Chapter 50: Sit in the Passenger Seat
In front of everyone, Deborah’s words sounded terribly misleading. Off in the distance, a few people were pointing and whispering, and judging by their faces, they clearly weren’t saying anything nice.
Caleb clenched his teeth, swallowing down his anger. “Mrs. Quixall, please get up. Jesse forced me to peel those shrimp. The fruit? That was from you. Before any of this happened, I warned you repeatedly. You chose not to believe me and insisted on giving him the food. I don’t care if Jesse had a heart attack or some incurable disease. None of it has anything to do with me.”
Deborah stood there silently, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Caleb, you’re my child. If you say it’s true, then I’ll believe you.”
The crowd stirred with noise again, murmuring among themselves. It was obvious now that there’d be no clearing this up on the spot.
With a sense of resignation, Caleb said, “We can discuss what really happened later. Mrs. Quixall, let’s follow your suggestion and return to the hospital first.”
Deborah’s face lit up. Thrilled to get her way, she stood up quickly. “Caleb, there’s no time to waste. Let’s head out now. Your dad already brought the car around. It’s right downstairs. We’ll be at the hospital in minutes.”
So the entire Quixall family had shown up. If Jesse hadn’t been hospitalized, they probably would’ve all taken the stage together. Seeing that the person of interest had left, the onlookers found no reason to stay and thus, they all dispersed.
Joseph rushed up behind Deborah, grinning. “Mrs. Quixall, can I come with you guys? I heard Jesse’s in the hospital. I’ve been so worried! He’s helped me a lot. Now it’s my turn to repay him.”
Deborah beamed. “Good boy. Of course you can come. Jesse’s always been close with you. He’ll be so happy to see you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Quixall!”
Joseph shot a sideways glance at Caleb before hurrying to Deborah’s side, chatting with her like he’d already forgotten Caleb existed. Which was perfectly fine by Caleb. He had no interest in talking to either of them, and now that they were busy with each other, he could finally enjoy some peace and quiet. If he hadn’t been powerless, he would have run far and wide, distancing himself from these malicious schemers.
Downstairs, the Quixall family car came into view.
Chapter 50: Sit in the Passenger Seat
George saw Caleb and didn’t look the least bit ashamed. Instead, he shot him a vicious glare. Unfazed, Caleb naturally took a seat at the back.
Just as Deborah was about to open the back door, she paused. Joseph was confused. “Mrs. Quixall? What’s wrong?”
She blinked, then opened the door. “Caleb, why didn’t you sit in the passenger seat?”
In the past, Caleb would always sit in the passenger seat. Whether it was for family trips or casual drives, as long as he was in the car, the front passenger seat was his. No one else even had a shot at it. Well, that was when someone else was driving.
Caleb remained seated in his original position. “This is the Quixall family’s car. I stopped being part of that family five years ago. Sitting in the back seat is where I belong.”
Deborah’s lips trembled. “Caleb…”
He didn’t respond. He turned away and looked out the window. The city had changed so much since five years ago. Now the streets were flooded with traffic and noise. The population of Plainstedt wasn’t small in the past, but it certainly wasn’t as large as it is now. Everything was different now.
“Joseph, you sit up front with George? I want to talk to Caleb for a bit.” Deborah gave Joseph a little nudge. He had no choice but to climb into the front seat. He’d originally hoped to chat with Caleb, but now that was clearly off the table. Instead, he was stuck awkwardly riding up front next to an old geezer.