'What the hell happened out there!?' Evelyn asked her sister while they were in their room after they had arrived. Michael didn't say anything to any of them, but just like he had promised, he didn't hit Ava.
'Mrs. Ma is dad's ex.' Ava replied emotionlessly.
'What!?' Evelyn got up from her bed. 'That's crazy. What does dad even know about love?'
'Trust me, underneath that hulk of a man is probably a heartbroken person. I could tell by how he spoke to me.'
'Creepy.' Evelyn mumbled.
Ava opened the door from her room then walked out, standing next by the stairs. She watched her father sitting in the dining alone, looking into nothingness and not saying a word. He was the most emotional and most vulnerable he had ever been.
Ava walked down the stairs and looked at her father. He didn't bother to look back at her, he continued to stare at the wall.
She proceeded to walk into the kitchen and make some tea for her father. Even though all these years she had thought he was an absolutely terrible person, she felt like he could use a shoulder at that moment.
She waited for the tea to come to a boil, before she poured it in a mug for him. She returned to the dining room and placed it in front of Michael.
'I didn't ask for this.' Michael spoke seriously, looking at her.
'I know, but you probably need it.' Ava pulled a chair opposite him.
Reluctantly, Michael grabbed the mug and took a sip of the tea. There was silence in the room except for the water dripping into the sink in the kitchen. Still more, Ava didn't mind. She just wanted to understand her father's actual feelings for Mrs. Ma and what had actually happened.
'We're all vulnerable at some point in our lives.' Michael finally spoke after taking his third gulp at the tea. 'Was it strange for you to see me like that?'
She nodded.
'Well, I'm human too. I've got my weaknesses and things that hurt me.' he shrugged helplessly.
'A friend once told me we all have a story, something that's made a large impact on us that it fairy impacts the way we live. What's your story dad? I have a feeling you've never shared it with anyone before.'
Michael cracked a small smile as if what she was saying was senseless. 'Why would I tell you?'
'Because who else would you tell?'
Michael thought about it for a moment before he started to speak.
...
'You should probably sleep now, you have school tomorrow.' Mrs. Ma told Jiaqi as she caressed his hair.
'I do,' he nodded, 'but I don't think I'll be able to sleep unless I understand what's going on.' he was sitting on his bed in his room, and his mother had simply come inside to give him a "goodnight". But Jiaqi wanted more than that, he wanted an explanation.
'There's not much I can say.'
'I think there is.' he encouraged.
Mrs. Ma slightly smiled then sat down next to him. 'Well you can already tell that I knew Mr. Habibe, I knew him since the first time he came here when he was about 18.'
Jiaqi nodded curiously.
'I thought he was a pretty handsome man, a really hardworking immigrant. He lived among the outcasts and the not so well to do people. But that somehow made me like him even more. And you know...I was from a well to do family.'
'Yeah.' Jiaqi nodded, remembering how fancy and admirable his maternal grandparents' home was.
'When we started talking, he said I was probably the first person of a different status who had ever talked to him, and it made quite an impact. I remember that day we met at the local market and I was buying fish, our conversation started with fish actually.' she laughed as if it was silly. 'Anyway, we became quite close after that. Even though we were from two different worlds, we were so similar.'
Jiaqi couldn't help but smile as his mother explained her teenage romance.
'Then we started dating and we dated for about two years, until I had to face reality.' She looked down at her fingers. 'No matter how much I loved him, he was an outcast. He was someone who could typically be found in the street doing some petty work. And people couldn't look past that.'
'Oh,' Jiaqi commented sadly, already predicting what was coming.
'When we were together, people would make really horrible comments. And when my parents heard about it, they couldn't look past it. They told me that even though I loved him, I had to think about my future...and the future of my kids. I needed to give myself and the people I would give birth to a beautiful life, and Mr. Habibe couldn't really do that for my kids. He had no education, no financial stability...' she continued sadly. 'And when you're young, your parents usually seem wiser. So I listened to them despite how hard it was.'
'I see, and he was so heartbroken wasn't he?'
'Very. Later on I met your father. Well he was interesting back then, sweet and caring. But somehow the spark just died.' Mrs. Ma shook her head in disappointment.
'That's a sad story, but I guess it makes sense now. Mr. Habibe is so heartbroken that he hurts me. Of course...who would want to see the product of the woman he loved with another man? It's almost like the physical manifestation of their love.' he paused. 'So if you could go back, would you choose Mr. Habibe over dad?'
Mrs. Ma shook her head, much to Jiaqi's surprise. 'Some things just don't work no matter how hard you try. As long as society is around, and people are around, they can pull you apart. I believe I would have unfortunately listened to the people who were speaking eventually. They would have manipulated my mind and ruined our relationship either way.'
'I see.'
'Do you love Ava?' Mrs. Ma suddenly asked him.
'What?' he was shocked for a moment before he decided to reply. 'I don't know. I care about her, I like spending time with her, I think she's pretty cute.'
'So you do.' She sighed. 'I don't want you to have your heart broken. You see, I'm your mother and I care about you. I've lived longer on this earth than you have, and I know the society. A relationship between you and Ava would never work. You're from a quite prestigious family, she's the daughter of a struggling immigrant. People are bound to tear you apart.'
'Why would I let someone tear us apart?' Jiaqi face palmed. 'Not that we're dating or anything.'
'It's not that you let it happen. It just happens. When people talk, it just eventually affects you.'
'Then I won't listen to what people say.'
She chuckled. 'You're so young Jiaqi. Naturally, we humans are always affected by what people say. No one is strong enough to block their ears from the words people speak.'
'But I think...I think I might love her.' he admitted.
'If you love her, don't give her any hope that this is going to work. Be honest with her and be honest with yourself. I'm telling you this as someone who cares about you and someone who's been in that situation before.'
'But...'
The door suddenly opened, and Mr. Ma showed poked his head inside the room. 'Hey you better not be feeding my son trash about your past loves! He has more important things to focus on like school alright!?'
'You think I don't know that?' Mrs. Ma stood up. 'He was failing to sleep because he had so many questions in his mind so I had to talk to him.'
'And you told him lies about how Michael was so much better than me?'
'No dad,' Jiaqi intervened. 'She didn't say anything like that. She just told me as it was.'
Mr. Ma looked at Jiaqi then back at Mrs. Ma. 'Whatever. Let him sleep now will you?'
'I know.' She turned to Jiaqi. 'Goodnight sweetie.'
'Night mom.'
His father was the next to wish him a good night as his parents left arguing, closing the door behind him.
Jiaqi got himself in bed and turned off the lamp, his mind filled with thoughts. He wondered if the things he called love were just immature mistakes.