Qing came home to find me having wine while reading a poetry book in the middle of the afternoon.
Qing: (looking around) Is my sister here?
Me: (turning a page of my book) No. Why are you asking that?
Qing: Because it's the middle of the afternoon and you are already drinking. You only do that when my sister is visiting. You two love to drink together.
Me: Well, she is not here and I have a valid reason to drink.
Qing: And that reason would be...?
Me: Because I am stressed to my gill and this is the only way I know how to relax in a short span of time.
Qing: (blinking rapidly) Oooookay...I'll just uhm...get some water...
Qing put down his bag on the floor before coming over to kiss my cheek.
Qing: Glad to come home to you, Love...and ah...we will talk after I had some water.
Me: (waving my hand) Sure sure...and while you are in the kitchen, let your eyes roam around and maybe you will find a clue on why I am drinking wine in the middle of the afternoon.
Qing: (sighing) Okay.
Qing walked to the kitchen and I started counting for him to comeback.
Me: (softly muttering to myself) Seven...eight...nine...
Qing: (from the kitchen) What the hell?!
I smiled as I wait for my fiancé to storm back into the living room to ask me questions I know he will ask.
Qing: (standing before me with a glass of water in his hand) What the hell, Love? You bought a new fridge?
(Wait?! What?!)
Me: (looking up at him) Correction, it's a wine cooler or as I was informed, a wine fridge.
Qing: Yeah...food or wine fridge, cooler or not, I don't care! That's a fridge! You bought it?
Me: (going back to my reading) Nope. It's an engagement gift. From your Uncle and Auntie.
Qing: Wait? What?!
Me: Uhuh...someone, probably your parents, informed Uncle and Auntie Wang about our engagement. Next thing I knew, Auntie is marching here, looking around and then leaving. Only to come back with people and a wine fridge. Joy!
Qing winced. Maybe because even if I exclaimed the word "joy", he couldn't find it on my face or tone. It's because I am not joyful about any of that. Not happy at all.
Qing: You should have called me.
Me: Yeah, call Qing while he is working...that never crossed my mind. (glaring at him) Of course I wanted to call you! But I restrained myself because one, you are working and two, I was dealing with your Aunt...who by the way, I think hates me again!
I am feeling incensed that I closed the poetry book I was reading because all the relaxed feeling I managed to acquire from reading has now flown out of the window.
Qing: (sighing as he rubbed a hand on his nape) Tell me every detail of what happened.
Me: It started when I got a call, Auntie telling me that she is on her way here. I asked if she will have lunch with me but then she said no, she just wants to see me. So she came here, inspected my ring, look around the condo and then left again. I had lunch, feeling like everything is normal...until your Aunt came back with people and a wine fridge with her.
Qing: How many people?
Me: Four.
Qing: (eyes widening) Four people? Why that many people...?
Me: Two of them are carrying wine crates. (chuckling like I am going insane) Because apparently, you cannot have a wine fridge without any wine in them. Oh by the way again, your Aunt was not impressed with the wines we are sampling right now. We apparently should have known better.
Qing: (clamping his lips then sighing) Love...she didn't know that you are just beginning to learn the Art of Wines and Cheeses.
Me: True. That's why all I did was nod and try to stay sane while your Aunt ordered two guys to move things around in our kitchen to install the wine fridge and the other two to arrange the wine bottles in it when it's in place.
Qing groaned.
Qing: Dayu ah...
Me: Strangers came into my home and move around here without so much as my by leave. At least they were wearing masks and clean gloves and they frequently washed their hands using our sink. And our soap...oh...
Qing: (grimacing) Did you...disinfect the whole kitchen after they left? Or was that a stupid question?
Me: (squinting my eyes at him) Why did you think I looked freshly washed and my hair is still damp? I just came out of the shower after I slaved away in that kitchen after they were gone. I wiped every surface, every bottle...every corner. I replaced the soap on the sink. I sprayed disinfectant on the sink twice. I think I've gone insane for an hour while cleaning.
Qing: (sitting down on the center table and putting down the glass of water) Love...
Me: Having OCD is really...
Qing: It's a blessing. I would rather you obssess in cleaning the condo than deciding to get on a car and drive away. The first activity kept you inside this house. (taking my hands in his) I'm sorry, Love.
Me: (sighing) Oh it's not your fault. It's not even Auntie's fault. She was just...flustered when she learned about our engagement and she and Uncle worry about what they could give us as an engagement gift. How she came here, looked around and decided that we need a wine fridge...I won't ever understand. I mean, she could have just given us some good bottles of wine and then suggest that we should buy a wine cooler. You know, she doesn't need to literally buy us one.
Qing: Well...she and Uncle clearly wants to give us something.
Me: That's the thing, they shouldn't have to give us something. It's just an engagememt, it's not like we are married already. I think that's the normal way of doing things. You give appliances to married couples, not engaged couples.
Qing: Yeah...we don't do things normally in our family. I will call Uncle and Aunt later to...
Me: (sharp eyes) To thank them...for their gift to us.
Qing: Right. That's what I should do.
Me: Please, do it like that. Lets not...ahm...how to say this...make an issue out of it. I mean, it's an issue for me but I don't want to offend or get anyone else in your family mad at me. So maybe...we should just thank them and lets move on.
Qing: (sighing) Okay, if that's how you want to play this.
Qing looked at the glass of wine I am nursing. He picked it up and took a sip.
Qing: (surprised) Oh, this is good wine. (drinking again)
Me: (nodding) Yeah, it's from one of the bottles your Uncle and Aunt gave to us. Those two crates has a dozen of wine bottles on them. Reds, whites, some rosé and even a bottle of champagne.
Qing: (passing the glass of wine to me) They are thorough.
Me: (taking a sip) Yup, they are.
Qing leaned forward to kiss my forehead.
Qing: (smiling at me) I will call them to say thank you for their gifts but I will assure you that this will be the last time they will barge in here and change things around by giving us appliances that needed some installing from strangers.
Me: (smiling back at him) If you could do that...then I will be ever grateful. It was really stressful, Qing. To see strangers in my home. I know that seems irrational to some but...
Qing: It's not irrational. Who wants strangers on their home? Not me. I don't like that too and I don't have your OCD, imagine that. And if some people will judge you for that...well fuck them! This is your home, you should always feel secure here.
Me: Thanks.
I put the wine glass down to hug Qing. He joined me on the couch to hug me tight as well. I started feeling better about this day. Now that Qing is here and comforting me...I started feeling good.
After comforting me, Qing changed his clothes and we silently spend time together on the couch, doing our own things...just in peace that we are together. When it was time to start dinner, we both moved to work on the kitchen.
After having dinner together, Qing called his Uncle and Aunt to thank them for their engagement present to us. He moved that phonecall in our bedroom while I stayed in the living room to put back the poetry book I read that afternoon. I just followed Qing into our bedroom once I tidied up the living toom.
I found Qing sitting in our bed and tapping his phone on his thigh.
Me: How was it?
Qing: (looking at me) It went fine. I also called my parents and I learned that they had a conversation with your parents and the four of them decided that it's okay for them to inform close relatives to let them know that we are already engaged.
Me: Oh.
Qing: (sighing) I think your Mama left you a message...but it looks like you haven't read it yet.
Me: I was so stressed about the strangers in our home that I didn't think to check on my phone.
Qing: (standing up) Yup...well, that's what's happening. They messaged us to inform us that they want to tell close relatives about our engagement.
Me: How close is close relatives?
Qing: Well, so far...my parents has only informed my Uncle and Aunt about our engagement. She is waiting for my signal if she can share the news to our other relatives. Maybe some of Baba's cousins and her cousins and close friends. People they trust.
Me: Oh...okay.
Qing: Maybe you should check your phone.
Me: Right! I have to do that.
I searched for my phone and when I found it, I looked for my Mama's message to me. I sighed when I read her message.
Me: Bad news, she told my grandmother. Good news, she told my grandmother. That saved us from facing GrandMa's wrath.
Qing: But we are still dead. Fuck!
Me: Yes. And I have a phone call to make because even though my parents has explained the situation to GrandMa, she will still want to hear from me. Excuse me.
I went to the living room to call my grandmother who answered my call, cry in happiness that I am already engaged, get pissy that I hid it from everyone and also encourage me to be happy.
GrandMa: Your parents already explained things to me. I'm glad you call to collaborate their story. Dayu ah...as long as you are happy...
Me: I am happy GrandMa.
GrandMa: Then take your time, my dear boy. I would love to see my great grandson but since I will still be alive for three more decades...
Me: Ten more decades. You will outlive us all...
GrandMa: Don't be silly. I don't want to outlive any of you. But I do plan to stay healthy as long as I can so I can see your children.
Me: Stay with us for a long long time then...
GrandMa: I will. I love you, Dayu ah. I am happy for you.
Me: I love you too, GrandMa. Qing and I will visit you soon to...to get your formal blessing.
GrandMa: (snorting haughtily) As you should.
She won't let me get out of this unscathed. I love her so much.
I ended that call to more of her love for me. I went back to our room to see Qing waiting for me. One look on my face, he opened his arms and I willingly went into his embrace.
Qing: (kissing my forehead) It will be alright. I made Mama promise not to tell anyone of our relatives without my explicit permission. She listened to me and said yes. What about you?
Me: I told my GrandMa not to tell anyone without notifying me first. She didn't listen to me and told me to trust her. So congratulations Qing, your mother still respects you. I think my GrandMa doesn't respect me.
Qing: (chuckling) That's not true. That woman will kill anyone for you. I know she will cherish and keep our engagement well. I pity anyone who will try to take that secret from her. I'm scared of your grandmother.
Me: Yeah. She is awesome. She is not angry. She is worried about me though and I hate that. I hate making her worry about me. But she told me that that's her only hobby now, worrying about me and Mama.
Qing: Her only hobby? What about playing mahjong?
Me: Oh, that's her hustle. She earns money from that. She hustles money from her opponents. They shouldn't really play with GrandMa. She's robbing them of money.
Qing stared at me like he is gauging if I am telling the truth. I grinned at him. Qing chuckled and we laughed together. We hugged again.
Qing: (kissing my cheek) It will be alright.
Me: Yes. It will be.
Cross fingers.