More than a month had passed since they returned from Niagara Falls. Susan considered their simple family trip to the Great Lakes and Niagara Falls a great success, as her daughter seemed much happier.
But for the little girl herself, life had merely returned to its usual track. For example:
"...like the morning dew, the days are fleeting, my heart is heavy, and my thoughts linger..." Catherine was reciting Cao Cao's "Short Song Style" in Chinese to Jessica, shaking her head rhythmically, while Jessica sat on the beach, watching her with a mix of amusement and helplessness.
Seeing that Catherine had no intention of stopping, Jessica, having had enough, stood up, marched over, and placed her hands on her hips. "I admit my imagination is lacking, but Cathy, can you please tell me why you dragged me to this deserted beach? What on earth are you trying to say?!"
"You don't understand?" Catherine blinked innocently.
"You recited something in French, then something in Chinese. I don't speak that many languages!" Jessica exclaimed, frustrated.
"Alright, let me explain. The first part in French was from chapter eight, section twelve of 'Hamlet,' and the part in Chinese—" Catherine began to explain, counting on her fingers, but Jessica quickly made a time-out gesture and interrupted, "Wait, wait, Cathy, I was asking what you want to say, not for an explanation of things I don't understand."
Catherine scratched her head, puzzled why her usually foolproof trick didn't work. Whenever Jessica was upset, Catherine would bring up random topics to chat about, and after a while, Jessica would inevitably get curious about the origins of these topics, soon forgetting her upset feelings.
She knew deep down why it didn't work, but how could she chat and keep her mind blank at the same time?
"Okay, Jess... I wanted to say that since we got back from London, I've been... feeling off. So... if... I apologize," she stammered, finding it surprisingly difficult to apologize this time.
"Apologize? For what?" Jessica asked, eyes wide with innocence.
Catherine's jaw dropped, unable to utter a word as she stared at Jessica. But then, Jessica suddenly burst out laughing, pointing at Catherine. "Cathy, you look so funny right now!"
Realizing she had been tricked, Catherine angrily pounced on Jessica, who shrieked and turned to run. Catherine, of course, wouldn't let her get away, chasing after her and shouting, determined not to stop until she caught her.
Jessica ran across the beach, giggling as she dodged Catherine, but her stamina wasn't as good. Just when she was about to be caught, she made a sharp turn and dashed towards the sea. After a few steps, she turned and splashed a large amount of seawater at Catherine. Catherine, having adjusted her direction to chase Jessica, was completely unprepared for the sudden splash and was drenched from head to toe.
"Jess!" Catherine screamed in anger. In all their playful tussles, she had never been tricked like this by Jessica. So, she bent down, scooped up a handful of seawater, and splashed it back at Jessica.
The two girls continued splashing each other in the shallow water, laughing and playing. At first, they tried to dodge the water, but as their clothes got wetter, they stopped caring and just kept splashing until they were both exhausted. Finally, they collapsed into the water, laughing uncontrollably at each other's drenched appearance.
"Alright, Cathy, I've forgotten all about it. So we're still best friends, right?" Jessica said, standing up after a short rest, hands on her hips, despite her wet clothes.
But Catherine didn't respond. Her face was flushed, and she kept glancing at Jess, then quickly looking away. Jessica was puzzled. She didn't understand that for a girl not yet old enough to wear a bra, being in thin, wet clothes could be quite embarrassing in certain ways.
"Cathy, what's wrong?" Jessica asked, sitting back down in the water and grabbing Catherine's shoulders to get a better look.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Catherine finally met Jessica's gaze, her face still bright red. But before she could say more, Jessica leaned in, and Catherine felt the soft, moist touch of her lips.
"This is your punishment for abandoning me earlier!" Jessica said with a huff as she pulled away. But she quickly noticed something was off with Catherine. She stared blankly at Jessica, her eyes unfocused, her face as red as an apple, almost dripping with water.
"Cathy, what's wrong with you again?" Jessica was startled and began shaking her shoulders.
"Alright, alright, I'm fine!" Catherine, shaken awake, quickly grabbed Jessica's hand, and just then, she sneezed. "See, I just caught a bit of a chill. We should probably head back; your dad is likely waiting for us."
At this, Jessica also realized that her wet clothes, blown by the wind, felt quite chilly. Even though it was summer, they needed to prevent catching a cold. So, she nodded and stood up, heading towards the road beyond the beach.
Catherine also stood up, deliberately staying a half step behind so she couldn't see Jessica's front. However, the sight of Jessica's curvy back and little butt swaying in front of her forced Catherine to take deep breaths to calm herself. This was really torturous!
******************************************
While most summer vacations are pretty routine, occasionally something interesting happens. Like now, Cathy had just come out of the dubbing studio and was curiously looking around inside the movie company, like a little explorer.
"Hey, sweetie, what are you looking at?" Julia, who had come out with her, asked with a smile.
"This is my first time inside a movie company," the little girl replied, her eyes peeking through the crack of a wooden door at the figure inside. Nancy was busy working there.
"That's the editing room. The editors have to cut the film according to the producer's requirements, so Nancy is stationed there," George's voice came from behind. He walked over, greeting Julia and the little girl.
Catherine shrugged without saying anything. Ever since Sparrow told her that Disney hoped she could find time for post-production and offered triple pay to get the film out by the end of August, she knew Nancy would be very busy.
Disney is really rich, the little girl thought. Although she wasn't worried about the box office—after all, the original "The Parent Trap" grossed over $60 million in the US alone, and this version starred Julia and Meg, so the box office would only be higher—she couldn't help but marvel at Disney's generosity. Of course, she also understood that if the movie didn't release by the end of August, there wouldn't be a better time. This film was likely rated G, and releasing it outside of a holiday would significantly reduce the audience. Moreover, the latter half of the year had three major holidays—Halloween, Christmas, and New Year—that didn't fit the warm, summer vibe of the film. It could be pushed to March or April of the following year, but Disney clearly didn't want to wait.
Really generous, Catherine sighed inwardly again. Just then, George spoke up: "Hello, Miss Mason."
He stood in front of her with a beaming smile. "I wonder if you've had time to consider the offer from Napa Valley?"
"I'm still thinking about it, Mr. Wells. I'll let you know when I decide." Catherine wasn't stalling; after meeting that girl named Avril at Niagara Falls, she had been contemplating her next steps. That little girl was quite persistent. Even as Catherine was about to board the yacht, Avril kept talking to her. If her parents hadn't come over, she might have followed them to the US. However, Avril's words had sparked a thought: "You should release an album. How will people know you write such beautiful songs if you don't release them? Good songs are meant to be shared."
Just like the "Sleepless in Seattle" songs she was writing now—if so many people had heard them, it would be best to let even more people know. Who knows if the original author would write those songs in the future? But the problem was, how should she release them? Should she produce her own album or sell the songs to Disney for others to sing? And why did the name Avril sound so familiar?
"Oh, Miss Mason, Nancy asked me to check on the progress of your new script," George said.
Catherine glanced at him. Meg had asked about it during their dubbing session yesterday, so it was natural for Nancy to inquire as well. After all, they had both seen part of the script and knew its potential. So, she shrugged again: "Don't worry. I'll have it revised and sent to you by the end of the month, but..."
She changed her tone: "I want the actors for the main roles to be chosen according to my suggestions."
George frowned. "I know the female lead is written for Miss Meg. From what I've seen of the script, I agree she's very suitable. But the male lead..."
"Don't worry," Catherine interrupted, blinking. "Let's discuss it after I've finished writing." She doesn't want to split up Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks as a movie couple.
George hesitated but said no more. They would discuss it further once the script was complete. Just then, Julia, who had been talking with her agent, walked over. "Hey, Cathy, I have to go now."
"Of course. Good luck." The little girl stepped forward for a hug. Julia affectionately patted her head and turned to leave, but she accidentally dropped a postcard.
Catherine quickly caught it and was about to hand it back to Julia, but she froze when she saw the handwriting. Who else could it be but her no-good uncle?!