Chapter 18
โZinnia, Raymond is a great doctor. You should learn from him if youโre interested,โ Henry said, smiling.
โHa! I knew you had an agenda.โ Raymond chuckled. โEvery time I come here, you trick me. And you know I donโt take apprentices anymore.โ
โSince you brought it upโฆ Zinnia, I see talent in you. How about learning from me?โ Raymond said, eyes sparkling. Henry had found a gem โ Zinnia was truly talented.
โBut I already have a teacher.โ Zinnia shook her head. โThanks anyway, Mr. Spence.โ
Henry rubbed his chin โ this wasnโt in the report. โMore teachers never hurt. Raymondโs skills could really help you,โ he said.
Henry was really surprised. He had seen Zinnia buying those medicines and had even watched her do those massages. That was why he said that. Plus, Raymond rarely took apprentices. Medical students nationwide would kill for this chance.
Henry felt bad for Zinnia, his granddaughter heโd just got back in touch with. Heโd never used his connections before, but now he wanted to make things go a little easier for her.
โI can only have one master,โ Zinnia kept refusing. In her heart, there was only one person who deserved that title.
โMr. Spence, thanks for the offer,โ Zinnia said, apologizing to Raymond.
โNo biggie! If you change her mind, come find meโIโll teach you for free,โ Raymond said kindly.
Getting turned down twice didnโt faze Raymond one bit. In fact, his eyes lit up with prideโhe knew Zinnia had a backbone. Most folks wouldโve jumped at the chance to be his student.
โOur Zinniaโs got a lucky streak with her simple ways.โ Henry chuckled, grinning as Raymond took a shine to Zinnia. When Raymond liked someone, his whole face glowed.
โThanks, Mr. Spence,โ Zinnia said, accepting the nod without fuss. Sheโd learned plenty from her master but knew there was always more to pick up. Nobody knew everything about medicine.
โZinnia, did your master show you this pressure point thing?โ Raymond leaned in. He felt her hand movements looked oddly familiar.
It looked just like the Moore familyโs secret trick. But theyโd never taught outsiders, and their line was gone. Raymond shook his head, thinking it must be a copycat style.
โYeah.โ Zinnia nodded.
โHenry, youโre lucky to have her,โ Raymond laughed.
โWhatโs all the ruckus? I heard it from the porch.โ Sofia walked in.
โGrandma!โ Zinnia called out.
โRaymond, you staying for dinner?โ Sofia spotted Raymond right away.
โWouldnโt miss it.โ Raymond grinned. โCame for your cooking.โ
โWhatโs so funny?โ Sofia asked, handing over the shopping bags to a maid.
โZinniaโs a genius,โ Henry beamed. โRaymond quizzed her on medicine, and she nailed it. We might have another doctor in the family.โ
โNo way? Our Zinniaโs that smart?โ Sofia piled on the praise, determined to keep Zinniaโs spirits up.
โIf she werenโt already apprenticed, Iโd snag her as my last disciple. Sheโs a gemโyou struck gold,โ Raymond said, eyebrows wiggling.
Raymondโs white eyebrows were practically twinkling with joy, and his eyes were all lit up. He really wished heโd been the one to scoop up a talent like Zinnia.
Their med talk showed Zinnia knew way more than basics. โSheโs tackling hard stuff as a teen. Who knows how far sheโll go?โ Raymond marveled inwardly.
โZinnia, could I meet your master? Iโd love to swap notes,โ Raymond asked, scholar-curious. Age just made him hungrier for med chats.
โI donโt know his name. I addressed him โMasterโ and he left recently,โ Zinnia answered.
โLeft? Oh noโฆ Zinnia, I didnโt meanโโ Raymond winced, thinking she meant her master died. He apologized fast.
โItโs okay,โ Zinnia said, clueless about the mix-up. She almost mentioned telling Raymond when her master returned but decided against it.
Zinnia was sharp but sometimes slowโleftovers from childhood health stuff.
Henry and Sofiaโs hearts ached to hear that.
โCrabs are almost done. Jacksonโs home,โ Benedict announced, breaking the tension.
โZinnia, Iโm back,โ Jackson said as he walked in, eyes locking onto Zinnia. โGrandpa, Grandma, Mr. Spence,โ Jackson smiled, greeting everyone.
Raymond beamed at Jackson, โItโs been a while. Youโve changed a lot. Youโre more reliable than Yannis.โ
โGive Yannis time,โ Jackson laughed, referring to his buddy.
โYeah.โ Raymond nodded.
โCrabs are ready. Go wash up, Jackson,โ Sofia urged.
Chapter 19