Bitter & Sweet
The Part 40
As the serious-looking Matthew speaks at her daddy's grave, Chloe looks at Matthew and watches him closely, while Chloe remembers some of the things that happened in the past.
Before, when her daddy was alive, until she breathed her last breath, Chloe never found anyone willing to treat her daddy like someone honorable.
Most of the people Chloe knew who knew her daddy profession, and how their daily lives were, often demeaned and insulted her.
It was as if that old fellow from Chloe, was someone completely worthless in the judgment of those people.
In fact, there are people who unreservedly sneer and give a look of disgust, for the existence of Chloe and her daddy who live their lives below the poverty line.
But this time, people with social status like Matthew, and then want to behave with respect to his daddy, can actually make Chloe feel very moved.
Without realizing it again, Chloe was downcast and shed her tears.
"Have I mispronounced?" Matthew suddenly hugged Chloe tightly, and rubbed Chloe's back.
"No, Sir ... Thank ye. I really appreciate your attitude this time," Chloe said, replying to Matthew's embrace.
"You've been crying too much. Do you intend to take a walk with me with puffy eyes?" matthew said, as if to distract Chloe from her taste.
Chloe smile. "Of course not."
Although Chloe was already feeling calmer, Matthew still hugged her tightly, and even as if he still wanted to make sure of Chloe's condition, saying, Matthew still hugged her,
"Are you feeling better? ... Don't cry anymore...! Your face looks so bad when you're crying."
Chloe finally chuckles at it, then pushes Matthew a little, until she lets go of Chloe's embrace. "Let's get out of here, sir!"
While helping Matthew walk, leading to a parked car, Chloe then thought about asking Matthew.
"Is there somewhere you want to go?"
"Hm ... What is interesting here? ... You should know better" said Matthew, moving into the car.
"Anywhere is no problem. As long as it's in that place, I don't need to stand or walk too much" Matthew continued, sounding carefree.
Chloe who rushed in on the side of the car at the driver's side, then turned on the engine of the vehicle thinking, will take Matthew away to whichever fits the requirements said by Matthew.
"Aren't you afraid of heights?" ask Chloe.
"No." Matthew answered Chloe's question immediately.
"There is one place that uses a gondola to look around there, so you can enjoy the view while sitting down. But...." Chloe hurriedly gave a suggestion, but she herself was finally hesitant.
"You're afraid of heights." Matthew goes on unspoken words by Chloe.
"How do you know?" ask Chloe.
"Nrt! ... I will not forget, when David hugged you as if you were his lover" Matthew said, turning his face away, looking at the window beside him.
"We'll just go there!" matthew continued, as if he did not care even if Chloe would be frightened, while riding the cable car later.
Without commenting on anything else, Chloe then began driving to the tourist attractions, which made the cable car as a destination for visitors who want to travel there.
And upon their arrival at their destination, Chloe and Matthew immediately go to the payment counter to buy an entrance ticket.
Maybe because the day is a weekend holiday, so people who want to take advantage of their vacation by traveling, look to form a long queue at the place.
Or ... I don't know! ... Chloe can only guess the reason, so that visitors can be as crowded as it is. Whether it's a holiday, or it's always been that way.
Because Chloe had never visited the place before, and only knew the existence of the tourist spot from the story of Agatha, who had visited there.
To be sure, Chloe was quite worried in case Matthew was tired of standing there, for too long waiting for their turn, until he could buy a ticket.
"Miss Fern!?"
The voice of a woman who mentioned her name, made Chloe turn her head to the side, and found that the female celebrity who became the face for the company's advertisement, was already standing near them.
"Hi, Miss Parker!" greet Chloe, with a smile.
"Hi, Mister McLean!" Judy stretched out her hand toward Matthew.
However, Matthew did not want to immediately welcome Judy's hand, and instead looked towards Chloe.
"She is Miss Judy Parker ... The company's advertising star," said Chloe, who understood Matthew's intentions.
After Chloe explained who the woman was to Matthew, the man welcomed Judy's hand, and shook hands with her.
"Hm ... You never see a company ad?" judy asked, smiling broadly.
"I haven't had a chance to notice it yet" Matthew replied, in a flat voice.
However, when Judy is seen without hesitation to invite Matthew to talk to him, but Matthew actually looks uncomfortable nearby.
By paying attention to Matthew's movements, when Judy talks to him while occasionally touching his arm there, Chloe becomes reminded of Maddison's words, if Matthew does not like to be touched by strangers.
So Chloe finally did not feel surprised again, when she saw Matthew who looked upset, and looked at Judy's hand, every time the woman touched his arm.
As Chloe finds out, Judy has been attracted to Matthew since the CEO's welcome party. So that Chloe then thought of helping her, so Judy could get close to Matthew.
Chloe then looks for an opportunity to tell the woman how not to anger Matthew, pretending that Chloe will fix the earrings in Judy's ear.
"You like the CEO, right? ... If you want to attract his attention, you can simply invite him to talk. And don't touch it too often....
... Because he just doesn't like to be touched by someone he just knew" Chloe said, whispering in Judy's ear.
"Oh! I see, huh?! ... Thank you!" sahut Judy, while also whispering.
Until the opportunity arrives for them to buy a ticket in, Judy seems still eager to invite Matthew to talk to her.
Likewise, when they had entered the cable car, where Judy and several friends, also got a cable car that was the same as Matthew and Chloe.
Judy's enthusiasm to approach Matthew, seems to have not diminished at all, although Matthew makes it clear that he is not too interested to respond to Judy's conversation.
"You're okay, right?" matthew asked suddenly, whispering to Chloe who was sitting next to him.
Chloe nodded.
"You're not afraid of heights. You just don't get used to it" Matthew said.
***
After one round of circling the tourist spot, and it was time for them to get out of the cable car, Matthew then said,
"Miss Parker! ... Thank you for your offer. But I can't go with you." Matthew showed his limping leg.
Judy looks disappointed, because her invitation to Matthew to drink tea in the cafe with her, just rejected by Matthew.
"What next time, you want to go with me?" judy asked, seemingly unwilling to give up so easily.
"Yes. When I'm not busy" replied Matthew.
According to Chloe, the answer from Matthew was as if it was giving hope to Judy.
But Chloe did not know, whether Matthew really said it, or Matthew just simply answered it, so Judy did not linger bothering him there.
But of course, because of Matthew's answer, Judy can again look happy.
"In that case, can I contact you directly? Or should I go through Miss Fern?" ask Judy.
"Contact Miss Fern only. He will definitely tell me, if you contact him," Matthew replied.
"Now! ... I go first! ... Bye, Mister McLean! See you soon!" With a big smile, Judy said goodbye to Matthew, then looked towards Chloe. "Bye, Miss Fern! ... I'll call you later!"
"Now! ... Bye, Miss Parker!" chloe, who also smiled, told Judy and her friends to walk away leaving Chloe and Matthew there.
When Judy was out of sight, Chloe asked Matthew.
"Do you really want me to make a blank schedule for Miss Parker?"
"Yes! ... Soon, after my legs recover!" matthew replied, sounding excited.
Chloe smiled and nodded. "Good, Sir!"
Feeling that there was nothing else they could do there, Chloe decided to take Matthew on a trip somewhere else.
"Let's go somewhere else, sir!" Chloe said.
"Let's go! ... I still want to ride that gondola again" Matthew said, holding Chloe back.
"Ugh?" Chloe's confused.
"I couldn't enjoy it, because Judy could barely stop talking" Matthew said, explaining why she wanted to use the cable car again.
"Oh! ... Yes, Sir! ... Wait here for a minute!" chloe said, and got ready to go to the ticket payment counter.
"Cloe!" Matthew took out a different banking card from his wallet, and presented it to Chloe, saying,
"I want an empty gondola. And only you and I use it."