A Graduation Gift

Edith stood in front of the couple, her face stiff with shock. Nothing could have prepared her for Rufus's visit.
"Mom, this is Rufus. You should know him,"
Cassandra said almost hesitantly. She kept her eyes on her mother's face, closely observing her reaction. Edith had put on the
warmest smile possible, but it did not reach her eyes.
"Hello, Aunt Edith," Rufus spoke up next, greeting her warmly. "I finally managed to find time to pay you a visit."
As he spoke, he passed her the gift he had brought. The young man was being perfectly courteous and remained composed
despite the looming tension that surrounded them.
Edith wordlessly accepted the gift, still not completely recovering from her shock.
Turning to Cassandra, she made up an excuse about needing her help with cooking and pulled her into the kitchen. The moment
they were out of earshot, Edith started to throw a barrage of questions at her daughter.
"What is wrong with you, Cassandra? How could you not tell me that he was coming? And haven't I already told you to stay
away from him? Didn't I tell you that I would never agree? Why are you being so stubborn?"
Edith found it hard to control her emotions as her words flew sharply. Her chest constricted at the thought that this was the same
man who had ruined Cassandra's reputation. But now she was bringing him home with her.
"Wasn't he engaged with Amanda? Why is he with you again now? I thought you had already learned your lesson. Nothing good
will come out of the two of you being together!"
She could not understand Cassandra's choice. Pain flashed through her chest as she thought of how her daughter had been left
distraught after their separation. And now, it was as if she was making the same mistake again.
"Mom, there had been a lot of misunderstandings between us in the past. We've cleared up everything now. Please give him a
chance. We were both wrong about him before,"
Cassandra said softly, trying her best to persuade her mother to let go of her past assumptions about Rufus.
"What are you talking about? What misunderstanding? It was all over the papers. He was engaged with Amanda. You even went
to their party with Clark!"

Edith stubbornly pressed, cocking a brow at her daughter.
"Amanda is going to marry Clark..."
In the end, Cassandra decided that it would be best to inform Edith about the other couple. After all, she was going to get to
know about it sooner or later, and it might help her mother understand the situation better.
At this, Edith's jaw dropped wide open.
"What... What's going on here?" she said. Her eyes shifted from one side to another in her confusion. "I thought Clark wanted to
marry you. Why is he marrying Amanda now?"
A whirlwind of thoughts spun around in Edith's head, and she felt herself being carried away by the currents. She did not know
how to wrap her head around the things that Cassandra was saying. All this time, she had viewed Clark as someone suitable for
her daughter and treated him like a son-in-law. He had been so adamant in pursuing Cassandra, but why was it that he was
engaged to Amanda now?
Cassandra sighed. It was perfectly natural for her mother to be confused with such abrupt development. "Mom, it's really
complicated. It would take hours to explain everything, but what I can assure is that Rufus and I are serious about our
relationship." She paused and let out a breath before continuing. "We are planning to marry,"
Cassandra announced, holding her mother's gaze firmly with her own.
To Edith, it was one explosion after another. Trying her best to recover from her shock, she answered, "First, he was with you.
Then he was engaged with someone else. And now you're back together and planning to marry? Do you realize how ridiculous
this all sounds, Cassandra? I don't know what happened, nor do I want to figure it out. But I am sure of only one thing. I don't
want my daughter to marry a man who keeps changing his mind."
Her voice was cold as she spoke. To her mind, Rufus was not deserving of her daughter. He had hurt her in the past, and she
would do everything she could to prevent it from happening again.
"Mom, you yourself made me marry Lionel, a man we knew nothing about. So why are you saying this now?"
Cassandra sighed and wore a helpless look.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about the past. I know you blame me and your father for arranging the marriage for you. But if you
didn't marry Lionel, how could you meet Rufus?"

Edith waved her hand impatiently. The more Cassandra spoke on behalf of Rufus, the more impatient she grew.
"Today, I will treat him as my guest and be a proper hostess," she said, relenting. "But I don't want to see him again in this house.
The next time this happens, I will kick the two of you out."
After this, she turned around, crossing over the room to gather ingredients. Cassandra knew that it would be no use to press the
matter further. Edith had already closed herself off and would not listen to anything.
Cassandra left the kitchen feeling defeated. She saw Rufus standing in the lobby. His eyes were scanning around, and one hand
was slid in his pocket. Then, his eyes fell on her. He looked startled for a moment, then grinned at her.
"What happened? Why do you look so dispirited?"
he asked.
She threw back a quick glimpse at the kitchen, looking like she wanted to say something but found her lips unable to move. It
took Rufus less than a second to understand what she couldn't say.
"It's alright. We'll do it slowly. I believe she will be able to accept us little by little."
He lifted a hand to her cheek and caressed her affectionately. His eyes were warm as he looked at her, and Cassandra felt her
confidence growing with his words.
The hand that was in the pocket now held her around the waist, and she was calmed by his familiar scent.
"Rufus, if my mom treats you badly, please don't feel offended. She is stubborn, but that's only because she looks out for me in
her own way. Please be patient."
Cassandra met Rufus's eyes with a worried look, dreading the thought that the meal later would turn out to be unpleasant.
"You don't have to worry about it. She's your mother. I can take anything, if it's for you,"
he pinched her cheek jokingly and said. "Plus, I've been through worse. I doubt it's going to be that bad."