Chapter 62 Section 11

Christmas in 1980 was different from the past. Sunny's mother, who had remarried and changed her surname to Mrs. Aitken, couldn't go out because of the flu, and the von Prowes had to spend the holiday in New York instead.However, Sunny wanted to go to Newport on the weekend before the festival, which was a wish. Maria Singlaham also had the flu and had just recovered, so Cross suggested that Maria needn't accompany her and that it was important to stay in New York for recuperation. On the afternoon of Friday, December 19, the von Pros arrived at Clarendon with Alexander and Cosima.Although she only planned to stay for two days, Sunny ordered a Christmas tree to be delivered by the store.On Saturday, the family worked around the tree all morning.

Dinner was early that day because I was going to see Nine to Five starring Jane Fonda at the Pax, a new movie about office workers.When it was time for the main course (Main Course), Sunny said she was not hungry and did not want to eat, but asked the housekeeper Robert Byers to serve her vanilla ice cream with double cream in a large cup.The other three people at the dining table looked at each other, and no one dared to speak. It was past 9 o'clock when we returned to Clarendon Manor after watching the movie, and Cross still had some company matters to deal with, so he went straight to the study.As soon as the rest of the mother and son entered the library and sat down, Sunny said that she needed to use the bathroom. When Sunny came back 15 minutes later, the children saw that their mother had changed into a purple-blue satin nightdress, covered with a little pink jacket, and held a glass of drink in her hand.Alexander later surmised that it must have been a gin and aeo that Sunny herself had mixed on the bar in the master bedroom.

Around 10 o'clock, Cross came to the library and said he was going to the kitchen and asked if the three of them needed anything?Only Sunny responded, "If there's any leftover chicken soup, get me a bowl." According to Alexander's testimony in court, it was around this time that Sunny began to lisp and her voice gradually dropped.After drinking the chicken soup, the situation seemed to get worse, and Sunny couldn't even hold the wine glass in her hand. Alexander asked several times, mother, have you taken sedatives or sleeping pills, Sunny shook her head again and again, no.Alexander said that you should go back to the house and rest early.Sunny struggled to her feet, wobbled, and almost fell.Alexander hugged his mother by the waist, which seemed to irritate Sunny, who protested loudly that her son put her down, saying that she could walk by herself.

Alexander carried Sunny all the way to the bed in the master bedroom before putting him down, and Sunny got up again to go to the bathroom.The master bedroom is spacious with its own bathroom for Sunny and Cross.No one was allowed into Sunny's bathroom except herself and the cleaning maid.So when she got to the door, Sunny turned her head and yelled at her son angrily, "Do you want to go in with me?" and slammed the door shut. Sunny's habit is to turn on the faucet as soon as she enters the bathroom. Sometimes she stays alone for more than half an hour, and the people outside can only listen to the sound of the water rushing, and don't know what she is doing. What is it? up.

At this time, Alexander heard the sound of water again, and knowing that it was useless to rush, he turned around and went to the study to find his stepfather. Cross was on the phone, discussing a client financial report with Hilson American Express colleague Margaret Neely, he later said.Alexander waited for a while, then bit the bullet and interrupted, mother seems to be in a bad mood, and then went back to the master bedroom. Sunny just came out of the bathroom. Alexander helped her lie down, talked to her for a while, and waited for Cross to come in before leaving.Before leaving, Alexander later said that his mother had been asking his stepfather who he had been on the phone with for a long time, and the young man took advantage of the situation to scan the bathroom and bedside table, but found no medicine.

As soon as he reached the door, he was stopped by his mother again.Sunny asked Alexander to open all the windows in the bedroom.Sunny's habit is to sleep with the window open no matter how cold it is in winter, and only heat the electric blanket on the bed to keep it warm.Cross didn't like electric blankets. Alexander saw him put on a sweater, fleece pants, and a woolen cap on his head before he got into bed.