Chapter 134 Far and Near
Luke couldn't sugarcoat things for Joe and say he'd bounce back for sure. Even if he tried, Joe wouldn't buy it. What Luke could do was find the best docs and see if there was any hope.
Joe and the Taylor fam went way back, like 20 years, back when Luke's father was still kicking.
Joe and Luke's old man, Arthur Taylor, were tight. They worked together for years. When Arthur kicked the bucket, he left Debbie to take care of Luke. The Collins fam had their backs, both out in the open and behind the scenes. Without a dad around, young Luke had Joe to look up to, apart from his uncle.
So, it was no stretch to say Margaret and Luke grew up together.
If Luke's grandpa, Austin Taylor, hadn't set up a marriage with the Miller fam, everyone would've thought Luke would marry Margaret.
"Luke, I know my own body. I just got one request," Joe said.
"Go ahead, please."
"No matter what, please look out for Margaret for me. If she does something crazy to be with you, cut her some slack for my sake and at least don't hurt her."
"Uncle Joe, don't talk like that. Focus on getting better."
"Promise me." Joe gripped Luke's hand, not letting go until he agreed.
"Uncle Joe, I promise. I'll take care of Margaret like my own sister."
"Mrs. Taylor, why'd you come back alone?" Lisa asked as she saw Elsa return solo after leaving with Luke, thinking they had another spat.
"Luke went to the hospital. Lisa, stay up a bit later tonight and whip up some supper for him when he gets back. He won't be back early," Elsa said, lugging a stack of books into the study.
"Okay," Lisa quickly agreed.
Luke had always told Lisa to look after Elsa, so she wasn't surprised. But today, Elsa asking her to make supper for Luke was a first.
"What about you? What are you going to eat?" Lisa followed her into the study to ask.
"I'm not hungry, so I'll pass on eating," Elsa said, placing the new books on her half of the bookshelf.
"That's not cool. Mr. Taylor would be upset if he knew you weren't eating," Lisa quickly said. "I'll make some chicken soup, so Mr. Taylor can have some when he gets back."
Elsa initially wanted to refuse, but hearing that Luke could also have some, she let Lisa go ahead.
While organizing the three poetry collections she bought during the day, Elsa casually picked one up and flipped through it.
Elsa used to imagine her future partner as a warm and interesting guy, someone who'd watch plays with her, hit up bookstores, and share the little things in life.
She used to tell her fellow international students about flipping through books to ask questions. One dude had reacted, "That's not reliable, is it?"
At that moment, Elsa was thinking that she must find a husband who'd say, "I want to ask questions too."
Unexpectedly, the high and mighty Luke had done just that.
Elsa had schemed to marry Luke but never thought he would actually be a good match. What happened today felt like a dream to her.
Elsa closed her eyes and randomly flipped to a page. The content was: "Sometimes you look at me
Sometimes you look at the clouds
I feel
When you look at me, you are far away
When you look at the clouds, you are close"
The clouds, which should be far, felt close, and the person who should be close felt far. This poem was always known for its high aesthetic taste.
It also fit Elsa and Luke's situation. They had been physically intimate from their first meeting, married for months, but they were just starting to get to know each other. This was also a kind of distance and closeness.
Luke didn't get home until after 9 PM, and Elsa was already out cold.
In the study, there was cold chicken soup and a sheet of paper filled with Elsa's handwriting: [When you look at me, you are far away. When you look at the clouds, you are close.]
Luke stared at Elsa's messy handwriting, feeling a bit unsettled.
Elsa hadn't slept well the previous night, with dark circles under her eyes.
Afraid of waking Elsa, Luke went to another bathroom to wash up before coming back and holding her.
"You're back," Elsa mumbled in his arms. "Is Lisa still awake? She said she'd make you supper."
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