The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 231
“I just picked up the soup on my way here; it was no trouble.”
At the mention of the wedding, Milford’s grip on his spoon tightened slightly. Through the rising steam, he saw the expectant look in Tamara’s eyes. It was a look filled with a fragile, cautious kind of joy.
To mask his momentary distraction, he lowered his head and took a sip of the soup, offering a perfunctory compliment. “It tastes great.”
Tamara’s eyes lit up, but the light within them dimmed just as quickly.
“Milford, you said you’d help me plan the wedding this time,” she said softly. “But lately, you’re either busy with the company or busy with Yvonne.”
Tamara bit her lip. “If you’ve changed your mind, you can still…”
“Tamara.” Milford cut her off, his voice tinged with helplessness as she brought up the same old insecurities. “I told you I would marry you, and I will. I haven’t been ignoring you on purpose. The company really has been demanding lately. Can you please just be a little understanding?”
Tears welled up in Tamara’s eyes instantly. She turned her face away to wipe the corners of her eyes.
“Milford, I just love you so much. As the date gets closer, it feels less and less real. Am I really going to be your wife? I’m so anxious all the time… Am I bothering you?”
Milford looked at her trembling shoulders. He thought of how she had taken care of him for the past four years, and how patient she was every time she visited Yvonne at the sanatorium. Moreover, Tamara was this sensitive and insecure because of him.
He sighed, reached out, and gently patted the back of her hand. “Don’t overthink it.”
Tamara took the opportunity to clasp his hand, a tear falling perfectly onto his skin. “Maybe I’ll feel better once the wedding is over,” she said. “Milford, I promise I’ll be a good wife.”
Milford didn’t pull his hand away. He just gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, landing on their joined hands, yet it failed to reach the gloomy depths of Milford’s eyes. The two seemed to be enjoying a long-lost moment of peace and intimacy.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Tamara looked up at him. “By the way, Milford, when I came over just now, I think I heard Dad say… the Lamberts went bankrupt.”
Her voice was soft, and she spoke slowly, as if afraid to startle him.
“The Lamberts? How did that happen so suddenly?”
Milford recalled that the Lambert family had just recently pledged to inject several hundred million dollars into the Sloan family business. If they were bankrupt, the Sloans were likely in dire straits as
well.
Tamara sighed and explained the situation. “From what Dad said, it sounds like their cash flow snapped. A lot of projects stalled, and they couldn’t handle the debt. They filed for bankruptcy this.
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morning.”
She paused, looking up at Milford with pleading eyes.
“Milford, our projects with the Lamberts have been affected too. We might need some urgent capital to tide us over. But don’t worry, consider it a personal loan from me to you. I’ll pay you back later.”
Milford was silent for a moment, then looked at Tamara with a faint, amused expression. “Tamara, there’s no need for such formalities between us. I understand the situation. I’ll contact your dad later and see how we can handle it.”
Tamara’s eyes reddened, her voice choking up slightly. “Thank you, Milford. I knew you wouldn’t abandon us.”
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