Sorry, I Love You.

1.13

Zoe sat quietly at her table and played with the flowers sticking out of the obnoxious center piece. She didn't have much else to do. Everyone around her was engaging in small talk or business talks but she didn't have anyone to talk to. She was only seven. She didn't have much business to discuss and there wasn't anyone around here that was her age. Why she was even here was beyond her.

While she was playing with the flowers, one of the rose petals fell off and she quietly gasped. She didn't mean to hurt the flower. Zoe rubbed the rose petal gently between her fingers to feel it's soft texture. Before she could even do anything with the petal, she felt a hard sting on her wrist. She whined and looked up after the slap to see her mother glaring at her.

"Don't touch shit, Zoe." Her mother scolded. With her long and sharp nails, she snatched the rose petal out of her hand and stuck it mindlessly back into the array of flowers.

"I didn't mean to." Zoe pouted as she slouched into her seat.

Zoe's mother was quickly to grab Zoe's chin and flick it upwards. Zoe followed her command and sat up straight and proper. "For fucks sake, Zoe, we didn't bring you along to mope around. Act proper."

Zoe huffed in annoyance but obeyed anyways. She had gotten countless lectures throughout her life about how to act and she didn't feel like being lectured again. It was simply easier to listen and comply so there were no problems. That didn't mean Zoe enjoyed it. After a couple minutes of sitting as straight as possible, her back started to hurt. Not to mention, she had to sit by herself and talk to nobody.

Even if everyone at these benefits were old, Zoe still enjoyed to talk to them. There were only a handful of people that would ever acknowledge her but she always enjoyed it. There was one man in particular that was friends with Zoe's parents and he always took time to greet Zoe and shake her hand as if she were any other adult. She wondered if he was here tonight. He was really funny and sounded like Santa Claus.

"And did you bring the kid, again?" That deep, jolly voice boomed from Zoe's right.

Zoe turned to her parents that were stood beside the table but faced away from her. She sat up even straighter to try and peek over their shoulders despite how tiny she was. The old man looked past the two Yang's and spotted the mini Yang, a smile spreading across his face. Zoe reflected his smile and waved as she got up from his seat. She squeezed between her parents and jutted out her hand towards the old man.

"Good evening, Mr. Graham!" Zoe grinned from ear to ear as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Good evening to you, little Yang." Mr. Graham shook Zoe's tiny hand that nearly went missing in his giant one. "How's school?"

"Boring." Zoe frowned.

"Yeah? As boring as this benefit?" Mr. Graham chuckled as he stroked his salt and pepper beard.

Zoe giggled at his question. She was so used to all these poshe people and her strict, proper parents that Mr. Graham's jokes seemed taboo and inappropriate. That just made his jokes funnier. She enjoyed his humor.

"Now Ms. Yang," Mr. Graham tucked his suit pants upwards and softly knelt to be closer to Zoe's small height. "In the future, if you ever need something, you can always come to me. I've got some of the most successful and adventurous people at my country club. I can get you connections."

With a cheeky grin, Mr. Graham shot Zoe a wink. Zoe happily nodded and watched as Mr. Graham raised to his full height. He gave Zoe's parents both a knowing look, making sure they understood what he meant. They both caught on and thanked Mr. Graham for his generosity, her mother tentatively rubbing his arm to convey further gratefulness. Zoe looked obliviously up at all the adults and simply watched them converse.