Midlife Crisis

Get Talking

One Day

The rest of the day was hell for Mo Guang Shan. He couldn't focus on his work, he kept making mistakes in orders and was close to burn his own hand if not for his son coincidently came in at the right time. He was told off hard by the son and was drove out of the shop. What a disaster...

He sat at the lounge chair on the balcony and sucked hard on a cigarette. The sun was glaring fiercely behind the clouds and warm breezes caressed every little thing in their way including strands of Mo's red hair. He stretched on the chair and for a moment tried to take a break from work and the outside world with his eyes closed. Why was he in his shop? Disappeared for 20 years and now out of blue, he came to see him? It just didn't make any sense.

20 years. That was enough time for a person to forget one another, enough time for kids to become adults and enough time to move on with life. He had moved on. That childish frenzy was left behind and buried deep inside his memories. But if it was so, why seeing him standing there with a stupid look on his face make him tremble and weak to knees like it did years ago? He rubbed his face with both hands and sighed. Mo Guang Shan, you really suck.

The following days were like playing tug and war.

Every noon He Tian would appear at the shop and he would sit at the counter table, staring after him without a word and would wait for him after the shop closed. He been running and hiding from him for three days and it was starting to tax on his mind. This evening same as always, Mo peeked through the kitchen curtain and made sure He Tian wasn't there. He was about to tip toe out of the shop when a hand gripped his shoulder tight, startling and halting him in his tracks. "Are you still doing this, dad? Why are you acting like a kid?" hearing it was just his son, Mo straightened himself and cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact.

"Who is acting like a kid? Huh? Is this the way you should talk to your dad?" he slapped his spiky head and quickly headed to the door. "Say whatever you want. You acting weird is acting weird." Mo raised his middle finger without turning back and headed out of the door. Outside he was greeted by his own personal stalker, standing in his loose white shirt and black dress pants with his hair neatly combed back.

That little betrayer. He cursed inwardly and considered whether he should bail or not. But He Tian didn't make a move; he was just standing there and looking at him with his dark eyes, unnaturally attractive for someone his age. He always wondered if that guy was a succubus stuck inside human body since long ago and he blamed his weak mind for not able to resist them no matter how many years it been. Resigning himself to the temptation, he shook his head dejectedly and headed toward He Tian.

Seeing Mo coming over to him for the first time in nearly a week, He Tian was nervous and surprisingly excited. Even though his features had gained their maturity and his manliness had double, with that short fuzzy red hair and sharp eyes full of innocence and defiance, he was still his little Mo from 20 years ago. He was glad time didn't change it.

Mo stood before him and frowned deeply. "What do you want?" "I..." Mo raised a hand and stopped him before he could continue. "We should probably head to somewhere else. I feel like you are going to do something embarrassing if we stand out here in front of my shop. Come with me. My apartment is just behind the shop." Hearing Mo's words, He Tian couldn't keep in a delighted chuckle. "Sure. Lead the way, little Mo."

Sensing the teasing tone behind He Tian's words, Mo replayed his words and instantly his face lit up in red hue. "You...I didn't mean anything by it. Stop imagining weird things. I am warning you." Seeing Mo's flustered face, He Tian broke out laughing. How much he missed this reaction.

Mo headed up the apartment and led He Tian inside. The apartment was fairly spacious unlike Mo's old apartment. He had always been a clean freak and from his tidied apartment, he could see none of his personality had changed. "Sit wherever you want." Mo gestured at the gray settee in the living room and he headed to the kitchen, not before stealing a glance at He Tian's side frame. The man is still irritatingly handsome as ever. He clicked his tongue and went into the kitchen to get water.

He Tian looked around the living and his attention was drawn to the photo frames displayed on the shelves. They were of Mo and his son, from small boy clinging onto Mo's arm to tall and sturdy young man who now stood shoulder to shoulder with his father. He wasn't surprised to see Mo already built a family of his own. That was what everyone going to do once they reach a certain point in life. What surprised him was he didn't expect Mo to immediately marry once they broke up. Otherwise it was not possible for him to have a son of this age. He frowned on his own and messaged his temples.

Ok, he needed to remember what he came here to do. He wasn't going to dig up the old issues and threw out whose false it was. No. He came here to rebuild a relationship that was cut off years ago. He put the frame back in its place and paced around the living room. There was no photo of the woman Mo supposedly married. Did she pass away or did they leave on bad note? Well, whatever the reason is, the only matter is Mo Gaung Shan was single again. Pleased by his own conclusion, he took a seat on the soft sofa and relaxed for the upcoming battle of wits.

After a few minutes, Mo came out with several beer cans which made He Tian to raise his brows in question. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" Mo put the cans on the table and he plodded down on carpet across from him. "My house, my rules. If you don't want to you don't need to drink it. Here is water." He threw a bottle at him which He Tian caught mid air effortlessly. "Well, I am not saying no." He smirked at Mo who was keeping a stern face except his ear, burning red. The two sat across from each other, not saying a word for several minutes, silently drinking beer.

The sound of second hand on clock echoed in the room along with soft breathing of two men. More than uncomfortable, it was bittersweet. Each drowning in the memories they once shared and the life afterward without each other. "So what is it that you come here to do?" Mo was the one to break the silence, his voice sliced through the air sharp and resonant. He Tian placed the empty can on the table and turned all of his attention to the red head with flushed face before him. When their eyes met, time halt for a split second. A split second where emotion exploded and engulfed the two, both flesh and soul.