Started With a Lie

Chapter Twenty One

            The door clicks open.

            Madam Jin walks out in an oversized pink shirt and neon sweatpants. Her hair is still in the bun, and with the heels that she is wearing – the whole outfit looks hilarious. I bring a hand to my mouth, but small giggles escape. She puts hands to her hips. “Are you laughing at me, Ivory?”

            I make a muffled laughing noise. “What? No, of course not. You look simply… amazing.” I grin. “I think you really work this look.”

            “Hush now, child,” Madam Jin says, faking anger.

            “Okay, okay,” I say. I pass her the slippers. “Here. The heels can’t be that much comfortable either. These are really good for your feet. Not to mention they totally fit with your outfit.”

            She takes the slippers and steps out of her heels. I see the surprise on her face when she wears the slippers. “Wow,” she says, her mouth agape. “I’ve never felt something so soft.” She brings her fingers and touches the pigs’ heads. “Where do you get these? They must be expensive. Forty thousand? Fifty? This must be imported silk from China.”

            That causes me to laugh. I clutch my stomach, “No, actually. I got it from Dollar Tree.” Madam Jin arches an eyebrow. “It’s a store where everything’s cheap.” She still looks confused. “Nevermind,” I say, “let’s go downstairs. The boys must be setting up dinner.”

            Madam Jin nods. “Yes, let’s go.”

            We make our way down the stairs.

            “So,” she asks slowly, “how are you and Lee, dear?”

            I stop dead in my tracks. Facing her, I try to compose myself. “U-uh, Lee?” I say. I scratch my neck. “H-he’s – we’re fine. We’re wonderful, haha. Why wouldn’t we be? We’re wonderful.”

            “Is he proposing anytime soon?”

            “Proposing?” I shout.

            “Yes, dear,” she says calmly.

            “Of course not!” I reply. “Madam Jin! I’m only eighteen! Well, I’m turning nineteen soon, but it’s still too early to get married! Why would you think that?”

            Madam Jin shrugs. “I don’t know. I mean, you two seem lovely together. You might as well finish the deal now. Get married, do everything while you’re still young. Have children. Oh, it’s wonderful. And too young? This country has many people that are getting engaged at nineteen.”

            “Name one.”

            “Oh heavens, I don’t know. They’re all famous.”

            “They don’t count.”

            We get to the bottom of the stairs eventually. All I hear in my mind is marriage, Lee, marriage – marrying Lee. I wonder how that would be. I’d probably never find out. Eventually, we’d stop our dating façade and he’d go off with Penny and the newspapers would forget about the middle class, average girl and just move onto beautiful, model Penny. Though, I still wonder what it would be to wake up to Lee’s face everyday – to eat his cooking everyday, to kiss him goodbye when he leaves for work. All I ever got was a rude and cold attitude with random kisses that never meant anything. Lee could be such a little—

            “Ivory!”

            Suddenly, Lee’s in my face. He’s holding up a whisk covered in dough, and his other hand is holding a bowl. There is flour all over his face – still attractive, maybe even cute, I might add – and he’s yelling at me. Too bad I’m not even listening. I take in his messy hair, which somehow managed to get eggshell in there. He still looks amazing.