"Bra, Marron, meet Derek," Pan said, sweeping her hand towards
a man. He was not bad looking; some women would even consider him handsome. He
had sandy brown hair and green eyes. His figure was not muscular but it was not
fat or out of shape. He seemed very nice and respectful of women and Marron
found she liked him before he even spoke one word.
"Who is he?" Bra asked bluntly.
"He's my fiancé, Bra," Pan answered.
This came as a major shock to Bra and Marron. They thought Pan was in love with
Trunks.
"Hello Bra. Hello Marron," he said, shaking each one's hand.
"Hello," Bra said rather disenheartenly.
"Hey kiddo!" Derek said happily, picking Mariko up and spinning her
around, causing the girl to laugh joyously. Pan smiled the antics of her fiancé
and daughter.
"Marron and I need to speak with each other alone for a minute, Pan, may
we use you kitchen?" Bra asked, pulling Marron by the sleeve of the
blonde's shirt.
"Okay, it's the first door on the left," Pan told them, hugging her
daughter.
"Thanks!"
~-
"Marron! She has a fiancé. A fi-an-c. What are we going to
do?" Bra asked frantically.
"I don't know. I thought you said Pan wouldn't move on," Marron
retorted.
"I was wrong," Bra answered sadly.
"It's okay," Marron said, trying to comfort her teal haired friend.
"We have to get my brother and Pan together! We have too. I know Pan loved
him, she probably still does," Bra reassured herself.
"How do you propose we get them together?" Marron asked.
"First we have to bring Pan back to Japan and work from there."
"What about Trunks?" Marron enquired, "I think he'll notice her
fiancé and . . . . Mariko."
"We'll just have to work around that, now, won't we," Bra replied
with a smirk resembling her father's.
"Finished yet?" a voice asked, catching the attention of Bra and
Marron. That voice was that of none other than Son Pan.
"Yes," Bra answered, smiling innocently.
"All right, come on girls. Derek is going to watch Mariko, meaning we have
a free day to catch up on things," Pan said, pulling out her car keys and
jingling them in Marron's face.
Bra and Marron looked at each other then Pan. "Okay!" they both said
simultaneously.
~--~
"Remind me to never take you two to a mall in New York ever again,"
Pan said, gripping the steering wheel of her Isuzu Rodeo, which was filled to
the brim with shopping bags from various stores. Most of the bags were filled
with clothing or other accessories to an outfit.
"Sorry Pan, but temptation was too much. I had to give in. Look at all the
nice stuff I got," Bra chirped happily.
The old childhood friends had been shopping nonstop for five hours now, between
driving from clothing store to shoe store and driving on the bus streets of New
York, the girls had yet to really talk to each other.
"So Marron, did you and my uncle ever get hitched?" Pan asked,
looking at Marron through the rear view mirror, her dark eyes shining with
mischief.
"Yes," Marron answered happily, showing Pan the ring Goten had given
her they day of their wedding.
"I'm happy for you. I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"Don't worry. My wedding went well."
"Good to hear," Pan answered.
"What about you, Bra, have any lucky man caught your eye?"
Bra blushed slightly. Marron smiled, "It seems she's taken a interest in
Uub, but she won't make a move on him."
"So it's Uub now. I remember when you use to have a big crush on Uncle
Goten," Pan said dreamily.
Bra's eyes widened and Marron looked intrigued, "When was this?"
"When I was sixteen and she was fifteen. She use to talk about her and
Uncle Goten getting married and having kids. She even talked about what the
kids would look like."
Bra blushed even more, "Shut up Pan!"
Pan and Marron started giggling.
Bra hated it when Pan and Marron made fun of her. They always managed to get
her on the most embarrassing subjects. Bra figured it was time to turn the
matter of conversation back toward Pan. Bra could tell Pan was making
conversation to avoid potential questions asked by Marron or she. Bra was about
to change that, she had questions of her own for Pan, and Pan was going to
answer them like it or not.
"Pan, why didn't you come back when you were suppose to?" Bra asked,
keeping her blue eyes on Pan, cutting off the giggling fit immediately.
Pan frowned and looked as if she was sad.
"Yeah Pan, why didn't you?" Marron asked from the back seat.
"I don't know . . . I guess I didn't want my family to know I became
pregnant and had a child. I didn't want them to think I was a hussy."
"Pan, you're 23 years old. You're an adult. You are allowed to make your
own decisions. They wouldn't think you were a hussy," Bra reasoned.
"I'm sure my grand parents would have no problem with it, but what about
my parents. I know they would be disappointed in me."
"If they shun you for having a child then they are blind. Mariko is
beautiful. No one could disapprove of her," Marron said, putting her head
on the back of the driver's seat.
A silence followed Marron's comment. While Marron went through one of the
shopping bags, Bra was brooding.
'I have to bring Pan back to Japan. I know Trunks has got to be the father
of Mariko. The resemblance is uncanny. I still need to ask her though,' Bra
thought, looking from the wind shield to Pan.
"Pan, can I ask you an important question?"
Pan looked at Bra out of the corner of her eye, "Okay shoot."
"Is Derek . . . . . the father of Mariko?" Bra hesitated very
lightly.
Marron stopped sifting through her shopping bag and listened. This was
important information.
Pan's lips pursed into a very thin line, a trait she had inherited from her
mother.
"Derek's is Mariko's . . . . . adopted father not her biological
father," Pan answered, keeping her eyes on the road.
Now it was time for the undeniable question. The question that could break down
the wall and unveil Pan's mystery feelings for Trunks, if any were left.
"Who's her biological father?" Marron asked quicker than she meant
to.
A heavy silence filled the vehicle. The tension was so thick, Marron could have
swore she could slice through it with a knife.
"I'm not . . .. Sure if I would like to discuss this at the moment,"
Pan answered slowly in a thoughtful and protective manner.
"Cut the crap, Pan, Trunks is the father. I know it," Bra stated
bluntly.
Pan's eyes widened and a flush came over her cheeks, "How can you
tell?"
"Please, the blue eyes, the lavender hair, and the facial structure. The
resemblance is uncanny. You'd have to be blind, if you thought any one else was
her father," Bra declared, sounding exactly like her mother.
"Come to think of it, Mariko does look a lot like Trunks, but she also
looks like Pan," Marron said from the back seat.
"See even Marron sees it and if I can see it without you telling me, I
know Trunks will be able to tell," Bra confirmed.
"And so would my Dad," Pan said weakly, "If he found out, he
would murder Trunks. Besides Trunks probably has a girl friend or something
else and wouldn't want me to come back and interfere with his life," Pan
said, a sad tone tracing her voice.
"So. . . . . how did it happen?" Marron asked curiously.
A blush formed on Pan's cheeks, "The party that night before I left. I
took Trunks outside and told him my feelings. After that we went to his room
and you know . . . . . " she trailed off.
"You liked Trunks and you didn't tell Marron or me this! I feel insulted.
I am your best friend, you're suppose to tell me these things," Bra joked.
Apparently Pan didn't catch on to the joke, "There are some secrets you
don't tell, not even your best friends."
"I was joking, Pan," Bra said, rolling her eyes.
Marron could tell this was a sensitive subject for Pan and she tried to ask her
next question as gently as possible, "Pan, did you love him?"
"Yes," was the simple reply.
Bra felt her heart rate quicken. 'There's a chance!' she thought hopefully.
"Do you still love him?" Marron asked. This was the question they had
been waiting to ask since Bra and Marron arrived in America. They could only
hope they would receive an answer they liked. A long silence followed this
question. One could tell Pan was choosing her words carefully.
"I . . .. Loved him. I still do in a way. You never forget your first
love. But I have Derek now. As I am sure Trunks has someone to make him
happy."
Marron let this answer sink in, but Bra had something else to say.
"That's where you're wrong Pan. Trunks never dated a single person after
you left."
"He could be waiting for someone," Pan reasoned.
'Yeah waiting for you,' Bra thought, staring at the passing buildings.
Some were stores, others apartment complexes. All full of life. Something
Trunks appeared to be missing.
"Do you intend to return?" Bra heard Marron ask.
"Maybe," Pan answered.
"There's no maybe about it, Son Pan. You are going back to Japan. The
whole reason we're over here is to bring you back," Bra said commandingly.
Pan smiled at the demand in her friend's voice, "I'll have to ask Derek
about it but I'm sure he'll be all for it."
"He better, because you're going back, come hell or high water,"
Marron told the already grinning Pan, causing all three women to burst out
laughing.
~--~
"So you want to go back to Japan?" Derek asked.
"Yes, I need to see my family and my friends," Pan said longingly.
Derek smiled, "If that's what makes you happy then I'll gladly
comply."
"Thank you!" Pan shouted joyfully and hugged him as tight as she
could.
"Pan . . .. Can't . . .. Breath," Derek choked out.
Pan dropped Derek, "Oops sorry guess I don't know my own strength,"
she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head like a certain Son Goku.
Helping Derek up and smiling the brightest she had in years Pan said,
"I'll call Bra and Marron and tell them I'm going home."
~-
"Mommy, where are we going?" Mariko asked her mother.
Pan smiled and looked out the window of the plane, the ocean rolled under them,
looking smooth and beautiful. The sun shimmered on in the waves, causing the
reflected rays of light to look like liquid diamonds.
"We're going home, Mariko, we're going home."
