Chapter 60 Not Judy, It Is Frances

The two of them spoke the same name simultaneously, and both paused.

After a brief moment of surprise, Judy, who had more social experience, reacted first. "Madam, I read that magazine. Mr. Ernie Riser's novel is simply wonderful. Might I have the opportunity to invite him out for a cup of coffee?"

"You... you want to invite him for coffee?" Mary was slightly taken aback. She had been wondering how to bridge the gap between the two young people, yet Frances had made the invitation first.

"If Mr. Riser is too busy, I won't intrude," Judy said, thinking Mary looked hesitant.

"He's not busy..." Mary muttered before collecting herself. "He's having breakfast right over there at the long table."

Judy looked surprised and glanced in the direction Mary indicated.

...A tall, upright young man in a neat white shirt was drinking coffee in the sunlight streaming through the stained-glass window, chatting and laughing with the women.

Judy's first reaction was—he is quite handsome.

Ernie was eating breakfast, blissfully unaware of the world while immersed in the women's flattery.

Suddenly, a clear and melodious female voice sounded beside his ear: "Hello, Mr. Riser."

Turning toward the sound, Ernie found himself looking at a little potato of a girl, standing only about five feet tall.

However, this "little potato" was remarkably pretty—she had a fair, oval face with a hint of baby fat, and her dark, wavy hair was pinned behind her ears with a clip, revealing a smooth forehead and delicate earlobes.

Perhaps due to the significant height difference, looking down from this angle prevented Ernie from seeing Judy's features in full.

Therefore, Ernie didn't notice anything special about Judy at first glance; he merely thought she was a pretty girl.

It wasn't until he looked for a few seconds longer.

Ernie paused, looking surprised. "Hello, um... you look so much like Judy Garland!"

Judy smiled and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Many people say that, but I'm not Judy..."

She paused, flashing a honey-sweet smile in the sunlight pouring through the stained glass. "My name is Frances, Frances Gumm."

"Well... Miss Frances," Ernie was still somewhat incredulous, observing her secretly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Um... well, you see, Mrs. Mary gave me this magazine last time," Judy retrieved *Amazing Stories* from her shoulder bag. "'Dawn of Tomorrow' written by Mr. Riser is wonderfully written. The ideas conveyed in the story have given me a completely new understanding of life..."

Judy realized she was speaking in circles. She had never expected that, despite working in show business for so long and having seen all kinds of stars, she would stumble for words in front of Ernie... It hadn't been this difficult when she called David Ross the day before yesterday to cut ties with him.

A blush crept up her fair cheeks. Judy pressed her lips together and mustered up her courage: "Could I invite you to join me for a cup of coffee?"

Have coffee?

Ernie frowned. He had thought it was something important!

Just that?

Not to mention he had only just finished breakfast; with that kind of time to spare for coffee, he might as well go home and rush his manuscript. Finishing his writing early and handing it over to Fred Pohl was the real priority.

Thinking to himself, Ernie managed a polite smile. "Miss Frances, I... ouch~"

Before he could finish, Mary slapped him hard on the back of the head, interrupting him.

Mary had been observing their conversation from the shadows. Knowing Ernie far too well, she recognized the expression on his face and knew he was about to reject Frances and bolt.

True to form, Mary quickly rushed over to mute Ernie and take control of the situation.

Judy hadn't yet realized what had happened.

Mary yanked Ernie by the arm and muttered in a low voice, "Be a gentleman and take Miss Frances out for coffee."

Oh? Mom, you..." Ernie produced a triple-beat of confusion. Even with his dull senses, he finally understood.

The whole reason Mary had dragged him to church was for this exact purpose.

That being said, although this Miss Frances was a little potato, she was undeniably pretty, and Ernie didn't dislike her.

It was just that his heart was entirely set on writing, and whatever little spare mind he had left was consumed by thoughts of the war... naturally leaving no room for women in his heart.

Seeing Ernie's reluctant expression, Mary said fiercely, "Go out for coffee right now, or don't come home for dinner tonight."

Judy had no idea what the two of them were whispering about.

She simply saw Ernie rub the back of his head, as if he had suddenly figured something out, and said to her, "Miss Frances, let's go get that coffee now."

Ernie had reasoned that going against Mary never ended well.

It was better to agree, go out for a cup of coffee together, and take the opportunity to pick up the latest issue of the *Post*.

Ernie and Judy left the church, found a coffee shop, sat at a window seat, and each ordered a cup of coffee.

Although Ernie had no intention of looking for a partner, he didn't mind having coffee with a polite and pretty lady, and their conversation flowed quite pleasantly.

After chatting for a while, their coffee was served.

Seeing that the coffee shop sold magazines, Ernie walked over to browse and finally bought the latest issue of *The Saturday Evening Post*.

"Miss Frances, do you need to read any magazines?" Ernie asked. Aside from the newly released major magazines available for purchase, the cafe also offered many back issues for reading.

Judy held her coffee cup, turned it half a circle, and smiled. "Mr. Riser, do you have any other published works? If so, I would love to read them."

"I do have one more," Ernie said, scratching his head as he found the early-month issue of *The Atlantic Monthly* on the bookshelf.

He brought the magazine back to the table and handed it to Judy.

Judy smiled in gratitude, opened the magazine, and began to read. Meanwhile, Ernie found the article on the *Post's* editorial page attacking him.

...Before reading the article, Ernie glanced up at Judy. Following the author's name, Judy had turned to the page featuring *A Bronx Tale* and was reading it intently. The sunlight illuminated her profile, and a stray lock of dark, wavy hair danced in the breeze.

Ernie couldn't help smiling. Reading books together in a cafe bathed in sunlight—the feeling was surprisingly quite pleasant.

He shifted his gaze away from Frances's face and back to the pages of his book.

Right before his eyes was a striking headline: *ENOUGH! Exposing the Literary Fraud of "The Bronx"*

One could say that the headline alone reeked of exasperation, making the subsequent content entirely predictable.

Yet Ernie's expression remained calm as his gaze moved downward.

[We have had enough! We have tolerated this for long enough! We refuse to keep listening to a writer straight off the "streets of Bronx," dressing up second-hand viewpoints scavenged from cheap libraries as a persecuted prophet! Now, we are going to tear off this hypocritical cloak and let you all see what lies beneath—not profound truths, not brave revelations, but cynical calculations and an outright literary fraud!]

Ernie raised an eyebrow. Ha, this article was really hopping mad; they even used the word "Bronx" directly in his title. The intention was painfully obvious—trying to cast him as a minority writer to blur his stance. What a crafty labeling technique... and exceptionally aggressive!