Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
I bet Kevin didn’t expect to have me crashed into him the moment the elevator’s door slid open.
“Wow, wow!” He struggled to steady himself “What’s with the rush, Flora?”
I wiped my eyes “Give me your car key!” I ordered
“What?” Kevin was puzzled
“You heard me, Kevin!” I was very impatient “Give me the key!”
I snatched the key and rushed blindly toward the parking deck, leaving a bewildered Kevin standing in the lobby.
Then I realized I didn’t know to where Kevin had moved his car. I took me a while to realize that I would have easily pressed the button on the keypad and followed the sound of the alarm. It took me another while to finally saw the blinking from the taillight of Kevin’s silver Honda Accord. I got myself into the car, mechanically started the engine, blankly stared at the space in front of me, and my tear started to fall.
I wiped the tear away angrily. I was now very mad. Mad at myself! How silly of me! I was behaving like a spoiled teenager! I should have counterattacked his teasing remark with humor and poise, like I would always do when handling Kevin and Ada and whoever else. Why did I throw such a show? Why did I? As if Evil got hold of me!
I just simply lost being my cool self. I just simply let lose of my silly self.
Every time I saw him!
I bit my lips, held my head back high, and decided to cruise around. HK at night should be very beautiful. HK at night should be able to make me forget all about him and all the silly incidents.
I turned on the headlight, and put the gear to reverse. It was then that I saw the little note stuck on the windshield wiper. I sighed in dismay. Stupid ad flyers! Now I’d have to step out of the car to remove it. Extra!
But as I held the little note in my hand, it looked nothing like an ad flyer. It was folded in half, and I could see the logo of Marriot Hotel even without unfolding it. I knit my brows. Somebody left a message for Kevin? Should I open it? Or maybe not! It was Kevin’s! But maybe it was something urgent! I opened it.
From the page, a puppy with drooped ears and large innocent eyes looked at me in earnest. He had a fleur-de-lis under his front paw. “Just be mad at me,” the line run “but please accept my apology, Gallen.”
Was he around? How could he know I was here? Was he following me? How could he stick the note on the windshield without me seeing him? Oh no, he must have seen me crying! Why did things keep getting worse and worse?
Breathless, I pulled the car out of its spot and sped toward the exit. I didn’t know where I was heading to, but after a while, I found myself facing the ocean. I turned into the small lot, and switched off the engine.
The wooden board walk led me to the waterline. The area looked like a pier. It reminded me of Darling Harbour.
And Darling Harbour reminded me...
I opened my palm, and fingered the crumpled note. My fingers didn’t listen to my brain, they opened the note again. The puppy with his nosy mischievous nose! I didn’t want to, but as I looked at him and reread the message under his paw for the third time, I smiled!
Now I had to force myself to remember that I was still mad at Gallen!
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[Hong Kong – Lo Residence – Monday night]
The door flung open, and Mrs. Lo could hear Annie crystal laughter. She got up from the couch in their living room
“Mommy!” Her son and daughter greeted her in unison.
Mrs. Lo looked up at them with so much proud and love in her eyes “You two are home early! How was the reception?”
“Good, Mommy!” Annie smiled broadly “But it could have been better if Dai Gor didn’t enrage his girlfriend!”
“Your Dai Gor’s girlfriend?” Mrs. Lo’s eyes brightened. She turned to her son and pretended to look hurt “Gallen, you didn’t tell me about her!”
“Mom!” Gallen laughed “Since when have you begun to listen to Annie?”
Mrs. Lo wasn’t shaken even a bit “Who is she? Do I know her?” She turned to her daughter “You tell me Annie!”
“See!” Annie grinned “See the way Mom gets all excited, Dai Gor? Now you should tell us all about her, and at once!”
“Mom,” Gallen decided to use his usual tactic. He ignored his quick-tongue sister “I’m hungry, did you save anything for me?”
“I’ll warm up something for you, son!” Mrs. Lo said “But only if you tell us about your girlfriend!”
“Haha” Annie cracked up, rolling on the couch “Mommy is number one!”
“But there’s nothing to tell, Mom!” Gallen protested “And I’m hungry!” He wrapped his arms around his mother’s shoulder “Don’t listen to Annie, Mom! You know she’s the master at making up stories!”
“I am not making up!” Annie put her hands on her hips “Mom, he is seeing Flora Chan, my new friend from the U.S! And they’ve just made a scene at the cocktail party!” She eyed him triumphantly “That’s how we came to notice, Mom!”
“You’re SO making it up!” Gallen chuckled “I’m not seeing Flora Chan!”
“You are!”
“Speak reason, Annie!” Gallen shook his head and rolled his eyes “There isn’t even a tiny bit of logic in your story! How could I date a girl who had just arrived to HK? Mom won’t buy it!” He turned to Mrs. Lo “Right, Mom?”
“Well, Gallen!” Mrs. Lo shook her head “You do know how anxious we are for you to have a girlfriend and get marry, son!”
“Mom!” Gallen feigned being indignant “I am not that desperate!”
“You are not, son” Mrs. Lo sighed “But your father and I are! We’ve been waiting for so long!” She shook her head again “Eileen wouldn’t want to see you like this, I’m sure! She’d love for you to move on, she…”
“Mom, please!” Gallen pleaded, and the poignancy in his voice made the mother halt in her speech.
“Arg, not that tone again!” Annie groaned “Mommy is right, Dai Gor! You should move on long ago!”
“I am moving on!” He said, not so convincingly. “Can we eat now, Mom?”
“Sure, sure” Mrs. Lo walked briskly into the kitchen “Didn’t they feed you there at the party?”
“We had food there all right, Mommy!” Annie giggled “But Dai Gor was busy chasing after his girlfriend!”
“Annie!” Gallen grunted threateningly “That would be the last time, got it?”
“Oh, I’m so scared!” Annie stuck out her tongue, and disappeared into her room.
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[Hong Kong – Monday midnight – Ada’s apartment]
[Flora]
Ada and Kevin were just too glad to see me sitting in the living room, munching on an instant noodle cup. I’d just found out I was very hungry, since I had run away before the entrée was served.
“My God!” Ada jumped right on me “What’s wrong, Flora? Why did you leave so suddenly?”
Kevin went round and looked into every corner.
“What are you doing, Kevin?” Ada spotted his peculiar behavior
“What else? I’m looking for him!” Kevin stared into my face “Where is Gallen Lo?”
“Kevin!” I cried indignantly “Do you have the least idea what you’re talking about?”
“Well” Kevin shrugged “You rushed out, and he rushed after you, and neither of you got back to the party, so I figured you two must be …”
“Kevin!” I wanted to hit him, but decided to toss him the key instead “Go home, Kevin! You must be too tired! You’re spurting nonsense!”
“Fine!” Kevin caught the key deftly “Good night, girls!”
Ada simply couldn’t wait to close the door after Kevin. I knew why! She just couldn’t wait to attack me!
“So you’re not with him!” Ada squint her eyes “but you knew him before tonight for sure! Now be a good girl and let us hear about your nightmare aka new-found pathogen!”
“I am eating!” I got up and attempted to escape
“You’ll eat later!” Ada snatched the cup from my hand “I want the story!”
“There is no story!” I groaned “God helps me!”
“Nah, God’s too far away!” Ada claimed with a straight face “Only the truth would help you! Tell me Flora!” She was making her famous puppy face. “Aren’t we buddies?”
Ada could be very persuasive when she wanted to!
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