"Dad's right, Mom. I know what I'm doing. I promised you that you will meet my boyfriend before I turn forty, am I?" She playfully winked at them while her mother was glaring at her. "Kyle," her Mom stopped throwing daggers at her and snapped at me then held my hands. "You are our only hope. Please, marry Anna."
Anna, Uncle, and I were surprised by Auntie's suggestion. Me marrying her is a good idea but I don't want to rush everything. I know that's what she wanted since she is a conservative woman. I just laughed at her suggestion, "I will Auntie, as long as Anna accepts me," I said while looking at her. I saw how her face turned into a tomato because of my words.
"I'm going to rest in my room," she immediately stands up and rushes to the staircase to go to her room. "Look at this kid, I'm just worried about her. She's not getting younger, you know?" Her mom said while shaking her head.
"So, what are your plans, Kyle?" Her Dad asked me with seriousness on his face after Anna left. I stared at the glass of juice in my hand for I don't know how long. What's my plan?
"I'm going to see my parents and apologize to them for all the problems I caused back then. I'm going to make it up to them and become the good son they deserve," this is my main priority for now, to see my parents and ask for their forgiveness.
Both of her parents smiled at me. "We are so proud of you, Kyle," Auntie started, "I'm sure your parents will accept you with open arms as we do," she added. Uncle nods his head as he agrees with what Auntie said.
After that serious talk, I asked them if I could go to Anna's room to check her out. They agreed to my request so I proceeded to her room. I knocked three times before she responded, "Come in."
"Hey!" I called her. "Oh! You're here," she's laying on her bed, reading a book. "So, did my parents still bother you to marry me after I left?" She asked while placing the book on her bedside table. I chuckled at her question.
"No, they're not. But it's not a bad idea though. You're single, and so am I. Why don't we get married since we have known each other for almost all our lives?" I asked her, and she was surprised by my sudden proposal.
"Oh, yea? And what can I get from you when I marry you?" Her eyebrow arched as high as the highest mountain in the world but there is a grin on her lips. "Well," I walk towards her and lean closer to her, "my world," she's staring at me with wide-open eyes while I'm smiling at her.
The silence in the room breaks by her phone's upbeat ringtone. "Hello?" she pushed me gently away from her and then stood next to her window. While she's busy talking on her phone, I look around her room and see the picture we took way back in our high school. This is the picture from the photo booth where I first kissed her on her cheeks. She looks so cute with her surprised expression.
"I told you, I'm going to take care of the pictures," she's now standing behind me. She's also looking at the pictures in the frame. "I know," we both smile at each other, remembering our past. "So, what's your plan with your parents?"
I took a deep breath before speaking again, "I want to see them," I said without any hesitation. I want to see them now. I missed them so much and I want to feel their hugs and kisses again.
Anna comes with me to greet my parents. "Are you ok?" She asked me with concern. I feel nervous, I don't know what their reactions will be when they see me. Are they going to be furious? Will they not recognize me as their child anymore?
When we finally made our stop in front of my parent's house, I could feel my heart pounding so hard, shaking the whole inside of me. Anna holds my hands firmly before walking towards the door to ring the bell. I left standing not so far from the doorstep.
Not so long when the door opened. There is a woman whose black hair is in a bun standing before Anna. She is wearing a long black dress that almost touches the floor with a scarf on her shoulders to prevent the cold wind from touching her skin.
I see them smiling happily and hugging each other before a man that looks like me steps out the door to meet her. All the smiles on their faces fade after a moment.
The woman in the black dress covers her mouth in shock while the man next to her pulls her closer to him and hugs her. Anna looked at where I was standing and the couple followed her gaze.
Anna reaches out her hand as if inviting me to join them. I feel my whole body shaking, I can't hear anything but the loud beat of my heart. I only notice that I'm already standing next to Anna when she holds my hand tightly. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith, he is back."
The lady in the black dress burst into tears while the man standing next to her is still in shock with his teary eyes. "Kyle! My son!" The woman, who is my Mom, pulled me into a tight hug, weeping between my arms. "Mom," I cried when I rested my head on her shoulders.
This is not what I expected from her. I thought she was going to push me away and blame me for not being a good son which causes them to suffer a lot. I can feel a big hand on my back, when I looked up, I saw my Dad was also in tears. Both of my parents hug me so tight and I hug them in return.
I feel so happy that my parents still consider me as their own. I hug them as long as I can, seizing the second chance that I receive from my parents. For accepting me again as me and forgiving the past.