"That white-eyed wolf," he spat, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "We spoiled her *rotten*, and she doesn't have an ounce of gratitude in her body!"
"Don't be mad anymore. Since there aren't any tickets home, let's book a flight to Hainan. We'll take a trip for the New Year!"
"From now on, we won't give her a cent of our pension. We'll spend it on ourselves!"
My throat closed. Tears blurred everything until I couldn't speak.
"Mm!" The sound scraped out of me.
Perhaps Heaven was finally watching over us. On New Year's Eve, seats opened up on flights from both North City and River City to Hainan.
We booked immediately. My husband's voice came through the phone, relaxed and warm. "Wife, I'll meet you at the Hainan airport tomorrow! I heard it's warm there. I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe when we arrive!"
"Okay."
A few more words of comfort, then the line went dead.
I stood, hailed a taxi to the airport, and printed my boarding pass. Departure: 1 a.m.
I was scanning the waiting hall for a quiet corner to rest when a familiar, grating voice sliced through the noise.
"Dad, Mom! Over here!"