Chapter 20 The Ball

Mrs Reynolds felt like her heart almost jumped out when she saw the news of the plane crash on TV. Fortunately, it was broadcasted on TV that the crashed plane was still hovering over the city. She guessed that if she saw the words "crash" at that time, maybe she would have gone into shock on the spot.

Fortunately, it didn't happen in the end. Her heart went up and down like a roller coaster. It was not until the News Reporter finally announced that the plane had finally made a successful forced landing due the "extraordinary performance" of the pilot that she honestly retracted her heart into her chest. She sat at the dining table at home for a while with a pale face, as if she had just finished a 10,000-meter long run.

Of course, the traditional TV media once again never mentioned that a miraculous external force helped the crashed plane, and although some citizens who witnessed the process on the street insisted that they saw a person hold the aircraf, to help it make an emergency landing; but reporter disputed that there was insufficient evidence and it was not reported. Only some indistinct videos recorded on mobile phones quickly spread across the Internet, setting off a wave of "Superman is back" among the netizens in the metropolis.

But that's an afterthought. Mr Reynolds, the client, was still in shock until he got home, and when he entered the door, he hugged Mrs Reynolds, whose eyes were red and swollen, for a while. Then he turned to Jay and asked, "You were there, right? You caught that plane?"

Mr Reynolds guessed, but it was to be expected. Jay nodded. "It was me. I was in a hurry, sorry I wasn't good enough."

Mr Reynolds smiled and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, son."

Mrs Reynolds prepared a feast for her husband's safe return, opened a bottle of brandy, and the three toasted at the table.

After the third glass of cognac, Mrs Reynolds finally couldn't help but ask: "Charles, you have to talk to us. Does this accident have anything to do with the interview you said you would do?"

Mr Reynolds stared at his plate for a while, then drank the wine in the glass and shook his head: "I don't know, maybe... maybe it doesn't matter."

Mrs Reynolds shook her head. "You're a terrible liar, Charles. We've been together for so many years, and I know what you look like when you lie. And you expect me to believe it's a coincidence? The Met? The only plane accident in six years, your abnormal performance these two days, do you want me to believe it has nothing to do with it?"

Mr Reynolds said nothing and poured himself another full glass of brandy.

"Let me help you, Charles," continued Mrs Reynolds. "Let Jay help you, aren't we family?"

"Thanks, Jane," said Mr Reynolds wearily, "but it's not yet, trust me."

The atmosphere became dull for a while, and the three of them immersed themselves in the dinner for a few minutes and didn't speak to each other again. Mr Reynolds seemed to feel the need to break the awkward atmosphere, so he picked himself up and took the initiative to start looking for different topics: "It's going to be the time for the dance soon? Jay, how are you getting along?"

"Fine", Jay replied casually.

"You have to find time to practice your dance moves. I think she's a great girl", Mr Reynolds laughed. "If I were you, I would take the chance."

Jay was slightly embarrassed: "Me and Kara... it's just the dance; I don't have any plans for that."

"Are you sure? Because you've got something else written all on your face," Mr Reynolds quipped, and Jay felt the need to look in a mirror.

Mrs Reynolds said dissatisfiedly: "You are the most incompetent to say that, Charles. Have you ever seen yourself dancing? I can hardly find the right adjective to modify it. I don't understand how you deceived me in the first place."

She sighed as if she felt that her life was worthless. Mr Reynolds blushed and argued to Jay, "Don't listen to your mother's nonsense; think I was called Elvis when I was in high school!"

"Just you?" Mrs Reynolds disbelieved. "Having that beer belly image?"

Jay couldn't help laughing at the thought of Mr Reynolds radiating on the dance floor with a beer belly.

"I said it was back then!" exclaimed Mr Reynolds. "I was a stout boy back then!"

Mrs Reynolds ignored him, turned to Jay, and said, "Don't look at most of what he says is nonsense, but he is right. Dancing is your best chance to show your charm to a girl, and you have to take it well. ."

Jay felt he might be unable to explain this to the two of them, so he gave up the argument and let them talk. The two old guys seemed to have already thought of Kara as a candidate for a daughter-in-law, and there was even a heated discussion about Jay's future.

The day of the dinner.

It wasn't until he was there in person that Jay understood what Ms Grant meant by the word "grand" when she described the dinner. A large venue in the downtown area of ​​​​the metropolis was utterly wrapped up, and when night fell, all the floor-to-ceiling windows were lit up with gorgeous and blurred crystal lamps. The building is like a villa in the middle of the city, isolated from the bustling city, and the walls are covered with solid granite. The high arch will support the luxurious welcome aisle, and there were waiters with professional smiles, standing on both sides of the aisle to welcome the guests.

It was the first time for Jay to attend such an occasion. When he stepped into the golden hall, which was reflected by the light of the crystal lamps, he inevitably felt a little nervous. Guests dressed in suits and dresses came from the door one after another, and their words and deeds showed the elegance and confidence of the upper class, creating a unique atmosphere for dinner.

Jay brought Mr Reynolds' beloved SLR camera. When Mr Reynolds initially bought it, he showed it off in front of him for a long time, boasting about how high this camera's pixels are, how complete the manual control functions are, and so on. But Jay knew it wasn't high-end stuff. Mr Reynold's boss on the Daily Planet took Jay to take a photo of himself with a few prominent people he couldn't name. After he talked about the photo developments that are going to happen in the next week, he then went to chat with those famous people in the metropolis.

Jay saw Kara and Ms Grant at the cafeteria and headed towards them. Ms Grant appeared to be in a good mood and greeted him proactively: "You are looking very lively today. Well, I know I've always been accurate in seeing people."

"Ms Grant, Kara. I have been looking for you." Jay greeted with a small smile.

"I heard about Charles, and I'm so sorry for the accident, is he okay?", Kara asked.

"Thank you for your concern," Jay said politely. "He's fine; he just needs time to rest."

Ms Grant nodded. "That's good. Poor Charles, he's a good man and a good reporter, but it's a pity that the years have flattened his corners. But you can hardly blame him because most people are like that. As one gets older, one has more and more concerns..."

She shook her head when she said this, then stopped and said, "It's dance time in a while; I have to go and say hello to Mr Fellowes. Kara, tomorrow's itinerary, and the return trip... ..."

"Yes, it will be ready before tomorrow." Kara nodded.

Ms Grant was satisfied, and then only the two of them were left.

Jay thought they should have much to talk about but didn't know where to start. Kara was dressed beautifully today, with a sky blue dress, a silk shirt, her smooth blonde hair hanging neatly behind her, and her crystal high heels that were almost transparent. The only fly in the ointment is that she still stubbornly wears those silly glasses, which slightly spoils the overall look.

"You look...beautiful today," Jay began, hoping to open up the conversation.

"Thanks," Kara said, and Jay realised that she looked nervous, too. "You look fine, too", Kara said.

"Is this your first time too?", Jay asked. "Dancing?"

"Well... not strictly speaking." Kara pursed her lips and smiled. "I attended a prom on Krypton, but it was very different from here."

Jay smiled too. "Yeah, I can imagine."

The banquet quickly entered the next stage. The halls on both sides of the ring structure on the second floor opened the curtains simultaneously, revealing the bands sitting in symmetrical positions behind, and the loud overture resounded throughout the venue. The guests found dance partners and went off the stage in pairs, holding hands and dancing to the melodious music.

Jay quickly forgot about the nervousness he initially had, enjoying the dance, and he could see that Kara was the same. They didn't go through any rehearsal in advance and only knew each other for a few days, but they cooperated very well. Every shot of their movements has the same pattern and is as precise as it has been tempered. Kara's sky-blue dance dress revolves around the music, like an orchid in full bloom.

"You said you couldn't dance." Jay took her hand and laughed.

"I didn't know before that." Kara said, "I just learned it in the past two days. You can't believe how nervous I am."

"You did a great job", Jay said.

The two danced for a while, and he asked again, "By the way, you disappeared for so long that day. Did Ms Grant say anything to you after you went back?"

Hearing him mention it, Kara seemed to remember some incredibly depressing experience and said: "You really should have seen her back then. Compared with the devil, she has no horns on her head."

Jay laughed out loud. "But she still didn't fire you, did she?"

"...No."

"I think that means she values ​​you." Jay smiled, "I think she looks up to you; maybe she sees a younger self in you."

"Look at me? Seriously?" Kara made another circle, supported by Jay's right hand. "You think that's how she expresses it?"

Jay shrugged: "I don't know; humans can be complicated sometimes. But Ms Grant, although she is often fierce, I don't think she is a bad person. Maybe she is doing it for you; she wants you to be able to grow on her own."

"Well... maybe there's that possibility," Kara said thoughtfully. "She did push me hard all the time."

"I heard what she just said." Jay smiled. "Scheduling? It looks like you're still busy."

"I'll tell you a secret," Kara smiled sweetly. "I'll be able to do it soon. Super speed, you know."

"Hey, you're cheating. But does that mean you don't have any other plans for the night?"

Kara reminded, "You mean, after the party? Ms Grant said I could leave on my own when all the activities were over, but . . . don't you think it's too late?"

"Late? Are you kidding?" Jay laughed. "Didn't the night just start?"

Kara also chuckled softly.

"Since you're going to say that, I don't have any other plans... unless you have."