Chapter 731: Blind Date
Chapter 731: Chapter 731: Blind Date
The reunion with Roy Henderson gave today’s meal a special significance.
During the meal, Roy Henderson recounted the things he and Owen Chapman had encountered over the years. He glossed over many details, but everyone knew that for two thirteen-year-old children to survive the great flood and achieve what they had today, they must have endured unimaginable hardships.
He was also curious about how everyone else had fared over the years, so Quincy told him all about their experiences. When Roy learned they had been captured by the Savage Tribe and subjected to all kinds of persecution, he was too upset to speak.
When he found out that Annie was the child Chase Underwood and Serena Lynch had adopted, he also guessed why the others weren’t here.
"Where are you living now?"
"The base assigned us housing. Everyone gets a small private room. Owen Chapman’s room is close to mine, but we barely see each other a few times a year. Especially these last two years, he went to a desert training camp while I stayed at the base. My job now is to maintain the electric fence along the border. I lead patrols every day, and if we find any suspicious individuals, we bring them back to the base."
"That’s wonderful. Seeing how capable you’ve become, we’re all so proud of you and Owen Chapman. You’re both good kids."
Officer Graham’s eyes filled with pride. He recalled rescuing the two of them from Prosperity Gardens over a decade ago. They had been imprisoned in dog cages, barely clothed and covered in injuries. The two timid children who had once followed him around, searching for food and water, had now grown into proud young men.
Roy Henderson smiled. "If it weren’t for you and Joy Ford saving our lives back then, we would have died long ago."
"Let’s not talk about such things on a happy day like this. Come on, eat and drink! We’re celebrating today, so no one’s going home sober!"
Quincy raised his glass and toasted everyone. He hadn’t forgotten his mission for the day and made sure to highlight Ethan Dawson and Peter Owens. Through his observation, he saw that one of the women had already taken a shine to Ethan Dawson. As for Peter Owens, he was completely engrossed in the food, and the other female instructor wasn’t very interested in him. Her eyes were fixed on Liam Sterling, but since Liam was already pursuing someone, it was unlikely anything would happen between them.
After the meal, everyone sat in the courtyard, drinking tea and chatting. The instructor who had hit it off with Ethan Dawson was named Micah Manning. With Quincy’s matchmaking, the two had already exchanged personal information. Roy Henderson and the others had to work the next day, so they needed to head back to their dorms to rest. Ronan Kendrick hadn’t been drinking, so he drove them back to the base dormitories.
Meanwhile, Officer Graham was still basking in the joy of his reunion with Roy Henderson, while Quincy had taken out a base-issued calendar to look up auspicious dates. He was already picking out a wedding day for Ethan Dawson.
Ethan Dawson, now middle-aged, was getting a classic lesson in eating his words. After Instructor Manning left, he was completely distracted, and everyone couldn’t help but tease him about it.
"An old tree blooming is really something else. Yesterday, we told him to go on a blind date, and he was still a little reluctant."
"I was not reluctant," Ethan Dawson corrected him self-righteously.
"Right, right, you were very willing," Quincy said, giving him a thumbs-up.
"He’s an old house that’s caught fire."
Ethan Dawson glanced at the vibrant dahlias blooming in the courtyard. "Are there any good dates this year?"
Quincy burst out laughing. "Weren’t you just saying I was worrying for nothing? You seem pretty anxious yourself. I took a look, and there’s a good date in three months. After that, the next one isn’t until the end of the year. I can see you’re both very happy with each other. After you’ve spent some time together, you can go visit Instructor Manning’s family and set the date. This isn’t easy, you know! For our Mr. Dawson to fall in love at first sight at his age... as your brother, I have to give you my full support and help you make it happen perfectly."
Ethan Dawson nodded. "Thanks."
Then he turned to Evelyn Ford. "Do you have any tonics or skin care products that would work for me?"
Ethan Dawson, who had always been the rugged, no-frills type, had suddenly transformed. He was actually starting to care about his appearance. Everyone stared at him in mock horror.
"The power of love is a scary thing. How did I never notice that Ethan Dawson had the potential to be so lovestruck? Don’t tell me he caught it from Ronan Kendrick?"
"It’s possible. They hang out together all the time. You know what they say, you are who you hang with. Ronan Kendrick being so lovestruck is bad enough. If there’s another one, it’ll be too much to watch."
Quincy and Miles Vaughn were muttering to each other on the side. But everyone was still very happy and took it seriously that Ethan Dawson was finally getting out of his single life.
As for Peter Owens, he was still under thirty, so he wasn’t in a hurry.
The next day, Ethan Dawson was spruced up by a few of the guys, picked nine flowers that Evelyn Ford had grown, and went straight out for his date.
His bold move took Joelle Finch and Wyatt Vaughn by surprise.
They both thought it was too reckless, but Quincy and the others thought it was great. When a man pursues a woman, he should be fast, precise, and ruthless. They had expected him to come back with his tail between his legs, but to their surprise, Ethan Dawson went out and ended up right in Instructor Manning’s home, even meeting his future father- and mother-in-law.
When he came back and told everyone he and Instructor Manning were getting married in three months, they were all dumbfounded.
"That fast?"
"I know they say adults are all about efficiency, but your speed is comparable to a rocket launch."
Ethan Dawson was now the very picture of a man glowing with happiness. "Micah and I are both straightforward people. We feel we’re a good match, so we can get married. There’s no need to drag things out."
Following the happy occasion of reuniting with Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman, this was the second piece of good news: Ethan Dawson, the long-standing difficult case, had finally found his home.
As the patriarch of their group, Taylor Vance represented the groom’s family and met with her parents. After they agreed on a date, the two were considered engaged.
Meanwhile, Roy Henderson went to the desert training camp. After finding Owen Chapman, he told him the good news about their reunion with everyone. Owen Chapman requested two days of leave from his superior and immediately rushed back to the base to see them at the small courtyard.
If Officer Graham hadn’t known how busy he was, with the training camp waiting for him to return and drill new recruits, he would have insisted on him staying over.
Owen Chapman was incredibly emotional seeing everyone. If Roy Henderson hadn’t given him a heads-up and allowed him to prepare mentally, he probably would have been so excited he’d have fainted.
Owen Chapman and Roy Henderson still had duties to attend to. After they left, a heavy rain began to fall on the base. Ethan Dawson couldn’t go out to meet Micah Manning for their date, and he was getting depressed.
"Middle-aged people in love are even more intense than the young ones. They haven’t seen each other for just a few days, and Ethan Dawson already looks haggard."
"He’s lovesick."
Peter Owens said gloomily, "Looks more like his love-brain is acting up."
"He has a girlfriend," Quincy said, giving Peter Owens a look of pity reserved for single guys, which annoyed him greatly.
"Long live the king of singles! If I eat, my whole family is full. I’m proud of it!"
A week later, the heavy rain stopped. Ethan Dawson picked the last few flowers from the garden, hopped on his bicycle, and quickly left the courtyard.
Watching his retreating figure, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
"If I’d known, I wouldn’t have spouted all that nonsense. There’s actually an auspicious date next month. If I told Ethan Dawson that now, you think he’d kill me?"
Evelyn Ford made a throat-slitting gesture at Quincy. "You’re on your own."