The Substitute Bride

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

sional 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.