Chapter 31
So, the whole family thought they could make a fool of her? They thought they could disgust her without consequence? Fine. She’d let them have their fun, and then she’d make them cry.
“Honey, what is wrong with you?” Zebulon demanded, cradling his cheek.
“What’s wrong with me p>
Penelope wound up and slapped him again.
“I’ll show you what’s wrong p>
“You p>
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Three more slaps in quick succession left not only Zebulon stunned, but Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan and Rebecca as well.
“You… you dare hit my son! I… I’ll kill you!” Mrs. Sullivan screeched, jumping to her feet, ready for a fight.
Rebecca, ever the opportunist, stepped forward before Mrs. Sullivan could. “Penelope, you’ve gone too far! How could you hit—Ah p>
Another sharp slap, this time landing squarely on Rebecca’s face.
“Oh, Rebecca, I’m so sorry! That was an accident!” Penelope said, feigning shock.
“You Rebecca clutched her burning cheek. The slap had been hard, but to maintain her ‘good friend’ persona, she couldn’t lash out. She gritted her teeth. “I- I’m fine, but Zebulon is a grown man. Hitting him like that is just… it’s awful p>
“It’s more than awful, it’s despicable!” Mrs. Sullivan shrieked.
“Zebulon, look at the woman you married! No manners, no decency, no class! I don’t know what kind of creature she is!” Mr. Sullivan roared.
“Penelope, if you were upset with me, you could have taken it out on me in private,” Zebulon said, his voice cold. “But to make a scene like this in front of my parents… you’ve really crossed a line p>
They’d all had their say, had they? Well, now it was her turn.
Penelope fixed her gaze on Zebulon. “Do you know why I hit you p>
“You’ve obviously misunderstood something,” he said, frowning. “But if you tell me what it is, I can explain. You can’t just resort to violence without even asking p>
“Oh, you can explain, can you?” Penelope nodded, then plunged ker hand into Zebulon’s jacket pocket. She pulled out the red thong and dangled, if mockingly from her index finger. “Explain this p>
Seeing the item in his own pocket, Zebulon shot a furious glare at Rebecca, who
shrank behind Mrs. Sullivan, her face pale with guilt.
Mrs. Sullivan was confused. “Where
did that underwear come from?” But
then she saw Rebecca’s reaction and understanding dawned. Her
face went through several shades of fury before she, too, glared at Rebecca.
“You’re the one who can explain everything, right? So, explain,” Penelope taunted.
Zebulon opened and closed his mouth several times, clearly unable to invent a plausible lie on the spot.
Penelope let out a cold laugh. Using two fingers, she held up the red thong for all to see. It was a G-string, just two thin straps and a tiny triangle of fabric. It would barely cover anything.
She paraded it in front of everyone.
“Mom, do you own anything in this style p>
“Dad, is this what men like p>
“Rebecca p>
Rebecca kept her head bowed, wishing the floor would swallow her whole.
“No, Rebecca is far too modest. She wouldn’t have anything like this p>
Then, she turned back to Zebulon.
“Figured out your explanation yet p>
Zebulon’s face was a mess of red and black. “We’ll talk about this at home. Let’s just eat p>
“Eat p>
Penelope let out a harsh laugh, held up the thong, and flung it directly into the large tureen of ginseng chicken soup in the center of the table.
“You want to eat? Then eat p>
“Penelope!” Zebulon roared.
“You must really like this thong,” she
sneered. “Did you take it off her
yourself last night? Or maybe you didn’t have to take it off at all Oh, that must mean it hasn’t been washed yet p>