If I'm Wrong, There's No Such Thing As Right[CURRENTLY UNDERGOING EDITING]

Chapter 6: Meeting the Parents

     "Oh geez."
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Kiku silently chewed on his wasabi roll as he listened to the conversation unfolding in front of him. Melody had come up with the brilliant excuse that she had wanted to clean the house and make a dinner to welcome her parents  home, but wanted something a little more exotic. So, she had called over her good friend, Kiku, who was an exchange student from Japan to help her make it. Also, she knew the Japanese were great cleaners. He had to admit, he was a little disappointed that she said "friend". Something more along the lines of "husband" would've suited him better.
     "Ok, ok. I get that part. But what was all of that ruckus going on in here before we got in?" her mother, who's name turned out to be Tanya, asked. She was a very tall and slender lady with nicely done braids and light pink lipstick. She looked like she had just walled straight our of a beauty parlor even thought she had just been on a seven hour flight. Kiku could see her resemblance with Melody, with their hazel brown round eyes and short noses. But her brown skin was a bit lighter than Melody's.
     "I asked him to kill a spider I was in my closet. Bugs are disgusting," Melody answered. Her mother gave a nod of understanding.
     "A bug, huh? So you two weren't doing the hokey-pokey in there, hm?" her dad, Clarence, teased, followed by a booming laughter. He was a very big and intimidating man, but he had the face of a teddy bear. He had a bald, shiny head and a deep, throaty, and naturally loud voice. He shared the same skin tone as his daughter. Melody's face flushed at the comment. Kiku raised his eyebrow. Hokey-pokey? Should I know what that is?
     "No! We're just friends! Dad, you're embarrassing me! Mom!" she whined. Tanya slapped the back of his bald head.
     "Clarence, will you cut it out? You know she has company. Besides, that boy probably doesn't even know what that means," she scolded. He had no idea what they were taking about, and it bothered him to no end that he didn't know what was making Melody react that way.
     "By the way, Kiki is it," he opened up his mouth to say his name was Kiku," this soup is delicious!" Tanya praised. He closed his mouth.
     "Mom, it's Kiku!" Melody corrected, hiding her face in her hands. Why was she talking to them so much? She should've been talking to him.
     "Oh, my bad. Who taught you how to cook? I've only ever had soup like this once before, when I was on a business trip in Hokkaido."
     "My mother taught me," he lied. He had a feeling they didn't really need to know that much.
     "Oh, a good cook? This one's a keeper!" Her father proclaimed. Kiku just continued to look at his soup. He wasn't very hungry anymore.
     "Well then," Melody picked up her dish," I think Kiku and I are finished. Isn't that right, Kiku?" He nodded his head in agreement and got up to go rinse out his bowl.
     "Great! Well then, see you at school on Monday, Kiku!" she cheered when he was finished, practically pushing him towards the door. He found her eagerness somewhat offensive.
     "Excuse me young lady, I know you are not trying kick out this nice young boy who has made us all dinner and cleaned your nasty room!" her mother scolded. She opened her mouth to protest, but by then Tanya was already off to Kiku.
     "Honey," she took on a sweeter tone with him," maybe you should call your parents and ask them if you could spend the weekend over." Melody frantically shook her head in protest.
     "I live alone," he replied.
     "Even better! In that case, just go on upstairs and get washed up. This rude child over here," she pointed her finger accusingly at Melody, who had instantly stopped her rapid head shaking," will go prepare the guest bedroom for you like a good little child who loves to be fed. It's the least she can do."
Melody looked at her mother, then Kiku, before sighing and beginning to walk up the stairs.
     "Come on Kiku. Let me show you where the bathroom is," she called out, motioning for him to follow her with her hands. He quietly obliged, passing by her father who had fallen asleep at the table. They walled up the stairs in silence, and she pointed in the direction of the bathroom before handing him a washcloth, towel, and robe, and disappearing into the guest bedroom. He walled into the bathroom, turning in the light switch and closing and locking the door behind him. He turned on the shower before beginning to strip. But he just couldn't figure out why Melody was so against him meeting her parents, and then against him staying over. Was it something he had said? Was he not attractive enough for her? He examined his bare body in the mirror. Of course he wasn't! To many scars, his skin was too pale, he looked horrible! Steam began to cloud the mirror, he stepped in and let the hot water soak him. Maybe she had heard something bad about him someone had told her! He cringed at the thought of someone bad mouthing him, and Melody actually believing it.
     "I guess it was one of those bastards that sit at our table. I knew it! They want her all for themselves!" he grumbled to himself. He didn't understand why people couldn't just let him be and let him love. People were always getting in his way!
     "I mean, yes, I deal with them. But what's the point of that if more people pop up to get in my way?" he sat down on the shower floor and let the water run down his face. Running his hands through his hair, he let out a quiet giggle, soon turning into a hysterical laugh. What was he worrying for? He began to wash up.
     "Oh please, she loves me! She hasn't said it yet, but I'm sure she does. She just needs me to show her! Yes, I'm just overreacting." He stepped out of the shower, drying off his hair and body with the towel and wrapping the robe across himself. Exiting the bathroom to meet the cold air outside of it, he walled over to the guest room and opened the door. Already there, he was met with the sight of Melody fluffing up one of the pillows on the bed. She was so wrapped up in her activity, she didn't even notice he was there until he shut the door behind him. She looked up from the pillow, and when she laid eyes on him, awkwardly threw it to the side.
     "Kiku! I'm so sorry! I didn't think I would take that long and the stupid pillow would not stay fluffy and now you're almost naked except for a flimsy robe and I'll try not to look," she rambled, covering her eyes with her hands. He felt himself blush and tried to cover his already clothed self with his hands. She couldn't see him this naked! He wasn't perfect for her yet!
     "Please don't look!" he whined.
     "Trust me buddy, I'm not tying!" she retorted before akwardly turning her back to the wall.
     "I need to put on my undergarments! Please get out!" he explained.
     "Oh, yeah! Sorry my bad I'll just leave and come back later!" she blushed, running out of the room spewing  "sorry"s everywhere. He quickly got dressed into his night clothes before jumping into bed and burrying himself under the blankets. He made sure he was fully covered all the way up to his nose before he said she could come back in. She slowly waddled back in, her hands still covering her face.
     "So the only skin I'll see is the skin on your face?" she cautiously asked.
     "Hopefully." She slowly removed her hands from her eyes, and did completely when she didn't see anything she shouldn't have. She took a sigh of relief.
     "Oh Kiku, I'm so sorry about that! Is there anything you need?" she asked. He thought about many things he could've said. Your undivided attention. Sammuel and Janett dead. Marriage registration forms. But he choose to say something else instead.
     "Do your parents really rip out your hair?" he asked.
     "What? No, of course not! My parents love me," she reassured. He tested out the word by silently mouthing it. Love. Love. Loove. For parents? She waited for a moment before talking again.
     "Kiku, why'd you sneak into my house and do all this?" Wasn't the answer obvious?
     "To show you my appreciation for being friends with me," he casually replied.
     "Look, I know there's some cultural confusion between us, but you don't show people appreciation by sneaking into their house." She was so cute! Her dark curls blended in nicely with the wall behind her.
     "There are lots of people I appreciate, like my parents, my friends, my grandma, but that's not how I show it. Just, think about that, ok? And with that, she left the room, leaving Kiku with a strange feeling in his stomach. Had he done something wrong?
     "Maybe the soup wasn't good enough? Or maybe she noticed how I didn't have enough time to dust?" he thought. "Ugh! This is so confusing!" He forced himself out of the cocoon of blankets and paced the hardwood floors. He.just didn't understand why this was taking so long! I'm the movies, the man would've already had the girl by now. But then again, those guys were much better looking than him. He collapsed into a nearby wall, feeling defeated.
     "Ah! I cooked, cleaned, and did  everything a good husband does! So what am I missing?!" he asked, pulling at his hair in fustration. It looked like it would be another sleepless night for him.