Red wine, candles, dinner...
Brenda, well-prepared, led George into the dining room where a candlelight dinner was set on the table.
As adults, reaching this step, how could George not know the other party's intentions?
After hesitating at the door, George finally went to sit at the dining table.
Don't look at George now getting fat and looking a bit sloppy. When he was young, he was also a very popular handsome guy among girls. It was only because he accidentally had a child with Mary that he got married and lived a simple family life.
Now Brenda's enthusiastic "teasing" gave him a feeling of returning to his youth.
"What is this?" Sitting down, George looked at the candlelight dinner in front of him and opened the topic knowingly.
"You know, ever since Herschel left, my life has been a mess. So, I occasionally need some romance to reward myself..." Brenda unknowingly showed a wave of vulnerability. Then, appropriately changing the topic, she asked: "By the way, how about you? You and Mary must be very happy."
"Don't mention it; Mary seems to have reached menopause recently..." Driven by the atmosphere, George complained about his wife.
"How could this be? Such an excellent husband like you, she actually doesn't know how to cherish..." Brenda followed George's topic, not forgetting to provoke the relationship between the two.
One party intentionally guided, one party needed to pour out.
Thus, in the subsequent candlelight dinner, the content of Brenda and George's chat became more and more private and ambiguous.
"May I invite you to dance? I haven't danced with anyone for a long time." When the time was ripe, Brenda threw a straight ball.
A little physical contact can accelerate the warming of feelings.
"Of course, to be honest, I haven't danced with anyone for a long time either." The "terrible" family life at home made George enjoy the warmth brought by Brenda at this moment.
Immediately, amidst soothing music, two figures clumsily "embraced" each other.
...
"I'm full; let's see why George isn't back yet~" In the Cooper family dining room, Mary was a bit restless.
Her husband not returning for so long, as a woman's sixth sense, Mary seemed to feel the "threat" from Brenda.
Towards the single mother living alone next door, while sympathizing with her, Mary didn't forget that they were once deadly rivals.
"Nothing will go wrong, right?" Seeing her mother leaving aggressively, little girl Missy asked worriedly.
"What could go wrong? Isn't this great now?" The scatterbrained Meemaw Connie analyzed with a smile: "Mary's appearance shows she's jealous. This proves she still cares about your father in her heart..."
"I hope so!" Missy, wise beyond her years, was obviously not that optimistic.
Although Mike had promised before, the situation of Billy's family still shrouded the little girl like a shadow.
Sure enough, Missy's worry wasn't wrong. A few minutes later, Mary walked back angrily again. Without saying a word, she took her coat and walked out.
Anyone could see from the suppressed anger on her face that something big had happened to her.
"It's dark, where are you going? And where is George?" Meemaw Connie asked worriedly.
"Don't mention George to me!!!" Thinking of the scene she just saw, Mary was about to explode with rage.
After venting with a roar, she put on her coat and disappeared outside the door.
She desperately needed to "calm down" now.
"What happened?" Meemaw Connie, yelled at by her daughter for no reason, looked a bit confused.
"Mike, go to Brenda's house and see what happened? Georgie, you..."
Meemaw Connie recovered quickly. Mary's reaction just now made her realize that something must have happened at Brenda's house.
So, Meemaw Connie first sent Mike over to inquire about the situation, and then asked Georgie to follow Mary to avoid accidents.
But as soon as the words came out, Meemaw Connie realized that Georgie was currently "reflecting" in the garage.
"Forget it, ignore Mary for now. Mike, go find George first." Meemaw Connie made the final arrangement.
At this time, in Brenda's dining room, accompanied by soothing music and an ambiguous atmosphere, the two dancing people were getting closer and closer.
How can a normal cat resist the temptation of fish?
Facing Brenda's inviting demeanor, George finally couldn't help but slowly bring his face close to hers.
Just as the atmosphere was thick and their lips were about to touch, George suddenly clutched his heart and fell backward.
Instantly, the candlelight dinner and recorder on the table behind were knocked to the ground.
"What's wrong with you?" The ambiguous atmosphere was interrupted. Brenda, seeing George's pale face, was also startled.
"I'm fine~" George struggled to get up.
Ultimately, this family-oriented man couldn't break through the hurdle in his heart. At that moment just now, he thought of his wife Mary and the "lovely" children at home.
Violent emotional fluctuations caused problems for his already unhealthy heart.
"You look very bad; do you want me to take you to the hospital?" Brenda also calmed down from her previous obsession at this time.
Although she didn't get along with Mary, their relationship was actually not bad; they were "besties" who became friends after a fight.
Also the kind of "good friend" who would help when the other was in trouble.
Therefore, Brenda never really thought about destroying Mary's family.
Now completely calmed down, besides self-blame, she was also scared about what she did on impulse before. Scared of losing the "friendship" of the Cooper family.
"I'll call someone to help." Seeing George weak, Brenda prepared to call for help.
"No, don't call Mary, I'll be fine in a while..." Although no big mistake was actually made, George was still afraid to see his family, especially his wife.
"Please don't tell Mary about what happened between us..." George pleaded guiltily.
"I just treated you to a thank-you meal; what could happen between us?" Brenda recovered her capable appearance and wisely skipped the awkward topic.
Then, the two looked at each other and smiled tacitly; everything was understood without words.
"By the way, if you really have needs in that aspect, you can actually go to a bar. I believe with your charm, you won't lack partners..." Having reached an agreement, George even had the mind to joke.
"Uh-huh, you don't need to worry about this. Let's talk about your body; what's going on?" Brenda said, about to help George up.
So much time had passed, and George's symptoms of cold sweat and pale face hadn't alleviated.
"Better not move him; George has heart problems. It's better to let him lie flat..."
When George struggled to sit up with Brenda's support, Mike's voice came from outside the dining room.
George's problem was insufficient blood supply to the heart; lying flat was conducive to systemic blood circulation.
"Please bring a towel and a glass of warm water." After laying the person flat, Mike said to the dazed Brenda aside.
"Okay, I'll go right now~" Brenda quickly brought what Mike needed.
Then, looking at George lying on the ground, she asked: "Is he really okay like this?"
"Don't worry, as long as he is not stimulated again, he will recover after a rest." Mike said while propping up George's head with a towel and feeding him some warm water.
More than ten minutes later, feeling his body return to normal, George got up himself.
"Sorry, Brenda. I scared you today." George, not daring to stay here longer, gave Brenda a pleading look and said goodbye: "If there's nothing else, I'll go first."
"Okay, goodbye~" Seeing this, Brenda waved her hand with relief and gave George a reassuring look.
At this time, both were probably rejoicing that their "secret" hadn't been discovered.
And it seemed they had decided to keep the previous matter to themselves.
"By the way, Mike. Why did you suddenly come to Brenda's house?" Walking outside, blown by the evening breeze, George felt much more relaxed.
Therefore, he was in the mood to chat.
"Does your heart still hurt now?" Mike asked a strange question.
From Mary's previous performance to the situation in Brenda's dining room, and even the "flirtation" between George and Brenda before.
Mike could easily analyze the general situation.
So before informing George of the bad news, he needed to consider the other party's physical condition.
"My heart is fine now." George shook his head and asked curiously: "Why do you ask?"
"Just to let you prepare mentally; I have bad news to tell you." Mike stopped and said with a serious expression.
"What bad news?" Stared at by Mike's serious gaze, George, who already had a guilty conscience, felt guilty again for no reason.
"Actually, before I came, Mary also came looking for you. And after she went back, her mood looked very bad." Making sure the other party was mentally prepared, Mike told the bad news.
"What!" George froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
After a long time, he seemed to react and asked guiltily: "Is she okay now?"
"I don't know about that; anyway, when she went out, she looked very angry..." Mike roughly described Mary's previous behavior.
"Then what was Connie and the others' reaction?" George seemed to misunderstand something; he seemed to assume by default that his family knew about his "cheating."
"Meemaw Connie is at home taking care of Mandy and the children, and they don't know about you and Brenda." Mike saw through George's worry at a glance.
"That's good~" His wife not loudly proclaiming his foolish behavior made George breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt even more guilty: "Do you know where Mary went? I need to give her an explanation and apology."
"Should have gone to the church." Mike pointed out the direction for George, and considering the other party's physical condition, asked one more question: "Need me to go with you to find her?"
Mary's range of activities wasn't large; apart from staying at home, she spent most of her time working at the church and occasionally went to the big supermarket in town on weekends.
At this time, after running away from home, she most likely went to the church.
"No need, I can go myself." Knowing his wife's whereabouts, George prepared to go alone to find her and seek her forgiveness.