harvest grapes
“Marco was slightly startled when someone suddenly knocked on the car window, prompting him to blink and focus his gaze on the window. Letta was trying to peer into the car as the car Marco was driving couldn’t be seen from the outside. Marco lowered the car window, revealing Letta’s displeased expression as she glared at him.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been sleeping in this car all night?” Letta asked, making Marco look around before responding, “Yes, as you can see.”
“I apologize. Are you bothered by my presence? But I’m not taking up much space in your yard. This car isn’t that big, right?” Marco replied, making Letta snort.
“That’s not the problem, you stalker. What if people around here see you? What if they say you’re a stalker or a bad person?” Letta said, making Marco smile.
“What people? Aren’t there just a few houses here? Besides, look at the distance. I’m just being cautious, in case there’s a bad person who might harm you,” Marco said with his absurd reasoning, leaving Letta rubbing her face roughly.
“Come on. I’ve been living here for years, and it’s safe. There are no criminals or anything, except for any newcomers with such intentions,” Letta said, looking at Marco suspiciously.
“Are you accusing me? Of course, I wouldn’t have any ill intentions toward you. On the contrary, I intend to protect you,” Marco said, leaving Letta unable to argue with this man. She finally tried to assess Marco’s condition. Letta couldn’t just ignore or pretend not to notice Marco’s pitiful state; she could imagine how uncomfortable Marco must be at the moment.
“Get out. You can clean up inside the house,” Letta said, causing Marco to break into a wide smile.
“May I?” Marco asked to confirm.
“Freya will probably come out soon and join me in the vineyard. I don’t want her to ask difficult questions, you know she’s a little critical,” Letta said, nodding.
“Yes, my daughter is indeed very clever. She is also very attentive. You must have had some difficulty raising her all this time,” Marco said, leaving Letta shaking her head.
“There’s nothing difficult about raising Freya. On the contrary, I’m the one who hasn’t been a good mother to her,” Letta said, leaving Marco silent. He could see the sadness in Letta’s expression. He was about to respond, but Letta interrupted him.
“Enough, it’s better for you to clean yourself up first and do whatever makes you comfortable. I’m sure you’re not feeling well right now,” Letta said, causing Marco to finally nod. Yes, sleeping in the car all night without going to the bathroom made him somewhat uncomfortable. Marco didn’t waste the opportunity Letta offered. Not long after, Marco entered the bathroom to clean himself up, while Letta tried to wake Freya up.
“Darling, wake up. It’s morning already. Aren’t we going to harvest grapes together?” Letta asked, gently shaking the small figure curled up under the blanket.
“Is it morning already, Mom?” Freya asked, trying to sit up and focus her gaze, making Letta smile and nod.
“Yes, it’s morning. What do you want for breakfast this morning?”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“Anything you give me, I’ll eat it. But this morning, I want pancakes with hot chocolate. That will definitely be delicious,” Freya said, still not fully awake, giving Letta a cute look that made Letta smile.
“Alright, sit down. I’ll prepare breakfast,” Letta said. But as Letta was about to leave the room, Freya turned to look at her again.
“10 more minutes, then you can go to the bathroom. It’s better if you try to get some fresh air by opening the bedroom window. Okay?” Letta said, causing Freya to furrow her brow.
“Why? Usually, you always tell me to go to the bathroom right away,” Freya asked again.
“Someone is using your bathroom. Maybe they’ll be done in 10 minutes, so I’ll be in the kitchen. Okay, tidy your bed and open your bedroom window for some fresh air,” Letta said, causing Freya to nod without asking further. Meanwhile, Letta immediately prepared the breakfast as requested by Freya, and 10 minutes later, Freya came out.
At that moment, she bumped into Marco, who had just come out of the bathroom with wet hair dripping onto his shirt.
“So, uncle, you used my bathroom?” Freya asked, making Marco smile.
“Sorry, I didn’t ask for your permission first. But it was your mom who told me to use the bathroom,” Marco said, making Freya shake her head.
“That’s okay. I was just asking who used my bathroom besides my mom. Are you done, uncle? If so, I’ll clean up. I’m hungry, I want breakfast,” Freya replied, making Marco look at Letta’s back, who seemed to be preparing breakfast.
“Why don’t we go for breakfast first before you use the bathroom?” Marco asked, making Freya shake her head again.
“Mom will be mad. She always says we have to clean up before we can have breakfast, so it’s better if you help Mom, and I’ll clean up. How about that?” Freya said, making Marco smile and nod. “That sounds like a good idea,” thought Marco, who then walked towards the kitchen pantry as Letta was preparing breakfast.
“Do you need my help?” Marco asked, making Letta startle slightly.
“No need, just sit there. I’ll be done soon. Has Freya gone into the bathroom?” Letta asked, making Marco nod.
“Yes, she seemed a bit annoyed that I used her room,” Marco said again, making Letta smile for a moment.
“She’s not annoyed, she’s probably just not used to it because it used to be just the two of us in this house,” Letta said, making Marco nod. Somehow, Marco felt like he had truly become a part of this small family, a father, mother, and child. Preparing breakfast in the morning to welcome the day would surely feel sweet if he could experience it every day, Marco thought, as he finally walked closer to Letta.
“What are you making for breakfast?” Marco asked right behind Letta, making Letta slightly startle as her small back made direct contact with Marco’s body. Letta could even smell the fresh scent emanating from Marco, albeit sweetly scented with strawberry, presumably from Freya’s soap, but for some reason, it smelled different.
“Pancakes and hot chocolate. It’s Freya’s request, so you better wait, you’re in my way,” Letta said, as Marco reached out his hand, causing Letta to widen her eyes slightly.
“I like pancakes, can I join you for breakfast?” Marco asked again, making Letta sigh resignedly.
“That’s why I told you to sit down, it means I’ll provide breakfast. Remember, just for this morning. There won’t be any more in the future, because I also don’t want you to keep staying in that car and sitting in the yard,” Letta said. After that, she was about to turn around when Marco still didn’t move from behind, making them really close at the moment.
“Enough, I said sit before Freya really sees us,” Letta said, choosing to look the other way.
“Why does it matter if Freya sees us? Hasn’t she ever seen her mother this close to a man before?” Marco asked again, sounding like a whisper, making Letta finally, reluctantly, push Marco’s body. Marco didn’t want to make Letta even more annoyed. If he did, she might kick him out without giving him breakfast. Marco was just teasing her, as it turned out Letta could still play along when she was teased.
“Okay, okay, I’ll sit here quietly because I don’t want to be kicked out before I get my breakfast. You know, I’m really starving because I didn’t eat anything overnight,” Marco said, making Letta roll her eyes. In fact, who asked him to stay outside all night, Letta thought, until finally, after breakfast was finished, Freya came out looking fresh.
“Mom, I’m done,” Freya said, making Letta smile, as did Marco.
“It seems our scents are the same,” Marco said, making Freya approach, then sniff Marco’s scent.
“That’s probably because Uncle used my soap. It smells like strawberry, doesn’t it? Very sweet,” Freya said, making Marco smile and nod.
“Yes, it seems like I should buy soap with that scent too. It’s really refreshing,” Marco said, making Freya pause for a moment.
“Why doesn’t Uncle buy a scent like Mom’s? It smells like flowers, but when I wanted to use it, Mom said it wasn’t suitable for me. Only for adults,” Freya said again, making Marco look directly at Letta, who widened her eyes.
“yes, Uncle also wonders why your mom didn’t lend her bathroom, but instead your bathroom. Does she not like it when someone else has the same scent as hers?” Marco said, making Freya and himself look at Letta, who could only avert her gaze. Letta didn’t refuse to lend her bathroom, it’s just that there were many important items that Marco shouldn’t see in her bathroom. That was Letta’s reason for choosing to lend Freya’s bathroom instead.