[December 21, 2007]
Mei and Abby's last day of school for the year had just finished, wherein they'd be having more-or-less 2 weeks of mandated Christmas break. It's the end of their Fall semester, and they were glad they survived.
As Mei and Abby both marched out into the lobby, they sat on the bench, both wearing winter scrubs (long sleeves) and carrying their jackets with them as it's a windy and snowy -12°C outside. Then, they had a casual conversation about their day and plans this holiday season.
"Fucking A minus!" Abby screamed, leaning towards Mei, tapping on her Intro to Nursing Practice test paper. "Ugh, if only my brain didn't lapse mid-test, I'd be having that shiny A+ you have right now on yours!"
Mei smiled and soothingly replied, "It's okay, Abby. At least you, I mean, WE both survived this fall semester!"
"My mind's already on vacation mode, all I wanted was to just get outta here and go home!" laughed Abby.
"You know…. Same thoughts! But honestly, it was also challenging keeping up with reviewing your notes and staying focused in class in Winter, where everything seems to be laid back and you just wanna sleep all the damn day", said Mei, fixing her test papers into a folder and placing them in her bag. The pair then shared a small laugh and Abby soon received a call from Priya whilst they were listening to music on her brand new Nokia E90, earphones on Mei and Abby's ear.
"Priya! What a surprise, how are you?!" screamed Abby on the line, in which other students in the lobby looked at her direction, and let out a small "Oops, sorry!", looking slightly embarrassed.
"Ça va bien, merci! Et toi?" (I'm good, thanks! And you?), replied Priya in French. She then switched to Franglais and said "Since I'm still in Quebec, this conversation shall continue en français, copiez-vous, Mei et Abby?"
"Pourquoi pas, Priya ! Où es-tu maintenant, tho?" (Why not, Priya! Where ya at, tho?), asked Mei, now speaking French.
Priya decided it's time to troll her two friends who were in Anglo Canada, then switched to English, or Anglais.
"I'm at a gas station about 33 kilometres from Gatineau, soon to cross into Ontario. I'm driving home, honey"
Abby and Mei weren't having any of her sudden switchings, which she often did whenever they called, to pull their legs.
"Bitch, I talked in French, suddenly you spoke ENGLISH with me?!" retorted Mei laughingly, then Abby also retorted, "Get your mind straight, choose only one, pendeja!"
The three then laughed and Priya then replied,
"Okay okay, chill ladies, I'm just messin with ya" she laughed. "I've only got maybe 4-5 hours before reaching Toronto, I hope the 401 would be good on me, not much traffic, please!'' added Priya as she closed her car trunk, stowing all her booze, and proceeded to the driver's side with potato chips, a hotdog, and an upsized Pepsi on hand.
Abby and Mei then continued laughing.
"I guess we'll be seeing you later or tomorrow then, Pri." said Abby.
"See you soon, girls! I really miss you two freaks, karaoke soon?!" asked Priya excitedly as she keyed into the ignition and started her car.
"We'll be more than glad to have that after the 25th!" replied Mei. "Take care, bruv, have a safe trip!"
"Thanks, you two also stay safe, okay?! Why Why-Zed (YYZ), here I come!" exclaimed Priya as she set her gear to reverse, pulling out of the convenience store parking area.
The girls then exchanged goodbyes and Priya continued on with her road trip back to Toronto. She was driving a 21-day old dark grey Toyota Camry gifted to her by her parents when they paid her a visit in Montréal. Her parents already own a 2003 GMC Yukon back home in Toronto, but didn't mind buying a sedan for their daughter as her dad is a seafarer for an oil shipping line in Fujairah, UAE, and her mother runs the family business, which is a gift shop for souvenirs and other trinkets.
Miriam, on the other side of the Pond, was packing up for her 14-day vacation at home in Canada. She wasn't really packing that much stuff, save for two 500g Bratwursts that Mei and Abby requested, and souvenir shirts from Stuttgart for Priya and Tyler. Her uncle then came into the room and opened a conversation.
"Mir, you ready to head back home tomorrow?" Her uncle, who came by the name Michael, or Mike, asked intently.
A smiling Miriam turned to her uncle and said,
"Definitely, Mike!", replied Miriam. Her aunt and uncle were the laid-back and youthful type and really didn't want to be called "uncle" or "aunt" by their niblings, except when at family gatherings.
"Great! Oh, tell your father I'm heading home in Summer with Laura! You're coming too, right?" said Mike, mentioning his wife/Miriam's aunt, as Miriam zipped her rucksack and latched her suitcase shut.
"Yeah, will be coming, too! Can't wait for Summer!" smiled Miriam.
"Pack well and you're gonna be having a long day tomorrow, sweetie!" said Mike smilingly as he left Miriam's room.
Miriam then turned on her desktop, which she'll be leaving in Germany as she has a laptop, too, which she definitely would bring home to Canada. She left a message at the besties' group chat, which said
"Coming home tomorrow. Catch me at Pearson peeps. AC841 is the flight, coming from Frankfurt. C ya!"
At Toronto, Mei and Abby then bid farewell to each other as Abby boarded a streetcar and Mei walked the opposite direction to board another one going her way home. She was then surprised by Ming and Jin, with Jin behind the wheel, pulling up to her as they saw her by chance.
"How was school, sweetie?!" Ming greeted smilingly, with Jin also giving a small grin. A surprised Mei replied,
"It was okay, exams were a challenge but I killed it all as usual", she grinned.
"You're going somewhere, honey?" asked Jin intently.
"No, dad, I'm heading home. And you guys?" replied Mei.
"We just came from the grocers, come, get in!" invited Jin. Mei then opened the back seat door and positioned herself in.
"You look freezing, Meimei, have some herbal tea!" Ming offered.
"Thanks, mother," replied Mei, as she took her backpack off and placed it next to her, then took a sip from the tea which was in a small thermos.
As they drove home, the family-of-3 had a small conversation inside the car.
"So, are you hungry, Meimei?" asked Jin looking into the rearview mirror towards Mei.
Mei felt hungry as she hadn't really eaten too much, focusing on reviewing her lessons for the exams.
"Definitely, dad… What's on the menu for today?" Mei asked, giving a small grin.
"We're not cooking lunch today, so the first restaurant you see along this road is where we're going!" smiled Ming as Jin turned right on an intersection.
As they drove through the street, the Lees pulled into an Arab restaurant as they wanted to deviate a bit from the usual Chinese food they normally had at home and outside. It was named and stylised as "najdi corner", owned by a Saudi-Canadian family. Mei had lamb kabsa (lamb shank with yellow-orange basmati rice) and her parents opted for the same, but chicken. The three of them also ordered chicken shawarma and fries, so they were absolutely stuffed.
As they finished their meal, they didn't notice the Bakers on the other corner of the restaurant, causing Mei to furiously blush at the sight of Tyler.
"Must… Not… Panda!" Mei quietly muttered to herself, with her two hands resting on top of her head as she pressed her elbows on the table.
"Meimei, is something wrong?" asked Ming concernedly. She noticed Mei acting differently.
"Look behind you, slightly to the left!" Mei almost exclaimed, then *poof*.
Her tail popped out, and so did her panda ears. She quickly put on her tuque/beanie to conceal her ears. Ming heard the poofs and noticed the small purple smoke coming from her daughter.
"I know you're so ecstatic at seeing Tyler, but calm yourself down or you'll go full panda in here!" hushingly screamed Ming.
"Oops, sorry!" Mei slyly chuckled, then thought of her besties (minus Tyler) being there for her. Her tail and panda ears then vanished altogether.
Tyler, who was in the other corner of the restaurant with his parents, noticed the Lees by their table and approached them.
"Excuse me, I've seen someone familiar." Tyler said.
Jin waved and flagged Tyler down. He and the Lees then met.
"Tyler, you're here!" Jin smiled and so did Ming, although she was sceptical and concerned for her daughter's display of emotions, fearing she might panda in the restaurant, potentially causing a ruckus, though Toronto (and eventually the entire country, then the world) is aware and starstruck at her (and the women of her family's) shapeshifting abilities.
Mei, who has then fully composed herself, quickly looked to Tyler. She unbunned her hair, giving it a wavy and slightly curly look. Tyler noticed it and his eyes were fixed onto Mei's hair, in awe and attraction.
He paused for a few seconds, looking at Mei's hair, then he was given a small thrust to the arm by Jin.
"Hey, Tyler, you good?" asked Jin, looking at him, oblivious to the fact that he was staring at his daughter, although Ming picked it up but elected to just let it slide.
"Oh.. Hey, Mr. Lee! I'm good, no worries. Just uh, about to greet Mei." Tyler said as he snapped out of his short pause in attraction to Mei.
"Sup, Meimei!" he then greeted, in which Mei also returned the greeting, and did the bestie handshake.
"Priya was inviting us to karaoke after Miriam arrived and after Christmas, you up?" Tyler asked, then Ming chimed in and asked,
"Nice, but when exactly is that?"
"Either on the 26th or the 27th, Mrs. Lee! I was also gonna be asking for permission if Mei could come along.", replied Tyler smilingly.
Mei then gave her parents a 'yes please!' look and a few nods, to which Ming replied,
"Just you guys, no parents?!" then she playfully slapped the air in Tyler's direction and laughed, "Nah, I'm just kidding. You guys have fun on those dates, okay?!"
"And you guys can come over to our place for dinner!" smiled Jin as he also chimed into the conversation.
This caused Tyler to pause to a second and stammered,
"D….dinner….at…your…house?" he said, trying to pretend he's surprised, but was truly accepting of the idea.
Mei also paused, equally pretending to be surprised, but really liked the idea deep inside.
"You… You guys can have carrot cake, I'm the one baking!" said Mei.
Ming heard what Mei said, although she only chose to hear the first 'you' that Mei let out, but she elected not to question nor make fun of her for it. She, however, laughed inside at the thought of it, though she really was keen on making fun of her daughter.
"Oh, she does make better carrot cakes than I do!" chuckled Ming.
Tyler was delighted by the idea, and so was Mei. They knew they were going to gather together again with the besties, but Tyler was merely focused on Mei, and vice versa.
"Sure thing, I'd be glad! Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Lee." replied Tyler smilingly then pointed to Mei and also said "you too, Mei, thanks!"
Mei grinned back and told him "Anytime! 26th or 27th, stay tuned to our group chat!"
As Tyler marched back to his table with his parents, Ming then looked to Mei and gave her a mischievous look, then went,
"Hmm, is it the besties you're after or is it just him?!" she cackled. Mei then playfully slammed her table and said,
"MOOOOOM!" she hissed. "Of course it's the besties I'm after, in fact, Miriam's coming back to town for two weeks and so would Priya, and it's our chance to get together after a period of time we haven't met.", slightly laughed Mei.
Jin decided to tease his daughter then chanted,
"Tyler and Memei, sitting on a tree"
In which Ming added,
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
The two laughed and Mei wasn't having any of it, but she also blushed and grinned ear-to-ear with that.
"Okay, please, just,... SHUT UP!" she hissed laughingly.
"Oh, I bet Tyler would love my Italian cooking skills when they'd come over!" chuckled Jin.
"And my, I mean, YOUR carrot cake, sweetie!" added Ming.
They then had a small laughter around the table in which Jin flagged down a waiter to ask for their bill, paid, and then left the restaurant. As they left, the Lees and Bakers met by the facade of the restaurant, striking up a conversation.
Tyler's dad gave a small tap on Jin's shoulder, and greeted, "Hey Jin!"
He turned to him and then greeted back, "Edwin! How are you?"
Tyler's mother also greeted Ming and said "Ming! My friend, how are you?!" as they exchanged greetings from cheek to cheek.
"So far, so good, Elizabeth! Yourself?" replied Ming, in which Elizabeth replied,
"It's Ellie for short, I said!" she laughed. "We've known each other for 5 years and still you prefer calling me by my full name" then the two laughed.
"It's because I prefer to be a bit more formal, unless it's Meimei I'm talking to", chuckled Ming.
Ellie and her family came to Canada as immigrants from Vietnam in 1960, then adopted the English name of Elizabeth as they assimilated into the local society.
She then turned to Mei and also exchanged cheek-to-cheek greetings.
"Mei, it's been a while! How are you?" greeted Ellie, stroked her hair and went "Oooooh, your hair is long now, and it's WAVY!". Mei laughed and went,
"All is well, Mrs. Nguyen-Baker!". She was then cut off by Ellie and then said,
"Oh my gosh, you're too formal. Just call me Aunt Ellie, my dear." grinned Ellie and playfully pushed her shoulder.
"If that's what you want, Aunt Ellie!" smiled Mei.
"Oh, Ming, I heard from Tyler that Mei and the besties are going to have karaoke on the 26th or 27th, after Christmas. He's available on the 26th as he'll be working again the following day." opened up Ellie.
"Cool! And we're inviting them home too for dinner, maybe you guys would like to join in" offered Jin, then Carl replied,
"That'd be swell, but me and Ellie will be going out on a dinner date on that day, so Tyler's all yours on that day, Jin and Ming" smiled Carl.
All of them ended the conversation on good note and went home. After reaching home, Mei and Ming prayed as usual to Sun Yee, ploughed snow around the courtyard, entertained a few visitors then retired for the night. The temple was decorated with Christmas decorations in line with the season of the month, which would be open until the 23rd, closed on Christmas Eve, and reopen on the 27th until the 30th, in which they'd close again for New Year's Eve and January 1st.
Mei undressed and changed into a red sweater, similar to what she always wore in 2002, jogging pants, and thick socks to keep warm even with the heater on. She then turned her computer on and checked the group chat.
She saw Miriam's message and replies from Abby and Tyler. Then, Mei typed,
"Karaoke on the 26th guys?! Imma phone our usual restaurant and karaoke bar to reserve a room for us!"
Miriam welcomed the idea and replied
"Sure. See ya!"
Mei then called the restaurant they often went to when karaoke-ing with her friends. It was a Filipino resto bar called "La Paz Bistro & Family KTV", owned by a Filipino-Canadian family. Every Friday and Saturday evenings and during holidays, the restaurant would be frequented by Filipino customers who often filled the karaoke rooms.
"La Paz Bistro, this is Julia, good evening and mabuhay!" answered a woman in a Filipino accent.
"Hello, I would like to reserve a karaoke room on the 26th, do we have any available?" asked Mei.
"Okay maam, let me check…. We have only two rooms remaining, what date and time would you be coming?" replied Julia.
"I'll take a room, for 5 people, please. December 26, 3 pm." said Mei.
"Noted, and may I please have your name and contact number?" asked Julia.
Mei then gave her full name and number, exchanged thanks, and hung up. Then, she turned to her computer and said,
"Success guys! I just reserved a room and it's gonna be 3 pm, December 26th!"
Everyone went jolly then Abby, out of the blue, blurted,
"With MALE STRIPPERS?!" then Mei rolled her eyes and replied,
"For once, Abigail Park, don't be a piece of shit! :P it's after Christmas, so please… shush!" she laughed.
"Party pooper! :(" replied Abby. Besides being a chaotic banter master, after turning 18, she also began including suggestive innuendo in her vocabulary.
They all had a laugh and Priya suddenly joined the chat.
"Sup, people. I'm back home, I guess?"
Mei then started a group call, in which Priya first joined. Abby and Miriam soon followed, then Tyler.
"PRIYA! You're in YYZ again?!" asked Mei intently and excitedly, mentioning Toronto Pearson Airport's three-letter IATA code.
"Oh yeah! It felt like I went to Montreal only yesterday, although school…. Well…. Is school." replied Priya in her usual monotone voice.
"How was the 401, Priya? No powerslides?!" asked Abby, slightly being ecstatic.
"It's a miracle, not much traffic! Although I had to slow to 60 km/h, fricken snow on the road.", replied Priya. "Gosh, my head hurts, I think I'll take a nap. Won't be able to join tomorrow tho as dad's flight will arrive 9:30 and we're going out for the day."
"Okay, Priya, sleep well!" said Mei. They exchanged goodbyes and Priya left the call. Now, Abby, Tyler, Miriam, and herself remain.
"What time are you arriving, Mir?" asked Tyler.
"Probably around 12:40 noon, expect me outside by 1:30, more or less" replied Miriam.
"You won't take that long in immigration, right? You're a NEXUS holder!" said Abby.
"Yeah, but baggage claim can be a bitch" laughed Miriam.
"I'm bringing my car along so I could take you Mei…. and Abby home." said Tyler, emphasising on Mei's name, then started tingling on the inside.
"See you tomorrow?!" Mei excitedly said. Then she whispered to herself, "Please make me the last stop, I'm THE LAST STOP, PLEASE!"
They all exchanged goodbyes and retired for the day. As Tyler left the call, he then thought to himself,
"Abby will be my first stop, then Mei would be my last. I wonder how this would go?"
As Mei left the call, she also thought the same to herself.
"His hands are rough but that's okay, it still feels satisfying 'cause it's him!"then let out a small squeal in her tingling sensation.
[THE NEXT DAY]
After the Lees had breakfast, Mei opened her laptop and went to the group chat. She then saw a message from Abby in the chat.
"Can't join, im hitting lava here and i threw up like a supervolcano twice this morning!"
Mei then felt concerned, but also she got a little hint of excitement as this meant she and Tyler would leave the airport later on, just the two of them. Returning to her senses, she chatted,
"OMG Get well park family! Go see a doctor now and avoid too much unhealthy food for the time being."
Abby read the message and sent her reply through text on her phone.
"Thanks, but im pretty sure ur excited now coz its just u and tyler goin home! Go 2 hell, btch :PP"
Mei laughed a bit then replied,
"Always welcome! But 4 real doe, pls get well! :("
Abby, despite suffering from food poisoning, still had enough strength to chat and text, thanks to her jolly and energetic demeanour. Although, it didn't last long as she ran to the bathroom again and vomited into the sink. She then felt her stomach churning and proceeded to shit on the toilet. Now, she was sick from both ends.
[3 HOURS LATER]
As Mei got ready for the airport to meet Miriam, she received a text from Abby's mother. It said,
"We're sorry that Abby can't join your small reunion today. She's got food poisoning and we don't know how me and Sung are untouched. She's doing well now at the ER with IV fluids.
"Poor Abby…" sighed Mei, and replied,
"No problem, Aunt Nina! Send my regards to Abby for me pls"
Tyler then called and said,
"Mei, be there in 5, see you! Pity tho that Abby can't join". He was also slightly excited at the thought that it's just going to be him and Mei after Miriam leaves the airport with her parents.
"Okay, will go out now!" replied Mei. Then, she marched off to the front door and was stopped for a while by Ming. Mei elected not to mention Abby, though, but lied that it would be Priya picking her up, not wanting her parade to be rained on.
"Where are you going?" asked Ming.
"To the airport, gonna meet Miriam! She's arriving from Germany.", replied Mei, though she was starting to become impatient.
"Ah, I see, little reunion?! Have fun, take care!" Ming smiled. The two then kissed each other goodbye and Mei made a run for the front door in freezing cold, putting her tuque on.
Minutes later, Tyler pulled by the temple's front door.
"Jump in, Mei!" called Tyler. She then positioned herself into the passenger seat, and drove off.
"Arghhh, freshness!" groaned Mei as she felt the warm air from the heaters blowing into her face. She then took her tuque off and unbunned her hair.
Tyler thought to himself "as fresh as your face today, sunshine!". He then snapped out of it and said "Yeah, cause fuck the cold, right?!". They both laughed.
"By the way, Abby won't make it today. She's got food poisoning and is at the ER now, getting fluids and treatment" sighed Mei.
"Well, too bad, hope she gets well soonest!" replied Tyler.
Yes, they felt sad for Abby coming down with food poisoning, but deep inside, Mei and Tyler felt that they'd have only each other for the whole day. They felt slightly guilty though for feeling that way when their friend fell ill.
As Tyler entered Highway 401, he enabled cruise control and offered Mei a banana muffin made by his mother. She accepted the muffin and ate it gracefully.
"Aunt Ellie made this?" asked Mei smilingly.
"Yep! It's her best baking, and I'm also learning how to make 'em.", smiled Tyler.
As they drove down the 401, Mei then fell asleep and took a nap in the car. She was slouched, so her left elbow was resting on the middle armrest and her left hand was hanging. As Tyler concentrated on the road with his sleeping passenger (or love interest), he unconsciously held Mei's left hand.
"Gosh, her hand's soft!" he muttered to himself. He took his hand off for a while and smelled it. "Damn, smells like lavender"
He then continued to hold Mei's hand. Mei, who was slightly asleep, felt Tyler's hand touching hers, though she was too sleepy to give it particular attention.
Before turning right to the 427, Mei opened her eyes, albeit groggily, and Tyler noticed this from the corner of his eye. He released Mei's hand and quickly grabbed his milkshake, taking a sip from it, pretending nothing happened.
"Where are we?" groaned Mei who was now half awake.
"Near Pearson now, almost there" said Tyler. Mei was then jolted awake by a landing Boeing 747-400, and she now knew they were almost about to see Miriam again.
Mei muttered to herself, "did he just…. Hold my hand?!" feeling tingly with her heart beating fast at the thought of her love interest holding her hand whilst driving. "It felt rough, but it's so…. Satisfying", groaned Mei to herself.
As they parked at the airport and walked into the arrivals, they joined Miriam's parents in waiting for her. To their surprise, Priya and her mother were also at the airport. Little did Mei and Tyler know that her dad's flight got delayed and departed Dubai late.
"Priya! What's the holdup, I thought you were gonna be here earlier" greeted Mei and asked intently.
"Ugh, dad's flight got delayed due to some technical problems and left later than expected" yawned Priya in her usually-monotonous voice.
"Oh, hello Mrs. Mangal!" greeted Mei to Priya's mother.
"Hello, young lady!" smiled Mrs. Mangal.
Mei, Tyler, and Priya then went to the overhead information board.
INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS
ARRIVÉES INTERNATIONALES
Time/Heure: 09:30
From/De: Dubai
Flight/Vol: EK241
Status/État: DELAYED - 14:40
Then, for Miriam's flight:
Time/Heure: 12:40
From/De: Frankfurt
Flight/Vol: AC841
Status/État: LANDED
The trio let out a sigh of relief upon sight of Miriam's flight's status. Priya then turned to Mei and Tyler and went,
"Too bad Abby can't come, right?", she sighed, although giving Mei a slightly mischievous look.
"Yeah, but hey she's recovering!" replied Mei. She noticed Priya's look and gave her the "stfu" look.
As Miriam disembarked and headed for passport control, she texted Mei, having put her Canadian sim card back onto her phone while they were still in-flight.
"Just disembarked, headin 4 immigration"
Mei received the text on the other side of the terminal and replied,
"Gotcha. See u girl!"
Being a NEXUS card holder, Miriam would be able to clear immigration at an expedited rate along with other Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and US citizens coming from transborder flights.
To her luck, it was Simmons manning the counter that Miriam queued.
"Next!" Grace called. To her surprise, it was Miriam.
"Miriam, girl!" greeted and slightly smiled Grace. Miriam then gave her passport to the officer and she scanned it.
"Hi, Grace. Been a while, I guess" replied Miriam as Grace verified her identity on her computer.
"Miriam Wexler?" interviewed Grace. "Face the camera, please". As standard procedure, immigration officers take photos of arriving/departing (wherever applicable) passengers to verify and ensure that the person presenting a travel document is the certified true and correct bearer of the presented document.
"For how long have you been outside Canada?" interviewed Grace.
"3 months" answered Miriam straightly.
"And you're on vacation here? International student, right?"
"That is correct!" answered Miriam.
After getting answers to her questions, Grace then proceeded to scan for a blank page and stamped her passport. She then said,
"Welcome back to Canada, enjoy your vacation!", smiled Grace as she returned her passport.
"Thanks a lot!" Miriam replied then marched off into the baggage claim area.
After 45 gruelling minutes of waiting for her luggage, she was able to pass through customs, albeit with a little difficulty due to the Bratwursts in her suitcase, which was manually inspected by the customs officers. Then, she marched off into the landside part of the terminal and saw her besties waiting for her, sans Abby.
"Mi…MIRIAAAM?!" squealed Mei at the sight of Miriam.
"Omg, it's her again", monotonously squealed Priya.
"Ohhh, snap!" chuckled Tyler.
Miriam squealed too and ran towards the trio. "BESTIES I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!", she exclaimed. The four of them entered a group hug and did their handshakes, then Miriam noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Abby?" a concerned Miriam asked.
They went silent for a few seconds then Mei said,
"She's in the ER, sadly. Came down with food poisoning, poor fella." sighed Mei.
"Oof, how is she?" asked Miriam shocked.
"Perhaps she'd be discharged by now… I hope." Priya replied.
Miriam's parents then approached and they gave their daughter a hug.
"How's Germany, sweetie!" asked Mrs. Wexler smilingly.
"It was fun… and cold lately!" replied Miriam, releasing herself from her dad's hug.
"How's my brother, your uncle in Stuttgart?" asked Mr. Wexler.
"He's doing fine, we'll be coming back here altogether in Summer!" said Miriam.
Tyler then received a call from his father, asking him to come home to borrow his car as the family car wouldn't start.
"Guys… Gotta go home, emergency!" said Tyler about to book to the parking lot, and Mei said,
"What happened? Take care!"
"Our car wouldn't start, so he needs to borrow mine! Who's gonna drop you home tho?" replied Tyler.
"It's okay, I can manage. I'll just take a cab home" said Mei, then Mr. Wexler said,
"Cab? You can join us though, we have space" he kindly offered.
"Uhm, no thanks, I can manage this, I promise, Mr. Wexler!" she stammered, kindly rejecting her best friend's dad's offer.
"Oh, no, I do insist you come with us." Mr. Wexler said with a little smile. "Besides, it's the most safe and economical option for you, free ride with your bestie!"
Tyler then waved goodbye and made his way to the parking lot. Miriam heard the conversation between Mei and her dad and turned to Mei, grinning and nodding at her with a "Please say yes!" look.
"Okay, okay, I'm in!" Mei smiled and chuckled. She took this opportunity to have a longer time with Miriam, and tell her about her experience with Tyler as they went to the airport.
They bid goodbye to Priya and her mother and left the airport. At the car on the way back home, Miriam and Mei were in the backseat then they had a conversation.
"How was the flight, Mir?" asked Mei.
"It was cool, food was great, just some annoying passengers were well… Annoying." chuckled Miriam as she took some chips.
Mei then also took chips and said to Miriam's ear, "I've got something to tell you! Top secret, highly classified!"
Miriam then leaned intently and said "okay, what's it?!"
"T…Tyler…. On the way to the airport…. His hand was…. SO ROUGH AND SATISFYING!", Mei hushedly squealed.
"You… Held hands?! FOR REAL?!" Miriam also hushedly squealed.
"Yep, and I felt like I had the time of my life!" squealed Mei.
"Tell me more about it thru chat later! I'd love to hear your story." chuckled Miriam as she took another set of potato chips.
The two then shared a laugh as they ventured into Toronto, happy that Mei hit two birds with one stone: Holding hands with Tyler, then being with Miriam as her parents offered to take her home.
To be continued
