[Zhongyingmei] After inheriting the throne

Gladys went to the bookstore for a while, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the operation of the store, he settled down to solve his "little problems" first.

To be honest, she has never participated in a psychological mutual aid group before, but since "Belle" helped her choose such a method, it shows that it is at least safe and effective.

She also really needs to soothe her emotions, so as not to cause any bad results in the future.Isn't it often said that when smart people do bad things, they are more harmful to society?

Gladys didn't want to challenge that line.At least, now?no way.

She changed into a light-colored sweater and slacks. The loose style was very comfortable to wear, and she also wore a one-piece cap that made her feel safe.

With her backpack on her side, she turned on the navigation software on her phone, and then took the subway to the predetermined location.There is convenient transportation nearby, so it's easy to find.

The theme of this psychological mutual aid group is about how to accept the death of relatives and friends around you, and it is not as professional as those gatherings guided by community workers or psychological counselors.Its organizational model is more loose, and the location of activities is more routine.

The party organizer in this group was a tall lady in her 30s, wearing a dark purple shirt and black trousers. She looked very capable, unlike ordinary office workers.She has long brown-black hair and brown eyes. She is very soothing when she smiles, but when she puts down her smile, her heroic eyebrows and eyes make her look extraordinarily imposing.

"Hello, I'm Joe Martinez." The lady reached out and greeted her: "You are the new Miss Quinn, right?"

"Hello, Ms. Martinez." Gladys reached out and took it.The opponent's hand was bigger than hers, warm, dry, inexplicably strong, and some joints were extraordinarily... hard and rough?

It seems that the other party's identity, or occupation, is not unusual.

"You can sit there first and chat with them casually." Ms. Martinez turned her head and said, "There are still a few friends who are not here. You can go eat and drink something."

Gladys noticed that there were some food and drinks on the long table here, not exquisite, but full of handmade sense of family atmosphere.Probably the members bring their own.

"Oh, I didn't know you needed this?" Gladys was a little surprised.

A middle-aged woman with slightly gray hair took the initiative to hand her a plate: "You're welcome, dear. I hope someone can appreciate my craftsmanship."

The members who have been present have been in this group for a while, and from their faces, you can't tell that they have experienced the sudden death of a loved one from their side, but gentle and soothing.

Half of the members of this psychological mutual support group are people who have come out of the shadows or are struggling, while the other half are people who have just experienced misfortune.

Gladys was taken care of by some elders, and she was not polite, and first inquired about Ms. Martinez.

"Ms. Martinez is a NYPD detective and a very reliable person."

"Wow, that's a really cool job."

"Yeah, we saw her boyfriend pick her up last time. What a perfect match. Glad she's out."

Gossip is indeed the essence of human beings.

"As for the rest, you can listen to them later on the round table story. Hope you have a relaxing time."

"Thank you."

The middle-aged lady who greeted her enthusiastically called herself Mrs. Parker, and left the scene after her nephew arrived.She was working part-time as a community volunteer, and she was only here to help Detective Martinez and make sure her nephew would be at the event.

Gladys just learned from the chat that her husband died in a shooting two years ago, and now she sees a brown-haired young man walking with a bag, and she can't help feeling deeply sympathetic to the Parker family.

When everyone arrived, they took their drinks and sat down at another oval table. Nine people formed an irregular circle.Except for Ms. Martinez, who presided over the event, the remaining eight people are members of this mutual support group.

Ms. Martinez spoke first: "This time our team has two new members. First of all, let us welcome Miss Gladys Quinn and Mr. Peter Parker."

Ms. Martinez led the breakdown, and a round of good-natured applause followed.

"You don't mind if I call Gladys and Peter directly?" Ms. Martinez asked: "You can call me Joe directly, otherwise I always feel that I am still working overtime in the police station."

"Okay, Joe."

"Then let the old members introduce themselves first." Joe asked the other six people to briefly introduce themselves first, and then turned around to let the two newcomers introduce themselves first.

"I'm Gladys Quinn. I just graduated from college and I'm currently working in a bookstore."

"I'm Peter Parker. I'm a Biology student at Empire State."

It seemed that the two of them were indeed the youngest present.

Jo first let others share their recent life, and also talked about her story.To be honest, the vast majority of people here lost their loved ones suddenly.Joe also confessed that he had a drinking problem for half a year because of this.But judging by her current appearance, she should have quit this bad habit.

At the end of the story sharing session, the focus naturally fell on Gladys and Peter.However, considering that they are newcomers, everyone chose to let them reveal the parts they would like to say.

This time it was Peter who spoke first.Speaking of Peter, Joe was the one who was most familiar with him.His aunt, the Mrs. Parker who came to help, lost her husband two years ago, and later became acquainted with Joe when she participated in a psychological mutual aid meeting.Joe often heard Mrs. Parker say how lovely her nephew was in her family during the symposium, and after losing her husband, she was so worried about her nephew—especially when he always left early and returned late, Or come back with a wound on your body.Fortunately, his nephew still graduated from high school with honors, and now he is doing well in college.

However, after he graduated from high school, his best friend broke up with him, and his girlfriend died in an accident.

Mrs. Parker believes that he has not been able to get out of it, so she hopes that the psychological support group can give him some spiritual help, and don't let the sadness overwhelm him.Peter, who couldn't beat his aunt, had no choice but to come over this time in order not to worry his aunt.

Then Gladys heard his story.

Peter's speech was slow at first, with pauses, and he was a little overwhelmed.He had never tried to pour out his pain in such a way.But soon, under the encouragement of everyone's eyes, he let go slowly and speeded up.

So Gladys heard about a tragedy that happened in New York. Due to the rampage and malicious destruction of superpowers, many people were killed in that accident.And Peter's girlfriend is one of the victims.

"If it wasn't for me, if this incident hadn't happened, maybe she should continue her studies at Oxford University now. She has always been a very good girl." Peter let out a long breath, and his eyes were a little red.

"I'm a detective," Joe said. "It was an accident, and I think it's more of my responsibility to say that we could have prevented it from happening."

"Stop taking too much responsibility on yourself."

"...I influenced her choice, her happiness." Peter seemed to want to say something, but then gave up, "I promised her father."

"Ah, it's guilt."

Gladys saw familiar emotions in him.Peter obviously concealed some information, but he sincerely attributed the death of his girlfriend to himself and felt deeply guilty.

Especially when you realize that you have a chance to undo it.

"Why don't you take a closer look?" the voice of "Belle" suddenly sounded in my ears. "Although there are some obstacles, if you are curious, you can still discover some truths that can be seen through at a glance."

"It's impolite." Gladys refused to activate that ability, although emotionally, she felt that she would have some empathy with the big boy opposite. "I have no intention of peering into the pain of others."

Then it was Gladys' own turn.She packaged that experience, and then mustered up the courage to talk about the big boy with a voice and a smile that seemed to be still in front of her eyes, but might have already turned into the dust of history.

"James is a boy full of energy." Gladys remembered his smile, and remembered his thoughtful behavior of being extremely wary of himself at the beginning, but then trying to comfort himself in a different way, and secretly taking care of himself.

"We all like him. He's proud at times, but at other times, he often feels like he's not good enough..."

"But we all know he's so good..."

"...he, to some extent, is because of me..."

"...it was an accident, but I often think that it could have been avoided altogether..."

"...Fate played a trick on us... If, if only I had found out sooner, it would be great..."

She spoke vaguely, omitting many revealing details, and portraying the story as a tragic chain of coincidences.

"... In my eyes, he is a hero... But, to be a hero, do you have to sacrifice?"

Gladys smiled at those memories, then looked up with tears in his eyes.

Everyone listened quietly, and occasionally shared their experiences along the lines of others.Only Qiao, who is the host, comforted her skillfully, walked over and put his hands on her back, and slowly comforted her.

Peter sat quietly.

"Is sacrifice necessary to be a hero?" Gladys' words were transformed into a form and passed to his heart, like a rope tangled and tangled.