by Liwen Y. Ho
Speaking of lost, she was starting to wonder if she had lost her mind. Not only was she talking to a stranger, she was actually enjoying it. The interested and attentive way he looked at her likely had something to do with it. And the fact that he kept flashing those dimples in her direction didn’t hurt either. “Well, you know what they say, two heads are better than none. I’m sure we’ll figure this out.”
He nodded in amusement. “I think you mean two heads are better than one.”
“Yes, of course,” Melanie answered as she cringed inwardly. He must think I’m fresh off the boat! This was one of the reasons she had a hard time socializing. She never knew what embarrassing phrases might come out of her mouth. “Sorry, English isn’t my first language.”
“Don’t apologize. I think English is rather confusing myself; it’s certainly not as straightforward as numbers. Either way, you are right. Two heads are better than none. Which means I’m very happy I ran into you … or rather, that you came to my rescue.”
“I-uh, me, too.” Melanie couldn’t believe her ears. She was both flattered and surprised. Was this guy flirting? And what was that warm, tingly feeling going on inside of her? I shouldn’t be feeling like this. I’m practically engaged—oh no! Her sisters would be wondering why she was taking so long. “I have to go.”
His face fell in disappointment. “You do? I was hoping—”
“Here,” Melanie interrupted him mid-sentence to hand him several packages from the shelf. “I think these should work for your sister. At least with three choices—”
“The odds of one working out is higher,” he finished for her.
“Yes,” she replied with a surprised grin. Was he a mind reader? “How do you do that?”
Before he could answer, the beeps of several incoming text messages sounded from her purse. “That’s likely my sister.”
“I won’t keep you then. I’m grateful you stopped by, uh …?”
“It’s Melanie.” She handed the shopping list back to him. “No problem. I’m glad I could help.”
He accepted the piece of paper with one hand, then grasped her extended hand with the other. “My name’s Ben. Thanks again.”
Melanie drew in a sharp breath. The spark from his touch spread through her fingers like rays of sunshine, bringing relief to her itchy skin. Her body’s response couldn’t be more wrong, but why did it feel so right? I better go before I really lose my mind. “Goodbye.”
She hurried along to the register, paid for her items, and sped home.
* * *
An anxious looking Sam met Melanie at the back door. “Where have you been? You were gone for almost half an hour! Ma is about to have a panic attack.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” Melanie replied with a sheepish smile. “I got held up at the store.” She handed her sister a can of evaporated milk. “Can you open this? I need to take care of my hives.”
Sam raised an eyebrow when she saw the box of antihistamines in Melanie’s hand. “Huh? You didn’t take it already? Your hives are gone.”
“What?” She ran her hands up and down her arms. Sam was right. The red bumps had disappeared, leaving her skin its normal light tan color. “How did that happen?”
Billie walked into the kitchen with a look of annoyance on her face. “Guys, I’ve played every piano piece from every recital I’ve had in the last five years. My fingers are about to fall off! Is the tea ready yet?”
Sam grabbed a stainless steel kettle off the stove and began pouring tea into a blue and white porcelain cup decorated with lotus leaves. “Argh, I forgot to heat the cups up first.” She stopped pouring and set the pot down on the counter. “Ga Je… hello? We need some help here!”
Melanie glanced up. “What? Did you say something?”
“Are you okay?” Billie cocked her head to one side. “Why do you keep staring at your arms?”
“I-uh, yeah, I’m good.” A smile appeared on Melanie’s face. “I think I may have found a cure for hives.”
“That’s great, Dr. Koo,” Sam snapped, “but if we don’t get our butts moving, Ma’s going to kill us, and I’m pretty sure there’s no cure for that!”
“You’re right.” Medical discoveries would have to wait. There were more pressing matters at hand, like keeping their mother’s temper at bay. “I’ll prepare the tea. Can you heat up the pastries, Sam?”
“It’s already been done.” Sam opened the oven door and took out a baking tray filled with goodies. “The other pot on the stove has hot water.”
“I got it, thanks.” Melanie took the pot and poured some boiling water into the tea cups. After swirling the water around in each cup, she emptied it into the sink. She touched the cups to make sure they were warm, then filled them with tea. Lastly, she added a spoonful of evaporated milk to each cup and stirred the contents.
“How do you always know the right amount to add?” Billie peered into the tea cups curiously.
“Ba says it’s eighty percent tea and twenty percent evaporated milk,” Melanie answered. “I tend to go by the color. You want it lighter than chocolate, but darker than…”
Sam looked up from the plate of egg custards and wife cakes she was arranging. “Were you going to say honey?”
“Yes, honey!” Melanie bit her lower lip to stop a smile that was threatening to emerge. That was the comparison she should have been making, not the one that had popped into her head. What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking about sandy brown hair? She let out a sigh and reined in her thoughts. It’s time to come back to reality. I need to focus on finding love in the next room, not at the grocery store. “All set. Let’s take this out.”
“Get ready for Ma’s wrath,” Billie warned as she opened the door.
“Just nod and smile, girls,” Melanie replied with a sigh. “Just nod and smile.”
Chapter 2
“Hey, Mel, I thought I’d find you here.” Melvin walked over to the cafeteria table where Melanie sat and pulled up a chair. “How’s your day going?”
Melanie glanced up from her phone. “It’s been good. Only on my second cup of coffee so far. I remember needing twice as much caffeine during the surgical rotation. I’m so glad that’s over with.” She stifled a yawn with one hand. “Do you want some?” She pointed to a plastic container of red and green grapes.
“Thanks.” Melvin grabbed a handful of grapes. “I missed lunch again.”
“Busy day?”
“Interesting is a better word. I had a patient who reminded me so much of my mom. She even had the same hairstyle, short and permed.”
Melanie raised an eyebrow. “Most Asian middle-aged moms have the same hairstyle. I think it’s an unspoken rule.”
“Good point,” Melvin replied with a wry smile. “Anyhow, she spent most of the time complaining about her chest, how she had these pains that would come and go. So I asked her to describe the frequency of the pain and the activities that were associated with it. You will never guess what she told me.”
“What?”
“Apparently, she got them whenever she ate dim sum with her friends, and one of them announced their kid was getting married.”
Melanie began coughing, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red.
A look of alarm crossed Melvin’s face. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I almost choked on a grape! For a second there I thought you were talking about my mom.” She took a deep breath and wiped some tears from her eyes. “Let me guess, her own kid is still single?”
“Yes, she has a son and a daughter both living at home and no grandkids in sight. It took a while for me to explain to her that her condition was not as serious as she had thought.”
“Having chest pains or having kids who aren’t married?”
“Both.”
“And she felt better after you gave her your professional opinion?”
“To be honest, I think she felt better after she gave me her daughter’s cell phone number and their home number, even though I kep
t refusing them.”
“Of course she did! Asian male doctors are the ideal catch.” Melanie laughed. “You were brave to say no. You weren’t afraid she’d have another one of her attacks?”
“Well, I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.” He gave her a hopeful glance, his eyebrows raised. “After all, we both know I’m no longer available.”
“Uh, yeah,” Melanie stated with some relief that Melvin was finally addressing their engagement. A little over a week had passed since their families had met for tea, but he still hadn’t spoken to her about it. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up first, especially with the reservations she had. The issue had cost her several nights of sleep, hours which she had spent thinking and praying about the whole situation.
She had to admit Melvin was a good guy, though not her first choice for “Mr. Right”, but still an acceptable second … or third. But, deep down, she knew her reasons for marrying him were all wrong. No matter how much she wanted to be a dutiful daughter or longed for a family, marrying someone out of obligation and practicality would be neither noble nor fulfilling. Something as sacred as marriage required her whole heart. Based on this conviction, she knew what she needed to do, even if it meant upsetting the people closest to her. “About that, Melvin …”
He jumped in before she could finish. “I know I didn’t buy you a ring yet. I plan on getting one. In fact, I was wondering if you want to go shopping tonight?”
“Hold on, this is all going really fast. Do you know what you’re saying? We’re talking about getting married. A commitment for life.”
He reached over and took her hand. “Of course I want to get married. I’m sure you know how I feel about you. I’m more than pleased that you finally feel the same way.”
She swallowed hard. Melvin had certainly been clear about his intentions from the beginning. It had been easy to spot the infatuated expression on his face the morning they had met in Anatomy lab. Melanie had attributed the queasiness in her stomach that day to what lay on the stainless steel table, but she could no longer blame her nausea on a cadaver. Even though she cherished his friendship, that was the extent of her feelings for him. It was time to admit to herself—and to Melvin—how she truly felt.
“Melvin, you have been such a good friend to me. I don’t know how I would have survived med school if you hadn’t been there to help me. We’ve been through a lot together, and I’m thankful to have you in my life, but… I just don’t feel the same way you do.” She gingerly removed her hand from his.
Melvin pushed his silver framed glasses up the bridge of his nose and frowned. “You agreed to marry me. Our mothers are planning the wedding as we speak. Is this some kind of joke?”
“I’m sorry. I thought I could go through with a wedding and eventually grow to have feelings for you, but I’m not so sure anymore. We’ve known each other for almost five years and I still feel the same way about you now as the first day we met. It wouldn’t be fair to you.” Or frankly, to herself either.
Melvin’s face flushed. “Is my commitment to you not enough? This is much better than what our ancestors used to go through with their arranged marriages. We already know each other, and I believe we are quite compatible. We speak the same dialect, we both practice medicine, we like the same foods and go to the same church. What more do you need?”
Melanie blinked. Was Melvin serious? Sadly enough, she recognized the look on his face as one he had often worn during their late night study sessions. Determination. No matter what exam they had taken, he had always scored the highest. And now he was as determined to succeed in love. Too bad he didn’t have a clue how to do so. “Sure, we have things in common, but our shared love of won ton soup won’t make a marriage work. Melvin, you need and deserve someone who loves you for who you are. I’m just not that person.”
“But you said yes already.” He ran his hand through his jet black hair and shook his head in disbelief. “What about our parents? You do realize how much this means to our mothers, don’t you? This is a decision that also involves our families.”
“I’m aware of that. I know I should have spoken up earlier. I’ll talk to my parents soon. And I’ll make it clear that I’m the one calling off the wedding,” she concluded with a sigh. She was not looking forward to her mother’s reaction when she broke the news. Was there any chance she could enroll in the federal witness protection program, just in case?
“Have you thought about this? To go against our parents’ wishes and to call off the wedding would bring great dishonor to them. You wouldn’t want to do that, would you?”
Melanie raised her eyebrows at his tone of voice. She couldn’t believe he was trying to guilt her into marrying him. If she hadn’t experienced this kind of intimidation before, she might have succumbed to the pressure. But guilt trips were part and parcel of her family life; she could spot one coming a mile away, especially when it came from her mother. With Melvin it was no different, except that she felt confident enough to stand her ground. “I hope you’ll understand and accept my decision.” She gathered her things and stood up to leave. “I need to get ready to start my rounds. We can talk more later, okay?” She gave herself a virtual pat on the back as she walked out of the cafeteria.
* * *
“I can’t believe you did it!” Sam squealed as she looked over at Melanie sitting in the passenger seat.
“I can’t believe it either. Aiya,” Melanie exclaimed in Cantonese, “what have I done? I am in so much trouble.”
“For once, you’re doing something you want instead of just blindly obeying Ma. Now I’m not the only daughter on her blacklist.”
Melanie frowned. “But she expects that kind of rebellious behavior from you.” She reached over to pull at a lock of bright blue hair sticking out from under Sam’s newsboy cap. “If I did something like this, I’d get disowned. How in the world did you get away with it?”
“I may have told Ma that dyeing my hair is a requirement of my program.”
“So, you mean you lied?”
Sam shrugged casually. “It’s not a total lie. As a graphic design major, I have to look the part of an arrteest. Hey, it was either this or shave half of my head.”
“Are you still trying to learn French, Yee Ga Je?” Billie addressed Sam by her Cantonese title of second eldest sister. “Your accent needs a lot of work. It’s très mal.”
“Ha ha, very funny. You better be tray nice to me. After all, you’re the reason I’m missing the premiere of that new cop show.” Sam lowered the rear view mirror to make eye contact with Billie. “I wish I had my own car, so I could’ve gone straight home from class instead of getting dragged along to your Back to School Night. Why does it have to be tonight of all nights?”
“Hey, it’s not my fault Ma and Ba can’t go. They never like coming to my school events anyway.”
“All right, that’s enough, you two,” Melanie interrupted in her best Ga Je voice. She directed her attention to Sam first. “Stop whining. You know you can watch the episode online tomorrow. And be happy I’m letting you drive my car.” Turning to Billie, she continued, “And you know Ma and Ba don’t feel comfortable speaking English, especially with your teachers. They still care very much though about your schoolwork and grades.”
Billie rolled her eyes. “Argh. You don’t have to remind me.” She lowered her purple framed glasses onto the tip of her nose and spoke with a heavy Chinese accent. “Why you not like Ga Je. She get all A in school. She never waste the time play basketball.”
Melanie bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at her youngest sister’s perfect imitation of their mother. “Mui mui,” she scolded, addressing her as younger sister in Cantonese, “it’s not respectful to talk about Ma like that.”
“Why did you have to set the bar so high?” Billie sighed. “It’s, like, impossible for us to do all the perfect stuff you do.”
“Oh, but she’s not Miss Goody-Two-Shoes anymore,” Sam exclaimed.
Melanie grimaced
. “Don’t remind me.”
“She told Melvin today that she’s not marrying him.”
“What?” Billie sat up straight in her seat. “Does Ma know?”
“Not yet, so please don’t say anything.” Melanie turned to her sisters. “I need to find the right time to break the news to her, preferably when she’s in a good mood.”
“Good luck. I think this past week is the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. She was so excited about showing me her pick for our bridesmaid dress.” Billie stuck her tongue out in disgust. “I’m definitely glad I don’t have to wear that lacy mauve colored sack any time soon.”
“Mauve? Seriously?” Sam wrinkled her nose. “That would not go well with the blue in my hair.”
“Hello, I’m in the middle of a personal crisis here, and all you can think about is your hair?” Melanie covered her eyes and groaned. “I need to find a way to break the news to Ma and Ba and still keep my head.”
“I say talk to Ba first,” Sam suggested. “He’s a softie. I think he’ll understand why you don’t want to marry Melvin.”
“I agree with Yee Ga Je. Ba’s easy to talk to. He, for one, doesn’t freak out when I come home with a B minus on a math test.”
“That’s because I paved the way for you with my C minuses. I am so glad I don’t have to take math anymore,” Sam declared. “Anything numbers related is a waste of time in my opinion.”
“And that’s why your bank account is always in the red.” Melanie shook her head in disapproval. “You really should’ve paid more attention in your math classes.”
“Too bad you didn’t have a pre-cal teacher like Mr. Peters. It’s amazing how well he explains stuff. We’ve only been in school for a couple of weeks, but I feel like I’m actually getting the concepts.”
“That’s good news for you and for me.” Melanie gave Billie a thumbs-up. “If you get an A on your next test, Ma will be so shocked, she might not even care that I called off the wedding.”
