Auburn Apartments, Queens, New York. Auburn Apartments is a typical, ordinary apartment building in Queens. There are very few tenants, and most of them are the owners themselves. Therefore, the overall living atmosphere of the apartment is quite good, and many residents on neighboring floors have become friends.
May bought a unit on the seventh floor a long time ago and has been living there with her nephew, Peter Parker.
Today, after work, May closed the door of the bookstore café she manages and returned home happily. What happened today still felt like a dream to her.
Billionaire Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, had unexpectedly visited her bookstore café. Even more amazingly, after being initially turned away by her boss, he was willing to wait until the next day. It was the kind of scenario no novel would dare to write.
But that was her boss's business. All May needed to do was provide good service and hospitality the next day. Thinking about the autograph in her hand, along with Tony Stark's verbal promise of publicity, a bright smile appeared on May's face. She had only been working for a few days and already encountered such a big surprise. It was simply amazing.
Before arriving home, May started thinking about today's dinner. She had noticed recently that her nephew had developed a huge appetite. No matter how much she cooked, he would eat everything. It was good that he liked her cooking, but he ate a little too much, which seemed a bit strange. However, she didn't think too much about it. Maybe he was growing, she thought. Growing kids do eat more and grow taller, after all.
After unlocking and opening the door, May stepped into the house. Suddenly, she heard Peter's voice.
"Hi Aunt May, you're back. How was work today?" Peter Parker asked, poking his head out from his room.
Aunt May was startled, subconsciously placing a hand on her chest. She smiled and said, "Peter, you scared me." She then put her bag on the nearby table.
As she walked toward the kitchen, she casually answered Peter's question, "Today's work was quite surprising. You'll never guess what happened."
Aunt May's words piqued Peter's interest, and he quickly asked, "Aunt May, what happened?"
Peter trotted into the kitchen, following May and starting to wash vegetables. May lit the stove, added oil, and grabbed two eggs.
Seeing that May didn't reply, Peter pretended to be pitiful and asked, "Aunt May, just tell me."
A faint smile appeared on May's face. In a surprised and showy tone, she said, "Peter, guess who I saw today."
"Who was it? Could it be Mr. Lockhart?" Peter asked. "Probably not. You wouldn't be so happy to see your boss. I remember you complained about him a lot these past few days."
Watching Peter talk to himself, speculating and even imitating her complaints about her boss, May said helplessly, "It's not Lockhart. It's your idol, the one with a poster hanging in your room."
"Oh my God, Tony Stark!" Peter exclaimed. "Really? Aunt May, you actually met Mr. Stark?"
Hearing Peter's surprised tone, May smiled happily and said with a smirk, "Not only did I meet Iron Man today, but I also got his autograph. It's in my bag."
After hearing this, Peter immediately put down the dishes, turned around quickly, and walked toward the table where May had put her bag.
Seeing this, a proud smile appeared on May's face. She knew her nephew would never refuse this gift.
Within seconds, she watched Peter run back to the kitchen holding her bag. "Aunt May, where did you put it? Why can't I find it?" he asked urgently.
"Of course, you can't find it because it's in my pocket," May joked with a smile.
"I looked everywhere and couldn't find it," Peter complained, opening the bag towards May. "All I found were some of your cosmetics and business cards. Where's the autograph, Aunt May? Show me."
May put down the spatula, tapped her head lightly, and said, "Oh, I must have forgotten. It's in my pocket."
She took out the signed paper from her trouser pocket, unfolded it, and showed it to Peter. "Look, what is this!"
Peter immediately reached out and took the autograph from her hand, then ran towards his room, shouting, "Aunt May, let me take a look, and I'll return it to you later."
Seeing this, May smiled happily and called after him, "Don't worry, Peter. This is a gift for you. Keep it safe."
Peter replied loudly, "Thank you, Aunt May."
When May had asked Tony for his autograph, she specifically mentioned it was for her nephew, Peter Parker. Her nephew admired Tony, and May wanted Tony Stark to write some words of encouragement for him. Tony gladly accepted and wrote a few words.
A bright smile appeared on May's face at Peter's excitement. Her nephew was a genius and always did well in school, something she was always proud of and often bragged about to her coworkers.
Without thinking too much, she continued cooking dinner. Meanwhile, Peter excitedly looked at the autograph, which contained Tony Stark's signature and a word of encouragement: "To my fan Peter Parker, I hope you get into MIT and become my fellow alumnus - Tony Stark!"
Looking at it several times, Peter couldn't help but feel excited. He took out his phone, snapped several photos, and sent them to some of his good friends, eager to share this happy news with them.
After a while, May's voice called out, "Peter, come over for dinner."
Peter replied quickly, then took the autograph and walked toward the dining room, curious about how May had met his idol, Tony Stark.
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[More Chapter available at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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