RING!!! The phone was ringing. I went to go and pick it up. It was Tomoyo-chan.
"How are you Tomoyo-chan?"
"I'm fine but in your reply we still didn't receive the time for your wedding or the date of the
wedding."
"Sorry!"
"Don't be sorry Meiling-san, but just tell me the date."
"Okay, it's on the 11th of January and at 14:00 hrs in Japan time."
"Thank you Meiling-san. I know I'll like Mahura-san. I hope to see you soon Meiling-san!"
"You too Tomoyo-chan!"
"Ja ne Meiling-san!"
"Ja ne Tomoyo-chan." She hung up.
"What am I going to do to convince you that I'm going to marry you whether you like it or not
so get used to the idea Meiling!"
"Never!"
"If you don't like someone else already then why are you making such a big deal about this?
Anyway,my family could provide for you better than any other suitors you may have I bet!"
"You know Albert, you will suffer big time if I do have to go along with the marriage, you
know that don't you?"
"Don't be silly Meiling! What could you possibly do that could make me suffer?"
"I could start by making your life miserable from the moment you say "I do". I can say this
with a clear conscience because I can a)embarrass you b) cry whenever my relatives are around
me and say that you're mistreating me c) I can call all my school friends and ask them all from Japan to come here for the weekend, and…"
"Okay Meiling. I get the point, but you can't get your way out of this,neither can I unless
you find someone else you like."
"Do you like someone else?" I had asked eagerly.
"No. My heart was stolen when I found you," He grinned sheepishly.
I groaned and turned around to gaze at others in the coffee shop. How was I to go through with
this? Suddenly my heart panicked, I saw Torrutu-san enter the coffee shop. He turned and stared
at us.
"Um,hello Meiling-chan-"
"You know this DWEEB Meiling? If he's bothering you I'll-"
"Hello Torrutu-san, I haven't seen you since a week ago."
Albert stared at me for he noticed that I was smiling, SMILING, at another guy besides
himself.Actually, Meiling never ever even smiled at him. Let alone so brightly at another guy.
"So how are you doing Meiling-chan?"
"You two are calling each other by first names! Meiling, " he looked at me, "are you going out
with Torrutu-san?"
"What!" Torrutu and I chorused at the same time.
"Are you crazy?" I added.
"Me crazy?! How did you become friends with riff-raff like Torrutu-san?'
"He's my friend. He's not riff-raff either. " The fires in my eyes blazed at him.
"Sorry Meiling,but I don't want you to go around with him," he jut his fat thumb at Torrutu who
had turned into a pile of melted jelly, figuratively speaking of course, "anymore. So," he said
glaring at Torrutu, "get out of here!"
" When did you start deciding whom I should hang out with? Remember, you haven't married me yet
!" I stood up and grabbed Torrutu-san' arm and pulled him (and myself), into the park already
annoyed at Albert's protectiveness.
" Are you alright Torrutu-san?"
He shuddered. " I'm sorry I got your fiancé all mad and stuff"
"Don't worry, I think it's just because I like you better than I like him...on the other hand,
I like everyone better than him!"
Well almost everyone, I thought as I remembered Syoaron, and how difficult it was to forget
about him. Every time that I had seemed to finally get over him, he would show up and my
resolution would melt again.
"So... do you want ice cream?" I asked, trying to change the topic.
"Sure, I'll pay. What flavor do you want Meiling-chan?"
"Um,how about chocolate?"
"Sure."
We sat there eating happily on the park bench, Albert nowhere in sight. I was very happy, it was just like the good old days with Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-san at festivals. And then I saw him. It was Syoaron, what was he doing here in Hong Kong?, I asked myself. My doom had come, Syoaron had spotted me and now had begun to approach.
"How are you doing Meiling?"
"Fine." I mumbled to my ice cream cone.
"Um,Meiling, is this kind of private, if it is then I'll be going right now and-"
"No it's not. And if you do and Albert finds you, he'll cream you by giving you a wedgie the
size of Andromeda!"
"That", interrupted Syoaron", is why I'm interested in this matter. The clan told me you were
with Albert. However, I just found Albert sulking around Torrutu', if that's his name's, home."
Torrutu groaned. The surely 'Andromeda wedgie' was about to occur to him at his doorstep.
"Torrutu-san," I asked him sweetly, "Why don't I walk you home?"
"Meiling-chan, isn't that supposed to be the other way around?" Torrutu asked me.
"Hey! You're the one who is going to get a wedgie, not me!"
"True."
"Meiling!", Syoaron interrupted, "Albert went to the clan! They're out looking out for your
return."
I groaned."Does that count you as well?" I asked him.
"I um... guess so."
"Whatever! Torrutu-san, do you want to your home before the rest of the clan catches up on me?!"
"Meiling-chan, Torrutu said reluctantly, "are you sure you want to do that? I mean the rest of
the clan are going to be fuming about this- and they're pretty powerful- and-"
"And", I interrupted, "it's going to be dark soon, so I think maybe I should escort you home."
"Not 'I' Meiling-chan, but 'we'. I'm not letting you go out on your own Meiling, especially
after dark."
"Oh! My cousin cares! (sarcastically) Oh, but why didn't he care enough to come watch my play,
or to look for me when I went missing, or stay in Hong Kong?"
He reddened. "Don't stretch your luck Meiling. I'm going to be the future head of the clan,
remember that!"
I pretended to shiver with fear. He reddened even more.
"I'm warning you Meiling, I just don't want to do anything stupid. Especially against the clan.
You should follow my example, always obeying what the clan orders."
I gave an exaggerated sigh. "Oh what then, dear cousin, is when you were sent to retrieve a
powerful family item in Hong Kong? Oh! Did you fail? Yes you did! You let the girl have the book!
And you came back with your heart still in Japan and with that very girl!"
"Um…Meiling-chan", Torrutu eyed me then Syoaron who was getting really angry and embarrassed
and perhaps ready to explode, "maybe you should just go along with your cousin. You can forget
about walking me home. And-"
"No! Wait for me!" I grabbed Torrutu' hand and I dragged him out of he park and onto a street
that was not so crowded anymore.
"So which way is your house?"
"What?"
"Which way is your house?"
"Oh! This way!" He led me to a direction, as I noticed, not the nicest part of Hong Kong City.
I looked at the crowded houses stuck together side by side in distaste. That certainly did not
allow you much breathing space! Torrutu stopped, he pointed to his home, we were almost there,
just another block!
"How much farther do we have to go?" I grumbled though I knew we were almost there. "My feet
are starting to get sore."
"Not much farther." We approached his home, a tiny apartment on the first floor. It looked
cozy. The front door opened. A lady stepped out. When she saw Torrutu she immediately began
scolding, as if she had already rehearsed it all. Then she saw me.
"Who are you?" She demanded. "I bet whatever family name you have it isn't very solid. Get out
of here before I sue your family. I know my family will outrank them! And if I find out that
you're related to that fat boy here that almost killed my cat! I'll go after you with the broom!"
I looked at this lady half-stunned, and half-angry. Not for the clan, but by her attitude. Did
she act like this to all Torrutu's friends?
Torrutu leaned forward to the lady and whispered into her ear. And when he finished, the lady
looked embarrassed and apologized to me. I nodded.
"I guess I'll go now." I turned to leave.
"Wait Meiling-chan!" I turned. Torrutu took something out from his pocket. It was a necklace of
some sorts. "I got this for you when I saw you a week ago." It was a beautiful locket.
Blushing he slipped it over my neck. Did Torrutu-san just do what I thought he did? Did he just
do the attempt to shower the girl with gifts? Especially the girl that gave him a wedgie in the
middle of the stairway?
I smile shyly. "But I haven't gotten anything for you!" I searched myself and remembered
something valuable. I slipped a small birthstone that I had received as a child from my uncle,
the former leader of the Li clan. Did giving this gift to him mean that I would no longer be
bound to the Li clan as closely, mentally, as I was before?
"But I think I have something that would do." I took it and looked at it, smiling, gave it to
him. I loved my uncle, this was one of the few possessions he had given me before he passed away
. I always kept it with me, it was my lucky rock. Okay, some people have lucky pennies, nickels,
dimes, quarters, me? I have a rock. A rock is more or equally as solid than gold or silver.
"You don't have to-" he began.
"But I want to Torrutu-san." I gave him a slight hug and walked away, back to my home on the
northern side of Hong Kong. Torrutu stared wordlessly after me.
I stood outside my home, I wasn't sure if I should go in. I had reached for the handle,
withdrawn my hand, and paced in a circle twice. I had done that routine too many times to count
on two hands. That was definitely too many times. I used up all my courage and pulled the door
open and walked in, up the stairs, and into my room. Of course, I didn't forget to close the
door.
Unlike the greeting that I had expected, no one was ready to go and blame me for leaving
Albert. I had sort of expected them to the point of waiting at the door.
I stared out the window. The light danced swaying outside against the window panes, then I
remembered Torrutu's gift. I examined it closely. It seemed rather quite expensive, had he been
saving it up for me? It was intricately designed in red, and at the middle, was a lovely carved
red heart. I wondered how much exactly Torrutu would go for me. Actually, I looked at the locket
, why would he get this for me? I bet that he did not go buying expensive lockets for all the
girls that he met. Why me, then? I pondered.
Did he happen to *like* me? He was kind of cute, and very sweet, but why on earth would he like
me? A outcast from her family clan? I couldn't think of reasons until I realized that I was
thinking of how my parents would look at this issue. And then I postponed the thinking because
apparently my parents had arrived home after hunting for me.