Everett paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully, "I want to make sure we go through all the traditional ceremonies that we missed, you know, like the whole 'engage the matchmaker and exchange dowries' kind of thing. I mean, we gotta do this by the book, right?" Dorothy, without thinking, blurted out, "But what about the ceremonies we can't make up for? Like, you know, Abigail and Langston's christening party-" As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had stepped into a minefield.
But what's said is said, and there's no taking it back...
Looking up, Dorothy indeed caught a fleeting look of pain in Everett's eyes.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe really just wanted to make a point about how life is full of missed opportunities and ceremonies aren't everything, but... but that was definitely the wrong thing to say! "Everett... I'm sorry." "Hmm?" He managed to compose himself before turning to her, pretending as if nothing was wrong.
Seeing the apology in Dorothy's eyes, it was Everett who ended up comforting her.
"You haven't done anything wrong; you don't need to feel guilty. I'm the one who should be sorry for not being there for our kids from the start. How cyou're apologizing to me?" "Not being there to watch the kids grow up from the beginning... it bothers you a lot, doesn't it?" Everett nodded, "Can't fool anyone, can I? I am bothered, but more accurately, I feel guilty." As Dorothy opened her mouth to speak, he quickly interrupted her, "I know what you're about to say, Dorothy, and I disagree with you going back into the delivery room." Even though he wasn't there with her at the time, just hearing from others what she went through to bring their two kids into the world was enough to scare him, how could he possibly let her go through that kind of risk again just to fix his regrets? It's not worth putting Dorothy back in harm's way.
"But before-" He had clearly expressed his wishes before.
"Dorothy, this isn't up for discussion." Alright then.
It seems she doesn't have a choice in this matter.
If she can't get through to Everett, her only hope is to turn to Karen, the unreliable one.
"I did sresearch, and the chances of poking holes in condoms aren't great, so I added a double safetyto Plan B for you!" After much thought, Karen revealed her ultimate strategy, "I got Jeffrey to find an excuse to get him tipsy! Not blackout drunk, just the right amount of buzzed where he can still, you know, do something. And then-ta-da! What do you think this is?" She mysteriously pulled out several small, square packets.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmDorothy frowned slightly, "This... did you poke holes in these too?" The previous ones hadn't been used; she had thrown them all away.
"NO! This is where it gets genius. These look like regular condoms, but guess what? They dissolve on contact with liquid!" Karen was clearly impressed with her own ingenuity.
"I went through so much trouble to get these for you!" She handed them over to Dorothy in one go.
Without waiting for a response, Karen started to rave about the benefits, abouttightness "Everett was worried about tightness before, right? Well, with these, it's like wearing nothing at all! And he won't even notice. Plus, with a bit of drink in him... hehe, perfect!" But Dorothy wasn't feeling too optimistic.
"Everett can hold his liquor really well." "We're not getting him wasted, just a light buzz!"
Dorothy pursed her lips, skeptical, "And what if he finds out?"
"What are you worried about? By the the realizes, you'll have already succeeded!" Karen Winked at her, "And don't worry, even if it doesn't work out and you don't get pregnant, I still have a Plan C!"