by Liwen Y. Ho
“Daughter, I want you to be happy,” he answered with a wistful smile. “Sometimes the person we think is good for us turns out not to be so good, and the one who doesn’t seem like the right choice is. You know the relationship between a man and a woman is complicated; you have experienced it yourself.”
“Yes, I know.” Melanie was surprised to feel a lump growing in her throat. She wasn’t sure if the emotions stirring within her resulted from the tenderness in her father’s eyes or the memories his words conjured up. “I know I made a bad choice before, but what happened with Ming… that was a long time ago.” Flashbacks of her first love in Hong Kong crossed her mind. “I was young and foolish to believe he would stay committed when we were thousands of miles apart. I found out the hard way that he wasn’t the right guy. But this time I already know that Melvin’s not the one for me, which is why I’m ending the engagement.”
“His mom emailed me a picture of his son yesterday,” her mother piped up in a regretful tone.
“Who?”
“Ming’s son.”
“Oh.” Words escaped Melanie. How her mother could remain friends with the family of the boy who had broken her heart was beyond her. Not even two months after she had left Hong Kong, he had already moved on to another girl and gotten her pregnant. Although Ming had apologized for his indiscretions, the least her mother could do was pretend her loyalty remained with her daughter. But, as expected, sentimentality wasn’t Ma’s strong suit.
“He has a head of thick hair, just like Ming had when he was a boy. It is too bad Ming didn’t come to America like he said he would. Or maybe it’s good he didn’t because if he had come, you wouldn’t be engaged to a doctor now. Ah, but then I would already have a grandson. Wouldn’t that be wonderful. None of the ladies at church have a grandson.”
“Ma, I don’t think you would have been happy with me getting pregnant in high school.”
“That is a minor detail.”
Melanie bit her lips to stop a snicker from escaping. Where had she heard that line before? “I think it would have been a very big detail. I wouldn’t have been able to go to college or medical school. I wouldn’t be a doctor today.”
“Yes, but at this rate, you may never get married or have children. You are turning twenty-seven next year. When I was your age, I was already pregnant with you.”
Melanie groaned inwardly. It was always a lose-lose situation with her mother. One minute she wanted her daughters to focus on their education and careers; the next minute she wanted them to make her a grandmother. She crossed her arms and clamped her lips shut to prevent herself from saying something she might regret. There was no use adding fuel to the fire; she had long learned it was more useful to stay calm when reasoning with her mother.
“What about Melvin? Did you talk to him about this? Or were you going to leave him waiting for you at the altar?”
“I would never—,” Melanie spat out before she realized she was giving into her mother’s goading. “Yes, I did talk to him, and he agrees with me.” Getting a ride from him last night had actually worked out in her favor. They ended up having an open and honest conversation on their way home. She had managed to convince him they were better off as friends … but not before he had recognized Ben’s interest in her. And though he wasn’t happy about it, as a good friend, he decided to back off. “We both want to wait for God to bring the right people into our lives.”
“I know, I know, you want to marry for love,” her mother quipped as she handed the bowl of string beans to her husband. She wiped her hands on the white apron tied around her waist and sighed. “Do you realize I’ve already booked the church and picked out the bridesmaid dresses and the decorations? I have spent every free moment this past week planning your wedding, and now you tell me you don’t appreciate what I’ve done.”
“Ma! I never said I didn’t appreciate your help.” It was probably not the best time to point out that she had never delegated those tasks to her mother in the first place. She turned to her father with wide eyes, pleading for him to inject some sense into the conversation.
He shook his head and shifted his attention to the stove, uncertain of how to help the women in his life. He dumped the string beans into the wok and leaned back as water droplets from the bowl splashed into the hot oil. Hiss. Steam rose up from the wok and clouded his glasses, providing a momentary blinder from the situation at hand.
Melanie rubbed her forehead in an effort to soothe her throbbing temples. How appropriate. Oil and water, that’s what she and her mother were like. More specifically, she was the latter substance, always sinking underneath her mother’s dominion.
Sam came in at that moment and broke the awkward silence with a singsong voice, “Ma, can you come help with a customer? My Chinglish is not working on this one.”
Their mother raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand what you are saying.”
Placing her hands on her hips, Sam repeated her request in Cantonese. She watched as their mother left the kitchen with heavy footsteps. “Wow, I guess you told her the news. I could sense the ice queen’s presence when I walked in here.” She faked a shiver and rubbed her hands along her arms. “Ma didn’t take it too well, did she? Let me guess, she did the Chinese soap opera cry?” Clutching her hands to her chest, she dropped to her knees with a look of anguish on her face.
Melanie rolled her eyes as Sam finished her theatrics and stood up. “No crying, just the usual guilt trips.” Even though her mother’s reaction hadn’t been the best, she had to admit she felt a sense of relief after speaking her mind. The tension in her neck and shoulders had disappeared, and she could breathe again. “I hope she doesn’t hold this against me forever.”
“Don’t worry. She won’t.”
The English words that came from her father’s mouth touched Melanie deeply. She appreciated his effort to speak the language, despite his lack of fluency. “Thanks, Ba.”
They all turned as their mother returned to the kitchen. She handed her husband a slip of paper with a new customer’s order and sat down. “Sam, your turn. The white couple at table six want to order.”
“Okay, I’ve got it.”
As soon as Sam left, Melanie spoke up. “Ma, I can call Auntie Wong and let her know we won’t need the church anymore. And I’ll make any other calls that are needed.”
“No need. I will do it.”
“I don’t mind. It will save you the trouble.” She knew, however, her offer would not help her mother save face. Her decision to call off the wedding would surely cause her mother some embarrassment in front of her church friends. No doubt there would soon be rumors flying around about the foolish Koo daughter who turned down the chance to marry a doctor. “I can explain my reasoning to Auntie Wong and help her understand why I’m not marrying Melvin.”
The indignant look on her mother’s face made it clear her suggestion was not on the table for consideration. “I will let her know we are postponing the wedding until you finish residency.”
“Ma, you can’t say that,” Melanie retorted, “I’m not going to change my mind. A couple of years is not going to make a difference.”
“We will see.”
Melanie clenched her fists when she heard the finality of her mother’s words. Fine. They would revisit this topic later on, when the fumes stopped coming out of her ears. She decided to leave before her head exploded out of disbelief. She stepped out of the kitchen and almost bumped into Sam who was walking in. “Argh, sorry.”
Sam handed their father another order slip and dashed back to the dining area. She spotted Melanie at the cash register ringing up a customer’s bill. As soon as the transaction was completed, she grabbed her sister’s arm. “Ga Je, God did His thing!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You asked me to pray for you. I did and walla—look who showed up!” She pointed to the Caucasian couple at table six.
Melanie rolled her eyes. If Billie were there, she would have cert
ainly made fun of Sam’s faux French accent again. She contemplated saying something, but the genuine excitement in her sister’s eyes stopped her. What or who had caused the glint in Sam’s eyes?
From where she stood at the back end of the restaurant, she had a clear view of all the tables. She took a good look at the female customer who sat facing her direction. The girl in her late teens or early twenties had long blond hair and a dimple in her right cheek. The male customer had his back to Melanie, which prevented her from seeing his face. But there was something about his head of sandy hair that looked familiar. “Is that who I think it is?” She turned to her sister in awe. “You prayed for Ben to show up?”
“Yes, I mean, no, I didn’t ask for him specifically, just that God would help you get out of the mess you’re in.” Sam took Melanie’s chin in her hand and turned her head towards the man in jeans and a bright yellow polo shirt. “What better solution is there than him?”
“I could think of a few,” Melanie said dryly. Solutions which didn’t involve upsetting her mother even more than she was already.
Based on experience, she figured it would take at least half a year for her family to move on from today’s drama. If she was lucky, the ice would thaw in three months as it did when Sam received rejection letters from Stanford and all the UC colleges. Or in one month, as it did when Billie had flunked out of Chinese school in third grade. But the stakes were always higher when they involved her, especially since her sisters didn’t—or couldn’t—follow in her footsteps.
“There you go again,” Sam replied with an eye roll. “You’re so uptight and way too responsible for your own good. You need to take a chance once in a while, go for what you want.”
Shaking her head, she eyed her sister’s raven hair, the bottom two inches of which had been recently dyed white. She admired Sam’s boldness to be different, even if the contrasting colors reminded her of a skunk’s mane. “It’s not something I can change. This is who I am.”
“You weren’t always like this. You used to wear bright colors, not these drab penguin suits.” She reached over to undo the top button of her sister’s white blouse, which she had paired with black slacks.
Melanie pushed her hand away in protest. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Loosening you up a little.” Before Melanie could stop her, Sam pulled out the pair of chopsticks that had been holding her hair up in a tight bun. Her sister’s long hair cascaded down her shoulders like an evening waterfall. “Ah, that’s better.” Placing the index fingers and thumbs of both hands on Melanie’s cheeks, she gave them a quick pinch. “Add some color, and we’re back in business.”
Melanie groaned and stepped out of Sam’s reach. “Have you been watching reruns of Ambush Makeover again? I don’t need any making over. And anyway, changing my appearance doesn’t change who I am on the inside.”
“You’re right. But maybe it will inspire you to think differently. To go back to your old self, you know, the girl you were before what’s-his-name cheated on you.” Leaning in close, she whispered, “Yoo-hoo, earth to old Ga Je, I know you’re in there somewhere. It’s time to come out and play.”
Melanie looked down at her chest where Sam’s gold and black polka-dotted fingernail made contact with a pearl button. For someone who had no clue how to administer CPR, her sister had pinpointed the exact location of the sternum and was injecting life into her heart with each poke of her finger. A jolt of adrenaline rushed through her body as her thoughts returned to her previous evening with Ben.
She had to admit she liked who she was when they were together. He brought out desires in her that she thought she had long lost. A yearning to be hopeful and lighthearted, even brave. Brave enough to consider going after what her heart wanted.
And what her heart wanted was Ben.
Ding ding! The ringing of the kitchen bell brought her back to the present. Melanie heard her father’s voice calling out a dish for table six. Lifting her chin up, she met her sister’s eyes and smiled. “I’ll get that.”
“Be my guest,” Sam replied with a raised eyebrow. She watched Melanie walk into the kitchen and return with a steaming dish of chicken chow mein. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Never better,” Melanie replied with a melodic lilt to her voice. “You’re right, Sam. It’s time I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I’m done being stuck in the past. I’m going to start living again.”
“Who in the world are you, and what have you done with my sister?” she demanded with her hands on her hips. Narrowing her eyes, she focused in on Melanie’s ear-to-ear smile. “Who cares! I like this new Ga Je.”
“I think I do, too. Now, I’m going to go deliver this to a certain math teacher.”
When Melanie reached Ben’s table, he glanced up at her with a pleased smile. He took the large plate from her hands and set it on the table. “Hey Melanie, thank you. This smells amazing. You know what, you just made my day.”
“I didn’t know you liked fried noodles that much,” Melanie teased.
Ben laughed. “I was talking about seeing you here.”
“I know. I’m happy to see you, too.” Her cheeks flushed when the words left her mouth. She surprised herself with her sudden playfulness. Clearing her throat, she turned to the young woman staring at them in amusement. “Hi, I’m Melanie. You must be Ashlynn. You have the same dimples as your brother.”
“Yup, they’re from our mom. I only have one though so I’m not quite as symmetrical, as Ben likes to point out,” she replied with an eye roll.
“It’s okay, I think you’re much prettier than he is. He has more of a nerdy appeal, if you ask me.”
“That’s what I always say,” Ashlynn exclaimed. “I have a feeling we’re going to get along really well.”
“Hey, in case you guys forgot,” Ben retorted with a fake pout, “the guy you’re talking about, whose ego you just trampled on, is standing right here.”
“Oh, please.” Ashlynn smirked. “You know nerdy is code word for cute.”
“Is it now?” Ben shot Melanie a questioning glance. “Can you confirm that, Dr. Koo?”
She pretended to give his question some thought. “I’m going to need more time before I can make an official diagnosis.”
Ashlynn grinned as she looked from Ben to Melanie while they bantered, then she rose from her chair. “Excuse me, guys. I’m going to use the restroom. It’s so good to meet you, Melanie. Go ahead and eat, Ben.”
As soon as Ashlynn had left the table, Ben opened his mouth to speak, “I—”
“You—” The first word had barely left Melanie’s mouth when she realized Ben was trying to talk, too.
“Please, you first.”
“You sure?” At Ben’s urging, she continued. “I was going to say that you saved me a phone call by coming here tonight.”
“I knew there was a good explanation for why I had been craving Chinese food all day,” he joked. “Speaking of phone calls, I got one from a mutual friend of ours last night.”
“Are you talking about Melvin?”
“The one and only.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me that you guys talked after I left, and the wedding is officially off.”
“It is.”
“Also,” Ben added in a tentative voice, “that if he had to lose you to anyone, he was glad it was me.”
“I didn’t realize I was a prize to be won,” she remarked with a sly smile.
“You’re not. But I did assure him I would do my best to win you over. I hope you’ll give me the chance to do that. I would love to spend more time with you and get to know you better.”
Without realizing it, Melanie had taken a step forward and closed the gap between them. She peered up at Ben and spoke from her heart. “I would like that, too.”
“What do you know, the odds are in my favor again today.” Reaching over, he clasped her hands in both of his and gave them a gentle squeeze.
Melanie couldn’t help but
smile as Ben’s irresistible dimples emerged alongside a confident grin. “Well, it seems you had some help with that.”
“What do you mean?”
Over Ben’s shoulder she glimpsed two beaming faces staring at them from outside the restroom door. “Take a look over there.”
He turned in time to see Sam raise her hands in a victory dance and Ashlynn clapping in glee. “Ah, I see what’s going on. We’ve had some conspirators working behind the scenes, haven’t we?”
“Ones who have a tendency to use the bathroom at just the right times—”
“So they can leave us alone. It sounds like a solid plan to me. We’ve got to hand it to them. They did good.”
“Yeah, well, I knew sisters were good for something,” she quipped. “I think I’m finally learning to appreciate them.”
For once in her life she wanted to thank Sam for challenging her. It had been too long since she felt this alive. Everything about the present seemed right, especially the way her fingers intertwined with Ben’s. Nothing could dampen her mood tonight.
Not even the silver-streaked head she saw out of the corner of her eye disappearing through the kitchen door.
Chapter 6
“These have been the best three months of my life, by far,” Ben mused. “You know why, don’t you?”
Melanie leaned against Ben as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I think I have a clue,” she murmured as she breathed in the fresh scent of his aftershave. Tilting her head up, she answered with a hint of humor. “You’ve been feeling a lot healthier since you started dating a doctor. I bet it’s all those apples I make you eat. They’re packed with fiber, vitamin C and polyphenols that act as antioxidants. What’s that saying? Oh yes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Wait, that’s not a good thing in our case …”
“Well, apples must have the opposite effect on me,” Ben replied with a chuckle, “because I definitely can’t stay away from you. Being with you makes me feel so alive. I wouldn’t be surprised if your kisses have some antioxidants in them, too.”
