Chapter 16: Too Familiar
"We've only been back in school for a week and already I'm longing for Christmas break," groaned Chastity as she pored over a heap of books.
"Well once exams are over we'll be free for 2 whole weeks. Total bliss!" Shelly chirped excitedly.
"Chastity, what are you doing for the holidays?" Kiki inquired.
"I think I'm going to spend time with my family, and we may go back to California for a brief visit."
"That sounds really nice. I bet you're dying to see your old friends too," Kiki replied sweetly. After their lavish trip to Canada for Thanksgiving, the group had reluctantly dragged themselves back to be buried in mounds of school work. Semester exams were given right before the Christmas break, and there wasn't much time for going out lately. Much to Chastity's relief, there was no mention of Christmas activities, so she was free to disappear to California for a while. Surely these Bostonians would spend at least one holiday at home with their families.
~
"I'll bet you're glad to be out of that frigid cold huh?" Becca was speeding down the interstate towards her posh apartment.
"You have no idea. I'm always bundled in multiple layers a la the Michelin man," Chastity laughed. She could catch brief glimpses of the familiar landscape, and it warmed her whole being. The palm trees, smoggy air, clogged freeways, busy boardwalks, exclusive shops, and other sights of the sort were just so welcoming. Nearly an hour later, Chastity was settling herself in one of the guest rooms, and Becca sat on the cozy bed filling her in on the latest news.
"And last week, that guy Jonathan at work was totally chewed out by the manager. He reminds me so much of Jerry. They have that same attitude, but Jonathan is a real lady's man unlike my loveless brother. He deserved what he got though, misplacing stuff, misdirecting papers."
"O, employee of the month no doubt. How did he get the job with his um, skills?" Chastity remarked sarcastically.
"Connections of course. The son or brother or cousin twice removed of some hot shot I'm sure."
"Of course. How were finals? Managing work and studies isn't too much?" Chastity asked with concern. Becca was a typical multitalented, ambitious overachiever who tended to bite into more than she could chew. She also had too much pride to spit out what she couldn't swallow too.
"I'm managing just fine. Need to check my report card? Actually, I've cut more hours at the office since classes are getting to be such a pain."
"I'm pretty much set, should we head out now?" Chastity heaved her suitcase into a closet, and the girls set off for dinner. Seeing all the holiday decorations lighting up the streets and store fronts, Chastity felt a small pain in her chest. Christmas was the most wonderful holiday of the year, but it was a bittersweet time for the Tse family. With each passing year, she was able to enjoy the festivities more, but she'd never forget the heartache.
"Could we stop by Saroche's? We'll still make the reservation since it's on the way," Chastity asked.
"Absolutely," Becca maneuvered the car towards the popular flower shop. Walking in with the ring of door chimes, they were immersed in the strong perfume of blooms mingled with a scent of tangy spices. Broad bands of crepe, silk, and satin swathed the store in muted tones of cream and gold.
"May I help you?" a petite Indian women clothed in a bright red saree spoke in slightly accented English as she approached them. Close enough to see their faces, she let out a shriek of delight, "Chastity! Rebecca! I can't believe it's you! Come give me hugs!"
"Saroche, how are you? I've missed you so much," Chastity embraced her friend tightly.
"Not as much as I've missed you! With you two out of town, my business suffers. Your hoards of admirers got me used to living a comfortable life!" Saroche joked, recalling the many suitors the girls sent her way when her business was starting up. The youthful florist ushered her friends into seats and insisted they stay to chat for a bit. When the conversation reared towards the reason for Chastity's surprise visit, her face softened with understanding.
"I'll have the bouquets ready for tomorrow. O and did I tell you about my special for out-of-town-long-time-good-friends? 3 for the price of 1!" Saroche laughed.
"Close up shop Saroche. Come have dinner with us. You know you want to," Becca goaded.
~
The morning of the 23rd was overcast, and Chastity moved about in the dim light quietly. Seated at the vanity, she swept back her hair solemnly and applied faint makeup. She pulled wide black trousers and a v-neck black sweater from their hangers and slipped the outfit on. It was early in the morning, and rather than make too much clatter in the kitchen Chastity intended to grab breakfast on the way. She dipped her hand into the bowl to grab car keys and found a small note.
"Chas,
I love you. Be careful and call if you need anything at all~ Becca."
Chastity smiled at Becca's thoughtfulness as she shrugged on a coat and stole out of the apartment, wrapping a scarf snuggly. Weaving through the familiar streets of the city Chastity pulled into a spot in front of a bright café. Then, with a blueberry Danish, hot tea, and an extra muffin in hand she zipped towards Saroche's. Trading off the muffin for three splendid bouquets of the best flowers, arranged and wrapped most delicately, Chastity drove towards the cemetery just as the sun began to warm the skies.
~
"I can't believe you talked us into this," Ken dragged his suitcase behind him without the usual sprint in his step. It was about 7am, and the boys were catching the early flight out to Los Angeles.
"Talked? Hah. I wasn't aware there was ever another option. I think it went something like, 'We're going to LA.'" Vanness scoffed in an annoyed tone.
"Did you really have to get in a fight with your parents over Christmas? Why would they let you leave anyway?" Ken asked, suddenly confused by the situation.
"I told them I really wanted to see Becca. Stop your griping, you can all sleep on the plane. Vic! Come on!" Jerry turned to shout back at Vic's drooping figure. Torn from his warm slumber at a most ungodly hour, Vic resembled a zombie trudging around the airport blindly.
"At least we can get some business done while we're there," Vanness pointed out thoughtfully.
~
If anything perpetually jinxed her in life, Chastity's timing was always amiss. The horrible accident those years before that took away her parents coincided with Christmas as well as a major concert of hers. Even now, fate was brewing trouble for her. In the cool morning breeze Chastity had spent the better part of an hour talking quietly to her parents' graves. Every year she visited on the 23rd, the anniversary, and living in Boston made no exception. She cleaned the area up a bit and positioned the fresh flowers she had brought.
"Everything's going really well, and I am growing really fond of Boston. Auntie and Uncle are fine too. I think I only call them that to you guys, only fitting I guess. Merry Christmas! I miss you so much and…." Chastity swipes at her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I always will be, but I hope you will forever know how much I love you, mom and dad." Each conversation at the cemetery ended pretty much the same way, with an apology and a few tears. Chastity had a lot of help early on in getting over the grief, and though it finally sank in that the tragedy wasn't her fault, she still feels compelled to apologize.
~
Flinging her coat over a chair, Chastity collapsed on the sofa in the empty loft, completely exhausted. She had just about dozed off when her cell phone sounded, jolting her awake. Grumbling a bit, she answered, "ello?"
"Chas, sup. Where you at?"
"Ken? I'm in Cali. Why?"
"Cali, huh? I can't believe you didn't invite me to go with you. That's not very considerate."
"It's not vacation. I had some things to take care of," Chas's reply was frosty.
"Ookay then. How's everyone in San Mon?"
"Good. Same old. Hey, I'll you later alright?" Chastity ended the call with haste. She could hear the rest of the boys in the background, but a nagging feeling in her stomach told her they were up to something. As Chastity picked up her things and headed into the guest room, her phone rang again. It was just Becca.
"Hey Becca what're we getting for dinner? I was thinking…"
"CHASTITY! GET OUT OF THE APARTMENT! GO!"
"What the hell?" Chastity made a dash to the door, but the clicking of locks made it an impossible exit route. Chills ran down her spine as four all too familiar voices could be hear through the door.
[So sorry about the sluggish update. I hope you enjoyed though. Not panicked are you? Note: Staying true to the HYD/MG character of Tsukushi/Shan Cai, our main girl Chas has to be sharply resilient with plenty of spunk. I couldn't make her a weakling for F4 to trample on because there's just no fun or justice in that. So a fight there will be.]
"We've only been back in school for a week and already I'm longing for Christmas break," groaned Chastity as she pored over a heap of books.
"Well once exams are over we'll be free for 2 whole weeks. Total bliss!" Shelly chirped excitedly.
"Chastity, what are you doing for the holidays?" Kiki inquired.
"I think I'm going to spend time with my family, and we may go back to California for a brief visit."
"That sounds really nice. I bet you're dying to see your old friends too," Kiki replied sweetly. After their lavish trip to Canada for Thanksgiving, the group had reluctantly dragged themselves back to be buried in mounds of school work. Semester exams were given right before the Christmas break, and there wasn't much time for going out lately. Much to Chastity's relief, there was no mention of Christmas activities, so she was free to disappear to California for a while. Surely these Bostonians would spend at least one holiday at home with their families.
~
"I'll bet you're glad to be out of that frigid cold huh?" Becca was speeding down the interstate towards her posh apartment.
"You have no idea. I'm always bundled in multiple layers a la the Michelin man," Chastity laughed. She could catch brief glimpses of the familiar landscape, and it warmed her whole being. The palm trees, smoggy air, clogged freeways, busy boardwalks, exclusive shops, and other sights of the sort were just so welcoming. Nearly an hour later, Chastity was settling herself in one of the guest rooms, and Becca sat on the cozy bed filling her in on the latest news.
"And last week, that guy Jonathan at work was totally chewed out by the manager. He reminds me so much of Jerry. They have that same attitude, but Jonathan is a real lady's man unlike my loveless brother. He deserved what he got though, misplacing stuff, misdirecting papers."
"O, employee of the month no doubt. How did he get the job with his um, skills?" Chastity remarked sarcastically.
"Connections of course. The son or brother or cousin twice removed of some hot shot I'm sure."
"Of course. How were finals? Managing work and studies isn't too much?" Chastity asked with concern. Becca was a typical multitalented, ambitious overachiever who tended to bite into more than she could chew. She also had too much pride to spit out what she couldn't swallow too.
"I'm managing just fine. Need to check my report card? Actually, I've cut more hours at the office since classes are getting to be such a pain."
"I'm pretty much set, should we head out now?" Chastity heaved her suitcase into a closet, and the girls set off for dinner. Seeing all the holiday decorations lighting up the streets and store fronts, Chastity felt a small pain in her chest. Christmas was the most wonderful holiday of the year, but it was a bittersweet time for the Tse family. With each passing year, she was able to enjoy the festivities more, but she'd never forget the heartache.
"Could we stop by Saroche's? We'll still make the reservation since it's on the way," Chastity asked.
"Absolutely," Becca maneuvered the car towards the popular flower shop. Walking in with the ring of door chimes, they were immersed in the strong perfume of blooms mingled with a scent of tangy spices. Broad bands of crepe, silk, and satin swathed the store in muted tones of cream and gold.
"May I help you?" a petite Indian women clothed in a bright red saree spoke in slightly accented English as she approached them. Close enough to see their faces, she let out a shriek of delight, "Chastity! Rebecca! I can't believe it's you! Come give me hugs!"
"Saroche, how are you? I've missed you so much," Chastity embraced her friend tightly.
"Not as much as I've missed you! With you two out of town, my business suffers. Your hoards of admirers got me used to living a comfortable life!" Saroche joked, recalling the many suitors the girls sent her way when her business was starting up. The youthful florist ushered her friends into seats and insisted they stay to chat for a bit. When the conversation reared towards the reason for Chastity's surprise visit, her face softened with understanding.
"I'll have the bouquets ready for tomorrow. O and did I tell you about my special for out-of-town-long-time-good-friends? 3 for the price of 1!" Saroche laughed.
"Close up shop Saroche. Come have dinner with us. You know you want to," Becca goaded.
~
The morning of the 23rd was overcast, and Chastity moved about in the dim light quietly. Seated at the vanity, she swept back her hair solemnly and applied faint makeup. She pulled wide black trousers and a v-neck black sweater from their hangers and slipped the outfit on. It was early in the morning, and rather than make too much clatter in the kitchen Chastity intended to grab breakfast on the way. She dipped her hand into the bowl to grab car keys and found a small note.
"Chas,
I love you. Be careful and call if you need anything at all~ Becca."
Chastity smiled at Becca's thoughtfulness as she shrugged on a coat and stole out of the apartment, wrapping a scarf snuggly. Weaving through the familiar streets of the city Chastity pulled into a spot in front of a bright café. Then, with a blueberry Danish, hot tea, and an extra muffin in hand she zipped towards Saroche's. Trading off the muffin for three splendid bouquets of the best flowers, arranged and wrapped most delicately, Chastity drove towards the cemetery just as the sun began to warm the skies.
~
"I can't believe you talked us into this," Ken dragged his suitcase behind him without the usual sprint in his step. It was about 7am, and the boys were catching the early flight out to Los Angeles.
"Talked? Hah. I wasn't aware there was ever another option. I think it went something like, 'We're going to LA.'" Vanness scoffed in an annoyed tone.
"Did you really have to get in a fight with your parents over Christmas? Why would they let you leave anyway?" Ken asked, suddenly confused by the situation.
"I told them I really wanted to see Becca. Stop your griping, you can all sleep on the plane. Vic! Come on!" Jerry turned to shout back at Vic's drooping figure. Torn from his warm slumber at a most ungodly hour, Vic resembled a zombie trudging around the airport blindly.
"At least we can get some business done while we're there," Vanness pointed out thoughtfully.
~
If anything perpetually jinxed her in life, Chastity's timing was always amiss. The horrible accident those years before that took away her parents coincided with Christmas as well as a major concert of hers. Even now, fate was brewing trouble for her. In the cool morning breeze Chastity had spent the better part of an hour talking quietly to her parents' graves. Every year she visited on the 23rd, the anniversary, and living in Boston made no exception. She cleaned the area up a bit and positioned the fresh flowers she had brought.
"Everything's going really well, and I am growing really fond of Boston. Auntie and Uncle are fine too. I think I only call them that to you guys, only fitting I guess. Merry Christmas! I miss you so much and…." Chastity swipes at her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I always will be, but I hope you will forever know how much I love you, mom and dad." Each conversation at the cemetery ended pretty much the same way, with an apology and a few tears. Chastity had a lot of help early on in getting over the grief, and though it finally sank in that the tragedy wasn't her fault, she still feels compelled to apologize.
~
Flinging her coat over a chair, Chastity collapsed on the sofa in the empty loft, completely exhausted. She had just about dozed off when her cell phone sounded, jolting her awake. Grumbling a bit, she answered, "ello?"
"Chas, sup. Where you at?"
"Ken? I'm in Cali. Why?"
"Cali, huh? I can't believe you didn't invite me to go with you. That's not very considerate."
"It's not vacation. I had some things to take care of," Chas's reply was frosty.
"Ookay then. How's everyone in San Mon?"
"Good. Same old. Hey, I'll you later alright?" Chastity ended the call with haste. She could hear the rest of the boys in the background, but a nagging feeling in her stomach told her they were up to something. As Chastity picked up her things and headed into the guest room, her phone rang again. It was just Becca.
"Hey Becca what're we getting for dinner? I was thinking…"
"CHASTITY! GET OUT OF THE APARTMENT! GO!"
"What the hell?" Chastity made a dash to the door, but the clicking of locks made it an impossible exit route. Chills ran down her spine as four all too familiar voices could be hear through the door.
[So sorry about the sluggish update. I hope you enjoyed though. Not panicked are you? Note: Staying true to the HYD/MG character of Tsukushi/Shan Cai, our main girl Chas has to be sharply resilient with plenty of spunk. I couldn't make her a weakling for F4 to trample on because there's just no fun or justice in that. So a fight there will be.]