Chapter 2 Rejection When the two returned home, it was already...
It was already dark when they returned home. Johnny slid his wheelchair silently towards the bathroom. Everything was still so familiar, but he knew that his identity had changed drastically overnight.
He stared at himself in the mirror silently. His always fluffy and beautiful blond hair was now wet and limp, like butter melted overnight. His face and neck were covered in stains, and the cracks and blood at the corners of his mouth showed that he had almost been insulted by a stranger.
Helplessness spread in his heart. Johnny turned on the faucet and silently immersed his head in the cold water, his tears melting into the falling drops.
Johnny cleaned himself up with all his might, thankful that his upper body had become stronger from horse racing. He could climb into the wheelchair with his own strength instead of crawling on the ground like a drowned dog, waiting for Mary's help.
The wounds on his body still hurt, but Johnny was slowly getting used to it.
Although his country was thriving, its medical care was dreadful. He knew that with his serious injuries, he might not survive even a week. He had to find a reliable doctor to have a chance of survival.
As he pushed his wheelchair out of the bathroom, his mind heavy, Mary had already prepared a meal. It was just as ordinary as usual, just edible. But Johnny, usually a picky eater, silently finished off the food on his plate.
While he was eating, Mary just looked at him quietly as usual, without the pity and sympathy that Johnny was worried about, which finally eased his tense mood.
Stuffing the last bit of food, Johnny whispered, "Thank you, Mary... I really don't know what I would do without you."
He paused and continued, "I don't know how to repay you. I haven't given you a decent salary in the past three months..." Feeling more and more ashamed, Johnny told Mary the combination to the safe in his room without hesitation: "5556, you can take as much as you want."
"You need the money more than I do, Johnny."
Mary's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Johnny's head. He suddenly remembered that he would never race horses again. He had no habit of saving money, so it would be easy to continue his extravagant lifestyle for a year or two. But if he thought about his life, his money was not much, so he would definitely have to live frugally.
"I might die soon, why do I need so much money?" Johnny thought he was telling the truth, but everyone could hear the self-abandonment in his tone: "Anyway, just take the money and leave. If you stay with me, you might also be..." stigmatized and abused.
He couldn't say the rest of the words no matter how hard he tried. He found that no matter how he lied to himself, he couldn't deceive his heart. He just couldn't bear to see Mary leave. If Mary left, he didn't know how he would get through this torment.
He wasn't well-educated, and he couldn't wash or cook. Even something as simple as climbing into bed would cause him to tear his wounds, causing them to bleed profusely. Without someone to care for him in the short term, he could easily die quietly at home, becoming the talk of the town.
As long as Mary... was willing to stay with him for another week... or even just a few days, Johnny believed he could cheer up.
But he also knew that for the past three months, he hadn't cared about Mary at all. He hadn't paid any attention to her, hadn't chatted with her, and had completely treated her as a ghost in the room, taking for granted the fruits of her labor. And now, as a notorious man, Mary not only wouldn't receive any treatment here, but would also be implicated by him.
Everyone knows this is a losing business.
Johnny looked up at Mary, a hope and pleading in his eyes that he hadn't even noticed. And the brown-haired woman before him, just as he had longed for, said, "Johnny, didn't I tell you? I won't leave."
"Really?" Johnny still felt nervous, unable to grasp the person in front of him. He bit his lip and said, "I... well... anyway... I will try my best to reduce your burden!" Even though the other party had agreed, he still felt unsure.
As a talented horse racer, Johnny was confident that he could keep Mary by his side. But now he was just a disabled person, and a disabled person with a bad reputation, and he couldn't understand why Mary was willing to stay.
What did he... promise Mary?
Mary ignored Johnny's complex expression and silently picked up the used plates from the table and carried them into the kitchen. Johnny turned his wheelchair without a second thought and followed Mary's steps.
Mary found his nervous and uneasy expression cute and a little funny, but she was not the type to be funny. After thinking for a long time, she still didn't know what to say, so she focused on washing the dishes.
"Mary, what do you like to eat?"
“I don’t particularly like it, nor do I particularly dislike it.”
"So... do you have any hobbies?"
"No"
An awkward atmosphere spread in the air. Mary caught a glimpse of Johnny's hurt expression and explained, "I'm not being perfunctory, Johnny. Those are my true feelings."
"Oh oh..." Johnny wasn't exactly the smooth talker, but he desperately wanted to understand Mary, so he mustered up the courage to continue, "You... killed someone today... aren't you afraid of being discovered?" Before Mary could respond, Johnny hurriedly explained, "I'm not blaming you for killing someone. No, I'm just worried that the police and the others will find you."
Looking at Mary's calm expression, Johnny made up his mind, closed his eyes and shouted, "If this is really traced back to you, I'm willing to take the blame for you!"
…
Mary blinked and whispered, "Johnny, don't mention this matter again, and don't worry about it being traced back to me."
"But!"
"Black clinics are full of mixed bag, and people die every day. As long as the features are blurred..." Mary paused, as if unwilling to talk in depth, and said lightly: "Anyway, it will be fine, don't worry, Johnny."
She changed the subject, "Your injury is very serious. I heard from Mrs. Melissa that there's a doctor from the East who, with her medical skills, has miraculously established herself here and earned the respect of many people. I think we can go and see if she can heal your injury tomorrow."
Even though Mary was standing right in front of him, Johnny still felt a cloud of mist in his vision. He moved his lips, and finally, as if in compromise, he whispered, "Good night, Mary."
The woman in front of him gave a very faint smile: "Good night, Johnny."
Mary breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Johnny return to his room in a wheelchair. Talking to someone she liked was always a bit overwhelming, and the tension made her uncomfortable.
Mary let out a breath and left the house quietly. She now needed to do the cleanup.
……………………………………
The next day, Johnny was awakened by pain. He whimpered briefly and slowly adapted to the dull pain caused by the wound.
Sitting silently in the wheelchair, Johnny felt that the room was terribly empty. He subconsciously called out, "Mary, Mary, are you there?"
No response from outside
Could it be that Mary left?
He shouted again in panic: "Mary? Mary??"
There was still no sound outside the door, and the silence almost swallowed Johnny up. He pushed the wheels forward clumsily, even though he already knew the outcome.
The moment he opened the door, he heard the sound of the house door opening. At this time, Mary had a basket hanging on her left hand, which contained fresh vegetables and large pieces of raw meat, and a brand new wheelchair was placed beside her.
"Are you up already?" Mary looked at the blond boy in front of her, put the basket on the table, turned around, picked him up, and put him on the new wheelchair, being very careful not to touch his wound.
"Are you going to buy groceries?" Johnny smiled awkwardly, feeling ashamed of his recent nervous behavior. "This new wheelchair is really nice. Thank you, Mary."
"You're welcome," Mary said. "I bought some bread. You can have some to fill your stomach."
"Yeah, okay." Johnny obediently began to eat, while Mary estimated the time. She had to prepare lunch and clean the house today, so she probably wouldn't be able to see the Oriental man until the afternoon.
In the racist America, the status of Orientals was extremely low, no different from animals waiting to be slaughtered. Since that Oriental man could command respect here, his medical skills must be quite good, and he might even be able to cure Johnny's injuries.
Thinking of this, Mary's movements became more efficient and agile than ever. She quickly cleaned up the two-story house and made a simple grilled steak for lunch. Just as she was about to call Johnny to eat, she heard a loud noise outside the house.
Mary thought something serious had happened and rushed out cautiously, but she didn't expect Johnny to fall out of his wheelchair. The wooden bucket filled with water next to him was also overturned, and the dirty water flowed all over the floor.
Seeing the hem of Mary's skirt, Johnny forced a smile, but there was an unrelieved depression in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Mary was about to go forward and carry Johnny back to the wheelchair, but he blocked her with his right arm.
"It's okay, I can do it myself." Johnny climbed up with great effort, and after he succeeded, he said, "There will always be times when you are not by my side. I have to learn to take care of myself."
Mary thought about it and felt that it was indeed correct. She said nothing more and just picked up the bucket on the ground. She thought Johnny had accidentally fallen on the ground while giving his horse a bath.
Johnny's horse was gentle and Mary could get close to it at will, so she took over the work that Johnny had not finished and cleaned the horse's dirty hair.
Johnny clenched his fists quietly, unable to control his sad expression. But Mary's every move still helped Johnny relax his tense nerves.
Everyone has their own magnetic field, and Mary's whole body conveys the signal that "I am reliable and you can trust me."
The horse licked Mary's cheek, and that gentle and intimate attitude suddenly gave Johnny an idea.
"Can you ride, Mary?"
"Hmm?" Not quite understanding why Johnny suddenly asked about this, Mary thought for a moment and said, "A little."
"Be more specific." Johnny frowned in front of Mary, a rare occurrence. He wasn't happy with this nonsensical comment. "For example, what can you do? Can you get on a horse? Can you hold the reins? Do you know how to give commands? Do you know how to keep your balance on a horse?"
Mary was stunned for a few seconds by this long paragraph. She didn't quite understand why Johnny suddenly became so serious, but she still answered Johnny's question seriously: "It's no problem to get on the horse, it's no problem to keep balance on the horse, and it's no problem to ride the horse and run without being thrown off."
Johnny felt his heart pounding. Horse racing seemed to be a constant in his mind. A seed of inheritance had taken root in his heart. He said word by word, "Mary... do you want to learn horse racing?"
Johnny had never seen a female horse racer in a professional arena. After all, many sports activities in the United States refused to allow women to participate. A lot of sloppy men who couldn't ride a horse at all thought it was extremely indecent for women to participate.
But Johnny knew that many women genuinely loved horse racing. Some wealthy women even held races in their gardens with their female friends. Perhaps, in the near future, women could also enter the official arena.
Mary is agile and she herself is an outstanding former horse racer. The combination of the two might produce a horse racer who is even better than him and a revolutionary one!
Thinking of this, Johnny looked at Mary with shining eyes, and the other party said softly: "I don't want to."
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