Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once: I don't own any of the characters and I'm not making money off of doing this. This is simply for fun.
Note: Listen to Alanis Morrisette's song "Perfect" while you read this chapter.:)
Present Day (February 22, 2009):
Sometimes it's never quite enough
If you're flawless, then you'll win my love
Don't forget to win first place
Don't forget to keep that smile on your face
Be a good boy
Try a little harder
You've got to measure up
And make me prouder
How long before you screw it up
How many times do I have to tell you to hurry up
With everything I do for you
The least you can do is keep quiet
Be a good girl
You've gotta try a little harder
That simply wasn't good enough
To make us proud
"Papa." Marie says as she looks at her father's face.
"Come in." David Ko says to her, gesturing for her to enter.
Marie walks in, her skirts swirling around her ankles. She stops in the middle of the room, facing her mother who is seated at the table. "Mother."
"Marie!" Judy Ko says, getting up from her chair, her arms outstretched as if meaning to embrace her. Marie takes a step back to avoid being enfolded in her arms. Judy instantly retracts her arms, hurt evident in her eyes.
Flashback to August 2000:
I'll live through you
I'll make you what I never was
If you're the best, then maybe so am I
Compared to him compared to her
I'm doing this for your own damn good
You'll make up for what I blew
What's the problem...why are you crying
"What do you mean you're going to study nursing?" Judy asks in a shrill voice. "That's absurd!"
"How is that absurd, mama?" Marie asks her in a tight voice. "It's in the medical field. It's not like I'm going to school to be a custodian, and there's no shame in doing that either. It's a lot better than being stuck doing something I really don't want to be doing."
"But you love playing the piano!" Judy exclaims.
"Yes, mother, love to play. Play!" Marie retorts. "I'm only telling you out of respect."
"Marie, you cannot be serious about this!" Judy complains and then turns to her husband. "David, you have got to put a stop to this silly business about going to school to be a nurse." Then turning back to Marie. "You cannot do this. I forbid it!"
David looks at his daughter and then at his wife, and then back to Marie. "Have you really thought about this Marie?"
"Yes, papa, I have." She answers respectfully.
"How are you even going to pay for it?" Her mother asks. "Do you actually think that your father and I are going to pay for –"
"I can pay my own way." Marie says. "I have my savings."
"What savings?" Her mother asks.
"I worked when I was in New York." Marie informs her. "It doesn't matter. I only came home to pick up some of my things and to tell you what my plans are."
"Your things?!" Judy asks incredulously. "You mean the things we provided for you." She says sarcastically.
"Fine. Then I won't take them." Marie says, dropping her clothes on the bed.
"Judy." David warns and then walks to Marie and helps her fold her clothes. "where will you go? Where will you stay?"
"Laura Cadman." Marie replies. "Her parents had bought her a condo in LA."
"Laura Cadman?" Judy says disapprovingly. "She has always been a bad influence on you."
"She's my friend." Marie tells her as she finishes her packing. She closes her suitcase and then walks out of her room, and quickly descends the stairs with her parents following her down to the entry.
"Marie, if you do this, if you turn your back on us, you will not be welcome here, anymore." Judy says.
"Judy –" David begins.
"No, David!" Judy firmly says. "She cannot do this to us."
"She's not doing anything to us." David argues.
"She's turning her back on us."
"She is not –"
"It's okay, papa." Marie calmly says, putting her hand on her father's arm. "I'll go." She hugs her father tightly and whispers "I love you dad."
David whispers back "I love you, too, Marie. Don't worry, I'll talk to your mother."
And with those parting words, Marie walks out of their house without turning to look back.
Be a good boy
Push a little farther now
That wasn't fast enough
To make us happy
We'll love you just the way you are
If you're perfect.
Back to the present:
From then on, Marie and her mother had not spoken. But her father had sent money over the years to help her with her expenses. But she could never come home. After getting her nursing license, Marie's mother still wouldn't speak to her. She wouldn't even let David go to Marie's graduation. Marie had gotten angry at her father for not making his own decisions and so she stopped talking to him, too.
"Marie, will you not talk to me?" Judy asks.
"What are you doing here?" Marie asks, her voice quivering.
"You sent us an invitation." Marie's father says.
"Yes, because Evan insisted. I only did it to humor him." Marie tells them both.
"Marie –" Her mother starts to say.
"I didn't expect you to come." She says, and then bitterly adds "Just like all the other times I had called or invited you to come see me."
"Marie, I am so sorry." Judy says to her.
"Why now?" She asks her mother.
"It's your wedding." Her mother replies.
"So why's this different from every other occasion?" Marie asks. "My birthday? Graduation? Christmas? What's different?"
"Marie, please." Her father pleads. "Give your mother a chance. She had a-"
"No, David." Judy says, cutting him off. She then turns back to Marie. "I was wrong. I was wrong to force you to do something you didn't want to do. I'm not going to make any more excuses." Judy tells her with sad eyes. "I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
"I really can't deal with this now." She says, throwing her hands up and turning around. She walks out the door but ten steps later her father catches up with her.
"Marie." David says, his hand gently clasping her shoulder. "You don't understand –"
"What don't I understand, papa?" She asks in frustration. "You haven't explained anything yet."
"Your mother didn't want you to know." He says with a worried expression on his face.
"Know what?" She asks carefully.
"She had a heart attack."
"What?" Marie asks in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because she asked me not to." He answers, rubbing his neck.
"When did it happen?"
"Right before your graduation." David says. "We were planning to go and see you, but-"
Marie doesn't let him finish and instead turns around to walk back to the villa. "Mama," She cries, and enveloping her mother in her arms. "you should have told me."
Judy pulls away and turns to David and gives hi, an exasperated look. She looks back at Marie and tells her "I didn't want to make my heart attack an excuse."
"Oh, mama." Marie says, hugging her mother again.
"Do you forgive me, Marie?"
"Of course, mama." She answers.
X
"Everything alright now?" David asks.
"Yes." Marie says with a small smile. "Papa –"
"Look Marie, your mom was not the only one at fault." He says. "You were right when you told me that I never made up my own mind and that I let your mother made all the decisions."
"Papa, mama had a heart attack, you couldn't have done anything but respect her wishes." Marie says to him.
"It's not just that one time." Her father says. "There was Julliard. And then nursing school."
"It's okay, papa."
"I'm just glad that you and your mother are okay." David says.
Marie nods and then smiles. "Papa, would you like to walk me down the aisle?" She asks him.
"What about Evan's dad?"
"I think he would understand." Marie says with a big smile.
X
"Everything okay now?" Evan asks, still blindfolded.
"Yes." Marie answers. "You know, you could've told me." She says as she guides him down the path back to where the men are getting ready.
"You're right. I don't have an excuse for it." He admitted.
"I guess it helped that they were here so that I can actually hear it straight from their mouth. You know, being sorry and everything." Marie says. "I probably wouldn't have been happy this whole week if you had told me right away."
"So I'm off the hook then?" Evan asks hopefully.
"Yes, sweetheart." Marie tells. "But I'd rather that you tell me things right away then have it blow up in my face. You were just lucky today." She stops in the middle of the path, puts a hand on his forearm and then asks "Evan, did you know that they wanted to see me? Is that why you insisted on inviting them?"
"Before I proposed to you, I went to your parents' house first." He tells her.
TBC.