Fan Fiction |
by ran_shuang_hua
“Use your head, MZ! If the club is packed with dancing and drinking people, where would we place those little bundles?” DMS pointed to the kids playing at a set-up playpen on one corner.
“There you go again, using your ‘use your head’ phrase. What happened to the ‘am I asking for your opinion’?” Lei teased.
“Just let him be, Lei. He has found ‘new intelligence’,” XM added with a chuckle.
“Go on, make fun of me. I’m not going to give a damn. I’m a renewed person and I intend to stay that way,” DMS calmly said but it was obvious that he was preventing steam from coming out of his nostrils and ears.
Everyone laughed at the funny scene that DMS was creating. “Man, you should have taken anger management sessions a long time ago!” CH blurted out while laughing.
DMS ears pricked. “Man?! Since when can you refer to me that way?! I only took up anger management sessions, not Mr. Congeniality!” he started to grab CH but luckily SC was able to stop him.
“Pig…I mean dearie, breathe. Remember what the instructor told us? Take deep breaths…,” SC was trying hard too not to be taken over by her war-freak side. This made the whole gang erupt more with laughter.
“You mean you took up that anger management session with him, SC?” Jing asked incredulously.
“Yeah. I figured that its about time Ah Si and I stop being war-freaks or else Misha and Shou Hui will grow up to be like us,” SC said after both she and Ah Si had calmed down.
“That’s great news! So that’s why the teacher was congratulating me when you asked me to pick up Shou Hui at school one time. She said Shou Hui has been getting into less fights with the other kids,” XM exclaimed.
“You mean you pick up Ah Si’s kids? It’s not fair! I once asked you to pick up Yuuki for me when I was stuck in an emergency meeting but you refused!” MZ pouted.
“Hey, I’m not being unfair. It’s just that I was on my way to pick up Shiela at that moment and Shou Hui’s school was on the way,” XM explained.
“Speaking of Shiela, where is she? Why isn’t she here?” Xiao Qiao asked.
“Uh, that’s because we broke up,” XM said in a deadpan voice while drinking his vodka in one gulp.
“WHAT???” everyone exclaimed so loud that the kids were all startled and started to cry.
“You and your blasted news, XM!” Lei protested as he made his way to the playpen. It was his turn to keep the children down.
“What do you mean you guys broke up?” SC asked again.
“We broke up. Simple as that,” XM shrugged.
“But you were going steady for 3 years now,” CH said in a confused voice.
“And who broke up with whom? Please don’t tell me you did,” Jing said in a desperate voice.
“Sorry Jing, but I really had to do it,” XM said with an impish smile.
“WHY? WHY? OH WHY?” Mimi asked dramatically.
“Because I just woke up one day and I realized that I don’t love her enough to marry her. I don’t want to be unfair to her by giving her false hopes so I ended things before the notion of marriage seeps into her mind,” XM explained.
“But she’s a great girl, XM,” SC pointed out.
“I know. But what can I do? I don’t feel anything for her anymore. I didn’t even feel hurt when I broke up with her. Guilt, maybe, but definitely not heartbreaking pain.”
“Do you realize that Shiela’s already the third girl? You also broke up with Francesca and Pamela for the same reasons. And mind you, you also had long relationships with those two,” MZ reminded XM.
“Look bro, we’re happy that you’ve given up serial monogamy for the past 9 years and had 3 serious relationships. But it all boils down to the present. You’re still unattached and you’re turning 30! It’s about time you start having your own army like us,” DMS
“Guys, please stop this. You’re starting to sound like my parents,” XM complained and covered his ears with his hands.
SC reached for his hands to pull them out of his ears. “XM, we’re just concerned. You’re not getting any younger.”
“Do you think I’m not worried about that too? I really want to get married, you know. I love kids! I want to have a family! But what can I do? I just can’t seem to find the right girl for me,” XM said with a grimace.
“Poor you,” Jing teased. “You’re the only one stuck.”
“Uh, not really. There’s still XY,” SC said out of the blue.
“Xiao You? As in Yang Xiao You? The girl you used to work in the bakeshop with?” MZ asked with an amused expression.
“Yup, my best friend,” SC said with a sympathetic sigh.
“Why are you sighing like that?” Lei asked when he got back.
“I just remembered the last conversation I had with her about a month ago…” SC seemed to be lost in a time warp.
“Conversation with who?” Lei asked no one in particular.
“With her best friend Xiao You,” Jing supplied the information.
“Xiao You? As in the girl with bangs and pouty lips and lots of determination?” Lei asked amusedly.
“You also know her?” Xiao Qiao asked.
“Yeah, who wouldn’t? Even XM and Ah Si know her,” Lei answered while gulping down a drink.
“Then why don’t you guys talk about her?” Mimi asked.
“Maybe its because we lost contact of her. The last time we saw her was 9 years ago. And we didn’t even get to chat with her that long. She spent her last days here in Taiwan with XM,” CH shrugged. “But we miss her a lot.”
“She spent her last days here with you, XM?” SC was surprised.
“Didn’t she tell you about it?” XM asked and SC responded with a headshake. “She came back to show me the billboard that Xiao Gen wanted me to see way way back. After that, she went back to Canada,” he explained nonchalantly. His and Xiao Gen’s story is now an open book among them.
“Oh, the billboard,” Ah Si said with a chuckle. “You know what, XM. I thought you and XY had something going on.”
XM smiled at DMS’ remark. “I thought so too. We kept in touch after that billboard incident. But a few months later she stopped responding to my emails and I couldn’t reach her through phone. It’s like the spark died and then I met Francesca…and the rest is history,” XM shrugged.
“Maybe you lost contact because she moved to California. I also haven’t heard anything about her until she called me up last month. She said she saw my picture on some magazine and then did some researching so she’d be able to contact me,” SC tried to reason out. She had this hopeful glimmer in her eyes.
“Maybe…but that doesn’t matter anymore. I mean, it’s been 9 years. She probably has her own life and I have mine. There are no loose strings or hard feelings so let’s leave things that way.”
“Have you really gotten over her?” MZ asked.
“Yeah, and I’m sure she’s forgotten about me too. But I have to admit that sometimes she pops into my head. Like right now. I wonder how she has been and what she’s doing right now…” XM said with a sincere look.
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“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” the little girl impatiently chanted at the top of her lungs while swaying her dangling legs over the sofa.
“I’m coming!” came a shouted response.
“You’ve been saying that for the past 5 minutes but you never come down! I’m gonna be late for my first class mom!” the little girl whined.
“I’m here, see?” XY said as she presented herself in front of the little girl. She got a scrutinizing look from head to foot.
“Mommy, you were stuck in your room for an hour. The lest you could do is fix up yourself!”
“What? I’m good!” XY emphasized as she looked down at herself, her hair covering her face in the process.
“Your outfit looks fine but your hair and face…Uh-uh! You should learn how to put your make-up on and do your hair!” the little girl pointed out while holding a pocket mirror in front of XY’s face.
“Since when did you learn about hair and make-up? You’re only 5!” XY protested. But when she looked at her reflection on the mirror, she can’t help but grimace. Then she shook her head before ranting on, “I don’t have time for those things! Come on, we have to get going or you’ll be late,” she said as she ushered the little girl out of the house.
“With your driving skills, I’m sure we’ll make it on time. You can beat Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in the tracks!”
Just then, a neighbor called out. “Xiao You!”
Xiao You and the little girl both looked. “Oh, me?” they asked in chorus.
“I’m sorry, I forgot there are two Xiao Yous in the house. I’m referring to your mom, Xiao You Jr.,” the old lady chuckled while ruffling little XY’s hair.
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“She said she’s studying again,” SC was relaying to everyone her latest information about XY.
“What? Doesn’t she ever get tired of school?” DMS made a blech face.
“Maybe she’s taking up graduate studies,” Lei pitched in.
“No, she said she took up another degree in…in…what school is that again…” SC scratched her chin. “Blast it! I forgot again!”
“Don’t fret about that. The real info here is if she’s still unattached or what,” MZ asked while pouting at XM’s direction.
“I saw you pouting, MZ,” XM said dryly.
“She’s still unattached. She’s never had a boyfriend since she started going to school again…and that’s 4 years ago,” SC calculated in her mind.
“WHAAAAAT?! No boyfriend in 4 years?!” the girls screeched unbelievingly. “OMG! She might have turned into a raisin!”
“What do you mean by that ‘raisin’?” Lei snorted.
“What?! You guys don’t know ‘the raisin’?” SC asked disbelievingly. “I thought you were all expert on women?”
“Cut the crap short. What ‘raisin’?” MZ interjected.
“Raisin…as in dried grapes…you know…” XQ tried to explain.
“Still not getting it,” XM said with a confused tone.
“O.M.G.! Raisin! As in she’s never been “watered” for four years that’s why she must’ve dried up into a raisin!” Jing blurted out.
F4 was still confused. It was CH who got the meaning. “Oh! That raisin!”
“You mean you understand what they are saying?” Lei asked CH with a hurt tone. Being Lei, he was quite insulted that he didn’t get to the meaning first.
“It’s really simple. XY didn’t have a boyfriend for the past 4 years and that means she hasn’t got laid ever since. Hence, she was not ‘watered’ and must have dried up then turned into a ‘raisin’. Now do you get it?” CH said with an I’m-so-smart-tone.
“Oohhh,” the F4 said with a the-bulb-has-finally-turned-on expression.
“She could really use some watering right now,” MZ smirked at XM.
“Don’t smirk at me like that,” XM wrinkled his nose at MZ.
“It won’t hurt to try, bro. She’s still unattached. Why don’t you give it a try?” DMS pressed on.
“And what will you have me do? Go after her? I don’t even know where she is,” XM snorted.
“There’s always William,” Lei suggested.
“Ok, let’s say I find her and then go out with her. Then after some time I still won’t feel any spark, like the case with Shiela. Don’t you think that it will result to a bigger tragedy? I already broke her heart once, I don’t want to do it again,” XM reasoned out.
“But what if you’re the ones fated for each other? Wouldn’t be a CATASTROPHE if you two didn’t end up together because you were so afraid?” XQ counter-attacked.
“Correction – not afraid, just cautious,” XM injected.
“Still the same,” DMS said in a dry tone.
“Stop it, ok? I’ll just let fate lead me to where I should be. Now if it leads me to XY, then I’ll think about it,” XM answered diplomatically.
“Just a reminder bro, time’s ticking,” F3 said in a sing-song voice.
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“Mom, you’re finally home,” XY Jr. awakened when XY stroked her hair.
“Hey sweetie. Sorry mommy was so late. Was Ella nice to you?” XY cooed to get her to go back to sleep.
“Yeah, she was nice. She cooked me up a tasty dinner too,” little XY gave a toothy smile.
“That’s good to hear. Now go back to sleep. You still have school tomorrow.”
“You should sleep too, mom. You look so tired,” Ah You stroked her mom’s cheek.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine,” XY assured the girl with a weary smile.
Ah You was quiet for a while. “Mom, when is daddy coming home?” she then asked sleepily.
“I don’t know, baby. But don’t worry, mommy will always be here,” XY planted a tender kiss on the little girl’s forehead before turning the lamp off and headed to her own bedroom.
“Keep it up, XY. You can do this,” she said with a weary sigh before slumping on her bed.