Chapter 205

For several days, she had been busy knitting a pair of gloves. Early this morning, she rushed here by bus and had worked all day. Consequently, Grace unwittingly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Brian glanced at the sleeping Grace and lowered the volume.

Asleep, she looked even more like the woman in his memories. She resembled her even with her eyes open, but her waking expression held a weary, suppressed quality absent in the woman of his recollections. That woman had clear, bright eyes full of limitless hope.

When Grace awoke, the car was at the gates of her village. Embarrassed, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long," he said.

Grace quickly got out, reaching for her bag. She didn't grasp it securely, and its contents spilled onto the seat. Frantically, she gathered her belongings.

A hand, quicker than hers, picked up her half-finished glove.

"You're knitting gloves?" he asked, surprised.

"Uh-huh. I was bored," she mumbled, quickly retrieving the glove and thanking him before slamming the car door. She hurried into her residential area.

Through the windshield, Brian watched her disappear. The glove, judging by its size, seemed intended for a man. Unless they were related, a woman knitting for a man implied only one conclusion. However, the wool was old, and he didn't know for whom she was knitting.

Brian started his car and drove away.

Returning home, Grace washed up and checked her phone. Since leaving prison, she had saved less than $5,000. She had inquired about her grandmother's medical bills; while she currently owed only a few thousand, continued treatment would require at least $50,000, perhaps more depending on her grandmother's progress. That meant she needed another $7,000+.

Once, $7,000 wouldn't have seemed significant, but now… Grace felt the pinch. Every penny earned at the Sanitation Service Center counted. Her criminal record hindered her chances of finding other work.

Grace sighed, her heart heavy until she fell asleep.

"Hey, don't sleep. We can escape this." Whose voice was that? It sounded like hers.

"My foot… hurts. I can’t… Can’t move…" This sounded like a boy's voice.

"Then I'll give you a piggyback ride. I'm strong! I can carry you!" she said.

"That's right. Don't fall asleep! Don't all TV shows say you'll die if you fall asleep? I'll sing you a song! I sing Teresa Teng songs really well, my grandmother says!"