This year's Valentine's week was a bore. Qing and I didn't plan anything special to do. We didn't even left the condo. It was me. It was my fault. Me and my neurosis.
Qing: (frowning as he was about to lose his patience on me) I think it's time to forbid you to watch any news.
Me: (horrified at his suggestion) But how will we know what's going on with the virus flying around in our air?
Qing: (sighing) Stop worrying about the virus. It's hundred of miles away from us, Dayu ah. We are safe here in Beijing.
Me: There are known cases now in Japan, US and Europe. In case you don't know, those places are also hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from WuHan. But that virus still managed to get in there. If those abroad are not safe, what does that said about us?
Qing: That we are hundreds of miles away from this virus.
Ugh! He is so stubborn.
Me: I feel like the government is not moving fast enough to resolve this. I'm not happy, Qing.
Qing: I am happy. There are news now that a vaccine to kill the virus will be available soon. Research are going on and there are breakthroughs. Some patients got well after taking the trial treatments. That's promising. I am happy.
Me: Well, I am not.
Qing: That's because you are neurotic.
(Gasp)
Yeah! That! I gasped too. How dare he call me neurotic?!
Me: (affronted) How dare you call me neurotic?!
Qing: Because you are one. And I am not please, Dayu ah. Calm down before you suffer from a panic attack. That won't do at all, my Love. I'm telling you now, that won't make me happy. I will beat your ass if you had a panic attack about this virus.
Me: (eyes widening) What a minute...you will beat my ass? Me?! I will already suffer from a panic attack and you will still whoop my ass? Why?
Qing: Because this is not something you should be worried about.
Me: People are dying, Qing...
Qing: And I feel sorry for them. But that's not reason enough for you to scare yourself enough to experience a panic attack.
Me: Ugh! Stop about my panic attack already.
Talk about being neurotic. How dare Qing to accuse me of over worrying about anything when he is clearly going out of his mind worrying about me having a panic attack.
(It's because Baba cares about you more than anyone, Dayu ah. You know that. Baba can throw away anyone but you...)
Yeah. Okay. Alright. Still...ugh! Why is he being like this? He should stop worrying too much about me.
Qing: I will...once you start being logical about this virus. And just to be clear, you are no longer allowed to consume any news about that. Starting right now, I forbid you to read anything about this virus. Stick with reading news about sports and the entertainment world.
Me: (amazed) You cannot do that! You cannot control what I consume as news. That's dictatorship! That's wrong!
Qing: (shrugging) I don't care. This is for your own good.
Me: (snorting) That's what dictators say while oppressing the rights of people around them. Go down this path and you are now a dictator, Qing...
Qing: (chuckling) Fine then. I am the dictator and you are the oppressed person. This condo is now under my authoritarian regime.
(Omona)
He is insane if he thinks I will agree to that.
Me: Well, I don't want that!
Qing: No? Well, what will you do about it?
Me: (pointing a finger at him) I challenge you for that dictator's seat. If I win, I will be the dictator and you will do everything I say.
Qing: (nodding) Okay. I accept the challenge. What should we play to see who will win?
Me: Fastest person to finish a pint of ice cream.
(LOL)
Qing: (sneering) You will win that one. You don't eat ice cream, my Love, you sniff it like a line of cocaine. That game is unfair to me.
Me: (snickering) I don't care.
Qing: Well, I care. So let's do it this way. Lets play rock, paper, scissor and whoever wins will get to pick the game we will play to see who will be the dictator in this house. Call?
Me: Call!
(Dayu ah, you will win the rock, paper and scissor game, right?)
I will. I am good at it. Don't worry. Your Baba has a tell. He always play scissor first and then paper. This will end quickly. Plus, I will get to eat ice cream. See how clever I am.
(Okay, we believe in you)
I am feeling confident as Qing and I faced each other to play rock, paper, scissor. I even taunted him that I will play rock just to mess with his psyche. Qing smiled at me as we fisted our right hands and get ready to play.
Qing counted to three and we both revealed our hands in the space between us.
(Did you win?)
Well...
(Oh no...)
Right. I lost that one. Qing played paper to my rock so I lost that first one. But I cajoled Qing to make it best of five...
(Did you win the best of five game?)
No. I got defeated thrice.
(All hope is lost)
Hey! Not yet! I mean, sure I lost the rock, paper, scissor game but there is still a chance I will be the dictator in our home. All I need to do is beat Qing on the game he will choose for us to play.
(What is the game, Dayu ah)
Qing: Wrestling.
(Oy vey)
Yes. That. And I lost my patience too. I snatched a throw pillow to smack it at Qing's chest.
Me: You bastard! I will lose that game! You know that!
Qing: (suppressing his laughter as he nods) Yes. Just like you know that I will lose the ice cream eating contest. But I won the rock, paper and scissor game, fair and square, so...wrestling it is. Are you in or are you admitting defeat?
I weighed the options on my head.
(What options? There are no multiple options, Dayu ah. You will only have options if you have the ability to overpower Baba...)
I know. I know. I just. I'm weighing the choice about risking body aches and if it's worth it. Body aches with my pride intact or no body aches but under Qing's command.
(Wow, your options are depressing)
I know. And Qing knows it too that's why he smiled at me and offered some honey to sweeten the pot.
Qing: Forfeit and I will let you have two scoops of ice cream before we get ready for bed tonight.
(Oh ice cream. Your ultimate downfall. Baba is diabolical)
No. Donuts are my ultimate downfall. Ice cream is on the top five but it's not my ultimate downfall.
Me: Three scoops and I will drink the smoothie tomorrow morning.
Qing: (frowning) Ice cream or not, you have to drink smoothie tomorrow. It will have spinach which are good for you. The doctors ordered you to eat more nutritious food, Dayu ah.
Yes they did. Doctors told me to eat more balanced food and add more vegetables and fruits on my diet to balance the chemicals on my body and to help prevent panic attacks. Am I happy? No. Because Qing said strawberry and currant jams are not considered fruits. He argued that for them to count, they have to be fresh vegetables and fruits. Fresh being the operative word. Qing is too fussy.
And he suggested that what better way to add more fresh vegetables and fruits on my system than drinking smoothies twice a week. That's why two mornings a week, Qing makes smoothies for us that we drink together. Because as the saying goes, the couple that drink smoothies together...one of them probably has no choice but to do it.
(Dayu ah...lol)
Me: (groaning) Why are you reminding me of the doctors' orders and the ingredients for tomorrow's smoothie?
Qing: (shrugging) No particular reason.
Me: (hating him) (pouting) Three scoops of ice cream and you win.
Qing chuckled before hugging me. I moaned while hugging him back. I choose not to sacrifice my body. I don't need body aches. Qing can dictate away, I don't care anymore. I will have my ice cream so that's a win for me.
So...I am not consuming much news nowadays. Qing prohibited me from reading too much news about the virus and asking me to stop stressing myself. Qing might show a brave front but I know he has that issue on his mind as well. Knowing him, once it got too serious, he will surely bundle me up on an airplane to get us out of the country.
But for now...I am worrying less. No news, no worry. All I need to do is enjoy the rest of the Valentine's week with my boyfriend.
And his family. We will have dinner with his parents on Valentine's Day...so that's something to look forward too.
Happy Heart Month everyone. Do you have plans with your loved ones for Valentine's? It doesn't have to be with a lover...celebrate it with the people close to your heart. It's good to be in love and to share it with people you treasure the most.
Right?