Chapter 33

• “You have a date?” Mrs. Sienes asked. She smiled at Peri when the latter came out of the bathroom. They had just finished replanting and watering the plants. As usual, they talked while doing it together.
• “Oh, no. Not really,” Peri denied, shaking her head. “It’s just a friend who’s inviting me to see this World Tea Expo. I wanted to experience what it is, so…” She shrugged, letting the sentence hang.
• Mrs. Sienes gave her a knowing and approving smile. “I understand. It’s good that you’re going out, Peri. You should de-stress from time to time. Being young is not all about studying and working, in your case, that is.” Her gaze went up and down, surveying Peri’s simple jeans and blouse attire. “You should date, Peri. Experience life as much as you can.”