Like A Time Machine
Mrs. Lu observed Nicolae for a long time and, finally, she nodded after releasing her hand. Her face was filled with gentleness. "You're a good man. Just call me Mother... You can call me Mother Lu, if you want."
Nicolae was stunned by Mrs. Lu's words. The way Mrs. Lu looked at him reminded her of Elena Lupei*, his adopted mother, who had taken care of him since he was a baby and loved him very much. Elena Lupei died 60 years ago, and Nicolae really missed her. He actually used the pseudonym "Wolf" from his mother's surname Lupei.
"All right, Mother..." Finally, the young man nodded. His warm smile immediately spread to Mrs. Lu, who now looked beaming.
"I really want to see the garden. Are you willing to take me out?" the frail woman asked with difficulty. It seemed that just talking gave Mrs. Lu a lot of pain.
"Of course, Mom," Marie said in a cheerful voice. She turned to Nicolae. "Could you help me?"
"Certainly," replied Nicolae.