The Great Medical Saint (Matthew) novel Chapter 701

"Why is life so unfair to me?" Kingston muttered.

Matthew found it weird when another man held his hand, but he couldn't just pull away. He had no choice but to let Kingston hold on to it as he frowned and listened to Kingston talking about his feelings.

"Yeah. It can be so tough. Life is just too much sometimes."

Matthew wasn't sure how to keep the conversation going, so he just translated what Kingston said into Cafranese and lamented about life.

He wanted to hear more about Kingston's life, preferably about Kingston's experience as a plague doctor. That way, he could subtly shift the topic toward Plague Compendium.

Kingston felt like he had finally found someone he could talk to and vented his frustrations. "Being a dude isn't easy."

Matthew's expression changed. How did Kingston end up talking about that? But at least he said something, which was way better than the two of them just sitting there in awkward silence.

Matthew held back his annoyance and asked, "What made you say so?"

Holding Matthew with his left hand, Kingston downed his glass with his right hand. After smacking his lips, he grabbed Matthew's hand with both hands and started pouring his heart out.

"A few years ago, I had no luck finding a girlfriend, so I paid a matchmaker to set me up. After we met, we hit it off and started seeing each other, so we started dating. That was when everything went downhill.

"She's a big fan of the empanadas from Tango Bites, but she has to head out to work at 7:00 a.m., so she can't make it to the restaurant in time to buy it. So, I woke up early, got the empanadas, and delivered them to her.

"But guess what? It was freezing in the middle of winter, and the roads were slippery. I was worried about slipping and squashing the empanadas, or them getting cold. So, I kept them warm in my coat.

"Right when I got back, her bus just arrived. I got anxious and sprinted over, but I ended up slipping. Do you know what she said?"

Curious, Matthew stated his guess. "Did she tell you to watch out?"

"You won't believe it. It was a homemade meal with hearty dishes and soup. She even got to have either bubble tea or coffee, and she could take her pick.

"He had more money than me and knew how to suck up better. That was when I realized I'd been completely outdone."

Matthew fell silent, feeling like the world didn't make sense to him anymore. After three years in prison, had the guys stepped up their game this much?

He couldn't help but feel sorry for Kingston. "Do you really have to keep sucking up to a woman?"

Kingston shook his head. "You have no idea. There are over 30 single men in our town. Some just don't bother, and others just aren't good at it. I'm the one who didn't get it right.

"Look at what my life's become. My place is a mess, and it doesn't feel like home at all. I barely even feel like myself anymore.

"I'm not young anymore, and I've still never touched a woman's hand. But you know what? Your hand's pretty nice and soft."