We had surprise visitors last weekend. My parents landed here in the capital, not to spend time with their one and only child...but to spend time with their son's fiancé's parents.
Me: (while watching Mama unload all the homemade food she packed for me and Qing) You mean you and Baba will not sleep here in the condo?
Mama: Yes. We will sleep in the mansion. Qing's mother invited us here and we agreed to do something together so its more convenient if we will stay there.
Me: Oh...
Mama: (halted in unpacking food containers) Why is your face like that? Are you really upset that we are not here to spend time with you...?
Me: (wincing as Baba and Qing entered the kitchen together) No. Not really. It's just...
Baba: Are you worried about us and Qing's parents spending time together?
Qing: (slightly frowning) You are both here to spend time with my parents?
Baba: (nodding) Yes. We traveled here because your parents invited us for a weekend get together, Qing.
Qing: Oh...(glancing at me) I see...
Qing and I spoke silently with our eyes. I tried not to project the panic and worry that started to creep inside me. I mean, I have questions like...
Why our parents are meeting this weekend? What is the occassion? What will they do? What is happening?! And oh my God, are you all sure I can't have a panic attack right now?!!
Shit!
(Dayu ah...)
Deep breath in. Hold it. Deep breath out. And repeat. And repeat.
I am Zen. I am calm personified.
(*sigh* You are so full of shit...)
Mama: (sighing) Are you doing your breathing exercise while standing like a statue there?
Me: (because I can't find any reasonable reason to deny it) Yes.
Mama: Why?
Me: Because I am concern about what the four of you will do while having this get together.
Mama: (wincing) Its your worst fear. We will discuss the details of your wedding together.
Me: Wow. What will I do now that you just...gone be honest like that?
Mama: Stop being too overly concern.
Qing: Dayu has a lot of concerns, Mama.
Mama: Why would he be concern? You two are the ones who gave us the go signal to start listing things and details for your wedding. Remember?
We did? Did we really? What?
I feel confuse but not Qing who apparently has a sharper memory bank in his head than the one I have in mine.
Qing: Right. We did that. But...we just said that I think over a month ago. You and Mama are ready to brainstorm our wedding already?
Mama: (bright smile) Not brainstorm. More like strategize. I mean, we will probably make a game plan on how best to help you two prepare your wedding.
I blinked. I think I should be reacting although for the love of me...I don't know what to say while in that moment. So I looked at my father for guidance on what to do with moments like this.
Baba: (sighing) Don't look at me like I have the thing that could save your ass, Dayu ah. For what its worth, I tried telling your mother that this might trigger your panic attack.
Upon my Baba mentioning my panic attack, I turned to my mother. I gestured at my Baba.
Me: What he said...the panic attack thing...
Mama: (rolling her eyes) You will not weaponize your panic attack like this, right? That's just...ugly and cowardice, Dayu ah. No one in this family will expect you two to marry right away. The date will still be up to the two of you. We are just here to make list of details. A soft start to preparing your wedding three years from now.
Qing: (wincing) Five actually.
Me: (at the same time) More like ten years from now...
Mama and Baba looked at each other.
Baba: (grimacing) Qing's number could be discuss on the table. (to me) Son, don't be ridiculous. A ten year engagement is not reasonable.
Qing cleared his throat while a look of superiority flashed on his eyes. I growled at his direction. Qing just grinned at me.
Me: Fine...lets discuss that later. I'm just...
Mama: Don't panic. No one, least of all me, will push you to get married when you are still not ready. (chuckling) Stop overreacting there...
I sighed but was mollified with what she said. My parents had dinner with us before they got into a taxi to get to the museleom. I escorted them to the building's lobby.
When the taxi carrying my parents left the condo building's driveway, I hurried back to our condo to start pressuring Qing.
Me: You need to talk to your mother. This is not sustainable, Qing. You need to control your mother.
Qing: What version of Earth were you living in to think that I can control Mama? You know I can't do that.
Me: (frustrated) Oh! Grow a spine!
Qing: (scowling) I have a spine. But tell me, do you really want me to clash with my mother about this when the ink on the treaty I signed with my parents is not fully dried yet? Remember, I just had a clash with them...
Me: Oh right! Shoot! No! Don't clash with Mama. Bad idea. Bad!
Qing sighed. I went close to hug him. I kissed the side of his neck.
Me: Sorry. For implying that you are a coward. That's...not good. I know, more than anyone, how brave and strong you are. Especially when dealing with your parents. What I said was poorly worded. What is wrong with me? Why am I like this?
Qing: (hugging me back) You are panicking when you don't need to be.
Me: (sighing) You think so?
Qing: Yes. I mean, what's the worse thing that could happen besides our parents ironing everything for our wedding in under two hours. From the reception venue to the design of the invitation, they'll decide on everything. (tone turning grim) And then they will start planning on where we will start the adoption process for the grandchild they have all been waiting for and do a game plan on how they will interfere in us raising our kid...I...
Qing gave me an alarmed look.
Qing: Dayu, I think we need to shut that down.
Me: You scared yourself good with that one, right?
Qing nodded.
Me: I told you we should control that! You should listen to me more!
Qing: (wincing) Your overthinking ways are getting rubbed on me.
Me: It happened when I had my tongue deep in your mouth while we are french kissing that I am almost touching your tonsil...
Qing: (grinning) Wanna french kiss?
I nodded to that. Of course.
(Of course...you two get distracted easily)
That we do. And what followed was a sweet and thorough make out session in our bed that ended with us embracing and my hand going inside Qing's shorts so I can pull on his dick to get it hard.
Qing: (hand patting my hand under his short to encourage me) What do you want to do about it?
Me: I want to suck it. That's why I want it to get hard so I can suck it good til I gag.
Qing: (laughing) I'm not talking about my dick. I'm talking about our parents getting together this weekend.
Me: (gripping him tighter) Oh...I don't know. Should we join them this weekend? I mean, its our wedding...we have the rights to be involve in preparing it. Right?
Qing: (contemplative) Right. So, we'll go to the museleom tomorrow?
Me: I think so.
Qing: Okay. Good talk. We came up with a decision, go us. (pulling his shorts down to expose himself) Now, you can go sucking.
Me: (grinning happily) Alright!
I went down his body and went to town on his dick.
And the next day...we turned up in Qing's parents' home to try and control things. You know, curb our parents enthusiasms about our wedding.
Or at least thats the game plan.
But then...wedding favors entered the conversation.
By the way, wedding favors is I think another term for wedding souvenirs or giveaways. Its just calling it wedding favors makes it sound a bit fancy. Which is fitting, because our mothers and I decided that we will go for an elegant yet fancy wedding.
Mama: You like glitters in your wedding? Not literal glitters but your know, fancy lights and clear cut crystals that twinkles?
Me: (nodding enthusiastically) Yes! Yes that! I want a sparkly and glittery wedding.
Qing's mother: Oh, I think I want that for you and Qing as well.
Me: (smiling at our parents) Right? It'll be beautiful. As long as it won't be too tacky.
Mama: (snorting) My son's wedding won't be tacky. E. Ver.
Qing's mother: The only way it will be tacky is if your wedding happens over my cold corpse.
Me: Okay! I like the way you two think.
Qing: Jesus H. Christ.
Baba: I never thought that Dayu will be this energetic discussing details for his wedding.
Qing's father: It's good to see it.
Me: (busy with looking at wedding favors selection) What will be better? Silver doves in crystal domes or our silver initials in crystal domes.
Qing's mother: I think I like your names' initials.
Me: I think I like that too. But also look, we can give away little bottles of scents. I think I will like to receive little bottles of fragrant scents or oils if I attend a wedding.
Mama: We gave away scented candles with ribbon with our names written on it for our wedding favors. I still have one kept well with my other wedding memorabilia.
Me: Ah! Candles! Should we go for that as well? Candles are always good, especially the scented ones.
Qing's mother: Or the candle is shaped into something...like hearts or flowers.
Mama: Won't it be to tacky if its shaped like a flower?
Qing's mother: Not if its a tasteful flower like lotus or delicate like jasmine.
Me: Wow...that would look really tasteful.
Mama: (looking at the magazine again) Oh, you can also use little bottles of wine as giveaways. You just need to put cute ribbons on it. Look Dayu ah...
Mama showed me pictures of mini wine bottles with cute ribbons. It's complete with cork top.
Me: (closing the magazine on my lap) We will go with that! We already have a winner. That's it...we can close shop now. Good job, everyone. Thank you for your hard work.
Our parents and I laughed. But one of us is not laughing and I stared at Qing, with his lips set on a stern pose.
Me: What?
Qing: (standing from the solo armchair where he was sitting a moment ago) (holding his hand out to me) Can we talk in private? Just for a minute.
Me: (frowning as I took his hand) Oh...okay...
Qing pulled me up and pulled me towards the garden. My fiancé looked a bit grim. I wonder what is his problem now.
(That you even need to ask that...you...oh...)