Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change?

"Sylvia, Fran."

"Sherilyn!" Sylvia hurriedly put down her book; she had been reading to Francis.

Sylvia looked a bit aggrieved. "You've come just in time; your Fran was just getting annoyed with me."

"How could he?"

"How couldn't he?" Sylvia complained. "I was just trying to get him to start talking sooner. Look at him, all impatient!"

Sherilyn couldn't help but chuckle, "Sylvia, maybe we could try a different approach?"

She explained, "Reading books, with their long sentences, might be too much for Fran to grasp."

As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of flashcards from her bag. The kind that kindergarten kids use to learn words.

Sherilyn waved the flashcards in her hand. "Fran, how about we try this? You can look at each card, and we'll learn, word by word. How does that sound?"

Francis was now able to sit up. Leaning on his wheelchair, he gave Sherilyn a slight smile, his voice muffled but trying to form sounds.

"Good..."

"Look at that."

Sylvia clapped her hands in delight. "Sherilyn, you always think of everything."

It wasn't that Sherilyn was exceptionally thoughtful; she just had more experience. The doctor had said that Francis needed to relearn everything from scratch, like a child, to awaken his various functions.

She remembered Jenna, how she had started talking with the help of these flashcards, one word at a time. So, she had bought a set.

Sherilyn smiled softly at Gilbert, "Fran, welcome back, welcome home. Don't worry, things will get better, they always do."

Francis nodded slowly, solemnly.

Outside, Gilbert and Caroline entered one after the other. Seeing this scene, Gilbert couldn't help but think to himself how dedicated Sherilyn was to Francis.

No wonder, Francis had always adored her. Sherilyn had grown up, no longer the spoiled brat she used to be; she knew how to reciprocate the love she received, both to Sylvia and to Francis. Yet, Gilbert wasn't on her list of people to repay...

...

After dinner, Sherilyn was about to leave.

Sylvia instructed Gilbert, "Make sure you drive Sherilyn home safely, you hear me?"

"I hear you, Grandma."

Sherilyn didn't even get a chance to refuse before she was ushered into the car and they left the Johnson family's estate. The car ride was quiet, neither of them speaking much.

"Just drop me off at the corner up ahead." Sherilyn pointed.

Gilbert lazily argued, "Grandma asked me to take you home, not to the corner."

"That's because..." Sherilyn explained, "Edgar is picking me up in a bit."

Gilbert paused, understanding the situation.

Her boyfriend was coming to pick her up; he couldn't compete with that. NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.

"Alright then." Gilbert nodded, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

At the corner, the car pulled over and stopped. "Where's Edgar?"

There was no sign of another car.

"In a minute..."

Sherilyn picked up her phone to call Edgar. "Edgar, where are you? I'm at the corner. Have you arrived?"

Looking up, she saw a silver Pagani slowly approaching.

"I see you now, I'll hang up."

She ended the call and turned to Gilbert.

"Alright." Gilbert got it, leaning in as if to say something. Then, pausing as if remembering something, he looked at her and asked curiously, "Do you prefer dancing or aiming for a career in showbiz?"