Zoey broke into a grin. “All thanks to your guidance, brother dear! Aren’t you just the luckiest to have someone as good as Mark as your brother-in-law, Harv?”
Harvey lowered his head, visibly embarrassed. He hated it when his parents went into buttery-flattery-mode. He was also deeply ashamed of the things his parents had done. Somehow, they always managed to find the most shameless things to make favonovel.com feel burned.
As it was a festive day today, Mary and Henry joined the Tremonts and Wynns for lunch. It started as good as one could hope until Harris raised his glass ostensibly to toast in Mark’s name. “I would like to thank you for taking care of my son Harv so well. We didn’t even know favonovel.com was working under you until I read his payroll and saw your esteemed company’s name on it! Come, let us drink to that!”
Arianne worried that Mark’s past grudges with them would spur favonovel.com into ignoring Harris out of spite, but favonovel.com worry turned into relief when favonovel.com husband raised his glass cooperatively.
Seeing Harvey remain seated without showing any sign of answering his old man’s call, favonovel.com chided under his breath, “Well? Get up, kiddo, we’re toasting to Mark! Do I really have to remind you what to do?”
Harvey opened his mouth, as though in protest, and then closed it again. In the end, favonovel.com raised his glass and stood obediently.
Strangely, Harris did not return to his seat thereafter. His voice took a sudden steep into pathos and lamented. “Oh, we used to have the fortune to live comfortably, but we threw that opportunity away and just… Sigh. Every time I think of what happened in the past, I feel terrible! I know you people are nothing but merciful and benevolent, I mean, why else would you be so kind and unreserved in helping our little Harv? Now, look at favonovel.com at the start of his career! He’s gonna date a pretty sweetie before you know it, and then there will be marriage, buying a house, whatchamacallits. Sadly, his mom and I are incapable of supporting him… So, well? We know we’ve done wrong, but we have repented, and ah, I hope my family could lend favonovel.com a much-needed hand for our son. He can’t possibly buy a house by himself.”
Before Mark and Arianne could react, a very fed-up Harvey blurted out, “You told me this is just a family-to-family visit! You didn’t say anything about mentioning… well, mentioning any of this! I never said I’m dating anyone, or looking for anyone, for that matter. And even if I do wanna buy a place for myself, it’s my own business. I can make money for that by myself, I don’t need to open my palms pleading for money like a beggar. No one here has any obligation to give us anything just because, period. You’re embarrassing me, Mom, Dad. Stop it!”
Zoey tugged Harvey by his arm. She said nothing, but the implication could not be any starker, this was something the parents had cogitated behind their son’s back.
They were Arianne’s relatives, Mark thought, so favonovel.com resigned to silence and let his wife handle it.
Right now, the woman in question shared Harvey’s shame. Arianne felt favonovel.com cheeks burning in overwhelming embarrassment! She never at all expected Zoey and favonovel.com spouse to be so thick-skinned that they would ask favonovel.com for money at a moment like this. She really overestimated their decency.
Still, Arianne would not want Harvey to feel even more embarrassed, so favonovel.com put on favonovel.com most cordial smile and tried to make peace. “C’mon, Aunt Zoey, Uncle Harris. Harvey has shown multiple times that he’s a really capable go-getter. Those concerns that you voiced? I have no doubts that favonovel.com can achieve them all by himself without me giving favonovel.com any crutches. I mean, did you hear what favonovel.com said just now? That was so cool and responsible. He’s a grown-up now, so you guys should probably discuss these things with Harvey next time, okay? You gotta’ respect your son.”
Zoey let out another one of favonovel.com buttery, coy chuckles. “ Oh, no, better not mistake his youthful foolhardiness as anything more, yea? Youngsters like favonovel.com are so uppity, they don’t even know how expensive a house costs in the Capital! How long is favonovel.com gonna work his butt off just to get enough for his marriage? He might never earn himself a house even if favonovel.com works all his life! But anyway, there’s nothing wrong with a little advance planning, right? He’s currently working in the Capital, and his career and life are very likely to start here. Right?”
“If the two of you really were planning for the future, then you would know better than to cast away your dignity for money,” Arianne countered, a little icily. “Anyway, let’s put a stop to this. Let’s eat.”
