The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 457 Breakfast With Craig

After breakfast, Craig was ready to leave without communicating with his grandson, Anthony. The young doctor, however, noticed his grandfather heading for the door. He called out, "Where are you going,

Grandpa?"

"And what do you care?" Craig replied impatiently. He turned to look at Anthony, studying his grandson. "I'm old. You probably think I'm a burden. Since you don't care to listen to me, I'm asking you to leave me alone," he said.

Craig was sulking and becoming unreasonable and this slightly annoyed Anthony. He took a quick breath to dismiss the feeling.

He thought, 'I need to persuade grandfather to respect my decision, otherwise, he will stay mad at me.'

"Can you please come and take a seat, Grandpa? I want to talk to you about something," Anthony requested. They stood apart, looking at each other.

Craig hesitated for a moment before walking over to where Anthony was and sat down. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

Anthony poured a cup of tea and handed it to Craig. He was also thinking of how to broach the subject with his grandfather. "I know you are hoping that I get married soon and give you a great-grandson," he started.

Craig huffed before replying. "Ah, so you know what I want. So, why can't you grant my wish?" He straightened his shoulders and relaxed. "I'm old, but I still worry about you getting married. Can't you settle down as soon as possible?" the elderly man inquired. Craig didn't want to complain, but he was truly concerned about his grandson.

He moved forward in his seat and looked straight into Anthony's eyes. "Lisa is a young and lovely girl. She is not only attractive but also well educated. So, why are you not seeing her?" Craig probed. He showed his frustration with Anthony as he continued, "She traveled so far to be with you. Why are you not giving her a chance?"

Anthony slapped his thighs and said, "That's what I want to talk to you about." He wanted to make things clear with his grandfather where Lisa was concerned. Anthony took a deep breath and then started to explain. "Lisa and I used to date each other. We saw each other when I was overseas."

Craig was surprised with the revelation and exclaimed, "What?!" He stared at Anthony in disbelief. 'He was dating someone?' he thought to himself. Craig wondered why he never heard about such a relationship.

Anthony broke into his thoughts. "What I learned after dating her is that she and I aren't meant to be together. Yes, I want to get married and have a child," he went on. "But I cannot marry someone I don't love," Anthony finished. Watching his grandfather's reaction, he added, "It's not fair to either of us, don't you think so?"

Craig was trying to understand everything he was hearing. It was with disappointment when he finally asked,"So what you're saying is that you and Lisa are never going to work out?" The old man thought Lisa would make a good partner for Anthony. But his grandson had now made it very clear this was impossible.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," Anthony stressed. He had noted the disappointment in his grandfather's face and tried to lighten the mood. "Grandpa, if ever I meet the right person, I promise to introduce her to you," he assured. "But Lisa is not that person. So I'm asking that you stop worrying about this, all right?" Anthony said.

Craig gave a bitter smile. "Well..." he started to say. Craig reluctantly agreed. He told his grandson,"If you insist, there will be no more discussion about Lisa." But he was not finished. "However, I still believe it's time you consider getting married. Look at Autumn. She's younger than you but is already married, and will be a mother soon." Craig looked teasingly at Anthony. "Hurry up, will you?"

Anthony smiled and nodded. He was relieved they had come to an understanding. He stood up, patted his grandfather's back and appealed, "Then please stay home and get some rest. I have to go to the hospital."

Craig sighed,"All right." As he sat alone, he thought, 'Arthur is right. I should leave Anthony to make his own decisions. I have to stop meddling when it comes to marriage.'

Anthony left for Y Hospital, leaving Craig all alone in the house. The old man was feeling restless. Finally, he sat down on the couch and became lost in thought. 'I came back hoping to bring Anthony and Lisa together. Now, I have no reason to stay,' he told himself.

Craig decided to pack his bags and get ready to return home.

He gathered his bags and was about to call Anthony when the doorbell rang. Craig checked to see who it was and saw Lisa outside. The young lady flashed him a bright smile and greeted, "Hello Grandpa Craig!"

Surprised by the visit, he asked, "What brings you here, Lisa?" He first met Lisa in the hospital. And he was impressed by her, even liked her. But since his talk with Anthony earlier, the situation was now different. And Craig didn't know how to face Lisa.

Still smiling, she told Craig,"I know Anthony has to be at the hospital today. I'm almost sure you haven't had breakfast. So, I bought some ingredients and came here to make you breakfast." Lisa showed the shopping bags, sidled up to the house and walked straight in.

She had never been to Anthony's home before and had no idea where the kitchen was. She looked at Craig and asked, "Which way to the kitchen, Grandpa?"

He escorted the young woman to the kitchen, and then said, "Thank you!"

"No need to thank me, Grandpa Craig. It's a pleasure to do this for you," Lisa said politely. Her shopping bags were full. Lisa started to unpack and stored them in the fridge. There were fruits and yogurt, which she told Craig were Anthony's favorites.

Craig stood by the kitchen door and watched Lisa putter around. "Thank you for treating my grandson well," he told her.

"He's important to me, and I like doing these things for him," Lisa replied. She stopped moving before speaking. "I like Anthony very much. He's the reason I decided to work here. So I can see him every day. Do you think you can help me, Grandpa Craig?" she asked earnestly.

Hearing her say these things embarrassed Craig. And he tried to hide it with a smile but did not reply.

Lisa didn't realize that his attitude to her had changed. She started to prepare the ingredients for the three dishes she would cook. Once everything was ready, she set them on the table before a stunned Craig. "Aren't you a foreigner, Lisa?" he asked politely. "So, how do you know to cook delicious Chinese food?" Craig was impressed after he had taken a bite. He sampled the other dishes laid out in front of him. All of them tasted very good. Craig was thinking, 'They may not be as delicious as those prepared by professional chefs in hotels, but this home-cooked meal is wonderful.'

Lisa sat down facing Craig. "Grandpa Craig, I'm what you call a hybrid. I'm an American citizen, but my mother is Chinese." She added, "Her hometown is Y City." Lisa filled a bowl of rice for Craig.

"Is she?" he asked, now more curious about his visitor. "What a coincidence!"

The woman smiled. "I thought so, too." She put the rice bowl in front of Craig. "That's why I can speak Chinese fluently. When I was young, my mom taught me Chinese. I also love Chinese food. And before I came here, my mother taught me to cook two dishes." Lisa suddenly turned shy. "I wasn't sure if you would like them."

Craig looked at her with gentle eyes. "You learned to cook for my grandson, didn't you?" he probed. He could not help but feel sad for Lisa.

Lisa's cheeks turned pink and she stammered,"I, I thought..." She blew out a breath before continuing, "I didn't want to bother Anthony about food. Besides, I want to look after him. So, I learned several Chinese dishes to cook for him."

Craig laid down his chopsticks. "Here's the thing, Lisa," he started. He wanted to honor his promise to Anthony and was intent on persuading Lisa to stop waiting for Anthony. He knew his grandson very well. Once he had made up his mind, nothing and no one could change it. And he didn't want to see this girl wasting her time on his grandson.

But Lisa was quick to interrupt him. "Please hear me out, Grandpa Craig!" She was now leaning forward. "I made up my mind before coming here. I will do everything to get back with Anthony. No matter what happens, I will never give up on him." Her eyes were full of determination.