Chapter 577 Seeking a Partner
Patricia hit a wall when it came to talking about her feelings; it felt like an unsolvable puzzle.
First off, she hadn't even figured out what she felt for James—was it dependency, or was it something more?
Then, even if she did harbor some love for James, it was clear he didn't reciprocate. Anyone with a hint of romantic interest wouldn't have walked away so easily.
And with Martin's recent departure, the idea of moving on so quickly didn't sit well with her. It felt disloyal, somehow.
It seemed like every path led to a dead end, with no way through.
Handing Jade a glass of wine, Patricia sought an escape. "I'm just... I've got a headache. Let's drop it, okay? Just drink with me."
Seeing Patricia's distress, Jade didn't push the issue. She clinked her glass against Patricia's in agreement. "Alright, we'll stay till the room starts spinning."
They drank in silence, one glass after another, losing track of time and count.
Soon, the room began to sway for Jade, her vision blurring as everything seemed to spin.
Laughing lightly, she reached out to steady Patricia's face, joking, "Hey, hold still. You're making everything spin."
Patricia, equally inebriated, let her guard down, her emotions spilling over with the tears that started to fall. "Jade... he's really gone... and he's not coming back... I... what do I do now? I miss him so much. Seeing him was like... like having a part of Martin back. Is there something wrong with me?"
Jade, moved by Patricia's tears, joined in the crying, pulling her friend into a hug. "Shh, it's okay. We'll get through this. And who needs men, anyway? I'm here for you, no matter what."
Patricia's mood flipped quickly, from tears to laughter. "You're right. Who needs them? We'll be just fine on our own."
That's when three guys decided to join them, sliding into seats nearby with a friendly, "Hey, ladies!"
Startled, Patricia and Jade shared a look, then a mischievous grin.
"Look at this, company's here!" Patricia exclaimed, clapping a hand down on the shoulder of one of the guys, her grip strong enough to elicit a wince. But she was too far gone to notice. Waving her finger, she slurred, "Let me tell ya something. My husband's dead."
The guy looked confused.
Patricia didn't miss a beat. "Left me with five kids and just took off. Can you believe that? What a jerk, right?"
"Five kids?" The guy seemed to struggle with the concept, his voice laced with disbelief. 'She looks so young, barely in her twenties. To have five children, she must have started at eighteen and had one each year. That's too terrifying. Doesn't she ever take a break?'
Patricia, with a touch of mischief, flashed two fingers, then added two more.
The guy took a guess, "Twenty-two?"
Patricia shot him a look that mixed disbelief with a touch of mockery. "Really? If I was twenty-two, you're saying I started at what, fifteen?"
The guy was stumped for a second, thrown off by Patricia's sharp comeback.
Was he supposed to connect those dots?
Again, Patricia showed two fingers, then two more.
"Twenty-eight?" the guy ventured, trying to piece together her signals. Maybe it was an 'eight' in the way she held her fingers apart.
Patricia just gave him a look. "Do I look that old to you?"
Now the guy was just baffled.
He felt like he was about to lose it. "You know what, I think I need some air. It was nice meeting you!"
He made to leave, thinking any more of this conversation might just be too much for him to handle.
But Patricia wasn't about to let him off that easily. She grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back with surprising strength. "Hold up, weren't you the one who came over here to flirt?"
The guy was at a loss for words, his frustration mounting. "Look, I'm sorry. I just can't get involved with someone who's already got a family."
Patricia, perhaps overwhelmed by the alcohol or the emotion of the moment, burst into tears, gripping Jade for support. Through her sobs, she wailed, "Just my luck, men always bail when they hear about a kid... it's just... it's just not fair..."
The guy was totally thrown for a loop. He got the part where she was talking about him, but then who was the 'he' she mentioned next? It was like trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces.
Jade, trying to diffuse the situation, patted Patricia's back and assured her, "Don't worry, I've got this. Just hang tight."
Then, she turned towards the guy, her approach nothing short of confrontational.
The guy, sensing the impending storm, braced himself.
Jade, all fired up, got in his face. "You owe her an apology. Say you don't look down on her. And make it quick, or I'll kill you."
The guy was in over his head, regretting his choice to come over. He scrambled for words, "Look, I've got nothing against single moms. In fact, I respect the heck out of them."
But Jade wasn't having any of it. She held him tight by the collar, demanding, "Then prove it. Tell her you're interested."
The guy was practically gasping for air, caught between a rock and a hard place. "I mean, it's not about not respecting single moms. It's just... I'm still in my twenties; I've got my whole life ahead of me. The idea of stepping into a ready-made family, especially with five kids, is a bit much for me right now."
He could handle maybe one kid, but five was out of the question. His folks would flip.
Jade saw red. "So, you're saying you do have a problem with it?"
Fueled by anger and alcohol, she grabbed the nearest glass and hurled it at him.
His buddies, who'd been watching from the sidelines, jumped into action, rushing over to intervene.
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