Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



Evan and Pamela were waiting right at the main entrance of the mansion.

The moment Pamela caught sight of Elysia, she was all eyes on her!

She tilted her head, scrutinizing Elysia from head to toe-one moment in shock, the next furrowing her brows.

"Pamela, this is Evan's mother, Ms. Thorne. Ms. Thorne, meet my wife, Pamela," Clayton introduced.

It was Elysia's first time meeting her mother. Her eyes brimming with tears, her voice choked with emotion, she managed a soft, "Hello."

Pamela didn't respond immediately, still intently studying her, suddenly, her eyes widened,

"Irene! Irene! My Irene!"

Elysia and her brothers, Elliot, Evan, Emmett, were stunned.

Clayton, taken aback for a moment, quickly said, "Pamela, calm down, you're going to scare her."

"Clayton, Irene's back, it's Irene! Our Irene is back!"

Pamela was beside herself with excitement,

"Irene! Irene! It's Mommy here! My Irene! My baby Irene! Clayton... Irene... Oh...my Irene..."

Tears started streaming down Pamela's face, her words tumbling out in a frantic mix of joy and disbelief.

She reached for Clayton with her hands, wrapped in bandages, and then clutched Elysia's arm tightly,

"Irene, where did you go, honey? Mommy searched for you for so long, I combed through the entire pier and still couldn't find you...you...you scared me to death! Why have you only come back now? Mommy missed you every day... Oh, you're finally back..."

Elysia, choked up, let her own tears fall.

Clayton, with red-rimmed eyes, apologized,

"Sorry, Ms. Thorne, my daughter disappeared over twenty years ago. My wife, her heart aching for her child, is a bit out of her senses now. You and Evan bear a striking resemblance to her, that's why she got so worked up seeing you."

Elysia shook her head, "It's okay."

Clayton tried to comfort Pamela,

"Pamela, please, calm down. This is Ms. Thorne, not our daughter."noveldrama

But Pamela, desperate, insisted, "It is! It is! It's Irene!"

Clayton was about to say more when Elysia stopped him, "Don't upset her further."

Elysia knelt down, tenderly wiping away Pamela's tears, "Don't cry anymore, you're right, I am."

"Irene!"

"Yes, I'm Irene."

Pamela's excitement knew no bounds, turning to Clayton, "Clayton, it's Irene!"

Clayton thought Elysia was just playing along to calm Pamela down, his heart heavy, he nodded, "Yes, it's Irene."

Laughing through her tears, Pamela beamed, "Irene, my Irene..."

Elysia, with a lump in her throat, said, "No more tears, okay? Let's go inside."

"Okay."

Elysia personally wheeled Pamela into the mansion.

Once inside, Pamela was eager to head upstairs.

She led Elysia to the childhood room, pointing out everything from the wall-mounted crayon drawings to the bed sheets and pillowcases.

From the smallest hair tie to the largest chair and cupboard, Pamela wished for Elysia to see it all.

Clayton explained,

"This was my daughter's room when she was little. The crayon drawings were her own, the bed sheets and pillowcases were chosen by mother and daughter together. Even these hair ties and stickers were my daughter's belongings."

Pamela, thrilled, handed Elysia a rag doll,

"Irene, your doll, see, it's still here, your favorite!"

Clayton added, "This was my daughter's favorite doll, she used to sleep with it every night. After our daughter disappeared, my wife cherished it dearly, not letting anyone else touch it."

Elysia, with teary eyes, accepted the doll.

Everything in the room spoke of Pamela and Clayton's love for her.

Touched, Elysia looked at the joyous Pamela and said,

"Thank you, I love it now too."