| Fan Fiction |
by DTLCT
“Kev, where did you put my old records?” Ray asked.
“How should I know?” Kevin asked back. “You always leave your stuffs all over the place.”
“Did you leave the records at your mom’s?” Jessica asked.
Ray stops from his searching rampage. “Possibly. I’m not sure. But I heard Mr. Cho said he likes some of the oldies when I asked him about it. I want to play those songs tonight.”
Kevin’s changing the tablecloth at that time but upon hearing Ray’s explanation, he couldn’t help but think otherwise. “That’s strange. Doesn’t your dad like oldies too?”
Kev, old people like oldies!”
“But not all old people. Some likes rock and roll too.”
“It’s a million to one.”
“But doesn’t Mr. Cho seem strange to you? I meant since like this morning, he changed his attitude toward us, especially you. He used to be straight to the point. Even if he stops to have a chat sometimes, but doesn’t waste so much time like today. You know his concept is all about well time spent.”
“Maybe he realized that he’s getting old now so he should enjoy more?” Ray has a mischievous grin on his face.
“Is that so? I think there’s something else to it.”
Ray pours himself a glass of apple juice from the fridge. “What do you mean there’s something else? This is one of his evil, cunning plans of deceiving us before he throws in the final attack?”
Kevin laughs at Ray’s paranoid example. “No, I meant maybe he’s planning something else. Not anything bad. But he’s still deciding to tell us or not.” Kevin shrugs, not knowing how to put it.
“You’re confusing, man.”
Just then, Jessica walks over with plates and utensils that she found in the kitchen cabinet. Ray rearranges the chair again when Kevin’s done with exchanging the tablecloths. Jessica sets the table while the guys are continuing with their conversation.
“Then how do you explain his sudden warmness towards us?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ray said, not answering Kevin’s question at all. “He’d been nice to me the day I start working for him. It’s just your first day seeing us like this.”
“Oh?”
“What do you mean ‘Oh’? You’re starting to sound suspicious, like my mom.”
“It does look suspicious, man.”
“Maybe he feels lonely and wants to open up now since he’s getting old,” Jessica said, still putting the utensils next to the plates. “Besides, Ray probably reminds him of his son.”
“Jess is right,” Ray said. “Old men changes all the time.” Then he pauses a little. “I don’t know how I could remind him of his son though. Didn’t he say his wife left when his son was young?”
Jessica stops what she’s doing and looks at Ray. “Maybe your playful nature reminds him of his son?”
“You mean his immature nature?” Kevin asked, breaking into laughter.
“You’re so funny, man,” Ray snapped, obviously annoyed. “Why don’t you join the circus?”
Kevin doesn’t want to make Ray mad, so he just smiles away.
There's a knock on the door at that time.
“Hey you guys, we’re back,” Charmaine announced from the door.
“The door is unlocked,” Kevin told her.
Charmaine opens the door and comes in with Mandy, holding five grocery bags.
“Whoa! Why did you guys buy so much? We’re not going to eat that much.”
“Two of those are for us,” Mandy clarified.
“Oh. Okay.”
Charmaine and Mandy sort the grocery out so Mandy could bring it back to their apartment while Charmaine sets all the others out and prepare to cook. Jessica helps Charmaine in the kitchen while the guys are chatting away again. Mandy comes back five minutes later. She joins Charmaine and Jessica in the kitchen.
Kevin and Ray sit out in the living room sofa to rest.
“The first night I don’t have to cook!” Ray exclaimed in excitement and relief.
Mandy stops what she’s doing from the kitchen. “I can stop right now so you can have the honor of cooking for Mr. Cho.”
“No, thanks!”
Kevin looks at his watch. “When is Mr. Cho coming? It’s 6:00 already.”
“Soon. Want me to go downstairs and wait for him by the front entrance?”
“You don’t have to be that desperate,” Mandy mocked. “Acting like he’s your father.”
Ray gets up from the couch. “You know what? Knock off that attitude! Even if he’s my dad, I’ll be happy to be his son.”
“You serious?” Kevin asked.
Ray sits back down because he just remembered something. “But I hope not. I like him too much.”
Jessica stops chopping the carrots and comes over to Ray. “I thought you said before that you really want to see your father again.” She *puts her right hand on his left shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Even though Mandy’s boiling water on the stove, but she’s still paying attention to what Jessica’s saying. She looks at Charmaine. Charmaine, who’s putting spices in the dish she’s going to cook, shrugs. The girls silently recount in their minds what they planned at the grocery store.
*****
Charmaine and Mandy are at the grocery store.
“This is a good chance to get to know more about Ray,” Charmaine pointed out. “So let’s try to get along with him, okay?”
“I’ll try but he is annoying,” Mandy said, wrinkling her face.
“He’s just jumpy and you’re not used to it, that’s all.”
“How come you always find the energy to think so positive?”
Charmaine smiles. “My mom once told me that, ‘If you go through life holding on grudges, how will you ever succeed?’ I guess what she said is true because if I keep in mind those small things, I wouldn’t get anywhere. Just relax and take it easy.”
Mandy does a quick inhale and exhale routine before opening her eyes and pasting on a bright smile. “Okay! I’m ready!”
Charmaine pushes the shopping cart forward again. “I think I’m gong to make my special dish tonight.”
“Do we have to go that far to impress them? I mean we’re just getting information.”
“You don’t have to do your special dish. I’m just doing mine.”
“You’re doing it to help me. I can’t just sit around and wait for the results.”
“That’s why we have to keep positive! Come on!”
Mandy manages a smile to reassure Charmaine she’ll pull through.
*****
“Right, Mandy?” Ray asked.
Charmaine tugs Mandy’s sleeve to get her attention.
Mandy snaps back to reality upon feeling the jolt. “Huh? What?” Mandy realizes that Jessica’s back in the kitchen doing her chopping and Ray’s standing next to the kitchen table now.
Ray snaps his fingers in front of Mandy’s face. “Earth to Mandy! Where have you been? I just said, ‘Mr. Cho will be impressed by your cooking, right?’”
“Umm…right. Well, at least with Charm’s dish.”
Ray looks at Mandy with serious eyes. “Don’t put yourself down. I hate to see people do that.”
Mandy feels weird to see Ray in a serious mood. “Umm…okay...I’ll go back to doing my best with the dish now.” She concentrates on her dish instead of looking at Ray like before.
Ray feels a bit awkward and strange, seeing Mandy listening to him like that. He walks back out to the living room, sitting next to Kevin, who just went to his room to get the files for Mr. Cho’s house plan.
“I think Mandy might be crazy,” Ray whispered. “One minute she’s stable and nice to me and the next, she’s crazy and ripping me apart with her words. You shouldn’t court her anymore.”
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked, wrinkling his face. “She’s probably having problems. Probably work or family stuffs. So she’s just confused.”
Ray looks at Kevin in shocked. “Whoa! Speaking like a true expert. How do you know that for sure though? She told you?”
“I’m just guessing.”
“Okay. Whatever, man. I swear you guys have something going on behind my back.” He leans a bit closer to Kevin so Mandy wouldn’t hear him. “And besides, I think that she’s moving into this building because of you. How long have you two known each other?” He flashes on his mischievous smile after that, waiting Kevin to confess.
“You’re paranoid.”
“Hey, I’m your partner and we’d been friends since forever, but you’re just getting too weird these days.”
There’s a knock at the door at that time.
“It’s probably Mr. Cho,” Ray said, getting up. “I’ll get it.”
Ray opens the door to see a girl instead of Mr. Cho. He’s a bit surprised but still manages to keep his calm. “Hi! May I help you?”
“I’m looking for Annie,” The girl said.
“I’m sorry, Miss. But there’s no Annie here. Are you sure you’re on the right floor?”
“She said she lives in 7G.”
“Are you in the right building?”
“This is Constant Comfort, isn’t it? I saw the big sign in front of the building.”
Ray smiles. “It sure is, but you’ve got the wrong apartment.”
Kevin, who overheard their exchanged words, walks over to the door. “Hi, are you looking for Annie Man?”
The girl smiles, relief to be rescued from her embarrassment. “Yes. You know her?”
“She lives down on 5th floor. Apartment D.”
The girl gives Kevin an appreciative smile. “Thanks!”
Ray smiles also. “Anything for a cute girl like you.”
“Ray!” Jessica yelled out, having overheard what Ray said. “Are you chasing after girls again?”
Ray looks back inside at Jessica. “No, hun! Was just socializing with Annie’s friend.”
“Tone it down before….”
“I know. I know.” Ray turns back to see that the girl is leaving.
“Be careful on the elevator,” Kevin said. “It still needs fixing.”
The girl turns back to Kevin again. “Thanks for the warning.”
At that same time, Alice just walks by Charmaine and Mandy’s apartment.
“Ge, hurry up!” Alice urged impatiently. “I’m hungry!”
“Coming!” Wallace yelled back. “You sound like you never eat before in your life.”
The girl that has been talking to Kevin and Ray turns around to face Wallace when he walks by. Wallace looks up to see her also.
“Cyndi?” Wallace asked, surprised.
“Mr. Huo?” The girl asked at the same time, as surprised as he.
“I told you to call me Wallace,” Wallace said, having recovered and flashed on a smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for my friend, Annie. But apparently I’m at the wrong apartment. These two guys here…” She turns to points towards Kevin and Ray. “…just helped me locate her. She’s on….”
“…the 5th floor,” Wallace finished along with Cyndi.
Cyndi smiles. “Yes.”
Wallace notices that she had changed into a white flowery shirt and a black skirt – not as long from the one she wore before but still goes below her knees.
Kevin and Ray had been paying attention to Wallace and Cyndi’s conversation all the while. Now that Cyndi mentions them, Ray speaks up.
“Hey Wallace!” Ray called out. “You know her?”
“She’s the new secretary…” Wallace began.
“Your secretary?” Ray jumped in, cutting Wallace off. “How cool! She’s so cute!”
“Ray!” Jessica warned again from the kitchen.
“Sorry, hun!” Ray yelled back before turning to Wallace again.
“No,” Wallace said. “I meant she’s the new secretary for the realtor agency next door.”
“Oh?”
Wallace turns to Cyndi. “Oh, here’s my sister, Alice.” He points to Alice at that time.
Alice steps forward to greet Cyndi.
Kevin and Ray introduce themselves also. Actually more like Ray introduces them both to Cyndi. After a round of handshakes, Cyndi excuses herself to go find Annie’s apartment.
“Nice to meet you all,” Cyndi said. “I guess I’ll see you later then since I’ll be visiting Annie a lot.”
Everyone smiles at her, especially Wallace. Wallace was practically cheering inside. Wallace still stares at her even after she disappears from view – where the elevators are.
“Ge!” Alice called out, pinching Wallace on the arm.
“What did you do that for?” Wallace asked, freeing his hand from Alice.
“I was just trying to look for my brother!”
Wallace looks at her, annoyed.
“Let’s go in so you can cook! I’m hungry!”
“How about you guys join us tonight?” Ray suggested. “We’re celebrating Mr. Cho’s birthday.”
“Mr. Cho?” Alice asked, confused.
“The same Mr. Cho that you two were supposed to meet with this morning?” Wallace asked, turning to Kevin and Ray.
“Yea,” Ray answered, nodding his head.
Wallace looks confused while Alice looks unnerved.
“It’s okay you guys,” Kevin reassured the Huo siblings. “Mr. Cho wants to spend the night with us since he doesn’t have his family with him.”
“Oh,” Wallace said, understanding the situation. “Are you sure we can join? We don’t want to ruin your business relationships.” His eyes falls on Alice at that time.
“What?” Alice asked innocently. “I’ll behave myself.”
“All right. Let me put my briefcase in my apartment.”
Kevin and Ray go back to the living room, leaving the door ajar while Wallace and Alice enter their apartment.
Ten minutes later, Wallace and Alice come back. Wallace had changed into a black t-shirt and jeans. Wallace settles on the chair next to the couch while Alice walks into the kitchen.
“Wow!” Alice exclaimed, amazed. “You’re cooking away already! Who’s this Mr. Cho? You make this occasion so formal.”
“This is just going to be a normal dinner with only one special occasion in mind – Mr. Cho’s birthday,” Ray drawled out dramatically – though he meant for it to sound casual.
Kevin walks into the kitchen to get the apple juice out and pours some for Wallace and Alice. He hands Alice her glass when he walks by where she’s standing. He then comes back out to the living room. Seeing that Wallace is deep in thoughts, he puts the glass down on the table in front of Wallace.
Wallace didn’t even realize that Kevin had left and returned in a few minutes. He starts to smile to himself without realizing it.
“Ge!” Alice , who has walked back into the living room, called out.
Wallace jumps. “What?!?!”
Alice sits down on the chair next to Wallace. “What were you thinking?”
“Nothing,” Wallace snapped at his sister, grabbing the glass in front of him and taking a sip – without knowing how or when it had gotten there.
Alice still keeps a cautious eye on her brother. “You’re different today. Actually, you’ve been strange since you picked me up from school.”
“You haven’t seen me in 7 years, how would you know?” Wallace asked, annoyed.
“We live here 5 years now, but haven’t seen you like that,” Ray said.
“You didn’t even talk to him before, how would you know?” Mandy asked, watching the stove while Charmaine and Jessica are sitting down to take a break.
“He never really let his guard down, I swear!”
“What gossip source is that from again?”
“I’m serious! He’s always calm and collected in the past years. I don’t see him in a daydreaming mood walking down the hall ever.”
“I wasn’t daydreaming before when I walked down the hall!”
“Relax! I was just giving an example. You seen so calm this morning. What happened?”
“Work stress,” Wallace blurted out randomly, automatically, and mechanically – all rolled into one.
Ray drops his jaw in shocked before continuing. “Work stress? You’re not the type to complain, my man.”
“You never sound like a high school boy before!” Alice added.
Charmaine and Jessica walk over to sit down at the love seat next to the sofa – opposite Wallace and Alice’s place.
“Wallace’s tired from work,” Jessica said. “Leave him alone.”
“You’re not helping, hun,” Ray said. “We’re trying to dig him for info here.”
Charmaine looks at her watch. “Where is Mr. Cho? It’s almost 7.”
Ray checks his own watch upon hearing Charmaine’s words. “Whoa!” He scratches his head out of habit. “I don’t know. Let me call him.” He takes out his cell phone from his pants pocket and dials Mr. Cho’s number. He snaps the phone shut after a minute and looks around at everyone.
Mandy walks over since she has already turned off the stove. “Well?”
“He’s not answering his phone.”
“Maybe he changed his mind?” Kevin guessed.
“He would have called us.”
“Traffic?” Wallace blurted out in random again since he’s only half listening.
“Possibly.”
Ray sits back down. Mandy walks to the front of the couch and sits next to Kevin. They wait in silence for a while. Both Mandy and Ray feel strangely uneasy. They both look at the front door and back between minutes. They catch each other’s eyes once and look away. The others notice it, but do not want to ask or make a joke about it since they feel a hectic presence enveloping the living room. Wallace is the only one that isn’t really paying attention since he’s back in La-La Land.
Finally at 8:00 P.M., there’s a knock at the door.
Mandy and Ray jump up at the same time.
“I’ll get the door!” Both shouted out at the same time.
Both turn to look at each other.
There’s some more knocking.
“I’ll get it,” Alice said finally, walking to the door and opening it.
“Hi, I’m looking for Kevin and Ray,” A man said.
“Mr. Cho?” Alice inquired.
“Yes.”
Alice opens the door wider to make way. “Please come in. We’re all waiting for you.”
Mr. Cho walks into the apartment, seeing six people standing up to greet him, he smiles. He walks towards the group gathering in the living room while Alice closes the door. “I’m sorry to keep you all waiting. I’d got into an unavoidable event.”
“Traffic?” Wallace asked, sticking with his original assumption.
“No, uh…I just met my old wife again,” Mr. Cho said quickly.
The others see that he doesn’t want to talk about it, so they change the subject.
“These are our neighbors I told you about earlier,” Ray said, gesturing towards the others.
“Hello, Mr. Cho!” Wallace said, extending his hand. “I’m Wallace Huo and this is my sister, Alice.”
Mr. Cho smiles at the Huo siblings before turning his attention towards the others.
“I’m Charmaine Sheh,” Charmaine said politely, extending her hand also.
Mr. Cho shakes her hand. Then he turns to Mandy.
“Mandy Cho,” Mandy said quickly.
He shakes her hand but lingers a little, taking in her image.
“You’re a Cho too?” Ray exclaimed, after Mandy disclosed of her last name. “This is amazing! We’re one big happy family! Imagine this: Cho, Cho, and Cho!” He makes a big circular motion with his hands for effect.
Mr. Cho and Mandy finally pull their hands back.
Kevin saw all the awkwardness between Mr. Cho and Mandy. He made another note to check it out also. He saw how Mr. Cho looked at Mandy, knowing that it wasn’t because of her beauty. But it looked more like he recognized her features from someone else.
“Let’s go eat, everyone!” Jessica said, breaking the silence among them and putting on a bright hostess smile.
Ray walks towards the kitchen first with Kevin tagging behind. Alice pulls Wallace forward. Jessica leads Mr. Cho to the table. Everyone stands behind a chair, waiting for Mr. Cho.
Charmaine and Mandy are still lingering behind.
“Are you okay?” Charmaine asked, tapping Mandy on the shoulder.
Mandy snaps out of her thoughts. “Yes. I’m fine.” She pastes on a smile as quickly as her words.
“Let’s go.”
They walk to where the others are.
© Wednesday, April 11th, 2007
Re-posted: Saturday, October 10th, 2009