A Graduation Gift

Cassandra felt awful to see Rufus's convulsed expression. Edith had not only slighted Rufus while he was eating, but also failed
to show basic hospitality at the dining table. This was in abrupt contradiction to how she had behaved when Arthur came for
dinner the other day. But to her surprise, Rufus wasn't mad at her.
"I'll take you to visit my father this afternoon," Cassandra said affectionately, trying to distract herself from Edith's ill behavior
before it got to her.
She put her hand on top of his, looking deep into his eyes with a wholesome smile.
Rufus looked back at her with a similar expression. Everything was understood, and no words of compensation were required.
Rufus didn't care about whether his meal was simple or extravagant. As long as he spent his time with Cassandra, nothing
bothered him.
Edith stood alone in the kitchen as they ate. Listening to their hearty laughter and chatting, she couldn't help but peep through to
the door to look at them.
And what she saw really surprised her. Rufus took Cassandra's bowl by his hands, scooped up some egg drop seaweed soup
into it, placed the bowl in front of her carefully, and then put a white porcelain spoon on her plate, all in one go.
Cassandra looked at his swift movements with a sweet and admiring smile on her face, and then took the spoon to have some
soup.
She didn't her hair today. A lock of it fell in front of her face as she bent low to drink from the bowl. Rufus reached out for the
strands, cleaned them with a tissue and put them behind her ear.
Every movement he made was gentle and natural. He looked at Cassandra as if he was looking at a priceless gem.
For most part, she didn't even realize how lovingly he gazed at her. She was simply busy with her soup. Truth was, she was
already used to the feeling of Rufus's body next to her. His touches, his smiles, his glances...everything was like home to her.
It only took a split-second for Edith's heart to be touched by the scene.
She recalled how Cassandra had maintained her distance from Clark when he was around. There was always a sense of tension
between them when they sat to have their meals together. But it was surprising how much she seemed to enjoy Rufus's
company, how they shared a natural intimacy.

Edith's throat tightened, as if it was stuffed with cotton. She couldn't move her eyes away from them.
Her impulse told her to walk out and say something to them, but she stayed there, not moving an inch. She didn't know what to
do.
Instead of walking out, she resorted to pacing back and forth in the kitchen with a weird mix of feelings. As a mother, all she
wanted was for her daughter to be happy. But when she thought of the things that had happened before, she was reluctant to
trust Rufus.
Outside in the dining hall, Cassandra and Rufus finished their meal and cleared the table. Cassandra took the bowls and
silverwares, and walked toward the kitchen. Edith was flustered to suddenly see her there. She started to pretend to clean the
stove with her back facing Cassandra, keeping completely mum.
"Mother...Rufus and I are going to visit father this afternoon. Do you want to come along?" Cassandra asked sweetly.
She invited her, hoping to eliminate some tension between her and Rufus.
Edith, on the other hand, was just looking for a way out. She was about to say yes to Cassandra when Cloris came into the
kitchen.
"Mother! I have invited Arthur to have dinner with us tonight. Please prepare something good!" she said unkindly. It almost
sounded like an order.
As she turned to leave, she cast a glance at Cassandra provocatively. Certainly, she overheard what Cassandra had said to
Edith just before she entered.
Edith was taken aback. She was torn and didn't know what to say.
Cassandra's heart stung, but she tried her best to hide the unpleasantness on her face.
Halfheartedly smiling, she said, "Mother, it's quite cold outside. Rufus and I'll go now. Maybe you should stay home instead."
She left the kitchen quietly, trying to appear as unaffected as possible.
Edith opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't utter anything. All she did was give up and sigh helplessly.
Cloris saw the expression on her mother's face. Her mouth twisted in disdain.

"Come on, Mother. Let's go and get some ingredients!" she urged, pulling Edith's hand.
It had been days since Cloris had last seen Arthur. She couldn't wait to see him!
"Okay let's go," Edith said, nodding absentmindedly.
She pulled her thoughts together, took off her apron and walked out with Cloris.
In the living room, Cassandra and Rufus were ready to leave. Cassandra turned to Edith as soon as she spotted her.
"Mother, are you going to the supermarket? We can drop you if you want," she said, smiling innocently.
They were heading in the same direction. This was a good opportunity for Edith and Rufus to spend some more time together.
But Cloris grabbed Edith's arm immediately and aggressively.
"Don't bother. We can walk. Anyway, it's healthier," she said, not even looking at Cassandra while she spoke.
She had decided to keep her distance from Cassandra. In such circumstances, it was impossible to share a ride with her. On top
of that, she didn't want to owe anything to Rufus.
Cassandra thought it was best to back off. She looked at Cloris for an instance and then nodded in her mother's direction.
Quietly, she took her leave.
"Cloris, you need to stop treating your elder sister like that. It's so rude!" Edith said as soon as they left.
She knitted her eyebrows together, frowning but her words had no effect on Cloris.
"Well, so what?" Cloris said sullenly, nonchalant.
She had already started to think of Cassandra as her enemy. In her mind, Cassandra was a woman who thought in one way and
acted in another. She would never forgive her for the things she had done to her.
Seeing how stubborn Cloris was, Edith simply shook her head and heaved a sigh helplessly. It was all her fault. Edith and
Vernon had spoiled Cloris which was why she turned out to be such a brat. They had completely neglected Cassandra. No
wonder, Cloris learned that too from them and started to disrespect her elder sister.