Begins with Trouble, Ends with Love

Chapter 3

Then the twins held the elderly woman's hand and walked out of the shop to get into their mother's car parked in front of the shop. The older twin hummed a tune cheerfully, in contrast to the younger twin who walked quietly, seemingly emotionless. When they reached the car, Amira was surprised again because the twins had the elderly woman sit in the back with them sitting on either side.

"May I ask you something, sweetheart?" Mrs. Benneth asked as she gently patted the heads of the two small children.

"Yes."

"Do you bring the twins to the shop often?"

"Yes, every day," Amira replied with a smile to the twins sitting quietly in the back.

"Um, would it be alright if I came to visit the kids at the shop often?" Mrs. Benneth, who felt an inexplicable affection and connection with the twins, asked hopefully as Amira was driving.

"Oh, I thought it was something serious. Of course, that's fine."

"You just moved here and might feel lonely, so you're welcome to drop by the shop," Amira said, which made Mrs. Benneth smile broadly.

After about ten minutes of driving, the gray Nissan March stopped in front of a large European-style house in the middle of a farm. Amira parked the car, turned off the engine, and got out to greet the elderly woman standing next to the car, with the twins following suit.

"Alright, we'll be going now. Aiden and Aaron, say goodbye to Grandma," Amira said after greeting the elderly woman and then turned to tell the twins standing beside her.

"Goodbye," the twins said, raising their hands in a wai before getting into the back seat and fastening their seatbelts as their mother had taught them. Normally, this car had a car seat, but Amira had taken it out when they arrived at the shop because her brother needed the car to deliver snacks. Usually, they used a pickup truck, but since there weren't many orders today, they used the smaller car.

"You've taught your children very well," Mrs. Benneth sincerely complimented Amira. After seeing the car move away, she turned to walk back into the house but was stopped by a voice calling out.

"Ma'am," Joyce, the old caretaker of the Benneth’s house, greeted her first.

"Oh, Nanny Joyce, where have you been?" Mrs. Benneth quickly walked over to her.

"I heard you went for a walk around the farm and were gone for a long time, so I was worried."

"Oh, Nanny, you're old now, and besides, I'm back now, see?"

"But if I had come out earlier... sigh," Joyce looked at her with curiosity.

"Why are you sighing like that, ma'am?"

"Let's go inside and sit down. I have something to tell you," Mrs. Benneth said as she helped the elderly woman walk back into the house, instructing the servant who took care of Joyce to bring water to the large hall.

"Today, I went for a walk around the front of the farm, and I suddenly got dizzy."

"Oh dear," Joyce placed her hand on her chest. "Was it serious?" she asked.

"I was lucky to find a coffee shop open in front of the farm. The owner is very nice, and those twins..."

"Joyce, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but don't those twins look like Ace?" Hearing this, the elder turned to look in surprise.

"Joyce, don't look at me like that. I'm not so old that my eyes are failing yet. They really do look alike, both in facial structure and in their eyes."

"If I keep talking, you'll think I'm making it up. How about you come with me to that shop tomorrow? We can buy some vegetables to cook with too." Joyce could only nod in agreement, knowing well that if the person in front of her wanted to do something, it had to be done, and she had passed on this trait to her only son as well.

***

The next morning, Mrs. Benneth dressed more comfortably than the day before, having realized that the weather here was more suited to cotton clothes than anything else.

"Hey, kids, go check if Joyce is ready," Mrs. Benneth called out loudly to the house servants, even though she knew it was still too early to visit the shop next to the farm.

"Madam, I'm old now, please don't be so impatient," Joyce, who came with her caretaker, murmured softly before giving a gentle smile.

"Oh, Joyce, I really want to see those twins again. Just wait, if you see them, you'll feel the same as I do," Mrs. Benneth teased, thinking about the twins' faces.

"Alright, alright, let's go then," Joyce shook her head at the behavior of the person she had raised with her own hands. Then Mrs. Benneth instructed the servants to call the driver so they could head to the neighboring farm.

When they arrived at the Farm of Love, the two elders waited for the driver to park the car before the attendant got out to open the door and assist Joyce. Adam, who saw guests arriving, paused from arranging tables beside the shop and walked over to greet them.

"Hello, oh, it's the lady from yesterday. Please, come in, come inside the shop," Adam, recognizing who had arrived, quickly opened the shop door for the two elders to enter and sit inside.

"What would you like?" Adam quickly asked once they were seated, then nodded to the shop staff to bring drinks to the customers.

"I heard from Aiden that the carrot and orange juice here is very delicious," Mrs. Benneth said with a smile, while glancing around for the twins.

"It's his favorite menu item. In this weather, a drink like that would be very refreshing. I'll have the staff make it for you," Adam smiled upon hearing the mention of his nephew.

"And where are the twins?" Mrs. Benneth asked.

"They went with their mother to deliver vegetables and fruits to the market. They should be back soon."

"Alright, alright, then I'll browse the vegetables while I wait," knowing the twins would definitely be at the shop today, Mrs. Benneth decided to spend the waiting time selecting fresh vegetables available in the shop.

"Uncle Adam, Uncle Adam, Aiden is here!" Aiden called out before entering, giving a sweet smile to his uncle while his twin followed quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry for being loud," Aiden apologized, noticing the elderly person sitting near the door, and then raised his hands in a polite gesture to apologize for the noise.

"It's okay, dear," Nanny Joyce said, watching the little one closely, before turning to look at Mrs. Benneth, who was approaching with a basket of vegetables.

"Isn't it just like I said, Nanny?" Mrs. Benneth whispered softly, noticing the elderly woman's reaction.

"Yes, very much so. The younger one especially resembles him. It gives me chills," Nanny Joyce replied, rubbing her arms.

"That's right, that's why I wanted you to come with me today." Before she could say more, Amira brought out the smoothie they had ordered, smiling as she handed it over.

"Hello, Ma'am," Amira greeted.

"Hello, dear Amira. How did it go? It seems like Aiden had more fun than Aaron," Mrs. Benneth remarked, glancing at the twins sipping from their water bottles.

"We delivered vegetables to a restaurant in town," Amira explained.

"The restaurant is owned by a friend, and there are kids around the same age there, so the twins enjoy meeting their friends," Amira added before excusing herself to help Adam arrange the snacks in the display case.

"Grandma, are you feeling better now?" Aiden asked, recognizing the elderly woman he had met the previous day. Feeling a strange urge to be close, he finished his drink and walked over, holding his twin's hand as they approached.

"Amira, look at the little rascal," Adam said, noticing his older nephew's odd behavior and crab-like walk, prompting him to nudge his sister to look at her son. Amira had been surprised since the previous day when she saw the twins approach a stranger first, as usually, it was the customers who approached them for photos.

"I think it's strange for Aiden to approach a stranger first, and especially Aaron, but here they are, going up to them," Adam commented.

"Maybe it's because they're elderly," Amira replied, knowing the twins' personalities well but not thinking much of it, especially since the two elderly people sitting there seemed very kind.

"Look closely, Amira. If we didn't know them, I'd think the twins were related to that lady. They look so similar," Adam remarked, prompting Amira to take another thoughtful look.

"Oh, come on, Adam," Amira said, playfully hitting her brother's arm, but she couldn't help but let out a big sigh and shake her head at her own thoughts.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Benneth and Nanny Joyce made space for the twins to sit in the middle before turning to ask them, "Aaron, Aiden, would you like to take a picture with Nanny?" Mrs. Benneth asked immediately.

"Yes," Aiden answered, moving closer to his twin, while Mrs. Benneth handed her phone to the attendant to take a picture.

"Ah," suddenly, Aaron, who had been sitting quietly, placed his hand on Mrs. Benneth's hand and turned to give a gentle smile to the camera, causing Grandma Joyce, who was watching silently, to smile at the adorable gesture. As for Aiden, he immediately beamed when told they were taking a picture.

After meeting the twins, neither Mrs. Benneth nor Grandma Joyce wanted to leave the twins, but knowing they would be staying here permanently and would have more opportunities to meet again, they said their goodbyes and left, taking fresh vegetables and fruits back to the farm.

"Nanny Joyce, I really can't stop thinking about the twins. I discreetly asked the staff at the shop, and everyone said they've never seen or met the twins' father," Mrs. Benneth said.

"At first, when you said the twins looked exactly like Mr. Ace, I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. If you told me the twins were Mr. Ace's children, I'd be convinced," the two elderly women chatted as they rode back to the farm.

"Nanny Joyce, I have an idea," suddenly, Mrs. Benneth seemed to have thought of something. She picked up her smartphone and opened an app to send a message and the photo she took with the twins to her son, then turned to exchange a knowing look with the elderly woman sitting next to her, who was eagerly waiting.