Short Soup

by Coleen Kwan

  His father’s cutting black eyes swept over him, filled with fury and disappointment. “No need,” he icily replied. “I already bought fish and left it at the restaurant. You can decide what to do with it.” He turned to leave, then added over his shoulder. “I hope you don’t let me down again.”

  Only when his dad had left did Dion realise his locked jaw was aching and the muscles in his back were strained to breaking point. All the arguments he’d bitten back boiled to the fore. He slammed his fist against the wall. How typical of his dad to instantly think the worst of him just because of one slip-up. How little faith he had in him. All those years of slaving in the kitchen, following other people’s orders, just to prove to Kai he was up to the task, that he knew the business of running a restaurant inside out. Dion had thought he had won his dad’s confidence but in reality Kai was sure he’d mess up. Was waiting to catch him out in any way possible.

  Fuming, he marched back to the bedroom. The reminders of last night seemed to mock him now. The rose petals were wilted, the candles a waxy mess, the bed linen grubby, the lollies sticky. He ripped off the sheets. He strode to the laundry and stuffed the sheets into the washing machine, then stripped off his T-shirt and boxers and threw them in. He tossed out laundry powder, set the program, and slammed the lid.

  Would he ever get his life in order?

  The last time Toni had visited a day spa was just before her ill-fated wedding, when she’d gone with her bridesmaids, all determined to look their best on the big day. This time she was with her mother. The visit to Newcastle’s finest day spa was a birthday present from her parents. The plan was for her mother and her to spend a few hours beautifying themselves while her dad looked at new golf clubs, after which they would all meet for lunch at the antiques centre by the waterfront. Pearl had never been to a spa before, but rather than savouring the novelty, she was more concerned about Toni having the best facial available.

  “You have a job interview on Wednesday,” she said as she scanned the treatments on offer. “You need to look your best. How about the gingko treatment for your eyes? You have bags under your eyes.”

  “Gee, thanks for pointing that out to me,” Toni replied, covering her mouth as another yawn threatened. Not surprising she had bags under her eyes after the night she’d enjoyed in Dion’s bed. After climbing back into her own bed, she’d barely snatched a couple of hours’ rest before her mother was shaking her awake, telling her to get up for their day out.

  Pearl turned to the beautician attending them. “My daughter need the gingko treatment. And manicure too. Her nails look too bad.” She leaned towards Toni, nodding happily. “This is fun, no?”

  It was fun to hang out with her mum, Toni mused as they changed into white robes and slippers. Perhaps she could confide in her about Dion. Not about last night – her mother disapproved of premarital sex – but perhaps she could hint that she and Dion were developing a … Well, what exactly were they developing? She didn’t know because they hadn’t talked much about it. They should have, she realised now, before they’d jumped into bed so precipitously. Hmm, no, it wasn’t a good idea to tell her mother, not before she’d spoken to Dion first.

  An hour later, her treatments done, Toni wandered into the spa’s relaxation lounge, intent on snatching a quick nap while she waited for her mother to finish up. Several women, all in white robes and slippers, were already in the lounge. She headed straight for an empty couch in the corner and plopped herself down, closing her eyes as she sank into the soft cushions.

  “Toni? Is that you?” a voice piped up to her left.

  Reluctantly she looked up to see Melissa leaning towards her. She sighed inwardly. Chatting to Dion’s ex-girlfriend wasn’t her idea of relaxation, but she conjured up a polite smile. “Hi, Melissa. This is a surprise.”

  “It’s my rostered day off. Thought I could do with a bit of pampering.”

  Toni nodded. “I’m here with my mother.” She hesitated, searching for a suitably neutral subject. “This is my first visit here.”

  “Oh, I’m a regular.” Melissa flicked back her auburn waves and patted her perfect complexion. “It’s important women take care of themselves, don’t you think? Men appreciate that, not letting ourselves go to seed.”

  Toni’s toes curled up in their slippers. “Yeah, for sure,” she said, pretending to examine her freshly manicured fingernails.

  “I like that colour you chose.” Melissa flashed her a friendly smile. “So are you seeing anyone special at the moment?”

  “Um?” Toni drew back, flushing. “No, I’ve just divorced, remember?”

  The other woman lifted her shoulders, her eyebrows drawing together. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “You didn’t. I just – I’m not seeing anyone, no.” She couldn’t look at Melissa, couldn’t lie straight to her face.

  After a pause, Melissa said, “Hey, I hope you don’t hold it against me that I’m Dion’s ex.”

  “What – what gave you that idea?”

  “Nothing, really. Just picking up a certain vibe.” Melissa twirled the end of the robe belt around her fingers. “You know, it wasn’t me who ended things. It was Dion. He doesn’t like complications, and he may look easy-going, but there’s steel underneath. When he decides something, that’s it. End of discussion. When he broke it off, I was devastated, but he’s such a charmer I couldn’t stay mad with him for long. Besides, I couldn’t say I hadn’t been warned. Dion’s never been into serious relationships, and he was quite upfront about that right from the start.” She broke off, glanced again at Toni. “But why am I rambling on like this? I’m not telling you anything new. You know more than anyone else what Dion’s like.”

  Oh yes, she did, and everything Melissa said rang true. Dion was a charmer. Dion got his way. And Dion didn’t want or need a serious relationship. All truths she’d known forever. But still she felt cold and sick as she foresaw a future where she’d be just like Melissa, yet another of Dion’s cast-off exes. Well, what else did she expect or want? She didn’t know. All she knew was that her insides felt full of squirming live eels and she couldn’t bear another minute of Melissa’s company.

  Fortunately her mother arrived and after she’d greeted Melissa, informed Toni that they would be late for lunch if they didn’t hurry. Toni gladly escaped with her mother. At the antiques centre they found her father waiting outside one of the shops.

  Pearl’s eyes lit up as she spotted the shop’s interior jammed with bric-a-brac. “Wah, I must have a look inside.” She glanced at Kai who was holding a new golf club. “You better not go inside in case you break something.”

  Kai nodded. “Wait,” he called to Toni as she began to follow her mother into the shop. “I want to talk to you.”

  The sombre expression on his face made Toni pause. Her dad didn’t look pleased at all. “What is it, Dad?”

  “I just got a phone call from Shen. He’s very mad with Dion.”

  Her back tensed. “Why?”

  “Dion was supposed to go to the fish market first thing this morning to get the best fish. He didn’t show up. Shen went over to his place and found him still asleep. They had big argument. Shen doesn’t believe Dion is ready to run the restaurant on his own. He thinks we should step in before Dion makes even bigger mistakes.”

  Toni gulped for air. “But that’s not fair. Uncle Shen’s always so hard on Dion. Dion’s thrown so much effort into making the restaurant a success, not to mention his financial contribution. So he overslept one morning, big deal. He’s been working hard, putting in long hours. It – it’s not surprising he slept in.”

  Kai stepped closer. His normally gentle face was unusually stern, his forehead creased into a fierce and unfamiliar frown. “I know why Dion oversleep,” he barked. “I saw you come home this morning with Dion. You climb into your bedroom window at six o’clock. You spend all night at Dion’s place, keeping him up, that’s why he too tired to go to fish market.”

  “You s
leep with Dion last night? Aiya!” Toni spun round to catch her mother’s stricken expression. Her mother marched up and glared at Kai. “Why didn’t you tell me this morning?”

  Kai’s frown deepened. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

  “Upset! Upset!” Pearl shook her head as if she couldn’t fathom her husband’s ignorance before she redirected her ire at Toni. “Is your father right? Did you sleep with Dion last night?”

  Two pairs of accusing eyes bored into Toni. She could have lied, told them she’d slept over at Dion’s place without anything happening, but she didn’t want to. She’d had enough lies and half-truths from Nick; she wasn’t going down that path too. Better to make a clean breast of things.

  She met their glowers head on. “Yeah, I did, as a matter of fact, and I don’t know why you’re making such a song and dance about it. Dion and I are both adults. We know what we’re doing.”

  “Oh!” Her mother clutched her overstuffed handbag to her chest as though she’d been shot. “Is that what you do now? You sleep with any man you find? Oh, what did I do wrong? I thought I brought you up properly. I thought you were a good daughter, not some Suzie Wong.”

  “Mum!” Heat flashed across her cheeks. “Stop talking as if I’m a floozy. I don’t sleep with any man I find. That’s ridiculous.”

  “But you sleep with Dion.” Pearl bit her lower lip, smearing lipstick onto her teeth. “And you not even engaged to him.”

  Toni grimaced. She’d hoped her mother’s views on premarital sex would have softened now Toni was no longer a teenager, but obviously Pearl was just as hardline as ever.

  “What about his mother?” Pearl looked even more distressed. “What I tell Queenie?”

  “Never mind that,” Kai brusquely interrupted. He turned to Toni. “You very bad for Dion. You make him stay up all night. You make him lose concentration. And for what?” He threw up his hands in a gesture of frustration. “You only here for a few days. You want to have some fun before you go back to Sydney, but you not thinking about Dion. You only thinking about yourself.” He waggled a bony finger at her. “Ah Mei, I’m very disappointed at your selfishness. You must stop this at once.”

  The rareness of her father’s censure made it bite even deeper. In his quiet, unassuming way he’d always been on her side. Even when he didn’t say much she knew she had his unspoken backing. But now he’d crossed over to the other side, and his criticism weighed heavily on her.

  “I didn’t realise Dion had an early start this morning,” she said. If she had, she would at least have made sure he got a wake-up call. All the wonder and delight of last night fizzled away, leaving behind only a sour aftertaste. It had seemed such a special and private moment, shared only between the two of them, but now it was out in the open, and through the lens of her parents’ disapproval the memories of the night became grubby and disreputable. She rubbed her upper arms as a chill settled over her. “You’re right. It’s my fault he overslept and didn’t make it to the fish market. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

  Her father gave her a curt nod. “Make sure you don’t.” He turned to Pearl, nudging her elbow. “We late for lunch now. No time for shopping.”

  Nauseous and tense, Toni trudged after her parents. How was Dion feeling now? As bad as she, or worse, probably, knowing how cranky Uncle Shen could be, especially towards Dion. He’d always been the one who badgered Dion to do better, while Aunt Queenie had always been the parent who cosseted and spoiled him, maybe over-compensating for Uncle Shen’s grouchiness.

  Their lunch at a harbour side restaurant was meant to have been a celebration, but instead the atmosphere was strained and subdued. They ordered food glumly, and when it arrived no-one appeared to have much appetite. After a few minutes of stilted conversation, Pearl rested her elbow on the starched tablecloth and tapped Toni on the arm.

  “I want to know if you’re serious about Dion,” Pearl announced without preamble.

  Kai choked on his mouthful of chicken before warning his wife, “Don’t cause more trouble.”

  “I just want to know,” Pearl protested. “This is important. Maybe she’s in love with him.” Her gaze swivelled back to Toni, as penetrating as a laser. “Well? Are you?”

  Taking a deep breath, Toni set down her fork. “I really don’t want to answer that question.”

  “Why not?” her mother persisted. “You know Dion all your life. You know him better than anyone else. Why not marry him?”

  Toni gripped her fork so hard her knuckles cracked. “I’m not going to marry someone just because I’ve known him all my life.”

  “Of course not. That’s silly, but there’s more between you two. I think you two make a good match. You balance each other.” She cocked her head to one side, eyeing Toni speculatively. “Yes, you and Dion make good pair.”

  “No.” Kai banged his hand on the table. A couple at a nearby table lifted their heads, curious about the commotion, but Toni’s parents were too engrossed to notice.

  Pearl set her mouth in a stubborn line. “No?”

  “Stop your match-making. You so anxious for her to marry again. Why? She’s still young, got plenty of time.”

  “You don’t care about our daughter like I do.” She bristled, hair quivering as she hunched up her shoulders. “You don’t remember when she got divorced? How sad she was? I do. I feel it right here.” She thumped the centre of her bosom. “I want her to be happy again. That’s all I want.”

  “You won’t make her happy by nagging her to marry Dion.”

  Pearl’s freshly plucked eyebrows shot up, disappearing beneath her curls. “Nagging! I’m not nagging. She already sleep with Dion. I didn’t tell her to do that! She did that all by herself.”

  Toni kneaded her temples where an almighty headache was brewing. “Mum, Dad, please stop this,” she protested, but they took no notice of her.

  Kai’s lips worked up and down as he glowered at his wife. Never one to raise his voice, especially not in public, his tone was deliberate and forceful as he retorted, “Just because she sleep with him one night doesn’t mean she wants to stay with him permanently. What is she going to do in Piper Bay? She worked hard for her degree and her CPA. She can have good career in Sydney. That’s what makes her happy. Not chasing after another man.”

  He took a deep breath, clearly forcing his hands to relax. His initial anger had blown over, and his eyes were less harsh as he looked at Toni. “I understand you feel lonely after your divorce. You want some comforting, and Dion is a good friend, nice boy, always looking out for you. But you must be careful what you do to him. Dion struggle hard to get where he is now. Don’t mess it up for him. And don’t hide yourself here. You go back to Sydney, find good job, stand on your own two feet. That’s the only way you’ll be happy again.”

  Her chest felt as if it would cave in. “Dad?” She blinked at him, the back of her throat stinging. “You want me to go away?”

  Just for a second his chin trembled before he pressed his lips together. “You my daughter. I don’t want you to go away but I think it’s better for you, and for Dion.”

  She glanced at her mother. “Mum?” Surely she would protest?

  “I don’t know …” Pearl fretted with a napkin, her gaze darting between her daughter and her husband. “If you love Dion then stay, but maybe your father is right. If you not serious then don’t make things worse for him.”

  Toni pushed her barely touched plate of food away. “Huh, so much for parental support. I can’t do anything without you two criticising my every move.” That wasn’t true, but she was too worked up to care. “I’m not sixteen any more. I don’t need your permission for anything. I can make my own decisions. I can sleep with as many men as I like.” As her mother winced, she added for good measure, “Hell, two men at the same time if I’m inclined. And whatever’s going on between me and Dion is no-one’s business except ours, so I’d appreciate it if you respected our privacy.” She folded her arms across her chest in an effort
to conceal the trembling in her hands.

  Instead of exploding at her, as she’d half-feared, her parents exchanged doubting looks across the table. Her mother scrunched up her napkin, then proceeded to rearrange her cutlery, her fingers restlessly darting about. In contrast, her father ponderously dabbed at his mouth, straightened the cuffs of his shirt, rested his fists on the table, and finally exhaled a long sigh.

  “Yes, you’re an adult and so is Dion, but remember, to us you will always be our children and we must give you advice, even if you don’t want it. I don’t want to argue with you, especially on your birthday. I won’t say anything more, okay?”

  “Okay, Dad,” she replied huskily.

  True to his word, for the rest of the meal her father didn’t return to the subject and her mother followed suit, but Toni could only pretend to enjoy her birthday lunch. It seemed unfair that just one night with Dion could snowball into so many complications, but she couldn’t avoid them, and neither could Dion. She was a grownup capable of making her own decisions, she’d insisted to her parents. She’d made the wrong decision marrying Nick but the right one leaving him. Could she get the next decision right too?

  The front of the Happy Palace was deserted, but she knew the kitchen would be buzzing with preparations. Afternoon heat shimmered off the pavement as she walked round to the rear of the building. Several cars were parked there, including Dion’s SUV. The back door of the restaurant stood open. Waves of heat and cooking aromas greeted her as she entered the kitchen. Gary stood at a bench, chopping up a mountain of onions. He glanced up as she walked in and she waved at him.

  “Hi Gary.”

  “Hi.” He grinned at her, his face flushed to the hairline. “Hot enough for ya?”

  Dion walked in from the store room and paused as he caught sight of her. “Hey, chuckle berry.” He dumped the tray of cucumbers he was carrying onto a nearby table and strode towards her, his whole face lighting up.