Chapter 192 Caring About You
The complex had more people out in the evening—families with kids, people coming back from the base after work, and a few young couples.
Matilda reached for Wentworth's hand, but he subtly avoided it.
Uh... they couldn't hold hands in the military housing area?
Looking around at other couples, none of them were holding hands either.
Up ahead was a younger couple—the girl kept trying to grab the guy's hand, but he was incredibly shy, refusing to let her, pulling away with all sorts of awkward, hesitant little gestures.
Seeing the guy's face turn red, all shy and flustered, Matilda realized this place was probably pretty strict. She stopped trying to hold Wentworth's hand.
Being a military wife really wasn't easy. It was hard enough just to see each other, and when they did, they couldn't even hold hands. Only at home could they relax—but how much time did they actually spend in their rooms? Especially after having kids, military wives often ended up raising them alone, bringing their own parents to help, or moving in with their in-laws. Just thinking about it felt exhausting.
Not everyone was as well-off as Wentworth.
"Oh, Wentworth's wife is here!"
"Wentworth, this is your wife? What's her name?"
Lots of people in the base knew Wentworth. They'd stop to greet him, then sneak a glance at Matilda—she felt a bit like a zoo animal on display.
She overheard two soldiers talking. "So it's true—Wentworth really did get married."
"Thought it was fake. His standards are so high—didn't like any of the girls at those social events."
"Right?"
Hearing this, Matilda looked at Wentworth with amusement. "Your standards really that high?"
"You know I never had anyone before you," Wentworth said. That sentence felt loaded. She pinched his arm. He winced but took it without complaint.
"The weather here is amazing," Matilda said. "Phoenix City's heat is brutal, but here it feels like perfect fall."
"You like it here?"
"Love it."
They couldn't hold hands here, but the sense of community was strong. Everyone seemed to know each other, and there was no hint of suspicion.
...
The next day, Wentworth had to report to base. Before leaving, he held Matilda for a long time, reluctant to let her go.
"Not coming back tonight?" Matilda asked.
He shook his head. "Not sure if I can."
"Tomorrow?"
Another shake.
"Day after?"
He shook his head again.
She sighed helplessly. "Did you trick me into coming here just to sleep alone?"
He kissed her face over and over. "I have to write a lot of reports. I might not make it back, but I'll try to come as soon as I can."
"Just go. I'll enjoy the peace and quiet."
He held her a little longer before pulling away.
Danny was already waiting downstairs with the car.
...
Matilda was about to go grocery shopping when her phone rang.
Connor was calling. How strange.
"Dad."
"Matty, you made it to the base?"
"Yeah."
"How is it? Everything okay?"
"It's fine."
"Are there many people where you're living? Who's there? What rank is your husband?" Connor fired off a string of questions.
Matilda's suspicion deepened. Since when did Connor care this much? Was he being paid by foreign agents to spy?
She certainly wasn't about to tell him anything. "Dad, why are you asking all this?"
"Just concerned about you. Matty, I wasn't a good father before—I didn't ask enough about your life. Now I want to be closer, to know what's going on with you."
Excessive courtesy meant either treachery or theft.
"No need, Dad. It's been so many years—I've been doing just fine on my own."
Connor asked all those questions initially. Now Matilda was certain—Connor might actually be a spy.
If that was the case, she needed to be even more cautious.
"Dad, it's not really convenient to talk on the phone here. If you need anything, let's use WhatsApp." Text records could be checked if necessary—proof she wasn't colluding with Connor.
As a soldier's wife, she had to stay alert about these things. She absolutely couldn't give criminals any opportunity!
After hanging up, she headed out.
She ran into two of her neighbors also grocery shopping.
Matilda vaguely recognized them—one looked about forty, dark and thin. Yesterday she'd watched Matilda with constant suspicion. Danny had called her Rose.
The other was around the same age. People called her Phoebe.
Seeing Matilda, Rose and Phoebe greeted her.
"You're Wentworth's wife, right? Where are you headed?"
"Going to buy groceries," Matilda said.
"You cook?" Rose asked.
Matilda smiled. "Of course I do."
"Do you know where to shop?" Phoebe asked.
She shook her head. "No idea."
"Come with us."
Matilda was happy to. "Sure."
Along the way, Rose and Phoebe asked plenty of questions. Matilda answered what she could and skillfully sidestepped what she couldn't.
Seeing she was actually quite proper—just blessed with a naturally sweet voice—Rose and Phoebe's impression of her improved. A voice was genetic; it couldn't be changed.
They took Matilda to the market and showed her where to buy fresh, affordable meat.
They also mentioned that at Wentworth's rank, he could hire help for this sort of thing.
"But you're both married to high-ranking officers too. Why do you shop yourselves?" Matilda asked.
"My husband's not used to being waited on, so neither am I," Rose said.
"Same here. Plus I don't have anything else to do," Phoebe added.
"So after following your husbands to base, you've been stay-at-home wives this whole time?" Matilda asked.
"Pretty much," Rose said. "I'm not well-educated, can't find great jobs. I don't want to make things difficult for my husband, so I just take care of him at home. Now that the kids are older, I've got even more free time."
Phoebe continued, "People like us don't have it easy. If we can avoid working, we do—especially after getting pregnant. You don't know—once I was expecting, I went to every checkup alone. My husband never came, not even once. No time. Seriously, no time. When I went into labor, he was on a mission. I drove myself to the hospital and labored alone for two days before my mom finally made it on day three. Later when I qualified to follow him to base, I didn't want to work anymore. Running the household already drains most of my energy. And now that his parents are getting older, I have to look after them too."
Matilda listened with growing alarm.