She put down the magazine and stroked his Adam’s apple and strong neck, his muscular chest and well-defined abs. If he wasn’t acting, he should at least be a fashion model. Suddenly, she remembered the comically dressed tailor, Miller, who spoke of “the empire’s model” and his overwhelming clothing. She suddenly noticed something strange below his abdomen. She lifted a small corner of the white blanket covering his lower half. She couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.
The weekend quickly passed, and a new week began, but he did not leave. Last week, he had gotten caught in the rain and showed some symptoms of a cold, but after taking some medicine, he felt better. She knew he wasn’t staying home just because of a little cold; since morning, he had been holed up in his reception room, as if organizing something. As noon approached, they finished lunch together, and he went upstairs again, while she lazily leaned on the sofa in the hall, fiddling with a large bouquet of fresh flowers in a crystal vase.
The doorbell rang, and she ran over to open the door. “Annabel ! What are you doing here?”
“When I just came in, I saw a lot of guards at the door and cars parked in the yard. Is he still here?” Annabel , carrying a lot of things, parked her bicycle next to the door and entered.
Khanyi nodded, taking the small handbag and a small box of snacks from her hands. “Yes, he won’t be going to the base until Wednesday this week. Right now, he’s in the third-floor reception room having a meeting with his subordinates,” Khanyi said in a low voice, as if afraid of disturbing him. “He’s been busy lately; I don’t know what he’s up to.”
“Oh, I see. If I had known you weren’t lonely, I wouldn’t have come to join the fun,” Annabel said with a smile, her eyes scanning Khanyi’s loungewear, continuing down to her delicate, fair ankles. “Is your foot feeling better?”
“It’s all better now. I wasn’t really hurt; I just slipped a bit.” Khanyi quickly stepped back with her left foot, hiding it behind her right, speaking even more softly. She wasn’t wearing socks, and the black tattoo on her ankle was probably seen by Annabel , although it wasn’t clear what the writing was.
“Look at you,” Annabel said, handing her a large woven basket. “This is for you!”
“What is it?” Khanyi took it, having just seen Annabel carrying several things, and this large basket was even more puzzling. She peered into the basket and gasped.
“Wow!” The woven basket turned out to be a fluffy little puppy curled up inside, looking a bit dazed, with some fur not fully grown. Annabel smiled as she lifted it out and placed it on the coffee table. Khanyi reached out to touch its head but hesitated, a bit afraid of this furry creature, pulling her hand back.
Looking at the trembling little puppy on the coffee table, Khanyi suddenly recalled the day he had taken her to play with that huge, fierce military dog, which had scared her to tears, making her refuse to get down from the rocking chair until he coaxed her back.
“Khanyi, Khanyi……” Annabel was shaking her arm.
Khanyi finally snapped back to reality, saying with lingering fear, “Actually, I’m really scared of those big dogs, but this little guy is really quite cute!”
“Ha ha, let it keep you company, and you won’t feel so lonely.”
“Hmm, thank you, Annabel .”
Annabel rummaged through her bag and placed some items on the coffee table. “This is the manuscript of that friend I told you about last time, and a pack of tea leaves. This tea was brought back from South Africa by my aunt.”
“Your aunt came?”
“Ugh, don’t mention it. She came to lecture me about getting married.”
“What? You ran away from your wedding?”
“Let’s not talk about that,” Annabel said with a mysterious smile. “Someone is at home today, so I’ll take my leave now.”
“Wait, stay for dinner before you go.” Khanyi stepped forward and linked her arm with Annabel ’s.
“Forget it, forget it, let’s do it another day. I don’t want to be a big light bulb at your candlelight dinner.”
After seeing Annabel off, Khanyi went to the kitchen to get some milk to feed the puppy. Since it had a coat of white fur with a small gray spot on its head, she named it “Teddy.” After feeding it, she placed the little guy in a large wooden box, lining the bottom with some soft towels. The little creature seemed quite satisfied with its little nest, and after making a mess with the blankets and towels, it curled up into a semicircle and fell asleep, even letting out tiny snores.
