Chapter 137: Visiting
"Walter's friend?" Walter's wife looked at Frank, who had come home with her husband, and asked in surprise.
Frank gave her a quick once-over. By Western standards, she was an attractive woman. Her face was a bit long for his taste, but she had a graceful appearance and a striking figure. She radiated a composed maturity—kind of like Sheila, only more refined and intellectual.
She was visibly pregnant, probably a few months along, though it didn't seem to interfere with her daily life.
"Frank, this is my wife, Skyler," Walter introduced them simply.
"Hello, I don't think we've met before," Skyler said, curiously examining Frank.
Skyler had been married to Walter for decades. She'd met nearly all of his friends, but this was her first time seeing Frank—and she'd never even heard Walter mention him.
"We're old classmates. Haven't seen each other in years," Frank explained smoothly. "I've been living in Chicago, and we mostly kept in touch through email."
"Please, come in," Skyler said, gesturing warmly.
"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Juice? Beer?" she offered.
"Coffee would be great," Frank replied.
While he waited, Frank took in the surroundings. Walter might not have been wealthy, but his house was spacious, and even had a backyard swimming pool. In New Mexico, unless you lived in the city center, most homes had large plots of land.
"Do we have a guest?" came a slightly slurred voice from behind.
Frank turned and saw a young man, probably not even twenty, walking in with crutches. He was tall and handsome, with strong features, but his legs were weak and he had a slight slant to his mouth when he spoke.
This was Walter's son, Walter Jr.—or "Junior." He had a mild case of cerebral palsy, leaving him with a disability that made walking difficult and required crutches.
By any standard, Eastern or Western, the kid was good-looking—chiseled jaw, thick brows, clear eyes. It was a shame about the disability.
"Welcome," Junior said politely.
"Walter often mentioned you in his emails," Frank said with a smile. "He's very proud of you."
Frank was welcomed warmly in the house, and ended up staying for dinner.
"Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?" Frank asked, glancing at Skyler's belly over dinner.
"Walter took me to the checkup yesterday. We just found out—it's a girl," Skyler replied, gently resting a hand on her stomach with a glowing smile.
"That's wonderful. My youngest, Liam, just turned two this year," Frank said.
"How many kids do you have?" Junior asked curiously.
"I've got six. And I recently took in a goddaughter, so I guess that makes it seven." Frank laughed.
"Seven?!" The entire table looked at him, stunned.
No matter the country, raising that many kids was both financially and physically demanding.
"My oldest, Fiona, is already in her twenties. And Lip—he's a genius. He's still in high school, but he's already passed the college entrance exams."
Frank, true to his namesake's reputation for being a smooth talker, lit up when talking about his children. His enthusiasm and charisma turned the dinner table lively, and the initial awkwardness of being a stranger quickly faded away.
"You're a young man now, Junior—and quite the looker. Just like your dad back in school. Got a girlfriend yet?" Frank asked, teasingly shifting the focus to him.
"Not yet…" Junior replied, a bit embarrassed.
"No need to be shy. Your dad used to be the star of the school. The girls had fan clubs begging him to attend their events," Frank said with a grin.
"Ahem! Ahem! That was all a long time ago," Walter interrupted with a forced cough.
"I never knew about Walter's school days," Skyler remarked, glancing at him curiously.
She and Walter had met long after college. She only knew the version of Walter post-graduation, and had no idea what he'd been like in his youth.
Junior, too, looked curious about his father's past.
Frank, ignoring Walter's subtle pleas to stop, launched into funny and embarrassing stories about Walter's younger days, making Skyler and Junior laugh out loud. Walter could only sit there, mortified.
Whatever barriers had existed at the start were now gone. Skyler and Junior quickly warmed up to Frank—who was clearly far more charming and engaging than Walter's usual friends.
"So, Frank, what do you do for a living now?" Skyler asked as they sipped afternoon tea after dinner.
"I'm retired now," Frank said. "Used to work for a company, but I was injured on the job and couldn't continue working. I have a disability certificate now and receive benefits every month."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Skyler said sincerely, knowing from experience how sensitive those issues could be.
"It's fine. I've made peace with it. Even though I can't work full-time anymore, I still take on translation gigs—translating Chinese for commissions."
"You've got to look forward in life," Frank added. "As long as you don't give up, as long as you don't look down on yourself, you can still find purpose and success doing what you're good at. You don't need to care what others think. So long as you live with integrity, there's no shame in anything. Whether you're disabled or not—it doesn't define who you are."
Frank delivered the speech with practiced ease.
Hearing that Frank was also disabled, Junior immediately felt a stronger connection to him. He listened intently, eyes lit with admiration.
After a while, Skyler gently urged Junior back to his room to finish his homework.
"Thank you," she said to Frank, watching her son go. "It's been a long time since I've seen him smile like that."
"He's a good kid," Frank said warmly.
"But he's entering his rebellious phase," Skyler sighed.
"All kids go through it. My eldest daughter fell for some pretty-boy idiot and wouldn't listen to a word I said," Frank replied in sympathetic frustration.
"Raising a child nowadays costs a fortune. With the new baby on the way... do you two have any savings?" Frank asked, pivoting the conversation smoothly.
"Some," Skyler said, forcing a smile. "Once the baby's born, I plan to go back to work."
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