Cost
The next day, Tigress busily worked over some papers at her desk. While they were ahead of schedule, certain loose ends were proving difficult to tie, especially from the head of departments' end. "Maybe if Tai Lung and Crane weren't so busy with other departments, I could get stuff done." She grumbled.
She paused and shook her head. "No, no. They're still new to the job. And they do good work. I can't blame them for this. I should be fine. As long as nothing major comes up."
"HAHAHAAAAAHAHAHAHA!"
A high-pitched noise rang out from the elevator that made Tigress jump and crouch like a bomb went off. As the doors opened, she saw two pandas moving towards her. Po looked like he was trying his best not to be seen with the woman who was older than him.
She had a great big smile with pink heart-shaped tinted sunglasses. A huge sunhat for the warming spring outside sat on her head. An orange-red sundress flowed down her large body. There were several bracelets and other things around her arms, and her phone case was shaped into a big pair of lips. The slightly 'normal' thing on her was her round Yin Yang purse on her left side.
"I love what you've done with the place, Lil' Lotus," said the female panda. "Much much happier."
"You've been here before?" Po asked.
"Oh I have my ways, dearie," The female panda smiled as they approached the tiger's desk.
"Ah, Tigress. This is my Aunt Ayi. The one I told you about?"
"You didn't mention much," Tigress smiled awkwardly. She offered her hand to the panda. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Ayi."
"Oh, you know us pandas don't shake hands. Come here!"
"OOOFF!" Air exited the tiger's lungs at a rapid rate as Ayi gave her a big bear hug. "Thanks," Tigress wheezed as the panda released.
"Uhhh Auntie, why don't you go inside my office?"
"Of course, dearie, but you must tell me more about this boss of yours. He sounds very familiar."
"Trust me, he shouldn't," Po sighed. Ayi strolled into the office with as much flair as she came into the hall. "I'm sorry about that, Tigress. I know you're used to pandas but... yeah."
"She seems... nice."
"That's woman talk for 'she's a bit much and over the top,' isn't it?" Po said with a wry grin.
Tigress rolled her eyes. "Women don't have a private language, Po."
"But am I wrong?"
"I... that's not the point." Po laughed a bit. "But I can see why you were worried about the board members. I don't know if they could... handle your aunt."
"Yeah."
"Although, she might be the kind of person to make them see sense," Tigress smirked.
Po stifled a laugh. "Please, if Shen were here, he would fire me on the spot."
"I don't think he would. I think he would be beyond words."
"Ha! I really doubt that." Po went into his office and shut the door.
A small smile formed on the tiger's lips as she sat back down. The panda's family seemed jovial and charismatically great to be around.
She frowned, though. If that's how they naturally are, what specifically happened in Po's love life to suck away all of that joy and personality from him? Was the breakup that bad?
She was stolen from her thoughts when she heard the elevator doors open. There walked in a familiar white peacock in a matching white suit with, surprisingly, no bodyguard.
"Oh ho, ho, this is going to be fun," Tigress smiled widely, though she couldn't understand why. A sudden build-up of excitement and joy filled her up in some strange anticipation. "Mr. Shen. How are you?" she said in a measured tone.
"Ms. Tigress. It's good to see you. Have you given any thought to what we talked about?" Shen asked with a hungry grin.
Tigress grinned back, though in a more mischievous way that Shen couldn't figure out. "I may have."
"Good, good. And is Mr. Ping inside?"
"Where's your bodyguard?"
The peacock raised his eyebrow. "I don't need 24/7 surveillance, Ms. Tigress."
"That's your first mistake," She muttered quickly, "Mr. Po is with... family."
"Ah, then he won't mind me coming in." The peacock approached the door.
"I would not advise that," Tigress warned.
Mr. Shen gave a smug smile. "I am his supervisor, Ms. Tigress. I'm sure that whatever family he has won't be a major disturbance." He opened the door to meet a great big female panda standing straight in front of him with her hands on her hips and a glowering frown.
"Ah! So you're the one!" She yelled.
"Wha-What?!" Shen got grabbed by his collar and pulled into Po's office. The door closed behind him.
Tigress shook her head with an amused smile as she returned to her work, "And that was your second mistake."
Meanwhile, the peacock's head whipped about several places before settling on the big female panda in front of him. She still had her fists firmly on her hips while a surprisingly naughty frown formed in her lips. Her jade eyes could be seen with her sunglasses stuck on her sun hat. Shen's eyes widened as his beak dropped.
Po, on the other hand, sweated bullets as his mind went a hundred miles an hour trying to find a way to get out of this situation. He immediately started dusting and sweeping the peacock free from any debris. "I am so so sorry for that, Mr. Shen! Please don't fire me! I'm sorry for-"
"Ayi?" Shen practically whispered. Po stopped. He looked between his aunt and the peacock.
"Hello She-She," Ayi replied firmly. The peacock cleared his throat awkwardly, covering his embarrassment. "I would say it's good to see you, but I can't."
"You... know each other?" Po asked.
"We went to school together," Ayi said, "I knew your boss sounded familiar. The same money-grubbing bird I remembered all those years ago."
"I-I-I am not money-grubbing," Shen shot back, slowly getting over his stupor. Po woefully groaned and went to his desk, quietly packing his things for his impending firing. "And I'm not the same person you used to tease all the time back in school."
"Tease?!" Ayi shouted. Shen gulped. "I was your best friend! Or did you forget? You're just as bad as you were in school."
"I've changed."
"Yeah, for the worse by the sound of it."
"How would you know?"
"Still live in a big mansion all alone with no one but yourself to keep you company?"
"That's beside the point."
"That's exactly the point! I'm ashamed of you, Shen." The peacock's eyes widened. "You can never get that soup kitchen incident out of your head, huh? You've been struggling to stay away from poverty ever since."
"What are you-"
"Ever since that poor guy told you his story, you've been grabbing money left and right like it was food. A real Scrooge McDuck if you ask me."
"I'm a peacock, Ayi," Shen squawked. "And I didn't come here to be lectured by you."
"No, but anyone who deals with my nephew has to deal with me," Ayi smirked, crossing her arms.
"Neph-ew," Shen echoed, looking at Po who was trying to hide his face under his desk. The bird shook his head, "I...having security isn't a bad thing."
"Being obsessed with it is. And for what? All that empty space in your mansion and not one person to share it with. To enjoy it with."
The bird huffily bristled his feathers. "No one talks to me like this!"
"Well friends do, Shen! And I hate seeing you like this!" Ayi remarked with a small tear in her eye. The tear froze the bird cold. "And I still consider you my friend! I still care about you! Nothing has changed that! You're too worried about money to care about your friends, your company, or anyone else around you that cares about you! To care about life! And for what? Security? You'll still die one day, She-She, and money makes cold comfort on a big lonely bed. It's a sad way to leave this world." Shen blushed at the nickname and frowned at the tears forming on the panda's face. He felt an uncomfortable pinch in his chest. He never liked seeing Ayi cry. The peacock turned his head aside but then narrowed his eyes.
"W-Wait, why do you care if I spend my wealth alone?"
Ayi shook her head, wiping her tears. "You were always smart, Shen, but you're still oblivious sometimes." She smiled, strolled up to him, and kissed him on the cheek. The bird was stunned into silence. "See you around...Mr. Peacock." He shivered at the coldness of his own last name. With that she left the room, leaving both Po and Shen speechless.
"Sooooo that's my aunt. Hehe, heh. I am... so so sorry about her. She can be a bit much. Ummm yeah," Po stuttered away from his desk and towards Shen. The peacock rested a light wing on his cheek, shutting his eyes with a sigh. "Was there something you wanted to talk about, Mr. Shen?"
"What? Oh... uh... I... can't seem to remember. I'll... I'll call you when I do. Goodbye... Mr. Ping," Shen, with heavy steps, walked out of the office, shutting the door behind him. His wing still touched the side of his cheek.
"Is everything okay, Mr. Shen?" Tigress asked too sweetly.
"Next time, I'll... bring my bodyguard."
"It was nice seeing you, Mr. Shen," Tigress smiled. The peacock wandered down to the elevator and disappeared. Tigress entered Po's office and saw the panda gripping his heart and gasping for air with dramatic flair. She shook her head and smiled as she strolled over to his side. "Intense talk?"
"I feel like I've seen death. And for some reason, he's a Spanish wolf!"
"Maybe next time we don't bring family without giving fair warning?"
"It's not my fault. You try saying no to someone like my Aunt. Besides, I... kinda needed the help," Po groaned. He told Tigress everything that happened between Shen and Ayi. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone get to Shen like that."
"Maybe she did. Maybe she didn't. We won't know by speculation. In the meantime, we should make sure we're still meeting our quotas," Tigress said seriously. Po nodded and the two went back to work.
As time went on, a confused peacock stumbled into the car that his bodyguard drove. "Where to, Mr. Peacock?"
"Just... Mr. Shen, please Qiang," the bird said.
"Are you okay, Mr... Shen?"
"I'm fine. Home, Qiang." The wolf did as he was told and drove out of the bustling city and over highways. The minor home rush traffic didn't bother the bird much. He stayed still and silent to the large mansion in the upper city. Driving through the gated security walls, Qiang stopped right at the doors of the three-story mansion that stood behind a flowing fountain with statues of two birds. The wolf opened Shen's door. "Th-Thank you, Qiang. That will be all."
"Are you sure you're okay, Mr. Shen?"
"Yes... why?"
"You've... never said thank you before," Qiang pointed out. Shen snapped his head at the wolf. "But there's a first time for everything. I'll leave you alone," The wolf quickly said.
Shen shivered at his choice of words.
The wolf left the peacock on the steps of his luxurious mansion. Walking up the stairs to the big encrusted wooden doors, Shen stepped into his mansion and shut them.
Bam!
The closing doors echoed against the hardwood floors, the long dining table, and the porcelain-laid kitchen all on the first floor. The catwalk balcony on the second floor carried the echo all the way upstairs.
Shen never noticed that echo before. Walking up the stairs, he looked at the dimming light coming in from the large French doors to his backyard, filled with perfectly mowed grass and a line of flowers. Lifeless statues watched and marveled at the sight of his garden. Shen walked up to the third floor where his room was. Several rooms dotted the mansion. 14 in all. Each of them was adorned differently to the color and palate of his interior decorator.
None of them had ever been touched. He was sure that the cleaning lady had to dust them every now and then to make sure they wouldn't get shabby.
Switching into his night clothes, Shen slowly crawled into his large King-size bed. The coolness of fresh sheets hugged his legs.
Shen sighed.
He could hear the echo of his sigh.
His mind kept going back to the soup kitchen incident Ayi mentioned. The man had a mansion, cars, and riches all from his parents just like Shen. But he foolishly spent it all away and was now hopping from homeless shelter to homeless shelter. The experience scared Shen straight. Ever since then, he worked harder and better to make sure that something like that didn't happen to him. He even grew richer than his parents though through morally questionable means. He looked around the empty room. Photos and paintings of his parents' lineage stood around him with expensive vases and drawers.
But no one to see it.
"I don't want to go to your house, Shen," Ayi said one time when they were young. The young peafowl asked why. "Because... I don't know, it gives me the 'rich guy who dies and now his mansion is a museum or an Airbnb' vibes."
The bird gave a small chuckle. It did look like that. That was probably the only way he could ever get people into his mansion or his life, a thought that made his heart hurt and sigh in growing sorrow.
Shen's eyes narrowed as his brain switched topics.
You were always smart, Shen, but you're still oblivious sometimes.
"Is she... does she... no. Not after all these years. There's no way a feeling like that can..." Shen shook his head fiercely and scowled into the growing darkness of his room. "Feelings can't put food on the table. Money is the only security in this life. More of it means more security. That's it."
For some reason, the room didn't echo his thoughts.
Shen shook his head again and rested on his pillow. "Money is the only security. No matter the cost."
Cost
That was the only word that seemed to echo in the room. The still air carried that echo all around the large empty home.
The next day at the office, the peacock marched out of his limo. "Qiang, you're coming with me this time."
"Yes, Mr. Shen." The wolf quickly followed his boss's steps. Shen glared at himself in the slight reflection of the lobby's glass doors. Opening them with great gusto, he shocked and worried some of the staff there.
"Good morning Mr. Shen."
The peacock didn't reply. He was on a mission. He entered the elevator. "This is final. I will not be distracted anymore," Shen grumbled. To whom, Qiang didn't know, but he listened anyway. "I'll tell that panda that if he keeps meddling in my financial affairs, I will fire him. Hmmmm maybe I'll just fire him. The board won't have much to argue against me and Kai and the chair-"
The wolf quietly examined his boss's fast-paced talking with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Never mind. Ugh. Won't this elevator go faster?" Shen grumbled. "And I'm sure Tigress will jump at the opportunity to take his job. She'll be more manageable."
As the doors opened, Shen marched across the sea of cubicles, generating a small wind.
How he missed what was in front of him is anyone's guess but as he passed the sea and entered down the little hall heading towards Po's office, he saw a different person at Tigress's desk.
A very different person.
Shen stopped his bold brazen pursuit and cocked his head at the sight.
There at Tigress's desk was a small panda girl with librarian glasses a little too big for her size. Shen couldn't help but chuckle a bit. As he approached the desk, the panda girl rose her head from her 'busy' writing. "Can I help you?" She asked.
"Uh... where is Ms. Tigress?"
"Oh Mommy's at the copy room."
"Ah, so you're her daughter," Shen smiled, though the small panda noticeably frowned and shivered. "What's wrong?"
"...Mommy told me not to say things that shouldn't be said."
The bird lifted his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You smile like you want to eat me," Lei Lei said. Qiang covered a chuckle and quickly recovered when Shen glared at him.
"What are you doing here, Ms...?"
"Lei Lei. School's out because of water."
"I see."
"Who are you?" Lei Lei asked.
"I'm Mr. Shen Peacock."
"Are you that bird with lots of money?"
Shen smiled, a little pompously and not the least worried that Tigress apparently talked about him. "Why yes, I am."
"What do you do with all that money?"
"Well, I keep it."
"Why?"
"To buy things."
"So you keep money to... buy things? Like what?"
"I only spend money on things that keep me safe or make me happy."
"But... you can't keep money if you spend it. That's what Grandpa says," Lei Lei said.
"It's... a little complicated," Shen muttered softly, slightly annoyed.
"Grandpa says that-that when you have too much money, you won't like things anymore. You won't have fun or be happy."
"Well, that's not true," Shen grunted a bit, "Despite having lots of money, I'm happy and I still have fun."
"Really?" Both Lei Lei and the bodyguard asked. For a moment, Shen glared at his guard but stopped. He reflectively stared at the wall. His mansion, cars, garden, and bedrooms all came back to him. Did he ever enjoy them?
"Who do you have fun with?" Lei Lei asked.
"No... No one."
"That sounds sad. One time, Grandpa went on a trip and came back with his lady friend. He used to be sad but now he's happy. Are you happy alone Mr. Shen?"
"I... uh... huh." Shen remained silent. Then Ayi's words came running back into his head. He remembered being with Ayi. The fun movie nights, the weird conversations about bugs and birds. Her questions about peacocks always made Shen blush. They even tried to slide down the school steps using one of the old woks used in the kitchen hall. Shen would often ask why Ayi seemed so free and jovial about life.
"Since I can't take anything to my grave, I want more life. I want all of it. The whole thing. I want to enjoy the small, the big, the good, and the bad parts of life. I'm enjoying all of my life. An abundant life."
Shen could never forget that loving cheeky smile of Ayi's.
And how much he wanted to keep it on her face.
Lei Lei and Qiang were both shocked when Shen facepalmed himself with his wing. He gave a slight chuckle that turned into a full laugh. He wiped his eye and then the other before giving up. He covered his face with his wings as water streamed down his eyes. "I've been... such a money-grubbing oblivious... idiot," he rasped.
"Hey, no name-calling mister," Lei Lei pouted.
Shen smiled, kneeling to the small panda's height at the desk. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be more aware of it next time." Lei Lei's eyes perked up. "What?"
"You're not smiling like you want to eat me anymore," She grinned. Shen smiled wider.
Down the hall, Tigress came back to her desk only to find Lei Lei talking with Mr. Shen. Her heart dipped to her feet as she rushed to the scene. "Lei Lei, what are you doing?"
"Oh I was talking with Mr. Shen."
"I can... see that," Tigress grinned worriedly.
"Don't worry, Ms. Tigress," The peacock smiled gently for the first time the tiger could remember. "Ms. Lei Lei and I were just having a lovely... revelation if you will."
"I'm very sorry for whatever Lei Lei might have said-"
"On the contrary. She helped me understand a lot."
"Did you... need to talk to Mr. Ping?" Tigress asked.
Shen glanced back at Po's door. "I did, but... I don't think my intentions were in the right place." The wolf behind Shen cocked his head in confusion. It alerted even Tigress. "I think I'm scheduled for a... impromptu vacation."
"Of course, Mr. Shen."
"Please take care of things. You and Mr. Ping," Shen smiled.
"We will."
"Goodbye, Ms. Tigress. Goodbye, Ms. Lei Lei."
"Have fun Mr. Shen!" Lei Lei waved from the desk. The bird waved back and left the room.
"What did you say to Mr. Shen?" Tigress asked Lei Lei.
"Oh, I asked him about his money and-and what he does with it."
"And what did he say?"
"Nothing. I told him what Grandpa says about money. He looked all weird until he said sorry for calling himself an... idiot," Lei Lei whispered.
"Heh, and a child shall lead them," Tigress smiled. Just then, Po's door swung open. The panda frantically looked left and right, breathing fairly rapidly. "Po, is something wrong?"
"Nothing. I... I need to go."
"Are you okay?"
"I just... need to go. Sorry, it's... an emergency." The panda swiftly went to the elevator and disappeared.
"Mommy? Is Mr. Po okay?"
"I... hope so, honey," Tigress sighed, hugging her daughter. "I hope so."
Continued...