Chapter 3 Part 1 What's so hard about it? -3

My voice gradually faded away, revealing a sense of guilt. Susie folded her hands on her chest with a serious look on her face. "let me see." "Okay, listen to me," I said hastily, "I know I said I only bought one pair of shoes. Don't be angry, look at this pair." I reached for the shopping bag with the second pair of shoes and opened them. Shoe box, slowly take out a shoe with citrus flower decoration. "This is...you see." "Oh, my God," gasped Susie, looking straight at the shoes. "It's just... so jaw-dropping." She took the shoes from me, ran her hand over the soft upper—and then, with a stern look on her face, "But do you need it?"

"Need it!" I said desperately. "At least... I'm planning for the future. You see, it's like a... investment." "invest?" "Yes. It's also an investment, and it saves money—because I buy it now, and I won't have to spend money on shoes next year. No more money." "Really?" Suzie said with a puzzled face, "Really don't spend money on shoes anymore?" "Absolutely true! Honestly, Suzy, I'm going to live on these shoes for a while. At least a year, maybe two years without paying for shoes." Suzy fell silent, and I bit my lip, waiting for her to tell me to take the shoes back to the store to return them.But she looked down at the shoes again, and ran her fingers over the citrus blossoms.

"Try it on," she said suddenly, "let me see." Surprised in my heart, I quickly took out another shoe and put it on together-it was great.Beautiful citrus floral slipper, like Cinderella's slipper. "Ah, Bex," cried Susie—she had nothing to say, her soft eyes said it all. To be honest, sometimes I wish I could marry Suzie. I walked back and forth a few times and Suzie let out a sigh of satisfaction before reaching into the large shopping bag for the gift box. "So, what are these?" she asked with interest.The wooden letters fell out, and she spread them out on the rug to put them together.

"PETER. Who is Peter?" "I don't know," I mumbled, holding the gift bag so she couldn't see the frame she made herself. (She once saw me buying her frames in a gift shop and got annoyed, saying she'd make them for me anytime I wanted to.) "Do you know anyone named Peter?" "I don't know," said Suzy, "I don't think there's anyone named Peter...but we can go get a cat and call him Peter, how about it!" "Okay," I said, not looking confident. "Probably... anyway—I have to go back to my room and pack things for tomorrow."

"Oh, you reminded me," Suzie said, and she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Luke called." "Really?" I said, trying not to look happy on the surface.There was always something surprising when Luke called.To be honest, he rarely called, I mean, he always called to set up an appointment with me or something—he rarely called to chat with me.He also emails me from time to time, but not for chatting as people usually call it, and besides...well, let's just say, the first time I got an email from him, I was pretty freaked out Big jump. (But now I'm kind of looking forward to hearing his e-mail.)

"He said he'd pick you up at the TV station tomorrow at 12 noon. The Mercedes has to be parked in the garage and you've got to go in the sports car." "Really?" I said, "How cool!" "Yeah," said Suzy, looking at me with a big smile on her face. "It was really exciting, and he told you to take less luggage, because the luggage compartment is not big in that car." I looked at her, the smile on my face slowly disappearing. "What did he say?" "Take less luggage," Suzy repeated, "Let you, don't bring too much luggage, just a small bag, or a travel bag..."

"I know what 'take less luggage' means!" I said, my voice high-pitched and urgent, "but... I can't do it!" "Of course you have to." "Susie, have you seen these things I have prepared?" I said, walking to my bedroom door and pushing it open. "I mean, look at these things." Suzy hesitated, and followed my gaze into the room, both of us looking towards my bed.My big emerald green suitcase is bulging, with a pile of clothes next to it, and I haven't brought my makeup yet. "I can't do it, Suzy," I said sadly, "how can it be done?"

"Call Luke and tell him?" Suzy asked suggestively, "Just say he needs to rent a car with a big luggage compartment?" I didn't know what to say for a while.I tried to imagine the look on Luke's face when I told him to rent a bigger car that could carry my clothes. "The thing is," I said finally, "I'm not sure he'll understand . . . " Then the doorbell rang and Suzie stood up. "That's the express mail for my package," she said. "Listen, Bex, it's going to be all right. Just . . . take off a few extra things." I continued to stare blankly at the messy bed alone.

Remove a little? But what exactly? It's not like I'm stuffing my bag with stuff I don't need.If I take anything away, my whole plan will be thrown into chaos. Well, use your brain and think about it, there must be a way. Maybe I could...sneakily hook up a trailer to the back of the car when Luke isn't looking? Maybe I can wear all the clothes I need to bring, one on top of the other, let's say I'm a little bit cold... Oh, how can this be done.What should I do? Distraught, I casually stepped outside into the living room, where Suzie was handing a padded envelope to a man in uniform.

"Very good," he said, "please sign here...Hi, hello!" The advertising slogan: Anything, anywhere, delivered tomorrow morning. "Here's your receipt," he said to Suzie, before turning to leave.As soon as he stepped out of the door, the slogan on his clothes jumped into my mind again. anything. anywhere. tomorrow morning- "Hey, wait a minute!" I yelled, just as the man was about to slam the door behind him. "Please wait a moment..." Pian Fan Self-Help Books Co., Ltd. 695 Soho, London W1 5AS To: Ms. Rebecca Bloomwood Unit 2, 4 Burnie Road, London SW6 8FD

Dear Becky: Thank you very much for your audio message.I'm happy to know that the book you've written is going well. You may recall that when we met two weeks ago, you assured me that you would be able to send me your first draft in a few days.I think you may have sent it - or lost it in the mail? Could you resend me a copy of your first draft? As for author photo requirements, you are free to dress however you see fit.A profile bust is ok, and you can wear the earrings you mentioned. I look forward to reading your manuscript soon - I would like to thank you again from the bottom of my heart, it has been a great honor for us to write this book for our publisher. Shun Zhi respect edit Pippa Brady September 4, 2001 Canonical Books: Helping You Succeed in Self-Help Coming soon: The Jungle Book by Commodore Roger Flintwood It was five to twelve the next day, and I was still sitting under the bright lights of the "Morning Coffee" filming scene, wondering how long it would be before the show ended.Under normal circumstances, my financial advice program should end at 11:40, but today the broadcast crew is very interested in the interview with the previous witch who thinks she is Scottish. The spiritual embodiment of Queen Mary.This delay caused the following programs to be postponed.Luke will be here any minute, and I have to change my clothes and make up... "Becky?" Emma, ​​the host of "Morning Coffee," said to me, sitting across from me on a blue couch. "That seems like a real problem." "Here it is," I said, bringing my thoughts back to the scene.I glanced at the script I had laid out in front of me and smiled sympathetically into the camera lens. "So, Judy, you and your husband Bill have an inheritance. You want to invest some of that money in the stock market—but your husband objects." "Talking to him is like playing the piano to a cow!" Judy's indignant voice came from the microphone. "He said I would lose all my money, and it was his money. Said that if I wanted to lose my money in gambling Drop it, just go..." "Okay," Emma interjected at the right time, "Is this matter? It seems a bit difficult. Becky, the two partners have different opinions on how to use the money in their hands. What do you think?" "I don't understand him!" Judy said angrily. "This is a great opportunity for us to invest seriously. It's a once-in-a-lifetime time! And he just turned a blind eye!" She stopped, and there was silence in the studio.Everyone is waiting for my answer. "Judy..." I paused thoughtfully, "Can I ask you a question? What coat is Bill wearing today?" "A suit," said Judy, sounding a little startled. "A gray suit. He usually wears it to work." "What kind of tie are you wearing? Is it one color, or one with stripes?" "One color," Judy replied quickly, "all his ties are one color." "Did he ever wear, say... a tie with a cartoon pattern on it?" "never!" "I see." I said, raising my eyebrows. "Judy, do you think it's fair to say that Bill is an even-tempered, risk-averse person? That means he doesn't like risky things?" "This... yes," said Judy. "You're right, I think he's that kind of person." "Ah!" broke in suddenly, Rory, who was sitting across from the sofa.Rory is another host of the "Morning Coffee" program. His face is very clear and lined, and he is very good at dealing with movie stars, but he is not a person with quick thinking and innovative consciousness. "Becky, I see what you mean." "Yes, thanks, Rory," said Emma, ​​turning her eyes to my side, "I think we all see what you're thinking. So, Becky, if Bill doesn't like taking risks, then you say he avoids taking risks." Is it right to open the stock market?" "No," I replied, "I don't see it that way. Maybe what Bill didn't realize is that there are all kinds of risks in life. If you invest in the stock market, of course there are risks, and you may lose money in the short term. But if you simply keep the money in the bank, year after year, after a few years, the risk may be greater, because over time, the money may depreciate due to inflation.” "Ah," Rory interjected appropriately, "inflation." "Twenty years from now, that money may be a small amount—certainly compared to what it might have done in the stock market. So if Bill is now in his thirties and wants to make a long-term In terms of investment, although the stock market has certain risks, it should be said that it is relatively safe to choose a good stock market investment portfolio.” "I see," said Emma, ​​who gave me a look of admiration. "I don't think so." "Successful investing is often just a matter of comparison," I said, smiling modestly. Gosh, I'm not going to be so happy when my answer hits the spot and everyone is satisfied. "Judy, does this answer to your question help you?" "Yes," said Judy, "that's great! I recorded the episode and I'll show it to Bill when he gets home tonight." "Oh, yes!" I said, "don't forget to see what kind of tie he's wearing first." Everyone laughed, and I laughed too after a while—though I didn't mean it entirely as a joke. "There's still time to take a call from a viewer," said Emma, ​​"and it's Enid from Northamptonshire, who wants to know if she's saved enough money to retire. Enid, Is that right?" "Yes, that's right," Enid's voice came through the phone. “My husband Tony recently retired and I took time off from work last week – just stayed home with him, cooking and doing chores. He… we talked about… Should I retire early too? But I don’t know if I have saved enough money to live in retirement, so I called to consult." "Enid, what have you done financially to prepare yourself for retirement?" I asked. "I have a retirement pension that I've been paying for since I started working," Enid said hesitantly, "and several long-term savings plans... Besides, I recently inherited an inheritance that can Used to offset the house mortgage..." "Ah!" said Emma cheerfully. "Even I can see that you have made good arrangements for your retirement, Enid. Retire happily, I say!" "Yes," Enid said. "I understand. Let's put it this way—I have no reason not to retire. Tony said the same thing." The other side of the phone fell silent, only her slightly rapid breathing, and Emma glanced at me hastily.I knew Barry, the producer, must be yelling at her in her earphones. "Good luck, Enid!" she said in a cheery voice. "Becky, on the subject of retirement planning—" "Just a moment, please," I said, frowning slightly. "Enid—retirement is not an obvious financial obstacle for you. But... what is your biggest concern? Are you Do you really want to retire?" "Well," Enid's voice sounded a little hesitant, "I'm over 50 now. I mean, I'm getting older, right? Tony said I'd retire so we could spend more time together. " "Do you like your current job?" There was silence on the phone. "I like it, I like it. I have a lot of colleagues and we work together. Of course, I am older than them all. But when we laugh together, it seems that I am not much older than them..." "Well, I'm afraid that's all we can talk about today," Emma interjected, listening carefully to the prompts in her earphones.She smiles at the camera. "Enid, good luck in your retirement..." "Wait a minute!" I said quickly, "Enid, if you still want to talk to me about this, please don't hang up, okay?" "Okay," Enid said after a moment's hesitation, "Okay, I want to talk about it." "Next up is the weather forecast," said Rory, who always popped up at the end of financial advice shows. "Becky, any advice for the audience?" "It's still the same old saying," I said smiling at the camera, "manage your money..." "... money will make money for you!" Rory and Emma said in unison.Everyone posed for the mirror, and then relaxed.At this moment, production assistant Zelda strode in. "Very good!" she said. "Excellent content. Becky, Enid is still on line 4. If you're busy, we can disconnect the line." "No," I said in surprise, "I want to talk to her. You see, I guess she doesn't really want to retire!" "Anyway," said Zelda, tapping the notepad in her hand with her fingers, "oh, Luke's waiting for you in the reception hall." "He's here already?" I raised my wrist and looked at my watch. "Oh my God... well - just tell him I'll be right there, okay?" I really didn't expect to talk for so long on the phone.But once we got into the conversation with Enid, it couldn't hold back—we talked about how she was actually terrified of retiring, and that her husband just wanted her to stay home and cook for him.She actually loves her job so much that she wants to take a computer training class, but her husband says it's a waste of money... Speaking of which, I was also irritated.I said what I thought, repeated it several times, and even asked Enid if she should think about herself from a feminist perspective.At this moment, Zelda patted my shoulder, and I suddenly returned to reality. I spent another five minutes apologizing non-stop to Enid, saying I had to get on with other things, and then it was her turn to apologize non-stop — and we ended up saying “goodbye” back and forth , "Thank you" and "You're welcome", there are more than 20 times.After hanging up the phone, I hurried to the dressing room, changed into my “Good Morning Coffee” outfit, and put on my driving costume. I look in the mirror and see my own image in the mirror, and I am satisfied.I wore a multicolored layered shirt and frayed shorts, new sandals, a Gucci visor hat (bought during a Harvey Nichols sale, half price!) and my favorite Light blue Denny and George scarf. Luke also loved my beautiful scarf.People ask how we met, and he always says, “Our eyes met through a Denny and Grerge scarf” — which is actually pretty good.He lent me some money to buy the scarf, and still insists that I never gave him the money back, so the scarf was partly his. (That was not true, and I returned the money to him afterwards.) Anyway, I always wear this scarf when we go out together.I used to hang around when we were together.In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret - sometimes, we even... Actually, it's not necessary.You don't need to know our secret.Forget it, even if I didn't mention it. When I hurried into the reception hall, I raised my wrist and looked at the watch in my hand-oh my god, I was 40 minutes late.Luke was sitting on a thin chair, a tall man in the sweatshirt I bought for him at the Ralph Lauren store. "I'm really, really sorry," I said, "I just..." "I know," Luke said, closing his newspaper and standing up. "You were talking to Enid." He kissed my cheek and put his hand on my arm. "I watched the last few calls you took. You did a great job." "You can't imagine what her husband is like," I said as we walked through the revolving door to the parking lot. "No wonder she wants to keep working!" "I can imagine." "He just wants her to stay home so he can live comfortably," I shook my head vigorously, "God, you know, I'll never just stay home and cook for you, Never." Neither of us said any more, and I looked up to see a slight smile on Luke's mouth. "I mean... you know," I added hastily, "cook for anybody." "I'm glad to hear that," Luke said kindly, "especially since you're not making me that amazing Moroccan couscous anymore." "You know what I mean," I said, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "You promised not to talk about that again." The Moroccan night that made me make a fool of myself happened shortly after I started dating Luke.I was eager to show Luke that I could cook—I had just watched that show about Moroccan cooking a while ago, and it made me think that Moroccan food was easy to make and delicious when prepared.Besides, Debenhams just happened to have a beautiful Moroccan dinner set on sale.It stands to reason that this ending should have been very happy. However, gosh.That soggy couscous, the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life.I even stir-fried it with high heat according to Suzie's idea, and added mango hot and sour powder at the same time, but the result was still a mess, and I couldn't tell what shape it was in a bowl... Anyway, let's not talk about it.Later we went to order a very tasty pizza. We walked to Luke's modified car in the corner of the parking lot, and he pressed the remote electronic key to disarm the car's electronic immobilizer. "You saw my message, didn't you?" he said. "It was about luggage." "I see. Here's my luggage." I slickly hand him what is arguably the tiniest suitcase in the world, which I bought in a children's gift shop in Guildford.The small suitcase was white canvas with a row of hearts printed on it.I took it this time to put some cosmetics. "That's it?" Luke looked surprised, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud.Ha! Let him see who can compress luggage better. I take pride in what I do.This little suitcase holds my make-up and shampoo and stuff--but you don't have to tell Luke about that, do you? "Yes, that's the only box," I said, raising my eyebrows a little. "Didn't you say 'take less luggage'?" "That's what I said," Luke said, "but it's also—" He pointed to my little case, "I didn't think of that." As he opened the trunk, I sat in the driver's seat and adjusted the seat forward so that I had a natural grip on the steering wheel.I've always wanted to drive a modified car. "Are you coming to drive?" "I thought, let me drive a little bit," I said nonchalantly, "to make it easy for you. You know, it's dangerous to drive for a long time." "Can you drive in those shoes?" He looked down at my pair of citrus flower-trimmed high-heeled loafers—a heel that, I admit, was a bit too high for the gas and brakes. up.But I wouldn't tell him that. "They're new, are they new shoes?" he continued, his eyes fixed on my shoes. I was about to say "yes" when I remembered that the last time I saw him I was also wearing a new pair of leather shoes-the last time, also a new pair of leather shoes.This is really an embarrassing thing, and it shouldn't make people think that you can see the whole leopard at a glance. "No!" I therefore did not say yes. "I've been wearing them for a long time. Actually..." I cleared my throat. "These are my driving shoes." "Your driving shoes." Luke repeated my words suspiciously. "Yes," I said, and immediately started the engine without letting him say anything else.OMG, this car is awesome! It makes a loud boom and a little squeal as it slides. "Becky—" "I'm fine!" I said, slowly pulling the car out of the parking lot and out onto the road.Oh, this is very pleasant.I wondered if someone was watching me, whether Emma and Rory were looking at me from the window.Humph, the guy who thinks he's cool while riding a motorcycle.Ha! He doesn't have much modified cars, does he? I honked the horn inadvertently, and the car's horn sounded very loud in the parking lot, and I saw at least three people turn their heads to look at me.Ha! Look at me! Hahaha... "My baby," Luke said aside, "you're going to cause traffic." I glanced in the rearview mirror - there were three cars climbing behind me.This is strange, I wouldn't drive so slowly. "Go a little faster," Luke said. "How about ten miles an hour?" "It's this speed," I said unhappily, "do you want me to drive the car to the sky all at once. You see, there is a speed limit." I drove to the exit, and smiled indifferently at the gatekeeper, who stared blankly at me, and I drove the car to the outside road.I turned left and glanced back one last time to see if anyone I knew happened to come out and was looking at me enviously.At this moment, a car behind me honked its horn.I carefully pulled over to the side of the road. "I've had enough driving," I said, "it's your turn to drive." "Should I drive?" Luke looked at me, "So soon?" "I've got to get my nails done," I explained. "Anyway, I know you're thinking I can't drive. I don't want to see you sulking at me all the way to Somerset." .” "I didn't think you couldn't drive," Luke argued, then asked half-jokingly, "When did I say that?" "You don't need to say that. I can tell from the way you look. It's clear that Becky Bloomwood can't drive." "Oh, you'd be wrong about that," Luke retorted. "I actually said 'Miss Becky Bloomwood can't drive in her new orange leather shoes because they're too high and pointy'." He raised his eyebrows, and I felt a slight heat in my face. "They're my driving shoes!" I murmured, shifting into the passenger seat next to me. "I've been wearing these shoes for years." I opened my small handbag and pulled out my manicure file, and Luke shifted into the driver's seat, leaning over and kissing me softly. "Anyway, thanks for helping me get the car out," he said. "I bet it helped me a lot. I won't be so tired when I get to the freeway." "Okay, no more," I said, filing my nails. "You've got to recharge your batteries, there's still a long country road to drive tomorrow." There was a silence, and then I looked up at him. "Yeah," Luke said—the smile gone from his face. "Becky...I want to talk to you about tomorrow." He stopped talking, and I looked at him, feeling the smile on my face disappearing. "What's going on?" I said, trying to keep a trace of anxiety from my voice.There was another silence—and then Luke let out a deep breath. "There's something. A business opportunity just popped up, and I'm really... wanting to grab it. I've got a few people from America, and I need to talk to them about something. It's urgent." "Oh," I said, sounding hesitant, "oh—it's nothing. If you had your phone..." "Instead of talking on the phone," he looked directly at me, "I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" I asked, giggling again, "but how are you going to the meeting? We're in the hotel tomorrow." "The people I was going to meet and talk with went to the hotel," Luke said. "I invited them along." I stared at him blankly, astonished. "You invited people from business to go on vacation with us?" "Just for a meeting," Luke said. "The rest of the time it's still just the two of us." "How long is that meeting going to be?" I yelled, "Don't tell me it's going to be all day!" Really unexpected.After waiting for so long, I look forward to going out on such a vacation, packing my luggage after being busy for a while... "Becky, it's not as bad as you think..." "You promised me that you'd be totally free. You said we'd have a romantic and relaxing time." "We will have a very romantic and comfortable life." "With your friends in the business world? With your nasty contacts, stalking you like... like maggots!" "They won't bother us," Luke said, smiling, "Becky—" He reached for my hand, and I pulled it back. "Honestly, if you're going to talk about business again this time, I really don't need to go," I said angrily, "I'd better stay at home. In fact—" I opened the car door. "Actually, I think I'd better go home now. I'll call a cab from the TV station."