Chapter 200 Feeling Sorry for Him
Jackson was eavesdropping on Lisa and Evelyn's chat as he strolled up, and he just had to butt in.
"Mr. Parker." Evelyn got up when she saw Jackson, but he waved her and Lisa back down while holding Ethan's hand.
"Hey, Lisa," Ethan piped up all polite-like, his voice sweet and kiddish.
"Hey there, Ethan," Lisa replied, clearly knowing the kid.
Evelyn gave a nod too, "Hey."
Ethan had this fancy-wrapped box in his hands. He let go of Jackson's hand, marched right up to Evelyn, and handed it over. "Ms. Taylor, my dad said you saved me. I'm super grateful. This is a little gift, please take it."
If it was from Jackson, Evelyn might've said no, but since it was from Ethan and probably not pricey, she took it with a "Thanks."
Seeing Evelyn accept the gift, Ethan scurried back to Jackson, looking all well-behaved.
Evelyn felt a soft spot for Ethan, thinking about how the poor kid had all these allergies. It made her feel kinda bad for him.
Everyone sat down, and Jackson asked, "You guys haven't ordered yet?"
"We were waiting for you, didn't wanna start without you," Lisa joked.
Jackson chuckled. "You could've gone ahead. My bad for being late."
Without even glancing at the menu, Jackson called the waiter and rattled off a few dishes. Then he turned to Evelyn, "Anything you don't like or really want? We've got a mix of stuff here."
"I'm good with anything," Evelyn said, not too fussy about food, especially since this was more about hanging out than eating.
"How about some fries?" Jackson asked Ethan softly.
Ethan nodded and added, "Can I get some ketchup?"
Jackson frowned a bit, didn't answer right away. Ethan looked a bit tense, but when Jackson finally nodded, he relaxed.
Evelyn noticed Ethan's little reactions, remembering what Lisa had said about his background. Knowing Ethan wasn't born out of love but was more like a tool in a loveless situation, she felt even worse for him.
"As long as we dodge the allergens, he should be fine," Evelyn said.
Jackson looked at her and said, "But his allergens aren't really clear."
Evelyn was surprised, "What do you mean?"
Whether it was milk, nuts, seafood, or pollen, every allergy had its trigger. By figuring out and avoiding it, you could usually manage. But Jackson saying the allergens were unclear... did that mean he didn't fully get Ethan's health issues?
After ordering, Jackson poured some warm water for Ethan and said, "Ethan's got a special case. He started getting allergies at two, first with milk. I thought cutting out milk would fix it, but then he reacted to bread, peanuts, even stuff he was fine with before. So, it's tough to nail down his exact allergen."
Watching Jackson, Evelyn could tell he was being real. Looking at Ethan's pale, delicate face, she felt bad for the little guy.
"How does something like this even happen?"
"They say it might be genetic, but who knows? There are so many weird conditions out there, it's not that rare," Jackson said, sounding calm and collected, like this was just another day.
Ethan was sitting there all quiet and well-behaved, just like his dad.
Seeing Evelyn staring at him, maybe thinking she felt sorry for him, Ethan spoke up, "Ms. Taylor, I'm okay. I'm used to it, so it's no big deal."
Evelyn felt even worse.
The kid was so young, dealing with all this crap, yet he was acting all grown-up and even trying to make her feel better.
"Is there no cure? I mean, the world's a big place, there's gotta be something out there."
Jackson shook his head. "We've seen a ton of doctors, but his case is pretty unique. Allergies are often a genetic thing, and fixing them is really tough."
It was clear that despite all Jackson's efforts, a cure was still out of reach.
"Anyway, Ethan's still young, and medical tech is always getting better. Maybe one day they'll find a cure! Plus, Ethan's doing fine now, he just has to avoid some foods. We'll just enjoy other yummy stuff, right?" Lisa tried to cheer everyone up, joking with Ethan.
Ethan gave a shy smile but didn't say anything.
"Yeah, we'll keep hoping for the best." Jackson felt they'd talked about Ethan's issues long enough and switched gears. "By the way, I heard about you winning that perfume tasting competition, Ms. Taylor. Congrats!"
He raised his glass, "Cheers!"
"Thanks!" Evelyn raised her glass, and Lisa joined in. "Congrats, Evelyn! You're awesome! My dad couldn't stop talking about you when he got back. He never praises anyone!"
Evelyn smiled. "Thanks."
"But why'd you turn down my dad's offer? If you'd stayed, we could hang out more!" Lisa said, sounding a bit bummed. "Isn't staying here a great chance for your career?"
Jackson seemed curious too. "Yeah, seems like the fragrance industry here is thriving. You'd have plenty of chances. Why leave?"
Evelyn had heard this question a lot. She smiled and said, "It's great here, but I prefer to go back home."
"Ms. Taylor's a patriot," Jackson said with a knowing look.
"It's not really about patriotism, just a sense of belonging," Evelyn replied.
Home, friends, family—those were the things that kept her tied to Vistalia, making it hard to leave.
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