Joshua Ling
I'm awaked by the phone call from my friend, Mark. I look at the digital clock that is on the bedside table, it's 7 in the morning. I sit at the edge of the bed while holding my head- still spinning as I was having a blast night in the nightclub last night.
Ever since I moved to London, my sleeping routine has changed. I had a hard time sleeping at night that make me think that going to the nightclub can help. It sure does when I have few cups of liquors with hot girls around, it sure does help me to sleep.
Not only my sleeping routine has changed, even myself has changed a little bit too. I was an obedient child before, I listen to parents all the time but when I decided to move to London, I am a new person. I turn to become a night owl in the nightclub, a womanizer and I'm feeling much better like this.
As I'm feeling better, I call Mark again.
"Hey dude, how's your honeymoon last night? Is it hot?" Mark teased me.
"Dude, last night was amazing. She's a pro, she knows how to turn me on," our conversation continues as I walk to the bathroom. I have a class to attend at 8 a.m.
As we talk, my dad suddenly calls me. That's a sudden call as he never calls me after a few months. We only talk when we feel we want to.
"Hey, I got to go. My dad is calling me. See you later, bro," I hang up and immediately answer dad's call.
"Hey, Pa. What's up?" I ask him. But it's not Dad who answer the call, it's my mom and she sound... serious.
"Joshua Ling, what have you done to our family reputation? Do you realize about the things that you do there?" She asks me angrily. I have no idea what about she's talking but I bet it's a serious case.
"Have you seen this morning news about you?!"
As I'm going to answer her, a text message from my mom pops up in my notification. I open the link that she sends to me. I'm as shocked as her when I read the headline.
The son of a China successful businessman has been dating numerous girls
I get back to the call, "Ma, that's not true. I'm not dating anyone and it's just a rumour. Why would you take it seriously? Plus, the reporters can write anything about me, I can't stop them."
I know that my mom is furious right now. A big silence in the phone tells me exactly how she feels right now.
"I don't care about your life. What I care about right now is you coming back home tonight or else you will not call me your Ma anymore. End of discussion," my mom sternly say to me.
My mom is one of the people that wouldn't dare to say 'No'.
After the call, I look outside, and I thought to myself that my life will become a bore again if I come back home. I'm just about to have my own freedom, doing the things that I love freely. But what can I do to resist? Umph....
Ting...
I look at the email that was send by my dad's secretary about tonight's flight back to China. I sigh even deeply.
***
The airport is crowded by different types of people coming from all around the world. Some come with happiness, some with sorrow, and some people leave with a heavy heart while me, I'm coming back home because I was force by my parents.
I can see Mr. Liang, our driver standing in front of the entrance waiting for me to come out. He looks the same liked five years ago when I departed to London. I'm expecting my parents to come and pick me up from the airport but as expected, they wouldn't come. I'm quite used to it.
"Welcome back, Sir. Let me help you with your luggage and your parents are waiting for you at home," says Mr. Liang cheerfully as he puts my luggage in the trunk.
I open the car front door, take a seat next to the driver's seat and take out my phone. My eyes open wider as I received a lot of emails from work - students' assignments and upcoming school projects.
Urghhh... I sigh deeply. Mr. Liang who put his 100 percent concentration on the road hear me sigh and smiles.
"Work?" he asks. I nodded weakly. He looks at me for a second before he started talking.
"Look, young man. Being an adult is not easy as you think. You have commitments on your shoulder. You'll face a lot of problems each day. And not enough by that, if one day you have a partner, you'll need to face her problems too with her."
I can understand the rest but not his last words. It's confusing me. I look at him, waiting for him to explain it to me. He smirks and continue, "marriage isn't about two love birds living together and make love. It's about two person who have become one, go through everything through thick or thin. If you love someone, you'll love her imperfections too and vice versa. Ni ming bai ma?"
I look outside the window; my mind is drifting away by what Mr. Liang has told me just now while listening to the humming classical music that plays on the radio.
***
As we've arrived at the front gate, I notice some changes at the old 9 acres mansion that I've left five years ago. The sparkling lights that's hanging on the shaped trees, the small half rounded bridge on the lake in front of the mansion and even the entry way look different than before. They make the old mansion looks lively. I smirk a little bit,
"I'm home!" I say excitedly as I enter the living room. I look happily at my dad as he's coming to me. We do the 'our version of handshake' gleefully.
"Welcome back home, son. Let's meet your mom," says dad while wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
"Ma, I'm home," I say while hugging her from behind. But she didn't respond, she's still mad of me – I guess. She gives me a hard look and ask me to take a sit beside her.
"It's good that you're back. So, I guess this is the time for us to get serious," before she even started, dad stops her, but she stares at him angrily for cutting her words.
"Ma, I just got home. Won't you give me a rest and warmth welcome?" I say spontaneously while blinking my eyes at her. But the atmosphere becomes more tense as she ignores me.
"Ma, if this is about the rumours, just stop. It's nothing, I swear."
"I don't care about the shit that you've done there. I ask you to come back because we've found someone suitable for you," she says in a stern voice. I look at her, shocked and I'm render speechless by what she's said.
"No, you must be kidding me, right? Dad? Tell me that you're just messing around with me," I grinned, as if in disbelief.
"It's true. We got bumped into an old friend of mine few weeks ago. Well, my friend said that he's actually on a mission to find his daughter a husband," says dad, finally spoken. I still look at them in disbelief, as if they're selling me out to strangers without thinking of my feelings.
"Remember Lucy, the girl who used to be our neighbour and you two used to play together 10 years ago?" dad put his hands together on the table and explain calmly to me. I look at my mom, she sits still with her body facing the swimming pool in front of her.
Dad continues, "they are the friends that I mentioned. We think that you and Lucy might be a good pair, so we decided to marry you off to her."
This is crazy.
I never thought that this will happen to me in my entire life. I barely remember Lucy and they want to marry me off to her. My eyes are full of anger and I'm shouting inside. I stand up, pounding the table and walk out from them.
I climb up the stairs and bang the room door, furiously. I sit at edge of the bed, both hands cover my eyes. The only person that runs on my mind now is Maria, a friend that I've been eyeing all this time – a special 'friend'. So, I take out my phone and dial her number.
"Hey, cry baby. What's up?" she says while chuckling. Without me realizing, I smile 'till my ears when I listen to her sweet voice.
"I had a rough day, and I just want to listen to your voice. Is that wrong?" I say while slowly laying myself on the bed.
We have a long conversation that morning until I fall asleep.
***
The night has replaced the day and I go downstairs to have a dinner with my family since my brother, Jeneva is here. I finally have let go of the longing to him as we greeted each other. I look at my mom's face, she still doesn't look please and happy when I take a seat beside her.
As the foods are served, we dig in like how we used to before I moved to London. It's been a while since I have a warmth family dinner, I thought. After finished eating, mom finally speaks up.
"Your uncle, Dawson wants to meet up with you tomorrow at his office. Make sure to dress well since you'll be having your first face-to-face class with your students tomorrow." Mom leaves the dining table after relaying the message. The atmosphere is getting intense now as my dad and I are exchanging look. Dad is following mom to the room too. Now, it's only me and my brother.
We decided to take a walk at the lake after dinner. Having jokes before we get serious.
"So, tell me what you have done to Ma until she becomes upset like earlier?" ask Jeneva, suddenly. I promptly scratch my head, thinking of how to answer him in a way that he could understand.
"I… I turn down her proposal to marry me with someone that I didn't know."
"Wow! That's new to me. I didn't know our mom would do that to her son, you especially, the world known womanizer," he chuckles, and continues, "so, who's this unlucky girl?"
"Well, guess who?"
"Sophia, the daughter of mom's friend?"
"It would be better if it's her, bro. But deng… you're wrong," I say, waving my index finger means 'No'. I continue, "this girl is Lucy, daughter of Papa's old friend that I used to play with when I was still a kid. You remember the girl who used to be out neighbour few years ago? Well, that's her."
"Wait, you mean Lucy Xiao?" he suddenly asks me, curiously. I look at him and reluctantly nodded.
"Bro, you're lucky to have married her," he says while laughing and shakes his head.
I cluelessly look at him.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll know soon," says Jeneva, puts his right hand on my shoulder.
***
The next morning, I am fully ready in my casual attire – ready to go to work and meet my uncle. I go downstairs while fixing my left sleeves and I see my parents and Jeneva are already at the dining table enjoying their breakfast, without me.
"Good morning, prince Joshua," greet Jeneva, sillily. I shake my head, annoyed while taking a seat before my mom.
"Good morning, ma, pa."
"You're ready for work?" ask my dad and I nodded.
"Make sure to meet your uncle first before you go to your class," reminds my mom. She sounds better today, I thought – not stern, not mad, but just fine.
I finished my breakfast and get my things ready for work. Mr. Liang as usual drives me to the university. He turns on the radio, blast our favourite radio station. The soft music playing in the radio accompanying our way.
***
As we're about to enter the front gate, I realize that the university buildings are very classical as if I am in Harvard University. I open the window, breath in the fresh morning air, feels the breezing air on my face.
This is amazing.
Mr. Liang parks the car right in front of the building main entrance and I see someone familiar walking past our car. I try hard to recall her face, but I fail. So, I decided to follow her from behind until the park, hoping to get a clear look of her but I stumbled on a rock without my conscious. Unfortunately, I accidently knock her, and all her stuffs are falling on the ground – including her. She hurts her knee and as I'm going to help her, we look at each other's eyes. I'm wordless, amazed by her good looks. When I look at her, I rounded my eyes, disbelief with what is before me.
It's her… Lucy Xiao.
***