The Pigeon Pair Saves The Marriage by Janice Gold

Chapter 2 An Uncanny Familiarity

Five years later, a woman with shoulder-length hair and a beautiful face exuding a hint of aloofness appeared at the airport, dragging two suitcases about half her height.

Two cute children were sitting on two suitcases each.

A little boy was sitting on the blue suitcase, looking down, wearing black glasses. His slightly long bangs partially obscured his face, making his expression hard to see. He kept his head down, fixated on the toy in his hands.

A little girl with long curly hair was sitting on the pink suitcase, looking as beautiful as a delicate doll with her small and round face, big eyes, and long eyelashes.

Edith stopped and made a phone call. “Bonnie, we are out.”

At that moment, the boy, Ruben Jones, slightly looked up, his expression blank.

After thinking for a moment, he reached out and touched the little girl beside him.

The girl, Jeanne Jones, holding a rabbit doll, immediately understood, looked up, and said to Edith in a clear and cute voice, “Mommy, Ruben needs to go to the restroom.”

Edith glanced at her son and told the person on the phone, “Wait outside for us a bit. Ruben needs to use the restroom.”

After hanging up, she picked Ruben off the suitcase.

Ruben was well-behaved, snuggling up to her, and she could even feel his dependency on her.

Edith’s heart ached with pity for him.

Ruben had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism.

He was used to keeping silent, finding it difficult to feel others. He only spoke to those he was close to and trusted and rarely expressed his emotions and thoughts.

Edith stroked his head and said softly, “Ruben, you can just tell me when you need to use the restroom, okay?”

She continually encouraged him, hoping he would open up as soon as possible.

Ruben looked at Edith for a moment, seeming to try to understand her words. Wanting to make her happy, wrinkling his nose, he tried hard to reply, “Okay.”

Jeanne jumped off the suitcase easily, tenderly cupped Ruben’s face, and said familiarly, “Ruben, I’ll wait outside for you. Go ahead.”

Edith stood up, watching Ruben enter the restroom.

Jeanne tugged at Edith’s clothing. “Mommy.”

Looking up, her rosy lips pursed, Jeanne asked, “When can Ruben play with me?”

Edith pressed her lips together. “Sweetheart, Ruben is just sick. We need to help him get better.”

Meanwhile, Ruben, looking down, walked silently forward in the restroom but accidentally bumped into someone at a turn.

He lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The man Ruben bumped into, not expecting that he would bump into someone, knelt on one knee and asked with a deep and husky voice, “Kid, are you okay?”

Ruben, expressionless, seemed to neither hear the man’s words nor see his extended hand, pushing his own glasses up his nose and standing up by himself.

The man also stood up, frowning slightly and looking at the child only as tall as his knee. Instead of being in a hurry to leave, he stood behind Ruben to prevent any further troubles.

He felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Ruben.

When Ruben left the restroom, Gideon followed behind.

Edith, who had been watching the door of the washroom, saw Ruben and was about to approach him but suddenly stopped, her gaze fixed on Gideon behind him.

She thought, ‘Gideon?!

‘Why is he here?’

Her eyes widened as memories flooded her mind like a storm.

Her face drained of color. Her grip on the suitcase handle tightened until her hand trembled from the strain.

“Mommy, are you okay?”

Jeanne’s soft and sweet voice brought Edith’s train of thought to reality. Edith turned quickly, whispering to Jeanne, “Get your brother here, go.”

Panic was evident in Edith’s voice.

She thought, ‘It seems Gideon has met Ruben!

‘Then I can’t let him see me!’

Jeanne ran over, waving at Ruben, who was at the restroom entrance. “Ruben, I’m here to get you!”

They held hands, and Jeanne cheerfully said, “Let’s go, Ruben!”

Gideon called out to Jeanne, his deep eyes intently following them. He pressed his lips slightly and hesitated to speak. “Little girl, is your brother…”

Feeling Ruben’s hand stiffen, Jeanne stopped, looking up at Gideon warily, and her eyes lit up in an instant. But then she held her rabbit doll tight and cutely said, “Mommy told me not to talk to strangers!”

After saying that, she ran away with Ruben.

Gideon’s gaze followed the direction in which they were running. He then suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure hastily leaving with two suitcases.

His face clouded over, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

He thought, ‘That woman seems familiar. She looks like Edith.’