The Tutor
Chapter 10
The Mother
"Hello, Mrs. Chang," said Duo, standing behind Wufei as they came inside.
"Wufei says you need to stay here tonight," said Mrs. Chang, smiling at Duo.
"Yeah, if you don't mind," said Duo. "Things are kind of up in the air at my house."
"Duo, I work at the hospital," said Mrs. Chang gently, "I think I can put together what happened. Your uncle was brought there last night with injuries he got in a fight."
Duo winced and shuffled his feet. "Yeah, that's it," he mumbled. "I guess you probably think my family is some sort of trouble now."
"No," said Mrs. Chang. "I think all families have problems, some worse than others. You seem like a very nice young man. Wufei has good judgment in friends, I think."
"Thanks," said Duo, putting his hands in his pockets and staring at his shoes.
"Mom," began Wufei. He looked at Duo. "Please sit down, you're making me more nervous than I already am."
Duo sat down on the sofa, and then Wufei sat next to him. He reached over and took Duo's hand.
"Mom, Duo is my boyfriend."
His mother looked at him and nodded slowly. "I guessed," she said simply. "You think I don't know my own son?"
"You're not freaked?" asked Duo impetuously.
"I'm not thrilled," said Mrs. Chang. "You and Wufei aren't even out of high school yet. I hate to see both of you making such a big decision about your lives so young. But, am I upset about you being his boyfriend? No."
Wufei exhaled loudly. "Mom, I don't know what to say."
"Just be careful," said his mother. "I'd say that to you regardless. I just hope you're being smart about this whole thing. But, I'm not a fool, Wufei. I knew this was coming sooner or later."
"We're being smart," said Duo. "I love Wufei, I would never do anything to hurt him."
"I hope that's true," said Mrs. Chang.
"It is," said Wufei. "We've been careful."
"I'm relieved to hear that," said Mrs. Chang. "But, I'm not talking just about sex. I'm talking about feelings. I don't want to see my son taken advantage of."
"Duo hasn't take advantage of me," said Wufei, bristling a bit.
"What can I say to you to prove that I love him?" asked Duo, forthrightly.
"Don't say anything. Show it," said Mrs. Chang.
"How?"
"Don't break his heart," said Mrs. Chang softly.
"I won't," said Duo, "I promise."
"Duo never lies," said Wufei. "Mom, he makes me happy, I swear."
"Sometimes, I run away, though," said Duo ruefully.
"On other people's motorcycles," said Wufei, rolling his eyes.
Mrs. Chang rose slowly to her feet. "Duo, if you love my son, you are my son also. Take care of him, be a good son to me."
Duo's eyes filled with tears. "I will," he whispered.
The petite woman put her arms around Duo and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She then did the same for Wufei, who put his head on her shoulder as he hugged her tightly.
"Go get some rest," she said after a moment. "You look like you need it. Both of you."
"Mom?" said Wufei quietly.
She turned. "Yes?"
"You're wonderful."
"I know," she smiled at him. "I can't guarantee your father will be the same, though. He's such an ass. But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She turned and went upstairs.
"Your mom is amazing," said Duo, watching her go.
"You mean 'our mom'," said Wufei, pulling Duo close and resting his head on the other boys shoulder.
"You scared the shit out of me today," Wufei went on. "Don't do anything like that again, okay?"
"Okay," said Duo. "I promise, zhan shi."
"It'll work out," said Wufei, "You'll see Solo tomorrow. We're not going to school until we see him first."
"You'd miss school for me?" asked Duo, looking into his eyes searchingly. "Mr. Ace Student, never skipped classes in his life, is going to ditch school for me? Wow."
"You make me sound like a paragon of virtue," said Wufei, frowning at him.
"You are," insisted Duo.
"Paragons of virtue are boring," said Wufei. "I don't want to be boring."
"One thing you are NOT is boring," said Duo with a wicked little smile. He kissed Wufei hard on the mouth, wrapping his arms around him.
"I'd never do that to anyone boring," he said, grinning.
"Want something to eat?" said Wufei. "Lao Lao made something she's keeping warm for us."
"I love being Chinese," said Duo, grinning. "The food is great."
Wufei shook his head. "You have a lot to learn about being Chinese."
"Hey, I've had a little Chinese in me," said Duo, ducking as Wufei lightly punched his shoulder.
"Bad joke," groaned Wufei.
"But funny, you have to admit it."
"Yes, you make me laugh."
"You need to laugh."
"I know it. Come on, ai-ren, let's eat."
"Ai-ren?"
"My love."
"Oh, that's nice. I've never been anyone's love before."
"Wo ni ai, Duo. That means, 'I love you.'"
"I love you too. Wow,I'm hungry and this smells great!"
"What else is new?"
"Wufei?"
"What?"
"I haven't had a home in a long time. Thanks."
"It's all part of the love thing, as some smart person once said to me."
Chapter 10
The Mother
"Hello, Mrs. Chang," said Duo, standing behind Wufei as they came inside.
"Wufei says you need to stay here tonight," said Mrs. Chang, smiling at Duo.
"Yeah, if you don't mind," said Duo. "Things are kind of up in the air at my house."
"Duo, I work at the hospital," said Mrs. Chang gently, "I think I can put together what happened. Your uncle was brought there last night with injuries he got in a fight."
Duo winced and shuffled his feet. "Yeah, that's it," he mumbled. "I guess you probably think my family is some sort of trouble now."
"No," said Mrs. Chang. "I think all families have problems, some worse than others. You seem like a very nice young man. Wufei has good judgment in friends, I think."
"Thanks," said Duo, putting his hands in his pockets and staring at his shoes.
"Mom," began Wufei. He looked at Duo. "Please sit down, you're making me more nervous than I already am."
Duo sat down on the sofa, and then Wufei sat next to him. He reached over and took Duo's hand.
"Mom, Duo is my boyfriend."
His mother looked at him and nodded slowly. "I guessed," she said simply. "You think I don't know my own son?"
"You're not freaked?" asked Duo impetuously.
"I'm not thrilled," said Mrs. Chang. "You and Wufei aren't even out of high school yet. I hate to see both of you making such a big decision about your lives so young. But, am I upset about you being his boyfriend? No."
Wufei exhaled loudly. "Mom, I don't know what to say."
"Just be careful," said his mother. "I'd say that to you regardless. I just hope you're being smart about this whole thing. But, I'm not a fool, Wufei. I knew this was coming sooner or later."
"We're being smart," said Duo. "I love Wufei, I would never do anything to hurt him."
"I hope that's true," said Mrs. Chang.
"It is," said Wufei. "We've been careful."
"I'm relieved to hear that," said Mrs. Chang. "But, I'm not talking just about sex. I'm talking about feelings. I don't want to see my son taken advantage of."
"Duo hasn't take advantage of me," said Wufei, bristling a bit.
"What can I say to you to prove that I love him?" asked Duo, forthrightly.
"Don't say anything. Show it," said Mrs. Chang.
"How?"
"Don't break his heart," said Mrs. Chang softly.
"I won't," said Duo, "I promise."
"Duo never lies," said Wufei. "Mom, he makes me happy, I swear."
"Sometimes, I run away, though," said Duo ruefully.
"On other people's motorcycles," said Wufei, rolling his eyes.
Mrs. Chang rose slowly to her feet. "Duo, if you love my son, you are my son also. Take care of him, be a good son to me."
Duo's eyes filled with tears. "I will," he whispered.
The petite woman put her arms around Duo and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She then did the same for Wufei, who put his head on her shoulder as he hugged her tightly.
"Go get some rest," she said after a moment. "You look like you need it. Both of you."
"Mom?" said Wufei quietly.
She turned. "Yes?"
"You're wonderful."
"I know," she smiled at him. "I can't guarantee your father will be the same, though. He's such an ass. But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She turned and went upstairs.
"Your mom is amazing," said Duo, watching her go.
"You mean 'our mom'," said Wufei, pulling Duo close and resting his head on the other boys shoulder.
"You scared the shit out of me today," Wufei went on. "Don't do anything like that again, okay?"
"Okay," said Duo. "I promise, zhan shi."
"It'll work out," said Wufei, "You'll see Solo tomorrow. We're not going to school until we see him first."
"You'd miss school for me?" asked Duo, looking into his eyes searchingly. "Mr. Ace Student, never skipped classes in his life, is going to ditch school for me? Wow."
"You make me sound like a paragon of virtue," said Wufei, frowning at him.
"You are," insisted Duo.
"Paragons of virtue are boring," said Wufei. "I don't want to be boring."
"One thing you are NOT is boring," said Duo with a wicked little smile. He kissed Wufei hard on the mouth, wrapping his arms around him.
"I'd never do that to anyone boring," he said, grinning.
"Want something to eat?" said Wufei. "Lao Lao made something she's keeping warm for us."
"I love being Chinese," said Duo, grinning. "The food is great."
Wufei shook his head. "You have a lot to learn about being Chinese."
"Hey, I've had a little Chinese in me," said Duo, ducking as Wufei lightly punched his shoulder.
"Bad joke," groaned Wufei.
"But funny, you have to admit it."
"Yes, you make me laugh."
"You need to laugh."
"I know it. Come on, ai-ren, let's eat."
"Ai-ren?"
"My love."
"Oh, that's nice. I've never been anyone's love before."
"Wo ni ai, Duo. That means, 'I love you.'"
"I love you too. Wow,I'm hungry and this smells great!"
"What else is new?"
"Wufei?"
"What?"
"I haven't had a home in a long time. Thanks."
"It's all part of the love thing, as some smart person once said to me."
