Finally, after I reached that beam of light, my first instinct was to jump directly in it and hope I wouldn't get burned to dust. Naturally, I did just that!
The good thing? That I wasn't burnt to a crisp like those leftovers I left in a microwave for too long.
And...the bad thing? I felt like throwing up after I reached the center and teleported back to the title screen of the game.
Seriously, I wonder what that's up about...
Ironically, despite my initial priorities being, checking the forums of Charming Beauties...that wasn't the first thing I wanted to do after that crazy of an experience.
The first thing that will come to my mind will always be my mother.
...and it's exactly time for lunch. Just exactly the time when she comes back to our house for a lunch break.
Instantaneously, I went to the kitchen and laid out the plates, utensils, and glasses that would be used for meals. It would be good if I could cook before mom comes, but I have to inspect every nook and cranny of this house.
I need to inspect it thoroughly and see for myself if there are any mosquitos nearby that could infest the food I'm making.
It's a responsibility that's to be expected when your house is beside a river.
A few moments later, I started to work on cooking for my mother. I know, I know, some people will be out there to judge a man for doing such feminine behavior like cooking, but I'm a firm believer that a real man is versatile enough to do jobs such as this.
Think about it, without knowing how to cook, would you survive if you were castaway onto some deserted island wherein you are left to fend and feed for yourself?
No, you'd probably die of raw food poisoning...
Well then, back to the cooking!
The first thing that happens is obviously to heat the pan with oil. I try to be conservative and try to not add too much oil to this job.
I don't want my mother to travel and buy oil for us again. But then again-- let's focus on the cooking.
The second thing to do is to mince the garlic and sauté it until it turns into a shade of golden brown. I don't know about you, but I've always found garlic to be rather synonymous with onions.
Third, add the chicken to the pan and stir-fry it in the sea of sautéd garlic until it's fully cooked.
Fourth is to add the soy sauce, salt, and pepper into the fray, stirring the ingredients well to combine them well.
Finally, the last step is to add the basil leaves and stir-fry for another minute.
And tada! I'm done cooking! All that's left is to serve with rice!
After I lay down what I cooked on the table, a creak from the door resounds. The only thing I can see from the small opening of the door is one, a cane, and two, a woman with beautiful brown hair that shines the most beautifully under the scorching sun.
What came seconds later was her...my mother, entering the door with a crooked back and the same warm smile she would always greet me with.
It seems like even until now my mother's beauty never fades...her hair, although unkept and a mess, still dazzling.
However, her face immediately sours into a frown as she sees the food I prepared at our dining table. "You never listen...I've told you multiple times to leave the cooking to me," She says, as she sighs and lays down her cane.
Nonetheless, despite her warnings, I plan to disobey her again. "And worry you with the cooking when you already have arthritis? Ma, you have to rest." I respond in a fake snarky tone, the same one I use whenever I and my mother have conversations.
If my father were still here, she'd reply the same way she does with my antics. "You're just like your father."
But he's not.
"Bah- such a naughty child," She responds with a fake angry tone, as she digs right into the meal I cooked.
I take my bite, smiling as I see her expression when she bites the chicken. In moments like these, I remember my mother when she was younger...when she was happy.
This sort of silence-- of not speaking and only letting the atmosphere be riddled with sounds of either: the crunchiness of the chicken, or the sounds of placing the rice in your spoon.
And well...this...this truly brings a sort of ambient feeling to my household. It makes me forget of the condition our house is in...with broken tiles and the tainted windows.
It's quite shabby, yes, but we're not destitute.
We're just...in the middle class.
Nearing lower class.
However, despite the calmness that I'm feeling right now...I have to ask my mother about what it means to be married. Of what it takes to become a good husband. "Father wasn't a good example of that," I think to myself, as I braced myself to ask a question.
"Ma...how...how do you become a good husband?" I ask, looking at her puzzled, and immediately, she looks back at me with her confused face.
"You're planning on marrying a girl?! Who?! You had a girlfriend and you never even introduced me to her?!" She says, half-worried and half-expectant.
"N-no! I was just curious, since..." I calmed myself, doing my best not to tell her about the nature of the game I was planning to make an income from...
"Since...since father was never a great example of it," I smile at her bitterly, seeing her face contort into a mix of various emotions-- reduced to a single one.
"Ah..." She keeps her silence for a moment, sipping her water as she looks at me with a clouded look in her eyes.
It pains me to see her like this, really...but I must do whatever I can to lessen her workload. Charming Beauties is the key. It's my cash cow.
"...just be a good man. Treat her well, with respect and kindness, mijo. Don't be too harsh on her, especially when she has her period.
And of course...know that even if she might be a little confusing at times, in her heart, she will still love you," My mother smiles, looking at me warily. "Well, of course, that is only if the woman you're with is a good woman." My mother sighs, squinting her eyes at me.
She then sips her cup of water and stares at me suspiciously.
"...are you sure you haven't gotten a girl pregnant? You're not asking your mother for permission to marry her?" She questions, looking at me directly in the eyes, making me flush in response.
Mother! How could you think so low of me!!!
"Ma! It's nothing like that! I-" I sigh, looking at her with an embarrassed expression on my face. She only laughs, telling me that she's teasing me.
And soon after, we continued to eat our lunch together just as what happened earlier. Except for this ...that I finally strengthened my resolve to play Charming Beauties seriously.
It might be a source of income for me, yes, but it could also be a way for me to prove to myself that I will not become like my father.
That I can prove to both myself and the world that I am a good man...
And I will be a good husband, no, I will be the best husband there is!