel the genuineness in his words.
"Dad, there's really nothing wrong. You're overthinking it. Kevin and I can handle everything in the family. If you say something like this again, I won't talk to you anymore." Katniss was deeply moved by this, and as she raised her head and brushed her hair back, her beautiful appearance exuded charm. Perhaps feeling wronged due to Nathan's misunderstanding, she suddenly said this coquettish remark to him. Maybe realizing the inappropriateness of her words, Katniss's fair neck also turned red.
Nathan was taken aback by Katniss's coquettish remark, holding the wine glass in his hand without knowing whether to put it down or not, both of them feeling awkward. After a moment of awkwardness, Katniss was the first to react.
"Let's not talk about it, Dad, let's continue drinking." They continued to drink slowly, their faces gradually turning flushed from the alcohol. As the wine in their glasses diminished, they eventually emptied them, leaving only the dregs at the bottom of the glasses.
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