And when Li declared that I was her best friend, I secretly wiped away another tear. Everything about the day was making me feel so emotional. I looked up, and found Ben smiling at us. He was smiling at me, as if he’d known me his entire life and I was part of his world already.
59. Homeless Depressed Chihuahuas
While Ben dropped Li off, I went home to the guys. It was so predictable. The second I walked in, I was met by two sets of curious eyes.
“And did you tell him?” JJ said, the first to jump in.
“Not yet,” I said. “I’m telling him tonight.”
“Tonight, hey?” JJ said with a smirk before handing me a coffee. “Feel free to accidentallynotuse protection and fall pregnant with a little Ben baby!” JJ added while wickedly smiling at Bruce. To my surprise, Bruce smiled back conspiratorially.
I choked on the coffee. “What?!?! Are you mad?”
JJ shook his head. “What can I say, I’m hungry for a grandchild.”
But JJ’s comment didn’t strike me as funny. “Have you both forgotten I practically have a child to support already?” I asked. “My sister. God, I wouldn’t be able to afford a baby. Not now. Not ever. You guys will just have to get a puppy.”
JJ put his hand on his hip and suddenly looked angry again, like he had yesterday.What was going on?
“You know,” he said, “Bruce and I have being trying to do this subtly over the years. But subtle doesn’t seem to work with you, Sera.” He turned to Bruce. “I think it’s time to have the talk with her. Don’t you think?”
Bruce nodded. “It’s about seven years overdue already,” he said. Suddenly, I felt very nervous.
“What’s going on, guys?” I’d never heard them talk like this and it put me on edge.
“You are the worst, and I mean the worst,” he shouted the words out, “at accepting any kind of help from anyone. Do you know that?”
Bruce nodded. “The worst.”
“It’s actually irritating. You walk around incapable of buying decent clothes and paying for the things you want, or for your sister’s education, when we walk around with so much money and no one to give it to.”
JJ’s tone caught me off guard. He genuinely sounded angry.
“You never accept our help. Like the car offer?” JJ asked before leaning in closer. I glanced to my left and Bruce was doing the same.
“Um . . . I, I . . .” I stuttered.
Bruce spoke up, “You seem to think it’s some kind of charity hand out. When it’s not. We don’t want to help you out of charity, Sera. We want to help you because we care. You’re part of our family. That’s what family does for each other. They help out when times get tough.”
I scoffed loudly. “That’s not what my family does.”
JJ slapped his hand down on the arm of the chair very loudly. “Stop it! Stop being such a suffering martyr, Sera.”
I did a double-take at his words. “What?”
“Right now. Right in front of you, you have the means to dig yourself out of a hole. How much is your sister’s med school? Twenty thousand rand? Forty thousand rand? That’s nothing for us. For heaven’s sake, let us help you. I for one don’t want to watch you walking around the house depressed and stressed about money. It’s becoming so boring.”
“What?” It was all I could manage. I was downright offended.
Bruce got up and moved over to the couch next to me. “I think what JJ is trying to say, is that you don’t have to carry all these burdens alone.”
“Exactly,” JJ added. “Especially not when you’re going to get the money one day anyway.”
I looked from Bruce to JJ confused. “What do you mean?”
Bruce placed a hand on my shoulder. “Who do you think the beneficiary in our will is?”
“Who?” I asked.
