Chapter 2
The Hishedori estate covered a vast
land area of 125 acres in total. A huge mansion stands in the middle of it,
with gigantic, voice-automated gates and security cameras at every turn. A 75
ft tall mansion occupies one third of the estate with beautiful landscape of
gardens and fountains at the entrance along the drive way, which leads to the
porch of the mansion. The gardens of Hishedori Estate had a typical Japanese
influence to it, with low wooden bridges, bonsai and willow trees. Small and
exquisite models of shrines were placed in the middle of all four huge Koi
ponds. The night view of the gardens was extravagantly enchanting, especially
as it was being lighted by cute three-foot lamp-posts in the shape of temples
all over the gardens.
The interior of the mansion was not
any less breath-taking. The interior was totally different from the exterior.
It was like being in two different worlds the moment you stepped into the
mansion. A fusion of Oriental Japan and Urban America, a very difficult
combination. The interior was much modernized with state of the art
technologies and entertainment system. Most of the designs and masterpieces in
the mansion consist of sculptures that were made of glass. The mansion was not
very colorful and as cheery as the Yuchen residence as its walls were all white
with gold plated roman pillars at every corner and diamond chandeliers on top
of the 700 spot lights that lit the entire sleek and corner of the mansion.
Though the man-made heaven sounded
like a serene and tranquil home to the luckiest people, Tanaka thought
otherwise. He did not like returning home to the cold estate. Tanaka Hishedori
was the only heir to Fukuda Hishedori and Celine Hsu, who owned the city’s
largest business empire, consisting of supermarkets, hotels, country clubs,
night clubs, spa and sanctuary resorts, electronic companies and practically
the entire entertainment world. However Fukuda Hishedori did not believe that
his son should be given the opportunity to mess with the business empire and
his social life, so, at the age where most of would be playing with toys and
asking for candies, Tanaka was already in blazers and ties like an adult. He
was smart to begin with. When most parents wished their children could be the
same as Tanaka, Tanaka hated his childhood. He never knew his father until he
was ten when he completed his high school education. Celine visited him often
apart from her busy schedule to make sure that he was doing fine at school.
There were times where Tanaka would
feel so alone that he wanted to cry. It made him grew stronger and more
independent, although some would call him cold and unsociable. By the time he
came back home, he already had an ambition and dreams for his future. He saw
himself flying through the gorgeous blue skies admiring the vast rays of the
golden sun shining into his eyes that blinded him. A pilot, that was what
Tanaka wanted to be. His dreams seemed impossible the moment he was flown back
home to the estate. Fukuda Hishedori already had plans for Tanaka. An heir to
his empire, Fukuda wanted to make a businessman out of his son. Tanaka went to
Business College and at the same time took flying lessons. He was determined to
fulfill his ambitions no matter what. Upon graduation at the age of eighteen,
Tanaka told his father his dreams and stressed that he will not be taking over
the family business.
The two men, Fukuda and Tanaka went
into a raging argument which ended with Celine in the hospital due to Fukuda’s
accidental blow which was intended for Tanaka. Fukuda gave in, although
reluctantly, and bought over an airline company for Tanaka to work at. He also
made a pact with his son that should Tanaka be involved in any dispute or
accident, Tanaka would have to give up flying.
Today, Tanaka Hishedori is the most
sought after pilot in the company and others. His colleagues, having known that
he was the co-owner to the company, tried their very best to please Tanaka and
fussed about whenever he was around, hoping to get into his good books. Young
and notorious, Tanaka took advantage of this situation and made sure he got
things done his way. Naturally, being six-foot tall, with brown hair and
sparkly dreamy eyes, he was the centre of attention around the female staff of
the company. Despite being around so many people who admired and adored him,
Tanaka trusted no one but himself. He preferred spending time soaring through
the blue skies and piloting his own jet upside down, piercing through the
clouds rather than walk in the crowds. It was where he found tranquility and
serenity most.
Mr and Mrs Hishedori were not too
fond of this passion though. Not surprising because it had happened once when
Tanaka had just turned twenty one and was flying a jet on his own. He crashed
and did not gain consciousness for three days. Since then, the quarrels between
him and his parents became more frequent and with each, they would mention the
incident and told him how big a gamble it was to let him fly like that. Often,
the quarrel would be so heated that it would end up in yelling and
over-spilling of bowls and breaking of china, usually by Tanaka.
Today, Tanaka was returning home for
the first time after a week in Paris. He was not expecting a warm welcome from
his parents, especially his dad. He could not have been more correct. Exhausted
from the flight and work at campus, Tanaka came back to find his parents
waiting at the dining table with faces no more welcoming than from employers
conducting an interview. He sighed as he approached the table. Bowing to both
his parents as a mark of respect and acknowledgement, Tanaka greeted them both.
In return, both his parents nodded their heads and beckoned him to take his
seat. The trio began their dinner in silence until Celine asked Tanaka about
his flight.
“Hontou Sugoi! (Really Amazing)
Paris was excellent. Have you been on the Eiffel? The view was excellent! Everything
looked like a speck of light or dust from the top of the tower. The lights were
absolutely gorgeous! You must have seen it, haven’t you?” Tanaka asked eyes
sparkling with excitement and his voice filled with enthusiasm.
He sounded almost like a child on
his first trip to Disneyland. But before his mom could reply him, Fukuda
interrupted.
“Paris is boring for people like
your mother and I who have been their almost at least once a month. It’s a
common place to deal business. Of course, you wouldn’t know anything about it
because you only fly.” he said with the most condescending tone Tanaka had ever
heard him use. He was not about to start to spark off another argument on his
first day back at home, so, Tanaka gave in and pretended to look amazed
instead. His father was not even looking at him when he spoke. Fukuda kept his
eyes on his meal.
“Wow.. That’s the life of the rich
alright. We should go there together some time. Of course if you could spare a
little time off of your busy businessman schedule, because us pilots usually
get like a week off after a flight that lasts for more than three days.” Tanaka
said, determined not to let the matter rest without a small battle.
“Of course. WE manage when and where
we hold out meetings. WE make the decisions in the empire.” Fukuda said calmly.
“Did you go get my instruction to drop by the campus today?”
“Yes I did. There was nothing much
there. The principal just came up to me, fussed around and a couple of students
showed me around the campus. That’s all. Why was I there again?” Tanaka asked
curious of his father’s instructions.
“You better get used to the campus
because you are going to spend quite a while of your time there.” Fukuda
started to explain but Tanaka had already had his eyebrows 2raised.
“Spend my time? In campus? Why? Am I
going back to school to upgrade myself or something? I don’t remember having a
flying institution in the campus. Or have we just had one built?” Tanaka asked
his tone rising but his father remained ridiculously calm.
“No. You are to take part in
business project with some of the second year students there. One of them
happens to one of the top students of the campus. This is the University board’s
request that he co-manages the airline. You’d better not tarnish the family
name in front of him with your childish attitude.” Fukuda said, his tone more
serious this time round.
Tanaka was already burning with rage
inside but was even more determined to not let his father get the better side
of him. Clenching his fingers tight underneath the dining table, he took a deep
breath before speaking.
“Who says I’m going to participate
in the dumb project?” he said without blinking. Fukuda looked up in disbelief
and stared hard at Tanaka as though he had gone mad. “Besides I’m only here for
one week. After that I’ll be flying off again. There won’t be any time for me
to do this stupid project. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”
By the time Tanaka finished with his
sentence Fukuda was already on his two feet, hands gripping the table. Celine
beckoned him to sit down and wiped her mouth.
“Tanaka, it’s just a project. It
won’t take up so much of your time. Besides, you might learn something from
this project. We’ve already suited this to accommodate your interest. We’ve decided
to choose the airline company instead of your father’s and my company. Please.
We thought it would be nice for a change, you know, getting you involved in the
family’s affair once in a while.” Celine
explained to her son with such a soft tone that Tanaka could not resist
agreeing to the project. Which he did.
“Fine. Watashi wa haha no,tame ni sore o okonaimasu.(
I will do it for you, Mother) Well.. I’ll see you later then. I’m tired. I’ll have to take my shower
and then I’ll head off to bed. Oyasuminasai. (Good night) ” Tanaka got off from
the dining table to give his mother a kiss and nodded good night to his dad.
Fukuda did not nod back, still enraged about his son’s defiance.
“Celine. I’m telling you. You are
spoiling him. See what he has done? Never in my life and family has any son
defied a father! He..” Fukuda ranted but Celine chose to ignore his complaints.
“Well, he has already agreed to the
project hasn’t he? What’s there to be mad about? C’mon dear, it’s his first day
back at home. Give him some space.” Celine reasoned with her enraged husband.
Somehow, Fukuda calmed down and the
two head back to their bedroom. Tanaka on the other hand was soaking in the
estate’s biggest outdoor Jacuzzi. It was calm and soothing with the
aromatherapy added to the bubbling warm water. As he lay back against the
marble exterior sipping on his champagne, Tanaka closed his eyes and thought
about the project that he had just agreed to take on.
“Damn. What a mistake. Shouldn’t
have agreed. What the hell did I just gotten myself into now?” he said aloud to
himself as he wore his night kimono and made the long way back to his bedroom.
* * *
Early next morning at Hishedori
University, Xu, Jay and Lin-di were waiting anxiously for the arrival of their
guest, of their very late guest. Lin-di was pacing back and forth under the
Sakura tree cursing under his breath. Jay and Xu could only laugh and chuckle
at their comical looking friend. This made Lin-di even more frustrated then he
already was.
“Honestly, I don’t see anything
funny about this. We are rushing for time here and this fella is taking his own
sweet time to come here. Outrageous!” Lin-di grumbled.
“Di. YOU are rushing for time. Not
us. Just because YOU are meeting Eri, everyone has to rush to accommodate your
schedule, is that it?” Jay argued. Lin-di could only sigh in further
frustration.
“That’s not the point I’m trying to
make. The principle of this whole thing is, the agreement clearly states the
first meeting is and these agendas have to be discussed today and should
have started two hours ago!” Lin-di said, cracking in knuckles. Xu and Jay
raised their eyebrows and gave each other a wicked half-smile.
“It’s not nice is it? To wait for
someone who is so very late? I mean others could be rushing for time and they
can take THEIR own sweet time? It’s not fair. Right Di?” Xu said with an
indefinite tone of sarcasm in his words. Lin-di was about to agree when he
realized that Xu and Jay was talking about himself. He let out an “Argh!”
before rolling his eyes and settling down beside Xu with arms folded tightly
across his broad, athletic chest.
It was not until an hour later when
Tanaka finally decided to show up, that too looking so uninterested and
inattentive. He was dressed as though he was on a date. Then again with or
without extravagant clothes, Tanaka already had a superstar look. Heads turned,
even amongst the gentlemen in the campus, some in envy, some in jealousy
because their girlfriends had their eyes fixed on him. Needless to say, all of
the female population that was present at the campus ground had their sights
fixed on Tanaka. Even Eri and Hsiu Qing (Jay’s Girlfriend), who were already
there waiting together with the SunBoys.
Tanaka made his way from the car
park to the Study Park, walking across green lawns and across the windy campus
entrance. He flipped his hair back when the wind blew it into his eyes. The
sight melted the hearts of hundreds of girls that caught it. They drew a deep
breath in unison and their heartbeats raced against each other’s’. The chilly
cold wind made him shudder and his teeth to chatter. Clutching himself and
tucking his hands into his fur trench coat, he ran towards where the SunBoys
were.
“Here comes our superstar.” Jay said
in an envious tone, his trying to get back his girlfriend’s attention. “He’s
got the whole campus’ breath at halt. It’s like the clock just stopped ticking
in here. HSIU!”
Hsiu Qing snapped out of her dreamy
gaze at the charming Tanaka and looked at Jay in irritation. Jay could only
roll his eyes and look away.
“Minasan kon'nichiwa. Mōshiwakearimasenga watashi wa
okureru. Daremoga eigo o hanashite imasu ka? (Hi everybody. Sorry I am late. Does anyone
speak English?) ” Tanaka asked the stunned trio. He felt as though he had said
something stupid. Tanaka quickly bowed and apologized in Japanese again.
“Watashitachi no daremoga eigo o
hanashimasu. Anata wa nihongo o hanasenai nodesu ka?” (We all speak
English. Do you not speak Japanese?)” It was Xu’s turn to stun his friends and Tanaka himself. His Japanese
was way beyond Jay and Lin-di’s comprehension. Tanaka, on the other hand, being
Japanese himself, understood perfectly. “So no baai, wareware wa, eigo de kaiwa surudarou.”
( In that case, we will speak in English)
He nodded in acknowledgement at Xu
who bowed back and offered Tanaka a seat between himself and Hsiu Qing but Jay
quickly stood up. His girlfriend’s beaming face was enough to make him deliver
a welcome punch to Tanaka’s face.
“Erm. Wait. It’s inconvenient to
talk while there is distraction around. Xu, Di, I think we should do this in
the conference room where it’s more convenient. What do you think?” Jay said
hinting a threat to kill Xu should he disagree. He knew that Eri and Hsiu never
objected or said anything to whatever decision Xu makes.
The men moved to the conference room
where they had a warm introduction between themselves and the whole campus. The
first meeting did not go as well as Xu hoped it to be. Half of the time, they
spent it on answering Tanaka’s ridiculous questions about the girls in the
campus. The only one who seemed to be enjoying their time with Tanaka was
Lin-di.
‘At least one of us is making use
of the time spent. Sigh. Dumb rich man’s brat this fella. His big capacity
brain must be filled with only planes, money and women. Seems to have loads of
them in his mind right now.’ Xu thought quietly to himself. ‘He’s got
everything he needs. He proves the phrase nothing is free in this world wrong.’
Tanaka was never early for any
meeting the following three weeks and they were quite behind in their work as
Tanaka used most of their limited meeting hours entertaining the ladies.
Furthermore, he had made Xu reschedule most of the arranged time to accommodate
his flight schedule. A frustrated Xu had no choice but to diligently oblige. It
was first class murder to Xu. He was on the verge of tearing Tanaka apart and
he had never felt that way towards anyone at school before. He was determined
to teach Tanaka some responsibility and so decided to have a little heart to
heart chat with Tanaka and the SunBoys.
“Great idea! I was hoping you’d come
up with something brilliant. Xu. You never fail to amaze me every time! ”
Lin-di said to Xu at the car park.
“Yeah Xu. You always..” Jay
continued but was interrupted by a call of a girl’s voice.
“Xu-Sen Pai (senior)! Chotto! (Wait
for me)” Kanna was running from the entrance of the school waving her hands in
the air calling out to Xu. When she came to a halt, she was panting like a
puppy. Kanna crouched with her hands on her chest and stomach and tried to
catch her breath.
Jay and Lin-di let out a chuckle and
Xu could not help but smile and help Kanna up on her feet. She beamed as though
an angel just touched her. Looking up at Xu, she thanked him and smiled. Xu,
not knowingly blushed and smiled wryly at her. Jay and Lin-di gave each other a
wicked smile and turned their backs on the two blushing ones, giving them the
privacy they need.
“Sen-Pai, I’m having a little
trouble with my work. I was wondering if you could help me with it. You said I could approach you if it had to do
with my school work right?” Kanna asked Xu, hoping that he would agree to it.
“Yes, I guess I did say that. Well,
I’m sort of in a rush to get home about now. Can I meet you tomorrow in the
evening? Or is it inconvenient for you?” Xu asked, leaned on his car trying to keep
calm and look stylish. Kanna on the other hand was flying through clouds at his
words.
“Of course! No no.. It’s not at all
convenie… I mean.. I’m alright with tomorrow evening. But.. Erm.. Where do we
meet?” Kanna said, stumbling over her words. She looked up at Xu with an
embarrassed smile and scratched her temporal. Xu thought she looked adorable,
he chuckled to himself.
“I’ll be meeting my friends tomorrow
at Sakura Ville Hotel. The café inside the hotel. Been there before?” Xu asked.
“Sakura.. Ville? Is that one of the
hotels under the Yuchen Empire management? I’ve been there before. It was
amazing, we went there for father’s birthday.Okay. I’ll meet you there say six?
Is that ok?”Kanna’s excited seeped out of her every being.
“Six is fine. I’ll see you there
tomorrow then. Bring your materials.” Xu told her. His buddies were gaping with
their jaws hanging at him in awe. Clearly they were dumb-stricken at Xu’s
change of mind.
“Hmmm. Jya Ne! Dewa
Ashita! (Later then.
See you tomorrow) Bye Bye!” Kanna then left the trio, running off into campus
smiling at herself.
When Xu stopped staring after Kanna,
As calm as the ocean, he asked them what they were doing and hopped into his
convertible, putting on his shades, trying to avoid their eyes.
“Nan-ja Sore wa?! (What the hell was
that?!)” They both yelled at him at the same time. “Did you just agree to go
out on a date with Kanna?!”
“Nande Mo Nai! (Nothing) Jya Ne! See
you guys tomorrow alright. Don’t be late.” Xu said over his roaring engine. “Oh
actually you can afford to be late. Tanaka will be. See you! Oh, and it’s not a
date.”
With that Xu sped off leaving the
two dumb-founded and confused friends to figure out what happened themselves.
Both of them were too shocked to comprehend anything, so Jay suggested to
Lin-di that they too leave for home and to give each other a call later that
evening.
The next day in the late afternoon,
they met up at a nearby café in a hotel which belonged to Xu. For once, to the
trio’s amazement, Tanaka was the first to arrive. He was already sitting at the
table they have reserved.
Sakura Ville was a splendor to the
eyes. A magnificent replica of an enchanted era. A fairytale land in reality to
some. It was no wonder everyone wanted to live there. But to see Tanaka early
for the first time superseded the enchanting view of the hotel. It was like a
miracle to the Sunboys.
“Surprised to see me here so early?”
Tanaka asked as though reading the minds of the trio, who looked a little
embarrassed at his question.
“Well we just thought that you’d
arrive at you know.. The.. Er.. You..” Lin-di stammered but could not find the
proper words to construct his sentence.
“Ha ha ha. Never mind. I understand.
Well.. Actually I just came back from Thailand. Just got off the flight when I
received your message Xu, so I thought I’d drop in early for a change. Did not
even change out of my uniform yet.” Tanaka explained looking around at the
interior design of the hotel before turning to Xu. “It’s really something. This
Sakura Ville. She’s gorgeous. Great job.”
“Thank you. It was my late father’s
efforts. I’m just maintaining his dreams. Oka (mother) loved this place too.”
Xu said to Tanaka who seemed so attentive compared to the usual meetings.
The trio and Tanaka chatted for a
while before they got to their real agenda and for the first time, Xu saw a
side of Tanaka he never thought existed in the first place. He seemed more
diligent, hardworking, co-operative and productive. It was so much better that
way. It made him wonder if Tanaka had a twin or split personality.
The Sunboys and Tanaka were so busy
that they had forgotten that they wanted to lecture Tanaka about being
responsible and Xu completely lost track of the time until he heard a familiar
voice and a tap on his shoulder. Kanna had already arrived. Xu slapped his
forehead in disbelief and apologized.
“Never mind. I was here half an hour
ago. But you were so busy, I did not want to disturb you.” Kanna explained
beaming at her senior. She looked a little different from at school. Kanna did
not have her hair tied in two ponytails like she does at school, but wore her
jet-black hair down and was wearing make-up. She was stunning. The boys at the
table stared in disbelief.
Xu blushed and smiled in
embarrassment and apologized to her again before formally introducing her to
the table. Jay and Lin-di shook her hand smiled at Xu with raised eyebrows
whilst Tanaka was staring at Kanna in awe and adore. Like Xu, Tanaka too
thought that Kanna looked stunning. Xu had to clear his throat loud before he
came around and stood up to introduce himself.
“Watashi wa Hishedori Tanaka. You
can call me Tanaka. I haven’t seen you while I was at campus. Were you hiding?”
he said, still holding on to her handshake and gazing dreamily into her eyes.
“Maybe we missed each other. My
friends have been talking about you all the time. Most of the seniors are
talking about you too. You are as good looking as they said.” Kanna told
Tanaka, him already beaming with pride.
Xu, in a corner, could not help but
feel a twinge of jealousy at Kanna’s praises for Tanaka. Xu winced and
interrupted their chat.
“Well. Kanna, we’d better get
started or you won’t get back home on time.” Xu reasoned before turning to his
friends and Tanaka. “I’m sorry guys but we’ll have to do this some other time.
I promised Kanna I’d help her. You guys go ahead. I‘ll call you later tonight.”
“Okay Bye Xu, Bye Kanna.” Jay and
Lin-di said to the two.
“Bye Kanna. We’ll meet again soon?”
Tanaka said to Kanna winking at her. Kanna turned bright red and looked down at
her shoes. Xu felt a pang of jealousy, this time more obvious that Jay and
Lin-di had to do something. They dragged Tanaka away from the two and left.
Tanaka, Jay and Lin-di left the
hotel, leaving the two alone at the table. Xu could not bring himself to look
at Kanna in the eyes after such an embarrassing and childish display of
behaviour. He sat down for a breather and sipped on his coffee staring out of
the glass windows which gave a panoramic view of the school and the mountains
behind it.
Kanna was still standing at the side
of the table, starring at her feet looking nonchalant and scared. She thought
that she had done something wrong that upset Xu. Kanna hugged her books and
file tight, tears starting to sting her eyes, she turned red. Xu looked up when
he heard sniffling and was shocked to see Kanna still standing, with tears
flowing down her cheeks. Xu’s eyes widened with horror and panic. He stood up
and went over to her side.
“Kanna! Doushita? (What’s wrong) Why
are you crying? Have I done something wrong?” Xu asked confused and bending
slightly forward to look at Kanna’s face, his hands in his trousers’ pocket.
“Huh? I thought I had done something
wrong. Sen-Pai was looking angry and did not even glance at me. I thought I
have done something to upset you. Sen-Pai, if you didn’t like me mixing around
with Tanaka, I won’t.” Kanna said looking into Xu’s eyes meaning every word she
said.
“Kanna, I’m not angry. Just… tired.
That’s all. I have no right to tell you who you should be friends with. I’m not
angry with you. Alright?” Xu comforted Kanna with his hands over her shoulder,
leading her to her chair. “Come and have a seat and order something for
yourself.”
The two had dinner before starting
on Kanna’s subjects which were as easy as reciting the alphabets to Xu. They
had quite a time themselves, laughing and learning at the same time. Kanna was
of course very proud and ecstatic having got to spend time with Xu and Xu on
the other hand felt so happy after so many days of frustration thanks to
Tanaka.
When the two finally looked at their
watches, it was already ten. Kanna packed up her books and file, thanked Xu and
was ready to go.
“How are you getting home?” Xu
asked, concerned.
“I’ll hail a cab. It’s easy to get a
cab around here. I have to go now. Thanks for the dinner and thanks for
tutoring me. I’ll see you at campus tomorrow then. I guess. Bye!” she said
turning on her heels but stopped when Xu called her.
“Don’t. You’re not going anywhere
alone at this hour. Come. I’ll drop you on my way home. Come on.” Xu said
making it sound more like an order rather than an offer. Kanna could only stare
at him in disbelief and nodded her head in agreement. Xu has never offered a
ride in his car except Jay and Lin-di to anyone else at campus, much less a
girl. Kanna was flying without wings at his invitation but she intended to keep
the invitation matter to herself.
The two went to Xu’s car and sped
off. All the way back home after dropping off Kanna, Xu smiled to himself and
hummed to whatever tune that was playing on the radio.
* * *
“What’s gotten
in to you? You’ve been smiling to yourself ever since you got home. Is there
something that you’re not telling me about?” Mei asked her brother who was
still smiling at the sky, shaking his legs.
The two siblings were sitting by the
estate’s outdoor pool staring at the stars, scattered on the velvet blue night
sky, twinkling like little bits of diamonds. The night breeze was so refreshing
that it made anyone there want to stay up throughout the night.
“GE!” Mei called out, snapping Xu
back into reality. “Spill. I know you are hiding something. Otherwise you
wouldn’t have asked me out to accompany you star gazing at this hour, two am in
the morning, ON A SCHOOL NIGHT.”
“Nothing. I just had a great day at
school. That’s all. How was school? Haven’t really got the time to ask you
about school these few days because of that dumb project.” Xu said to Mei
hoping to draw her attention away from himself.
“Well, I have been getting a lot of
extra help and coaching from the teachers. Really helps. I’ve missed out a lot
while I was away at the hospital.” Mei explained.
“Oh yeah? That’s good then. Good
luck. I’m sure you will manage this easily. You’re smart. How are things with
friends?” Xu asked his little sister.
“Thanks for the encouragement and
the word is FRIEND. Not friends. I’ve only got just one friend at campus.
That’s Jingmei and she is doing fine. Just went out for lunch with her this
afternoon at the mall and Jun Yin and his band of idiots were also there.” Mei
told Xu, her tone rising with irritation. “Did I mention how irritating they
were? Argh. If I could, I’d kill him with my own bare hands.”
“You don’t mean that. That kid seems
to show interest in you. Is he like you know.. your..” Xu teased but was cut
short by Mei.
“No. If he is, that’ll only give me
more reason to kill him. Ge.. How can you say such an unfortunate thing? I was
having a perfect week.” Mei said. Xu looked surprised. That would be the first
time Mei had ever said she was enjoying herself at school. He sat upright and
looked at Mei with eyes wide open. Mei glanced at him and rested her head
against her hands which were crossed behind her neck.
“Now don’t you get any funny ideas
that I was talking about school because I’m not. Well, it is about school but
only a small portion why I’m having a great week.” she began and smiled when
Xu’s shoulder drooped as he laid back on his beach chair letting out a sigh of
disappointment. “I’ve been winning in my races this week and plus, our little
varsity team has finally decided to stay out of my face. What could be more
perfect than that?”
“Why would anyone want to do that?”
Xu asked, obviously already knowing the fact that Mei had frightened Cai Ye
earlier in school. Xu laughed and looked at Mei. “Why would anyone want to be
away from my gentle, darling and adorable little sister? I cannot have this! I
must see her parents at once!” Mei burst out laughing at her brother’s straight
face as he uttered all the rubbish. Xu could not resist but had to laugh along
with Mei.
“Cai Ye was a vegetable! She looked
like a moron with all those colorful clips and ribbons in her hair. I mean..
Have you seen a vegetable wearing clips and hair accessories?! Mei said,
laughing even louder.
Xu scratched his chin and wore a
thinking face. “Hmmm.. Maybe she wants to be a dressed salad. Get it?”
The two went silent before bursting
out in a fit of laughter. Their laughter echoed throughout the estate and it
took them very painful side stitches before their laughter died down. When they
both had settled down, they laid back on their beach chairs, still breathing
hard. Mei and Xu stared quietly at the sparkling stars above them. Mei
stretched her hand out towards the sky and spoke to her brother.
“Ge.. You still haven’t told me why
you have been smiling since you got home.”
“Huh?” Xu closed his eyes and
pictured Kanna laughing. Yet he was so confused himself, not knowing what about
her that made him so happy. “Nothing. I was smiling about my project. It’s
finally making more progress. I am happy that Tanaka..” he paused and felt that
jealousy all over again. “… that Tanaka is finally paying attention to the
project.”
“Wow. He’s that negligent huh, this
Tanaka.” Mei asked. The name itself caught her attention. In an instant, she
showed immense interest to know more about Tanaka. She thought about the
stranger she met outside her school while waiting for Xu. His face and smile
still fresh in her memory like it just happened moments ago even though a few weeks
have passed now. She wondered if he still remembered her.
Xu told Mei about Tanaka’s
nonsensical behaviour while at the meetings and his sudden change that day. Mei
only nodded and chuckled at her brother’s frustrated tone. It made Xu looked at
her as though she had gone mad.
“What is so funny about someone
being so irresponsible? Or are you laughing at my misery?” Xu asked sitting
upright.
“Sharp as usual Yuchen Xu! Haha!
Looks like you’re the one who will need all the good luck!” Mei said clutching
her stomach and laughing.
“Oh shut up Mei. Don’t rub salt on
an already broken wound alright?” Xu said folding his arms across his chest.
“OK Ok. Oh. By the way, I won’t be
going to school tomorrow. I have a race at dawn. A dumb psycho wants to take on
our team and challenged me to a one on one. So I’ll be skipping school for a
day alright? I won’t get hurt.” Mei promised her brother.
“Are you seeking permission or are
you telling me your decision?” Xu asked raising his eyebrows at his sister.
“Telling you.” Mei said looking her
brother straight in his eyes. Xu nodded in approval although he did not have a
good feeling about it. Mei winked at him before the two sibling decided to jump
into the chilly pool water to have a crazy race across the fifteen yard pool.
* * *
“Ridiculous! You should have seen
him Xu! The way he was with the girls. Unbelievably disgusting if you ask me.”
Jay said when Xu arrived in the cafeteria that afternoon.
“What is it that he has done this
time? Will you be precise?” Xu asked. “We do not want to make false accusations
towards our guest.”
“He seems completely different from
yesterday. I’m telling you Xu, maybe it wasn’t him we met yesterday.” Lin-Di
added. Xu only chuckled at the statement.
“Yeah. He flirted around with Eri and
Hsiu the whole time when you weren’t around and the thing is, the girls seemed
to be enjoying it!” Jay complained.
The Sunboys were in the cafeteria
that early afternoon having their lunch, or at least they were trying to have
lunch. Xu, for the first time ever arrived late because of the late night he
had yesterday. The meeting had gone on without him and obviously gone wrong.
Jay had a hard time restraining Tanaka’s attention.
“Eri and Hsiu have been talking
about him non-stop. We’re getting sick of it. Honestly Xu.” Jay said.
“You won’t believe this but his been
around campus looking for Kanna, Xu. He’s been pestering her ever since
yesterday. You’ve got competition. Why don’t you do something about it?” Lin-di
said.
Xu winced at Kanna’s name and his
grip on the metal chair tightened as he looked away from his friends eyes
before he spoke. “Kanna is not my girlfriend. Who flirts with her and who she
has decided to entertain has got nothing to do with me. She can be Tanaka’s
girlfriend.”
“Huh? Then what was yesterday all
about? You looked as though you were going to punch him. Right Di?” Jay said,
pretending to not know.
“Yeah. Had Tanaka held on to Kanna’s
hand any longer, you’d have killed him wouldn’t you? Even before that, at the
car park. It was the first time you blushed in front of a girl. Hah! Don’t deny
it.” Lin-di added on.
“Mo ii! Damare yo Omaiwa! (That’s
enough, shut up the both of you)” Xu scolded his two friends who fell silent
for two seconds before they started laughing their hearts out at Xu’s
frustrated expression. Their laughter attracted the whole cafeteria’s attention
and Xu had to look away in embarrassment only to add on to it. As if on cue, as
he turned away, he saw Kanna approaching towards their table smiling
cheerfully, waving at him.
Xu’s eyes immediately widened with
horror and without hesitation, he turned back to his friends face blushing and
panic-stricken. Jay and Lin-Di caught sight of their friend’s expression and
laughed even louder at their satisfaction.
“Sure you care nuts about Kanna.
Then why do you look red like an apple now? That’s saying a lot you know.” Jay
teased. Xu only kept quiet and closed his eyes as Kanna approached closer.
“Yo! Minna! (everyone) Sorry if I am
disturbing you guys or anything. Sen-Pai, I just wanted to give this to you.”
Kanna said to the Sunboys then handing a wrapped gift to Xu. He reluctantly
accepted the gift and thanked her. He was glad that she was not at all what Jay
and Lin-Di said earlier, hanging around Tanaka. “You’re welcome. By the way,
Sen-Pai, have you er.. By any chance seen Tanaka Sen-Pai?”
Xu gritted his teeth and looked at
Kanna before he got on his feet. Unknowingly, he was enraged at the fact that
Kanna was looking for Tanaka, proving Jay and Lin-di right. He then faced his
friends and told them he had to leave. Kanna was shocked and retreated, taking
a step back. Jay grabbed Xu’s hand and beckoned him to sit down. Xu resisted
until Jay raised his voice and repeated himself, more forcefully this time.
“I am so sorry. That was not what I
meant. He came to look for me just now and he left his watch with my senior.
She asked me to return it to him for her. That’s all . I wasn’t looking for him
myself. I swear!” Kanna explained on the verge of tears.
“It’s okay Kanna. You don’t have to
explain or apologize about anything. I think we’ve heard enough. Haven’t we
Xu?” Lin-Di said.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to react
like that. I’m sorry if I frightened you. I don’t know what just came over me.
I don’t mean to be rude or anything. I misunderstood myself.” Xu said
embarrassed and feeling humiliated by his own reaction, he sat and kept quiet.
Kanna left the watch with Jay and
smiled at Lin-di. She apologized and thanked Xu again before leaving the
cafeteria still confused and scared. Jay waited until Kanna was out of their
sight before he turned to Xu with a murderous face. He took a deep breath and
spoke.
“What the hell was that Xu?? She barely
asked where Tanaka was and you got upset? Oh wait a minute. VERY upset? I
thought you said you didn’t care about whether.. “ Jay started.
“I DON’T KNOW ALRIGHT! I don’t know
what just happened.” Xu yelled at the two shocked friends. It was not the first
time Xu had lost his temper but it was the first that it was because of a girl,
other than Mei. Jay kept quiet and looked away.
“I’m sorry. I really don’t know what
came over me. I really have no idea. Maybe I’m just tired and lacking of
sleep.” Xu tried to reason but he knew deep inside it was not true and Lin-di
saw right through him.
“Nope! I don’t think so. I think you
like Kanna, Xu. You wouldn’t be so defensive if you weren’t. Am I not right? He
makes you so jealous, that Tanaka, when he is around Kanna. Doesn’t it? We saw
you tightened your grip when she said his name.” Lin-di said.
Jay smiled at Lin-di and looked as
though he was thinking. “Yeah.. Come to think of it, I thought you said you
would never be able to give her what she wanted. So what’s this?” Jay added.
Xu rolled his eyes in disbelief and
shook his head. He could not believe that Jay and Lin-di would easily forget
that he had just yelled at them and was smiling wickedly all over again.
“I hate to say this Xu but you do
like Kanna, don’t you? Even after all that you’ve said and denied. You..” Jay
started all over again.
“YAKAMASHI! (stop your yapping) I
don’t have any answers and if there is anything I am certain about it’s that
between me and Kanna, nothing is possible alright?” Xu said trying to defend
himself but the two was not about to give up without a battle. Lin-di reached
across the table and grabbed Kanna’s gift. Xu tried to snatch it back but
Lin-di was way faster than Xu. He passed the wrapped gift to Jay who undid the
wrapping and Lin-di read the content of the card aloud.
“Sen-Pai.
Thank you for tutoring
me last evening. Sorry to trouble you for the ride home. I had a great time and
I also learnt a lot. Thank you.
Kanna.
PS: Enjoy
the chocolates. They’re your favourite.”
Xu had his hands in his face by the
time Lin-di finished reading the card. He and Jay looked each other and smiled
before turning to Xu with a betrayed expression on their faces.
“You gave her a ride home? Had a
great time? When were you planning to tell us? I thought you said we were the
only ones who will ride your convertible. Obviously have changed your mind
yesterday haven’t you?” Jay said.
“It was already ten. I couldn’t have
let her go home by herself could I?” Xu defended himself but his words fell
upon deaf ears.
“Still, had fun? Weren’t you supposed
to be studying?” Jay continued.
“We WERE studying. Just laughed at
jokes. That’s all. Nothing more than that.” Xu said.
“Favourite chocolates? I didn’t know
who had a preferred type. You never told us about it and look! It’s dark
chocolates, and monsieur, this happens to be France’s finest, exquisite and
expensive chocolates!” Lin-di said to Xu holding up the box with Jay.
“I told her yesterday because she
asked. How am I supposed to know that she’d buy it for me? I merely told her
for her info. That’s all. Stop all this nonsense.” Xu told the two grabbing
back the card and chocolates out of their hands.
Jay and Lin-di laughed their hearts
out when they felt that they had tortured Xu enough. Seriously, Xu did not
expect Kanna to present him with such expensive gift. As the two friends
laughed at Xu’s misery and their victory, Eri and Hsiu Qing made their way to
the Sunboys’ table and gave their boyfriends a quick peck on their cheeks.
“Have you guys seen Tanaka?” Eri
asked Lin-di teasingly. They stopped laughing and the trio looked at each
other.
“Oh God!” the trio cried out loud
together in unison.
“I will die in peace the day that
man’s name is not called out by my woman!” Jay added.
“Sou yo! (right)” Lin-di agreed.
Hsiu and Eri laughed at the boys and
joined them for lunch. To make things worst, Eri and Hsiu kept on ranting about
how adorable and cool it was Tanaka being a pilot and all. Jay and Lin-di could
no longer stand the humiliation and got on their feet. Xu smiled in
satisfaction and shot them a “You-deserve-this-retribution” look.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Hsiu asked. He was so enraged that he had nothing to say. He did not even look
at her as she spoke. Realizing this, Hsiu smiled sheepishly and tugged on his trousers’
pocket. “I was just teasing, WE were just teasing the both of you.”
“Yes. No hard feelings.” Eri
reassured, tugging on Lin-di’s cuffs. “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
The two sighed and took their seats
still not talking to their girlfriends. The two thought of ways they could
avoid arguments between themselves and to safeguard their relationship.
“Hey, I know this might not be the
perfect time for this question but I was just wondering, what are your opinions
of Tanaka?” Xu asked out of a sudden, surprising Jay and Lin-di. They had
wanted to yell at Xu for his insensitivity but there was not a trace of it in
Xu’s voice and facial expressions, so they trusted him. But when Xu saw Eri and
Hsiu Qing opening their mouths to say something, Xu cut them short. “Err.. Not
you two. We ALL know what you think of him. I was talking to Jay and Lin-di.
So.. No need for your comments.”
“Hmmm.. Personally I think he is
very sociable and friendly with everyone. Though he is tactless and ignorant,
his ways are such that no one can stay angry at him for very long.” Lin-Di
said.
“Tanaka sure is dreamy and seems to
be the dream of every girl..” Jay began, noticing the sparkling twinkle in their
girlfriends’ eyes at his words. Jay gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.
“..but I think he really is very smart. Did you notice how productive he was
yesterday? The way he brainstormed all those innovative ideas? Wow. Excellent
man..”
“Yeah. The project depends a lot on
us and him. I believe that if he continues to play the way he did yesterday,
we’ll ace this one for sure. Only if we could get him to do it more often.
Maybe campus isn’t the best place to hold our discussions.” Xu said.
“We agree.” Jay and Lin-di said in
unison, knowing that their girlfriends were staring hard at them. If looks
could kill, they’d be dead.
“Why not change the venue? School is
clearly not convenient.” Lin-di suggested for which he got a hard nudge in the
ribs by Eri in return. Lin-di ignored her.
“Hmm.. How about..” Xu began as he
thought of suggesting the Sakura Ville for their meeting venues when his mobile
phone rang. The phone call was from Ruo De, Mei’s biker friends.
Xu’s expression fell and so did his mobile
phone to the ground from his hands. It dismantled into parts as Xu stared into
space, face panic-stricken, speechless and pale. Tears ran down his cheeks as
he muttered her name. “Mei.”
Xu’s day
had turned completely haywire. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and
burst into the hospital lobby. He was sweating profusely and looked terrible.
His hair was all over the place and his shirt drenched in his sweat. He could cared
less about his appearance right about then, all he wanted to do was to find his
sister.
Xu frantically squeezed his way
through the crowd, pushing everyone in his way, not even bothering about his
manners. He just wanted to get to the counter and his sister. He was breathing
hard by the time he reached the counter. The clerks at the counter were taken
aback by his appearance.
“Yuchen. Yuchen Mei. Can you tell me
where she is?” Xu told the counter clerks amidst his efforts in regulating his
breathing. The counter clerks clicked furiously on their keyboards and gave him
directions. Without missing a beat, he thanked them and rushed off running
towards his destination. Mei.
Every step and breath he took came
with a prayer and hopes that his sister would be alright, safe and alive. Xu
recalled everything Ruo De had said while they were speeding in his car to the
hospital.
After receiving Ruo De’s phone call,
Xu left his friends without a word and raced to his car and left the campus. He
picked Ruo De up along the way and drove to the National State Hospital like
mad.
“What happened?” Xu asked, his eyes
filled with anger and fear.
“Mei was acting a little weird after
she lost the race. I believe she already mentioned it. So she arranged another
race this afternoon.” Ruo De explained, fearing that Xu would kill him any moment.
“Then?” Xu’s tone was begging for
more detail from Ruo De.
“Then she went home to change into
her gear and took her bike. We tried talking her out of it, I swear, but she
refused to listen. She said that she was in a bad mood and it was better if we
NOT try to talk her out of it again.” Ruo De explained, noticing that Xu’s grip
on the steering wheel had tightened and his driving speed had increased. Ruo De
held on tightly to the door handles. “I rode alongside of Mei when we made our
way there. She told me that she was feeling a little woozy so I told her for
the last time not to go ahead with the race. It only made her drove faster.
Then when we came to a junction, her bike skidded and she flew off of her bike
and hit a lamp post. The bike burnt and Mei was bleeding and unconscious when I
came to her side. I took her on my bike and quickly rode there. She flew at
least ten yards from her bike. The doctors took her into the OT immediately and
asked me to contact Mei’s next of kin at once, so I called you and Jingmei.”
Xu’s heart race as he approached
Mei’s room. Through the glass window, he saw his sister lying on the bed,
unconscious and pale. She had oxygen therapy and was monitored by machines far
too complex for him to understand. The anger and fear he had felt earlier was
overcome by sorrow and pair, so much pain that death would have been beautiful
and perfect in comparison. He could only stare at his sister’s broken body in
silence. When he had gathered enough courage, he slowly made his way to the
door handle, each step more painful than the last. With hesitation, he turned
the handle open.
Jingmei, who was already there
earlier, was sitting on the sofa, weeping her eyes out. The beeping of the
machines denoting that Mei was still alive, relieved part of Xu’s worries.
Still he inched closer to his sister, each step taking ages to occur. Jingmei
stood up when she noticed Xu’s presence. Xu’s world was spinning faster than he
could hold his ground, he felt dizzy and his whole body tilting to his side.
Jingmei rushed to Xu’s aid when she saw him trying to steady himself. She tried
helping him to a chair to which he refused to sit down at first. He stared at
his sister’s broken body, arms in bandages and her left leg in a cast, face was
bruised, but not as bad as her abdomen. Her left arm had stitches too. Xu then
slumped into the chair and let the tears which he had so hard tried to stop,
flow down his cheeks. He covered his face and wept uncontrollably, disregarding
Jingmei’s presence. Jingmei was crushed to see Xu cry and so went over to his
side to comfort him.
When Xu had stopped crying, Jingmei
had already left for home. Xu was alone with Mei and all he could do was stare
at his sister in silence, hoping that she would open her eyes or move her
fingers and call out his name, but she did not.
“Why is it that every misfortune
should befall her? Why is that Mei has to go through all this pain and not me?”
Xu said to himself. “Heaven is so unfair. You took my parents away from me. You
cannot take my sister away. She’s the only one I have left in this world. She’s
the only reason I look forward to meeting tomorrow. If you take her away,
please let me come too.”
His heart crushed and burned in
sorrow as he watched over his sister in silence throughout the night. His
solitude was as painful as a thousand knives plunging into his heart not
knowing when his sister would wake up. He prayed it would be sooner than later
so that he could once again look into his sister’s eyes and tell her that he
loved her and that he’d do anything for her. That she meant the world to him
and that it hurts to see her in pain, in tears and in sorrow. More sorrowful it
was to not be able to hear her voice again. Xu stepped out of Mei’s room and
leaned against the wall, punching in Jay and Lin-Di’s number on his mobile
phone.
“You’ll have to postpone all the
meetings. I might not be around for quite a while, but that’s not certain yet.
Mei’s not good at all. I don’t know when she’ll be up and I want to be there
when she does. I’m sorry guys.” Xu explained. Jay and Lin-di said nothing as he
hung up.
Xu closed his eyes, which were
swollen from all the crying and rested his head against the wall for a few
minutes before entering Mei’s room again. Xu carried the chair to be closer to
his sister and sat down. Clasping her hand in his, Xu spoke.
“Wake up Mei. I wished all this had
happened to me instead. All your sorrows and pain should be mine, not yours.
What is it that you have done that heaven must punish you this way? It is not fair.”
Xu put their hands closer to his chin and ran his free hand’s fingers through
his sister’s hair. “Mei, I know you can hear me. Wake up Mei. Don’t leave me
here alone. I cannot be without you. I cannot smile when you’re not around. You
cannot leave me, Mei. You promised me you won’t.”
Tears were cascading down his cheeks
like waterfall. They still were as he rested his head beside Mei, still holding
on to her hand. “You cannot leave me Mei, You cannot leave me.” He repeated
those words, never before feeling so lost and weak. He felt so alone and
helpless he wanted to die. His heart ached so much that he wanted to rip it
apart and throw it away. His head throbbed like crazy, Xu wanted to bang his
head on the wall till it bled. If only he had the energy to do it. He was
drained of all his energy from all that crying and worrying. Xu fell asleep
still muttering to himself. The headlight of the hospital bed was the only
light which shone on the two siblings. Deep inside Xu’s heart he said to
himself. “A greater ray of light will shine on us Mei, it will. A light so
bright we’ll never be in darkness and sorrow again, Mei. Never.”
The sun rose early next morning, its
rays peeping through the little spaces in between the blinds, shining into
Mei’s eyes. She winced and stirred, aching in pain and suddenly realizing how
painful it was to breathe. She started to gain her consciousness little by
little. Every breath she took was pure effort and he head throbbed, spinning
and spinning. While trying to shake herself out of the spin, her finger
clutched around Xu’s as she called out his name.
“Mei?” Xu woke up instantly and
looked at her. A smile spread across his face as he saw his sister’s eyes open,
looking back at him. “Mei! You’re awake! Oh Mei!”
Xu was over the moon. Heavens had
answered his prayers and his sister was alright, looking at him. He held his
sister’s hand and kissed it, tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. He kissed
his sister’s forehead and looked into her eyes. Mei’s corner of her lips curled
into a half-smile. She too was already weeping, both in joy and pain.
Xu fussed around when he saw Mei
wincing in pain. He called for the nurses so many times, Mei was starting to
get embarrassed at his anxiety.
“Ge, you don’t have to call them so
many times. They do have other things to do rather than tend to me alone. There
are ten patients here right, in this ward? All in more serious condition as
compared to me perhaps.. Given them a break. You can take care of me can’t
you?” Mei reasoned. Xu calmed down and nodded at his sister. By that afternoon,
Mei was already sitting upright in bed talking to him as though nothing had
happened. Mei could not remember a single detail about the incident and asked
Xu to tell her about it.
By the time Xu was done with his
story, the doctor came in and assessed Mei while Xu waited outside. It took a
hefty half an hour before the team came out of Mei’s room. Xu rushed to them
and asked about his sister.
“Your sister is recovering far
better than we expected. Her ability to withstand all that pain is excellent.
Most people would still be in bed recovering and some still even unconscious
because of the pain. Mei is very strong.” The doctor explained. Xu was beaming
with pride and relief. “However, we must keep her here for a few days for
observation. Tell me Mr Yuchen, has she had any traumatic experiences in the
past?”
Xu’s smiled disappeared instantly
and he fell silent, not knowing whether or not he should be revealing his past,
but when he saw the doctors’ concerned faces, he gave in and told them
everything. He then asked them why they asked.
“Oh, before we entered the OT itself
when anesthesia was about to be given, your sister was semi-conscious and he
called out a couple of people’s names not to leave her, Linda and Daddy. Was
she talking about your parents?” The doctor asked.
Xu nodded and remained silent. The
doctor tapped in shoulder as a sign of encouragement and Xu smiled
half-heartedly.
“You should be happy that she’s well
now. You may go in and see her now. She must be wondering why you are taking
too long of a time to come in and see her.”
With that, the team of doctors left
to Xu to be alone. Mei was munching on some biscuits that Xu had bought for
her. She looked so innocent and pure Xu could not have believed that she was
still so affected. He stood at the doorway staring at his sister.
“What are you doing there standing
like a statue, looking at me like that?” Mei asked. “I know I don’t look as
gorgeous as I usually do but there’s no need to be so rude as to stare Xu.”
“No. You don’t look gorgeous at all.
Did you know how worried I was? I don’t get a thank you or an apology but
‘there’s-no-need-to-be-rude-as-to-stare-Xu’?” Xu teased Mei. “You’re
unbelievable Mei.”
“I know I am.” Mei replied nonchalantly.
“And for that, you are not allowed
to race for at least three months. No riding either.” Xu warned.
“Perfect timing. It’ll be three
months by the time this stupid cast can be removed anyway. I’ll be okay by
then. Haha.. “Mei chuckled satisfied with herself.
“Oh no, you don’t. The time ground
is to start after your cast has been removed. Not from now.” Xu smiled with
satisfaction and feeling victorious. Mei’s smile disappeared and she looked
away from Xu in frustration and sulked. Her arms folded across her chest. Xu
only laughed at his sister, feeling so glad that he was able to see her smile,
laugh and sulk all in one day. Mei was back.
Days passed like nothing at all. Mei
recovered fast and well by the end of the week and was begging the doctors to
let her go home earlier. Not even one day did Xu left Mei to spend her time by
herself. Mei had to chase Xu away sometimes to be by herself. Xu did not feel
offended but glad that Mei was being herself.
When the doctors allowed her to be
discharged, Mei yelled in glee and packed her things almost immediately. There
was so much to pack. Xu had brought in her CD player and videos for her when he
had to leave for the office or campus.
* * *
After almost a week away from home,
Mei was finally returning to her beloved residence, she was finally coming
home. She was so excited to be returning home. With Xu. To be with Xu. The
residence was as welcoming and gorgeous as ever. Exactly the same cheery
mansion but to Mei’s surprise with additional cars parked outside their home.
Xu refused to tell Mei his plans
when she had asked to whom the cars belonged to. After a few unsuccessful
tries, she gave up and entered her house. Balloons flew and crackers popped
loudly. Mei retreated when she saw people inside her house. Jay and Lin-di
greeted them at the door with crackers and smiles, each giving Mei a
welcome-home kiss on her cheeks. The house was decorated with balloons and
streamers and a huge banner in the background with the words “Welcome Home Mei”
printed on it. Jingmei, Jun Yin, Fa Yun and Hun Fa were also there. Jingmei ran
to give Mei a bear hug and a kiss on her cheeks too.
The crowd was definitely not what
Mei expected at all. She was stunned and speechless when everyone had become
silent, waiting for her reaction. Mei
stood rooted to the ground still at loss for words.
“I.. I.. Er.. Thank you everybody.
This was very nice.” Mei said sincerely, still in a daze. The house became
silent before Hun Fa spoke.
“That’s it? Thank you? That was very
nice? Come on Mei, you can do better than that.” he said trying to sound
disappointed.
“Hun Fa, that was very rude. Give
her a break. She just came home. A welcoming troupe was probably the last thing
she expected. Xu-Ge probably didn’t mention it to her. But she’s happy. Aren’t
you Mei?” Jun Yin on Mei’s defense. Mei was surprised that Jun Yin said
something in her defense. For once, he was right.
“Yeah. I am. Just speechless. That’s
all.” Mei assured. “Really you guys. I’m really touched.”
Indeed she was. Mei had never
noticed she had so many people caring for her. She was on the verge of tears of
gratitude, when Xu entered the house. Mei caught her brother’s hand and
embraced him tightly. “Thank you, for being my brother.”
Xu although shocked yet surprised,
hugged her in return and held her for a few moments. Their guests stared at
them in envy and happiness. For the both of them.
“Come. Dinner’s ready. Let’s all
have dinner together. We’ll chat during dinner. Hurry or the food will get
cold.” Xu said pulling away from the embrace and leading their guests to the
dining hall. Jun Yin and Jingmei helped Mei, who was walking with crutches.
The dining table glowed beautifully
under the spotlights and candles complete with sparkling wine glasses. They
weren’t sitting at the normal round table that Xu and Mei usually used but at
the formal dining table. The one the two siblings had used when their parents
were still around. Xu stared at the table for a few moments before he sat down.
He noticed that Mei had not paid any attention to the memories of the table.
The company had dinner with soft music playing in the background. They chatted
happily enjoying each other’s company and not to mention the delicious pasta
and wine. Mei had never felt so much happiness and so much cheer and voices in
her house before. Usually, it was just her and Xu keeping each other company.
But no, they had friends with them.
When dinner was done and over with,
Jingmei and Jun Yin helped Mei up to her room, along with their other two friends
while the Sunboys headed for the guestroom for a game of pool.
“What’s going on with the project?
Is everything alright?” Xu asked his friends.
“Xu. What has come over you? You
told us to put all the meetings on hold first. Remember?” Jay reminded him.
“Besides, you were hardly in campus long enough for us to discuss about it and
Tanaka only got back yesterday.”
“Oh yeah. Can’t believe I forgot all
about it. Sorry.” Xu told Jay. He was not focused at all. Be it the game or their conversation.
“Xu, stop. I think we should sit
down and talk. You’re not playing well, I hate winning against nothing. Besides
you’re talking as good as you’re playing.” Lin-di said, looking right through
Xu’s trouble thoughts. “Come on.”
Xu was grateful for Lin-di’s attention
and ability to pick up his mood. The trio sat down at a coffee table and had
sodas to go along with their conversation.
“Okay, shoot. Everything on your
mind.” Jay said.
“Well actually, I was thinking about
the project and Mei. She’ll be alone at home most of the time and school is
already taking my time. I was just wondering if we could hold the meetings here
at my place, so I can keep an eye on her at the same time. But it’s a lot of
trouble for you guys isn’t it?” Xu spilled, then smiling sheepishly, waiting
for his friends to scold him for his selfish intentions.
“Excellent. Once again, Yuchen Xu
has come up with the perfect solution to the problem.” Jay said snapping his
fingers, smiling and winking at Xu.
“Great one does it again. Saving the
Sunboys’ bottom all at once.” Lin-di added, making the trio laugh at his
statement. Xu smiled and looked at his friends gratefully.
“Hey. You know what? Eri and Hsiu
won’t have anything to talk about then. Ha! WE, wont’ have to see him flirt
with our girls ever again! Oh this is just too great!” Jay pointed out, getting
a nod from Lin-di who then added while looking cheekily at Xu.
“…Plus he won’t get a chance to be
anywhere near Kanna. My, my Xu. You HAVE thought about this carefully, haven’t
you?”
Xu rolled his eyes and shook his
head, but it was not all untrue, what Lin-di said. He was thinking, about
Kanna. It had been almost a week since he last saw her. He wondered how she
was, what she was doing and remembered the fun they had at Sakura Ville. He
tried to shake himself out of the memory and thought to himself.
“Why
AM I thinking about Kanna? She’s my junior and I treat her like a.. like a..
er..” Xu was not able to bring himself to say the word ‘sister’ like he did
when he first met her. “Has she become
something else to me? Something just more than a sister? Oh no. This cannot be
right. Mei’s not feeling well. I shouldn’t be selfish with my needs. No, Kanna
is not.”
“XU!” Jay yelled, snapping him back
into reality. “What’s gotten in to you? We were just saying, Kanna was asking
about you during your absence. She asks if you were alright.”
“She really likes you Xu. Give her a
chance. You did have a lot of fun with her didn’t you?” Lin-di said.
“Not this, not now okay? Mei…” Xu
started to explain but was cut off by Jay who held up his palm.
“Mei.. Is doing fine. Didn’t you see
how happy she was just now?” Jay said. “She’s fine. You need to give her some
space to grow. You love her and she loves you too Mei, I envy you. A man needs
a woman’s love Xu. Not the kind Mei gives
but I’m talking about.. You know what I am talking about.”
“…and you think that Kanna will be
able to?” Xu asked.
Neither one of his friends tried to
answer his question. The trio fell silent. It was uncomfortable silence, but it
was unavoidable too. It was ages and Xu thought of Jay’s words.
“Maybe he is right. When I am with
Kanna, all my troubles seemed distant. She makes smile and laugh. I love Mei,
very much. But Kanna is different. She’s just different.”
“Hey… let’s not brood. Let’s play
pool.” Lin-di said, trying to cheer up the mood.
“Okay. Great idea. Oh yeah, will
someone inform Tanaka of the changes? Give him a call or something.” Xu said to
his friends, who both seemed reluctant. “I’m not going to. Oh and tell him the
next meeting date is in a month’s time.”
“Why not make it two months? We
could use the time for the other committee meetings? The one month break won’t
be enough.” Lin-di suggested but Xu argued that then, the project might be
jeopardized.
“So who is going to make the call?”
Neither of his other two friends answered but just stared at him hopefully. “Oh
alright! I’ll do it.” Jay said picking up his cell phone. Xu and Lin-di laughed
at Jay and continued their game.
“I’m not telling you guys anything
if you don’t shut up for a minute.” Mei’s voice overpowered the rest. “How am I
supposed to talk in this racquet?”
The boys had been pestering her to
tell them about the accident and the hospital stay. They were inside Mei’s room
sitting all over the floor playing Monopoly, joking and laughing. Having fun.
Something Mei had not done with friends for a very long time. Mei had finally
decided to use the term ‘friends’ with Jun Yin and his friends. As much as she
hated them, they had come over to her house to welcome her back and made her
smile.
“Quiet then all of you. Let her
speak.” Jun Yin said, hushing all the boys up. Mei had to laugh at his
expression but felt pain all over her abdomen. Jun Yin saw Mei winced in pain
and immediately got off of the floor and on his feet, rushing over to Mei’s
bedside. He fussed around with concern.
“Are you alright Mei? I’m sorry I
made you laugh. Lie... Lie down if you’re not feeling well... Here.” Jun Yin
said, stumbling over his words and arranging Mei’s bed pillows for her to make
her more comfortable.
“I’m fine thank you.” But Mei spoke
too soon as she felt another jabbing pain and yelled out loud. This time,
Jingmei rushed over to her side too, fussing around her senior. When Mei was
alright, Jingmei was still fussing around her.
“Jingmei, if you don’t stop, I’ll
never talk to you again.” Mei jokingly reprimanded her junior. Jingmei stopped
immediately and looked sad as the company laughed at her.
“OK ok. Do you want to hear about my
accident or not?” Mei asked beckoning Jingmei to take a seat next to her on the
bed. “Well the sit around me here.”
The boys looked at each other in
disbelief before hopping on to Mei’s bed crowding around her, as she told them
every detail from when she skipped school that very morning until the time she
was discharged. They all listened attentively to her, not making a sound at
all. Hun Fa and Fa Yun looked horrified when she was elaborating the accident
itself while Jun Yin looked as though he felt her pain and was almost on the
verge of tears.
“I won’t be going to school for at
least three months. That’s what I’m worried about now. Finals are approaching
and I’m afraid that I won’t be able to catch up with school work.” Mei
expressed herself, feeling worried.
“Xue-Jie, I’ll come over every day
to accompany you to study. I may not be much of a help but at least you won’t
be alone. I’ll be here every day after school.” Jingmei offered to which Mei
smiled at her junior.
“I’ll come too!” Jun Yin yelled
suddenly startling everyone and breaking the silence. “I’ll... I’ll... I’ll
help you with homework. I’ll bring them here for you. Then er... I can... I
can... Fill you in the topics you miss right?”
His stammering gave him away. Not to
mention the fact that he was already blushing red. Mei smiled at her silly
friend and said nothing. His friends however, saw right through him and
laughed.
“Liar. You just want to come here to
see Mei, don’t you, you little brat.” Hun Fa said teasingly, Jun Yin blushed
even more at his comments, to which Fa Yun added.
“Excuses. Excuses. You were so
worried about Mei when she was hospitalized and not forgetting your little
showcase just moments ago.”
“That’s right. Xue-Jie, Jun Yin
Xue-zhang would be looking for me every day to ask me about how you were and
he’d get angry when I didn’t have any answers.” Jingmei said. “The truth is, I
didn’t visit Xue-Jie every day, only on that day when Ruo De- Ge called me.
That’s all.. Xue-Jie wasn’t even conscious then.”
Jun Yin buried his head in his hands
and shook in embarrassment as his friends continued teasing him, Jingmei too,
without mercy. They laughed at poor Jun Yin, making him want to crawl under
Mei’s bed and drawer.
“Alright. Alright. That’s enough.
Let him off. Jingmei, you too. Stop it all of you.” Mei said on Jun Yin’s
behalf. “Jingmei, you and Jun Yin can come here to help me every day. Are you
two coming along, Hun Fa, Fa Yun?”
Hun Fa and Fa Yun looked at each
other for a split second before turning to Mei and nodding their heads so
quickly that it looked like something out of a cartoon show.
“Alright then it’s settled. Now
let’s get back to the game, I’m winning!” Mei yelled cheerfully, jumping up and
falling back onto Jun Yin’s lap as she lost balance. Her weight did not seem to
affect Jun Yin as he beamed gleefully at the fallen Mei.
Mei pinched him threatening to kill
him if he were to hold on to her any longer but Jun Yin just smiled and help
her to her seat, still feeling the happiness inside his head. He was on cloud
nine floating and flying without wings.
“Stop smiling like that you moron.”
Mei said to Jun Yin. “Else you’re not coming here at all on any given day. Not
even to visit me.”
Jun Yin’ smile faded and he
concentrated on the game, keeping the happiness to himself.
