Everyone stayed silent for a while. Now Diana had her head on Jacob's chest and cried quietly.
"Well anyone needs anything?'" Jacob said after the deadly silence. She knew that Thui was the one who had started all these by telling Tim and Rosa about their daughter, and of course Diana's over drinking did not help the situation. If he could have Ed without Thui, He would. Ed and him went back twenty years. He remembered his first wife, how she died, his other children. He remembered Thui, who was first came to America with an old American Judge, and after his death, became Ed's house servant and more.
As Jacob stood to go to kitchen to make coffee, Diana said:
"How about another round of wine!" She raised her head. Her eyes were red. Her hair was all messes up; nonetheless, she looked even more beautiful than before in her blue shirt and skirt. Her auburn hair, which was covering with gray, had half loosened from her pony tail; it shone under the light of the room.
"Sweet heart, I think you had enough wine."
"I'm not a teenager, you know." And then she got up herself, almost stumbled and brought an unopened bottle of wine. She struggled for opening it.
"Let me do it." Tim took the bottle away from her. After opening it, he poured wine for everyone. Thui's head was bent into her chest. She was dozing. It was eleven o'clock.
"Look at my wife. She is asleep. We better go." Ed said.
"No, the evening is just beginning." Diana said in a demanding voice. Ed did not respond.
"So Jacob, what are you working on now?" Tim asked.
Jacob was glad for the change of the subject.
"Just another story. But I am struggling. Diana knows."
"How so?"
"I don't know. It's complicated. I guess because the story is so close to my heart."
"You know I've read two of your books." Rosa said smilingly.
"Really, which ones?" Jacob was delighted.
"MOTHER AND SON, and TWILIGHT."
"It's strange. MOTHER AND SON was only sold five hundred copies. It was a failure. So you're one of the five hundred people who read that book!"
"I enjoyed it very much; and besides there are more than five hundred that read that book. I personally gave my copy to many of my friends to read."
Jacob seemed so pleased.
"Maybe you're prejudice because we both are from the same place."
Everyone looked puzzled. Jacob noticed that.
"She said it herself that she is from Philadelphia. I was born in Levittown, a small city in Pennsylvania. I went to school for my graduate study in Philadelphia." It appeared as though Jacob was defending himself.
"Where were you born, Rosa?" Diana asked after a long silence. She appeared to be okay now.
"I was born in Philadelphia. I moved to Dallas when I was eighteen, right after high school."
"How so?"Thui asked. She was awake now.
"Well I had a friend then. I followed her to Dallas.
"So, your mother still there?" Thui asked.
"Yes, and don't ask me what she does, because I don't know. All I can tell you is that she never married; but she always have boyfriends. Somehow I know that she is against men. She told me many times her self that she hates men, yet she always have a boyfriend."
"Is that why you don't want to get married because of your mother's influence?" Ed asked as if to himself.
Rosa smiled and thought for a minute.
"I just don't like the hassle, the obligation; and I definitely don't want to have children. All parents suffer." She looked at Diana for approval without knowing that her remark deeply hurt Diana.
"Yes they suffer." Diana said. "But a lot of children suffer, too; like yourself, not knowing your father, and not believing in your mother."
Rosa blushed, and the more she blushed, the more she felt angry at herself for bringing this subject. Her indignation was shown in her magical eyes.
"I never said that I don't believe in my mother. I just don't get along with her." She paused and then went on:
"She is, in fact, a sorry soul. I feel sorry for her. I don't want to be in her place. As for my father, frankly I don't give a d... to know who he is." Her voice was shaking.
"If he didn't want me, I don't want him either."
To Be Continued
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