[La Traviata] The Road to Celebrities in Paris

When Margaret returned home, it was already late, but she could still see things clearly.

Gaston sent her back.

"Goodbye, ma'am." Gaston left with a smile instead of going in. Margaret didn't keep him. She stood at the gate of the courtyard and watched the young man leave.

When the man was gone, Margaret turned around to go in, and then she saw Eric squatting in the corner.

"You're back." The boy stood up and said, he was dressed neatly today, except for some wrinkled trouser legs, all of which had been smoothed out when he stood up, like a well-educated little boy.

"Are you waiting for me?" Margaret asked.

Eric walked up to her and smiled slightly, dimpled.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and held out his hand again. "We've all been waiting for you."

Margaret smiled slightly, and she took the boy's hand and walked into the house.

Naning just came out of the hall and was about to go outside to see if the lady had come in, when she saw those two people.The little girl walked over with a smile and took Margaret's other hand.

"Ma'am, we have made delicious food and are waiting for you!"

None of them asked why Margaret came back so late, so when the two children went to set the table, Margaret stopped Julie and asked, "Did you tell them not to ask, Julie. "

The older woman shook her head, "It's not me, ma'am."

"That's..." Margaret didn't finish her sentence, because Julie had already signaled her with her eyes.

The thin boy, wearing clean and tidy clothes, was seriously arranging the tableware. Even if it was such a small thing, he was doing it so seriously, as if he was doing something big.

Margaret didn't say anything anymore, she had dinner with everyone with a smile on her face, and after the meal, she stopped Eric.

Margaret sat on the soft chair, and she asked Eric to sit down too.

The boy was sitting opposite her, with his hands on his knees, his face was calm, if it wasn't for the slightly moving fingertips, Margaret would have suspected that the person in front of him was not an eleven or twelve-year-old child, but an adult .

"Do you know what I want to tell you?" said Margaret.

The boy looked at her, then pursed his lower lip, and then nodded.

"know."

"I want to hear it."

Eric grabbed the fabric on his knees with his fingers awkwardly, then calmed down and said, "You asked Uncle Ramadon to come back first, because you needed to walk around alone at that time, it must be because something wrong happened there. Good thing."

"Very good reasoning." Margaret's voice could not hear any emotion, which made the boy a little nervous, but he still licked his lower lip and continued: "I don't think you want to be questioned, so I told you Naning and Julie said it."

Margaret looked at the boy. Under the candlelight, Eric's face was still immature, but his expression was clearly mature like an adult.

Margaret raised her hand and poured the black tea into the teacup. The thin porcelain body did not burst. After adding the milk, the aroma of the black tea and the purity of the milk had a warm and sweet taste.

Margaret handed the black tea cup to Eric, who stretched out his hand to take it, his fingers trembling nervously.

His eyes kept staring at himself, besides watching An An's expression, there was also a hint of flattery.

Margaret put down the teapot in her hand. Instead of pouring it for herself, she put her hands on her knees and folded them.

"What do you want to do? Eric." She asked the other party with a calm voice.

The boy looked at her nervously, thinking she was angry because of his self-assertion.

"I..." He opened his mouth, and the words of apology came to his lips, but Margaret made a gesture of prohibition.

"You're right, there's nothing wrong with it," said Margaret.

why?The expression on the boy's face read the words, and Margaret looked at him and said, "Tell me, Eric, what do you want to do?"

Eric looked at the woman in front of him, she didn't have the gentle expression on her face, nor did she frown, she just looked at herself calmly, as if, he was just sitting across from her and had nothing to do with her people.

There seemed to be something stuck in the boy's throat, and his eyes widened.

The woman asked again: "Tell me, Eric, what you want most in your heart."

"A tailor, a tailor..." said Eric.

Margaret frowned: "Eric, tell me what you want to do, not what you want to do for me."

The boy's lips were pursed like a clam.

Margaret got up and walked over to the boy.She squatted down and looked up at the boy who was sitting, the latter looked a little flustered.

Margaret looked at each other calmly, and said softly, "Tell me, Eric."

The boy lowered his eyes, and his fingers clutched the fabric on his knees, as if he was trying to absorb some courage.

"I just want to protect you, Nanin, Julie, and our home."

Margaret raised her hands, raised those hands that were not wide enough, and covered them with her palms.

"You have done more than I imagined, you have perfect talent, and it shouldn't be limited here."

"If talent can't protect the person you want to protect, what's the use of it?" The boy looked at her with burning eyes, like a small beast, stubborn and strong.

"Then what do you think is protection?" Margaret asked back.

Eric pursed his lips, "At least, now, this is where I can see it."

"You will grow up, we will go far, nothing stays the same, and no one is always together..."

"Where's the family!" Eric interrupted the other party, suppressing a trace of anger in his voice. This anger was not aimed at Margaret, but purely because of her words, or the self-righteous judgment of an adult.

Margaret lowered her eyes and remained silent for a while, the boy's hand moved apologetically, and he wanted to pull it out, but Margaret stopped him.

"Now, you are a child and I am an adult." Margaret looked up at each other.

"I seem to have done one thing wrong. This family should not be protected by you, Eric, but by me."

"Ma'am..." Eric wanted to say something, but Margaret stopped him.

"Don't take away my rights, I'm an adult."

Margaret looked at each other: "I should give you a better choice of direction, instead of asking you to give up yourself to accommodate me."

"This is not accommodating." Eric said, "I am willing." He eagerly expressed his wish, looking so serious, Margaret could almost imagine what an outstanding young man he would become in a few years , However, this child should be better than that.

"But I don't want to." Margaret said with a smile, the boy was a little dazed.

"I promised your mother to take care of you, and now, I have to promise myself to make you a person worthy of your talent."

Margaret stood up, and she took the boy and led him to the balcony.

She opened the curtains and opened the window, and the stars outside seemed to occupy the world.

"See?" said Margaret.

The boy looked up at the sky. He looked confused and murmured, "What are you looking at? The stars?"

"No, it's you, look at yourself, Eric." Margaret whispered.

The boy looked at her with a slightly shocked expression.

Margaret's tone became confident and proud. She looked at Eric and pointed at the stars.

"You should be the brightest one there, and you shouldn't just be dusty in this room."

"But I am willing, ma'am." Eric murmured.

"No, you don't want to, you're just too kind." Margaret knelt down and looked at each other.

"I took you in, so you give everything you have in return. It's not fair, Eric."

"If you didn't do all of this today, I can naturally accept all of this with peace of mind, but not now. You have a wider world, just like you should be an eagle, but stop for a bird pace."

"You're not." Eric retorted in a low voice.

Margaret suppressed her smile with a serious and calm expression.

"I am." She said, "I am a bird now, but I will never feel at ease being just a bird."

Eric looked at Margaret blankly, but the latter laughed.

"So, what are you worried about?"

The boy pursed his lips. He looked at each other, and Margaret was waiting for his answer. After a long time, he knelt down on one knee, leaned forward, and whispered in Margaret's ear.

The stars went on shining, and on this summer night they never slept, so they heard all the secrets of the night.

Those guys with small tails looked at the two humans in puzzlement when they slid to the ground.

A thin body, beautiful face, black hair and black eyes is not the most beautiful, but when she smiles, it is the most beautiful scene.

A thin boy was kneeling on the ground on one knee. Although the lines on his face were immature, his expression was calm, as if he was not an eleven or twelve-year-old child.

They whispered, like a secret, and like, a promise to each other.

Eric stepped back, his hands on his knees, his eyes on the woman in front of him.

Marguerite thought: If he was a few years older at this moment, wearing a uniform, he would be the most heroic figure in Paris.

"Since you have chosen, do it, Eric, and never lie to your heart for others." Margaret said, and then pulled the boy up.

The boy who was still shorter than her looked at her fixedly, before speaking for a long time.

"But you are not someone else, you are, what I want to be."