American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

Chapter 329 The Crack (Continued)

Red wine, candles, dinner...

Brenda, who was prepared, then led George into the restaurant, where a candlelight dinner was laid out on the table.

They were both adults, and at this point, George knew exactly what the other person was thinking.

After hesitating at the door, George finally went to sit down at the dining table.

Don't let George's current weight gain and somewhat unkempt appearance fool you. In his youth, he was a very handsome and popular guy with girls.

It was only after he unexpectedly had a child with Mary that they got married and settled into a simple family life.

Brenda's "teasing" now gives him a feeling of returning to his youth.

"What's this?" George, who had just sat down, looked at the candlelight dinner in front of him and asked the question knowingly.

“You know, my life has been a mess ever since Herschel left. So, I sometimes need a little romance to treat myself…” Brenda unconsciously revealed a vulnerable side. Then, she tactfully changed the subject, asking, “By the way, how are you? You and Mary must be very happy.”

"Don't even mention it, Mary seems to be going through menopause lately..." George complained about his wife, caught up in the atmosphere.

“How could this be? She doesn’t even appreciate such a wonderful husband like you…” Brenda continued George’s topic, while also trying to sow discord between the two.

One party intends to guide the conversation, while the other needs to confide in someone.

So, during the ensuing candlelight dinner, Brenda and George's conversation became increasingly private and ambiguous.

"Can I have this dance? It's been a long time since I've danced with anyone." Brenda hit the nail on the head when the time was right.

A little physical contact can accelerate the development of feelings.

"Of course, to be honest, I haven't danced with anyone in a long time." George was enjoying the warmth that Brenda brought him during this moment, given his "terrible" family life.

Then, to the sound of soothing music, two figures awkwardly "embraced" each other.

……

"I'm full. Let's see why George hasn't come back yet." Mary was a little uneasy in the Cooper family's dining room.

With her husband gone for so long, Mary, with a woman's sixth sense, seemed to sense a "threat" from Brenda.

While feeling sympathy for the single mother living alone next door, Mary did not forget that the two had once been bitter enemies.

"Won't something go wrong?" Missy asked worriedly as she watched her mother leave in a huff.

"What could be wrong? Isn't everything fine now?" Grandma Connie, ever the easygoing one, chuckled as she analyzed, "Mary's expression shows she's jealous. It proves she still cares about your father..."

"Let's hope so!" The precocious Missy clearly didn't think so highly of it.

Despite Mike's previous assurances, the Billy family's situation still cast a shadow over the little girl.

As expected, Missy's worries were not unfounded. A few minutes later, Mary stormed back in. Without a word, she grabbed her coat and walked out.

The suppressed anger on her face made it clear to anyone that something serious had happened to her.

"It's getting dark, where are you going? And where's George?" Grandma Connie asked worriedly.

"Don't mention George to me!!!" Mary was furious at the thought of what she had just witnessed.

After letting out a furious roar, she put on her coat and disappeared out the door.

Right now, she desperately needs to "calm down".

"What's going on?" Connie's grandmother, who had been yelled at by her daughter for no reason, was still a little confused.

“Mike, go to Brenda’s and see what happened? Little George, you…”

Grandma Connie recovered quickly; Mary's reaction just now made her realize that something must have happened at Brenda's house.

So, Grandma Connie first sent Mike over to find out what was going on, and then sent little George to follow Mary, in order to prevent any accidents from happening.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, Grandma Connie realized that little George was currently in the basement "reflecting" on his actions.

"Never mind Mary for now. Mike, go and find George first," Grandma Connie made the final decision.

Meanwhile, in Brenda's dining room, accompanied by soothing music and an ambiguous atmosphere, the two people dancing ballroom danced closer and closer.

No normal cat could resist the temptation of fish.

Faced with Brenda's seductive and alluring demeanor, George finally couldn't resist slowly bringing his face closer to hers.

Just as the atmosphere reached its climax and their lips met, George suddenly clutched his heart and fell backward.

In an instant, the candlelight dinner and tape recorder on the back table were swept off the table and scattered all over the floor.

"What's wrong with you?" The ambiguous atmosphere was interrupted. Brenda was startled when she saw George's pale face.

"I'm fine~" George struggled to get up.

In the end, this family-oriented man couldn't overcome his inner hurdle; in that moment, he thought of his wife Mary and his "adorable" children at home.

The intense emotional fluctuations caused problems with his already unhealthy heart.

“You look terrible, should I take you to the hospital?” Brenda had also calmed down from her previous delusional state.

Although she and Mary didn't get along, their relationship was actually quite good; they were the kind of "best friends" who became friends after a fight.

At the same time, they are the kind of "good friends" who will lend a helping hand when the other person is in trouble.

Therefore, Brenda never really intended to break up Mary's family.

Now that she has completely calmed down, she feels not only remorse but also lingering fear about the things she did in a moment of impulse.

Fear of losing the Cooper family's "friendship".

"I'll go get some help." Seeing George's weak appearance, Brenda prepared to call for assistance.

"No, don't call Mary, I'll be fine in a bit..." Although he hadn't really done anything terribly wrong, George was still afraid to see his family, especially his wife.

"Please don't tell Mary about what happened between us..." George pleaded guiltily.

“I just treated you to a thank-you meal, what could possibly be going on between us?” Brenda regained her composed demeanor and wisely avoided the awkward topic.

Then, the two exchanged a knowing smile, everything understood without being spoken.

"By the way, if you really have that kind of need, you can go to a bar. With your charm, I'm sure you won't lack for companions..." After reaching an agreement, George even had the urge to joke around.

"Hmm, you don't need to worry about that. Tell me about your health, what happened?" Brenda said, and started to help George up.

Despite the passage of time, George's symptoms of cold sweats and paleness have not improved.

“It’s best not to move him; George has a heart condition. It would be better to have him lie flat…”

As George struggled to sit up with Brenda's help, Mike's voice came from outside the restaurant.

George's problem is insufficient blood supply to his heart; lying flat helps improve blood circulation throughout his body.

"Could you please bring me a towel and a glass of warm water?" Mike said to Brenda, who was standing there in a daze, after laying the person down.

“Okay, I’ll go right away!” Brenda quickly brought Mike what he needed.

Then, looking at George lying on the ground, he asked, "Is he really alright?"

"Don't worry, as long as he doesn't get any more agitated, he'll recover after a short rest," Mike said, propping George's head up with a towel and giving him some warm water.

A dozen minutes later, feeling that his body had returned to normal, George got up on his own.

"Sorry, Brenda. I scared you today." Not wanting to linger, George gave Brenda a pleading look before saying goodbye, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"Okay, goodbye~" Brenda waved with relief upon seeing this, and gave George a reassuring look.

At this moment, the two were probably still relieved that their "secret" had not been discovered.

And it seems they've decided to keep what happened before a secret.

"By the way, Mike, what brings you to Brenda's place all of a sudden?" Stepping outside, the evening breeze made George feel much more relaxed.

Therefore, they felt comfortable chatting.

"Is your heart still hurting?" Mike asked a strange question.

From Mary's previous behavior to the situation at Brenda's restaurant, and even the flirtatious exchanges between George and Brenda, everything was considered.

Mike could easily analyze the general outline of the situation.

Therefore, he needed to consider George's physical condition before delivering the bad news.

“My heart is fine now.” George shook his head and asked curiously, “Why are you asking about that?”

"I just wanted to prepare you mentally. I have some bad news for you," Mike said, stopping in his tracks with a serious expression.

"What bad news?" Under Mike's serious gaze, George, who already felt guilty, became even more uneasy for no reason.

“Actually, Mary came to see you before I came. And she seemed to be in a bad mood after she went back.” After making sure the other person was mentally prepared, Mike delivered the bad news.

"What!" George was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

After a long while, he seemed to realize what was happening and asked guiltily, "Is she alright now?"

"I don't know, but she looked very angry when she left..." Mike briefly recounted Mary's previous behavior.

"What was Connie and the others' reaction?" George seemed to have misunderstood something; he seemed to have already admitted that his "cheating" was known to his family.

“Grandma Connie is at home taking care of Mandy and the children, and they don’t know about you and Brenda.” Mike immediately noticed George’s concern.

"Thank goodness," George breathed a sigh of relief when his wife didn't loudly proclaim her foolish behavior. At the same time, he felt even more guilty: "Do you know where Mary went? I need to give her an explanation and an apology."

"They must have gone to church." Mike pointed out the direction to George, and considering George's physical condition, he added, "Do you need me to go with you to look for them?"

Mary's activities were limited; aside from spending time at home, she spent most of her time working at the church, and occasionally went shopping at the town's large supermarket on weekends.

At this time of year, after she ran away from home, it's highly likely she went to church.

"No need, I can manage on my own." Knowing where his wife was, George prepared to go find her alone and seek her forgiveness.

Chapter 330 Trouble

By the moonlight, George arrived at the church.

Turning the corner, he saw his wife sitting alone on the church steps, looking dejected.

Just as George was about to step forward to apologize, the church doors opened, a figure walked out, and sat down next to Mary.

Seeing this, George quickly hid in the nearby grove of trees.

After all, it wasn't something George was proud of to apologize for. So he wanted to wait until his wife was alone before going up to apologize.

“Oh, Reverend Jeff. I didn’t expect there to be anyone in the church.” Mary, who was sitting in front of the church, looked a little surprised when she saw who it was.

It's already completely dark by now. Most people should be at home, enjoying their leisure time.

"I came here to look up some information. You know, managing a church is not easy..." Jeff, after get off work, was completely without the airs of a pastor.

He looked at Mary and asked, "And what about you? What are you doing here? And you look so down."

"It's nothing, just some minor issues," Mary said, feigning strength, having her thoughts exposed.

Then, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his person.

"Want one?" Mary lit one for herself with practiced ease and then handed the rest of the cigarettes to Reverend Jeff.

"No, no, no~" Pastor Jeff hurriedly waved his hands: "As a Christian, I don't smoke, and you shouldn't either."

Despite saying that, Pastor Jeff, who could tell that Mary was in a bad mood, didn't try to persuade her further.

Afterwards, the two sat side by side in front of the church, one smoking silently, the other keeping him company quietly.

Not far away, George, hiding behind a small tree branch, was somewhat questioning his life after seeing his wife smoking.

Having been married for so long, he thought he knew his wife very well, but he never knew she smoked.

……

In front of the church, after Mary finished smoking her entire cigarette, Pastor Jeff spoke up, "Have you encountered any difficulties? Why isn't George with you?"

“Don’t mention him to me…” Mary shook her head, her fragile nerves touched: “I need a shoulder to lean on right now.”

Without waiting for Pastor Jeff's agreement, she buried her face in his arms and silently shed tears.

Under the moonlight, the two looked unusually "intimate" in their actions.

"Damn it, I knew it!" In the grove, George inexplicably felt like he had a hat on his head.

His wife had become increasingly distant lately because of her work at the church. Coupled with the scene before him, George couldn't help but overthink things.

At that moment, he really wanted to go out and loudly rebuke the couple.