Chapter 22

"Great-grandma, guess who I have brought with me?" Joseph walked over from the staircase. At that moment, Alvin and Alvina managed to free themselves from Melissa's grip, dashing over to the elderly woman's side, they called out in a fervent and sweet voice, "Hello, great-grandma!" "Ah! Hello there!" Julia Clarkson responded, her face beaming with joy. Sneaking a peek at the two children before turning her gaze back to Joseph, she couldn't help but think to herself "They look so similar! My precious grandson actually has such a handsome and adorable pair of children, why didn't he tell me earlier? This is really too much!" Grandma Julia bent down, a gentle smile on her face. Her world seemed to be illuminated upon seeing her great-grandchildren "Could you tell your great-grandma what your names are?" "I'm Alvin" Alvin eagerly spoke up first. Alvin's eyes were brimming with enthusiasm, he was impatient to get his hands on that limited edition Transformer. "I'm Alvina" Alvina didn't want to be outdone, her mind was filled with thoughts of the beautiful doll clothes. "Oh, so it's Alvin and Alvina, how old are you two?" Grandma Julia asked them in a childlike tone, much like a beloved grandparent. "Five years old." The children held up five fingers as they chorus together. Upon considering, Alvin added with his round eyes swivelling, "Great-grandma, I was born a few minutes earlier than Alvina, so I'm the older brother, and she's the younger sister. So, I have to yield in anything…" He sighed with his hands on his hips like a grown-up. At this, Alvina couldn't suppress her resentment. She pouted, her cheeks turning red, giving the impression that she was about to quarrel with her brother. "Hmph, who said you always let me have my way? Just yesterday, you were fighting me for the bear-shaped biscuits. I clearly won, my 'scissors' beat your 'paper'…" Children tend to hold onto the smallest of matters, launching into never-ending disputes at the drop of a hat. To them, things are either right or wrong, black or white; they do not understand the concept of grey areas. "Oh, did Alvin ake your biscuit?" Grandma Julia looked at Alvina with affection, sitting on a sofa, she tapped on a square tin box on the coffee table: "Come, Grandma has some Russian biscuits here, they're quite yummy. After you two finish these, I'll buy you more." "Great, thank you, Grandma!" Alvin and Alvina clap their hands in cheer. They blink at each other, clearly having a good impression of this kind old lady. Just as the children were cheering and jumping around, Grandma Julia saw Melissa, who was standing to one side, looking helpless. When Melissa made eye contact with Grandma Julia, she felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if the old lady really considered her to be her own granddaughter. "Who are you?" Grandma Julia asked slowly. She was wearing red-framed reading glasses and a retro knitted square shawl. Her attire was not as common as that of a typical old grandmother, indicating that Grandma Julia was a woman of good fashion sense. When Grandma Julia saw that Melissa hadn't responded, she turned to look at her grandson, Joseph. Melissa also looked at Joseph, hesitant to lie. "This is Melissa, the mother of Alvin and Alvina." Joseph replied for her. He turned to Melissa and reminded her, "Why are you staring at me? Grandma is asking you." "Oh, grandma, I...I am..." Despite the encouragement, Melissa found it difficult to confess, not wanting to deceive the old lady. "Don't be shy, I already know. You're actually my granddaughter-in-law," Grandma Julia stepped in to help when she saw how flustered Melissa was. Granddaughter-in-law? What? Melissa looked with bulging eyes in bewilderment.