With that, Abraham shoved the money into Lincoln's hands and turned around, smiling as he left with his colleagues.
Lincoln stood there with the few bills in his hands and frowned slightly, reflecting his confusion. Why would his mother lie? In no way did this person seem as amiable as she had claimed.
In the distance, Chandler sat in the car and gazed at Lincoln's tiny body with a complex glimmer in his dark eyes. He wondered how much longer it would be until he was able to meet Helen.
15 minutes later, Abraham hurried to the coffee shop and sat down opposite of Lincoln with a dark expression. The former wore a look of disdain, whereas the latter was expressionless, as if he was no longer expectant.
"Mister, what would you like to order?" A waiter went up to ask Abraham.
"No, I'm just sitting for a while and will leave soon." Abraham waved dismissively.
Once the waiter left, Abraham showed his true colors and asked Lincoln with an accusing tone, "Did your mother send you to look for me?"
"No—"
Lincoln wanted to say more when Abraham cut him off. "I can guess it even without you saying anything. A woman raising a child abroad won't have time to practice playing piano, and she must have long been kicked out by Mr. Yorgson.
"Now that she's down and out, she expects me to help her raise her child. She's really good at playing her cards."
Lincoln was completely dumbfounded. Was this really his maternal grandfather, or had he looked for the wrong person? Why did he feel hateful for the person in front of him?
"Don't give me that look. I've had a hard time these years too. I raised your mother, but she hasn't shown me much gratitude. I'm not obligated to clean up her mess."
Lincoln blinked, his eyes shimmering with confusion as he stared at Chandler like a devoted believer.
"You compensated us with countless two-hundred-dollar bills just now. He treated you even worse than how you treated a stranger. Someone like that isn't worth your concern," Chandler said calmly.
"But he's my biological maternal grandfather." Lincoln couldn't help but argue.
"Many things in this world are not determined by kinship. To truly understand a person and weigh the importance of a relationship, you have to feel it with your heart," Chandler said seriously, and his words were thought-provoking.
As if enchanted, Lincoln nodded his little head and replied, "I understand now. Thank you, sir."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Unmasking Mrs. Newton's Secret Identities