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Chapter 13 The Elders Were Very Kind to Me

"I'm not, I'm the owner of Building 16. Just moved back in today." I waved and asked, "What's everyone doing over there? Exercising?"

One of the elderly folks replied, "Sort of. We have early dinners, and after eating, we head to the square to dance ballroom. It gets pretty lively."

It was indeed lively. I could already see people starting to dance, warming up.

But when I showed up, a bunch of them stopped dancing and came over to chat with me. I felt a bit awkward.

One elderly lady said, "You came on an electric scooter this afternoon, right? We thought you were visiting relatives."

Another one added, "I saw you carrying a lot of stuff and thought you were delivering goods."

Luckily, I didn't have to say much; they were happy to chat among themselves.

Even though I had a driver's license, I rarely drove. James always picked me up and dropped me off, so I just rode an electric scooter. I bought it today.

Someone mentioned, "Building 16 has been empty for a while. During the heavy rain, the basement got flooded. The caretaker couldn't handle it, and it took months before your family sent someone to deal with it. Later, they asked Amelia Martinez from the Wilson family to keep an eye on it and even gave her the keys to the yard and basement. The caretaker only comes once a month, but Amelia checks in every few days!"

I asked, a bit surprised, "Wait, so the vegetables in my backyard were planted by her? That's so nice of her!"

"I just love gardening; it's no big deal. I just came a bit late, and you're already talking about me." Amelia pushed through the crowd and squeezed in, her eyes lighting up when she saw me.

"I heard a pretty young lady moved into our community. You're understating it. She's stunning!" Amelia said.

"Amelia, you're making me blush." If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have come out to join the fun.

"I'm just telling the truth; don't be embarrassed." Amelia squeezed in next to me, looking at me sincerely, and said, "Don't mind that our community is a bit out of the way; it's quiet here, and the yards are quite big, perfect for gardening. I love the weather here. I planted a flower in my yard, and it grows so well! You must come over and see it sometime!"

She continued, "I don't have any other hobbies, just gardening. My own yard isn't enough, so I thought since our houses are close, and your backyard is just growing weeds, I might as well plant some vegetables there. I hope you don't mind. You can pick any vegetables you want; they're all grown without any pesticides."

"I don't mind at all. I should thank you for regularly airing out my basement." I shook my head, grateful.

"You talk so much, are you hoping she might end up with your son?" someone teased from the side.

"When do I not talk a lot?" Amelia retorted, then grabbed my hand joyfully and said, "Don't mind them. My son is about to retire from the military. He's almost twenty-nine, and I'm eager to find him a wife. They've all heard me talk about it. My son said he has one last mission, and then he'll be back."

"Yeah, you don't mean anything by it. It would be nice for the young people to meet and get to know each other," someone chimed in with a laugh.

Their enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for me, especially since I had just ended a relationship.

Just then, Sophia called, giving me an excuse to leave.

"Emily, where are you? Aiden, Isabella, and that jerk James are going crazy looking for you. If you're feeling down, at least tell me where you are!" Sophia's tone had a hint of reproach.

"I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone else. Now that Ava is pregnant, shouldn't they be worrying about that? I'm fine, just a bit hungry," I said as I walked back, talking on the phone.

Sophia said furiously, "Aiden and Isabella don't even know Ava is pregnant. James probably won't mention it either. They think you're just throwing a tantrum. I told them to ask James what he did to upset you! I'm speechless. He stood you up when you two registered for marriage. It's entirely his fault. As a man, he can't take any responsibility and pushed it all on you!"

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