Chapter 94: Testing My Patience
Raquel felt defeated; her confidence upon arrival starkly contrasted with the dejection she felt as she departed. What baffled her most was how, after such a terrible incident the night before, Deborah could still treat Caleb with such kindness. Recalling Deborah’s instructions, she knocked on Caleb’s room door.
“Caleb, Mrs. Quixall asked me to let you know dinner will be ready in two hours. Don’t go down too early.”
Hearing Caleb’s muffled acknowledgment from inside, Raquel walked away feeling satisfied. He had yelled at her the previous night. She couldn’t help but wonder how George and Deborah would respond to his absence at dinner.
Half an hour later, Deborah had all the prepared dishes arrayed on the table. “Everyone’s here, right? Let’s begin.” However, as she glanced around, she noticed that everyone else was present, except Caleb.
Puzzled, Deborah asked, “Raquel, did you deliver my message to Caleb? If he doesn’t come soon, the food will get cold.”
Raquel feigned surprise. “I did tell him, but he mentioned it might take him a while to come down; he said he had some matters to attend to.”
“Is that so…” Deborah lowered her head in disappointment. “Then let’s dig in. We can wait while we eat.”
Minutes passed, and Deborah was nearly finished with her meal, yet Caleb was still nowhere to be seen. Sensing her growing melancholy, George abruptly placed his fork down. “You all carry on eating. I’m going to find out what that rascal is up to!”
A fleeting look of triumph crossed Raquel’s face, only to vanish as quickly as it had appeared.
“Mr. Quixall, let me take care of it. You’ve been working all day, and now you finally have a moment to rest. There’s no need to let something so trivial waste your time.”
“No, I’ll handle it myself! He’s been testing my patience and it’s about time someone taught him a lesson!”
With anger rising, George rose to his feet, ready to give Caleb a piece of his mind. Just as he reached the base of the stairs, distinct footsteps echoed from above.
“You rascal, why didn’t you come down for dinner? What on earth were you messing around with upstairs?”
Seeing the anger on George’s face, Caleb was momentarily stunned.
“Dad, your birthday is next month, and I want to make a special gift for you. After thinking it over, I realized I couldn’t afford anything expensive, so I decided to create something by hand. Gathering the materials wasn’t easy. I’ve been searching nonstop since I got back and only just managed to find…”
George’s anger softened, giving way to joy.
“I see… Next time, let us know if something comes up. Your mom worked hard to prepare this meal for you. It’s not fair to keep her waiting.”
A rare wave of tenderness rose in George’s heart as distant memories surfaced. He thought back to when Caleb was eight years old and participated in his school’s speech competition for the first time, unexpectedly taking home the first prize. Instead of asking for a reward, Caleb spent three days crafting a toy car using simple materials like discarded plastic bottle caps and cardboard boxes. Presenting the car with a shy smile, Caleb had said, “Dad, I owe my award to you. This toy car is for you. Think of it as a keepsake to celebrate my win.”
The gift swept away all the exhaustion in George’s heart, replacing it with immense pride and joy.
“Good boy, when you grow up, I’ll buy you a real car, one that’s a thousand – no, a million – times better than this one! Every year, wherever we travel, I’ll make sure to take you along.”