Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Egbert flicked his finger against Eileen's forehead.

Stunned for a moment, Eileen rubbed the spot where she had been flicked, glanced over at the elderly couple near them, and got the message, "You mean that?"

Egbert gazed into her eyes, one eyebrow arching up, "So?"

"So what?" Eileen retorted, "You won't catch me dead in a wheelchair."

Egbert just stood there, a breath drawn deep, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Seeing him at a loss, Eileen couldn't help but let out a chuckle before she nudged his arm with her shoulder, teasing, "Hey, you know what your score is right now? Dreaming big, aren't you?"

Caught off guard, Egbert realized she had caught on to the subtext of his words.

Taking her hand, he asked, "What score?"

Eileen snorted, "Definitely failing, that's for sure."

"Eileen." Isabel's voice came from behind them.

Eileen hurriedly slipped her hand out of Egbert's and turned around nonchalantly to see Isabel running towards her. Isabel rushed up and wrapped her arms around Eileen.

Setting her teacup aside, Eileen lifted her niece into the air, "What's up?"

Isabel, clinging to her Eileen's neck, said, "Grandma sent me to get you. She wants us to watch TV."

TV? Eileen didn't think much of it, assuming Rosalind just wanted to spend some quality time together, and agreed, "Alright, let's go."

Eileen led the way with Isabel in her arms, while Egbert followed with the teacup.

As they entered the living room, Eileen's face suddenly flashed across the flatscreen TV.

Eileen stopped dead in her tracks. On the screen, she was blocking a doorway with both hands, claiming the room inside for herself, and could be heard saying, "I want this one. Egbert, I get the biggest room."

Eileen was dumbfounded. What on earth was happening? How did Romantic Revelations end up on the screen?

Egbert behind her seemed unsurprised. He nudged her forward, his voice calm, "Go on."

As if guided by an invisible force, Eileen found herself pushed towards the sofa.

By then, the screen had moved on to show Egbert saying his luggage was already in the room, and it couldn't be Eileen's.

On the TV, Eileen was seen pouting, "What am I supposed to do now?"

Then, Egbert suggested with a nonchalant tone, "How about we share a room?"

The whole family went silent.

The living room was as still as a winter's night.

Swallowing hard, Eileen didn't dare to move.

After a tense moment, Elaine was the first to break the silence with an astonished question, "Eileen and Egbert are sharing a room? Does that mean they'll be hearing baby news soon?"

Eileen was speechless. Before she could respond, Carlson's face as dark as storm clouds, lobbed an apple straight at Elaine, hitting her right between the eyebrows.

Elaine yelped, catching the apple. Turning around, she suddenly saw Eileen and Egbert entering the room.

Elaine immediately asked, "Eileen, are you really sharing a room with Egbert?"

Without an apple to throw, Eileen took a few steps and tossed Isabel gently into Elaine's arms instead.

Elaine instinctively caught Isabel, who struggled to climb out and reach Eileen.

All eyes turned to Eileen and Egbert. It felt like they had a lot to say, but their words were stuck in their throats.

The TV show switched scenes just in time, showing Eileen silently heading to the opposite room, dropping the argument over the bedroom.

The tension in the air eased, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Rosalind patted the seat next to her, "Eileen, come sit here."

Eileen glanced at Egbert before taking a seat next to Rosalind.

Chad also spoke up, "Egbert, take a seat here."

And with that, Chad relocated Egbert to the spot furthest from Eileen.

Egbert, ever the cool cucumber, didn't show any sign of discontent and calmly sat down.

Romantic Revelations featured three celebrity couples.

So, with a sixty-minute episode, each family got about twenty minutes of airtime.

The first twenty minutes focused on Eileen and Egbert's family, showcasing their first day back from the shopping challenge.

Eileen could barely remember what had happened that day, just a vague recollection of some argument with Egbert.

After two minutes, it all came back to her.

In short, Sylvia was unhappy with how close Eileen was getting to Egbert.

Eileen tried to reassure her, saying, "Don't worry, I'll be divorced in half a month."novelbin

But that very sentence was what got Egbert riled up on the screen.

As soon as the TV-Eileen finished her sentence, Chad slapped his thigh enthusiastically, "That's the spirit."

Blake nodded in approval, smiling, "Good job."

Carlson agreed with a nod, "That works."

The whole living room brimmed with harmony.

Rosalind clutched Eileen's hand, "It's just a show, and you're thinking straight. We must differentiate between reality and fiction. Once the show is over, no more contact."

Eileen's lips twitched, unsure what to say.

No contact was impossible. These days, if Egbert came home late, she was already on his case.

The Lopez family was feeling upbeat, expecting the storyline to continue with Eileen and Egbert moving towards a respectful co-existence.

But five minutes later, on the TV screen, Eileen and Egbert were locked in an embrace.

The family fell silent.

The atmosphere in the living room grew still once more.

Feeling a tad uncomfortable, Eileen tried to offer some sort of explanation, "I was just trying to grab the remote, and he wouldn't let go, so it got a bit messy."

No one responded, and they just stared at Eileen with expressions that suggested they'd been struck by lightning, utterly numb.

The show on the TV continued to play in the background.

Having failed to wrestle the remote away, Eileen retreated to the kitchen. Egbert followed her and even started feeding Eileen grapes.

At first, Eileen refused to have any. But her resolve lasted all of two seconds before she gave in. And once she started, there was no stopping her. Then, as if nothing had happened, she and Egbert made up. They made up.

Rosalind took a deep breath, feeling a bit light-headed.

Flossie quickly patted Rosalind on the back, trying to rally her spirits, "Hang in there. It's almost over."

Rosalind nodded weakly.

The kitchen was out of groceries, so they decided to hit the supermarket.

In the store, after picking up a few items, they were heading to the checkout when they paused by a shelf near the registers.

They began to peruse another product.

Condoms.

Instantly, the living room fell deathly quiet.

Eileen was shocked, and she and Egbert hadn't bought condoms.

What was up with this editing?

In a panic, Eileen blurted out, "We didn't..."

That was when Egbert, who had been quietly sitting in the corner the whole time, the picture of tranquility, suddenly said with a calm assurance, "I'll take responsibility."