Fan Fiction |
by TheTruthLies
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It was December 23, 2007. The family of three, Alan, Ah Sze, and Hailey, were sitting around their Christmas tree.
“Hailey, bring mommy gift number 23,” said Alan. Hailey nodded and made her way underneath the tree. She grabbed a small, but ornate box and ran to her mom.
“Thanks sweetie.” She took the box from her. “Don’t tell me it’s another jewelry piece.”
“This one Hailey picked out.”
“Aww, you picked this Hailey?” She nodded. Ah Sze opened up the box and inside was a tiny silver box. She opened the box up and a melody played. “It’s a music box. Well, I don’t have one of these yet. How thoughtful. Good thing you let Hailey pick this time, because you would have chosen another jewelry piece. I have so much now I can open up a jewelry store,” she chuckled. “Thanks sweetie.” She gave Hailey a kiss.
“Don’t I get a kiss?”
Ah Sze rolled her eyes, “Don’t be so greedy.”
The doorbell rang. Hailey immediately ran to the door. “No sweetie, remember what I told you about doors? Only mommy and daddy can open them,” Alan said as he opened the door. Standing in front of him was Man Gwan.
“Hey Coz!” She gave him a hug.
“Man Gwan? When did you get back?”
“This morning. Surprised to see me?”
“Very, honey, look who’s here.” He turned to his wife.
Man Gwan walked into the apartment.
“Man Gwan?” She ran up to her and they fell into an embrace.
“Ah Sze! When I heard that you woke up, I was so happy. It was like a dream come true. I really wanted to fly back to see how you were, but I had a butt load of work. I missed you.”
“I missed you too. So how are you?”
“I’m great. Works good, health’s good and just about everything else,” she grinned. “How are you?”
“Besides being picked on by both my husband and my daughter, everything is great.”
“Don’t listen to her, we don’t do what she says,” Alan defended.
“Alan, if you ever pick on her or treat her poorly, you’ll have to hear from me,” she raised an eyebrow.
“No I won’t because it will never happen,” he said confidently.
“So how long are you planning to stay?”
“At least until New Years.”
“Great! Got a place to stay?”
“I was thinking of it being like old times, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not, it’s good thing Hailey’s not old enough to get her own room. If she was, you would end up sleeping on the couch.”
“I don’t mind, a couch is still fine,” Man Gwan eyed the place. She saw gift wrappings on the floor. “It’s not even Christmas and you’re opening gifts already?”
“Actually, it’s Alan’s bright idea. You know what he did? He got me 25 gifts and I’m supposed to open one each day from the first of December to Christmas Day.”
“25 gifts? That’s insane, but that’s a very thoughtful idea,” she chuckled. “I wish there was someone who would do that for me.” She paused, “well, I’m going to put my stuff in my room and get settled in.”
“Do you need help?” Alan offered a hand.
“No, I can take care of it. It’s only one suitcase.” She dragged her suitcase into her room.
“Does she seem a little different to you,” asked Ah Sze.
“Sort of, she’s seems happier.”
“I doubt it. I think that’s just on the surface.”
“You think she’s still…” Alan didn’t have to finish the sentence; Ah Sze knew what he was going to say. She nodded in agreement.
Hailey walked into Man Gwan’s room carrying a gift bag. Man Gwan saw her and bent down. “You must be Hailey. Do you know who I am? I’m your second cousin.” Hailey gave her the bag. “What’s this? For me?” Hailey nodded. “Aww…thank you.” She opened it up and it was a white knitted scarf.
Ah Sze came into the room. “Do you like it?”
“You made this?” She nodded. “I love it, thanks.” She hugged her.
“Alan and I were planning to go up to Shanghai if you didn’t come down.”
“Aww, I should have stayed up there and let you have all the hassle,” she joked. “Hailey’s grown a lot since I’ve last seen her. I mean, Alan did send me some photos, but they’re not always accurate in depicting size.”
“So everything’s going really well for you huh?”
“Yeah, everything’s great.”
“Have a boyfriend yet?”
She chuckled, “too busy to look for one.”
“Really? Or is there someone you’re still waiting for.”
Man Gwan’s smile faded. “He probably met someone else by now.”
“He didn’t. Ever since Lilly’s incident, he’s been really lonely. I’ve talked to him. He has shut himself down completely.” Ah Sze looked down.
“That’s such a shame.”
“Maybe you should go see him; you know knock some sense into him. Perhaps, you will be able to get through to him.”
“Me? You two are his best friends and you couldn’t get through to him. How would I make any difference?”
“Well, whatever you choose to do is completely up to you. But remember what I said, seize the opportunity.” She turned to Hailey, “Come on Hailey, time for bed.” When Hailey refused to go, Ah Sze picked her up and took her out. “Good night,” she said before closing Man Gwan’s door.
“Night.”
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Man Gwan couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind kept drifting to the past and to what Ah Sze had said. Should she talk to Ah Lik? She doesn’t know what she should do. Frustrated that she couldn’t sleep she decided to do a facial.
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Alan and Ah Sze were asleep when they heard Hailey whimper. They shifted in their beds. “Go see what Hailey wants,” said Alan.
“You go, tonight is your turn.”
“Fine,” Alan got up and yawned. He went over to her crib. “What’s wrong honey?”
“Pee, pee.”
“You need to pee?” She nodded. “Okay, come on.” He picked her up and took her to the bathroom.
When she was done, Alan opened up the door and standing right in front of them was Man Gwan with a mask on. It freaked out Hailey and she began crying. “Monster.” She buried her face on her dad’s shoulders and grasped on tightly.
“It’s okay. She’s not a monster.” Man Gwan took off her mask, “See, it’s only your second cousin.”
“I’m sorry Hailey. Did I scare you?” Hailey let loose her grip and looked up. She was relieved.
“Coz,” Hailey repeated.
“Wow, she can say a lot of things.”
“Yeah, she learned rapidly ever since Ah Sze woke up.” Hailey yawned. “Well, Hailey’s sleepy; I’m going to take her to bed now. Good night, and don’t stay up too late.”
“I won’t.”
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Alan and Ah Sze were hosting a Christmas party at their apartment. Friends and family were invited. All the guests arrived except for Ah Lik. The guests were getting restless so they had no choice but to begin the party.
Hailey had never seen so many people in one place in her life before. They all thought she was so adorable. She became a little plaything. She was picked up and tossed into the air, tickled, pinched in the cheeks, or chased around.
After dinner, gifts were exchanged. Some complained that people were being frugal this year while others loved their gifts. After the gift exchange the guests were split into a few groups. One group was singing karaoke, one group was sitting around chatting, and another was playing with Alan’s new game console. Alan and Ah Sze rotated between the groups to keep the guests company.
Away from the group was Man Gwan. She stood on the balcony looking at the stars. It was a lovely night she thought, cold, but still lovely. Why couldn’t they all just quietly enjoy the stars instead of making so much noise? She knew it was a party and all, which is bound to be noisy, but wouldn’t it be great to have a star gazing party? She laughed at that thought.
There was so much noise that they couldn’t even hear the doorbell. It was Hailey who went to alert Ah Sze about it. She tugged on her mom’s pants. Ah Sze looked down at her daughter, “What is it sweetie?”
“Door,” she repeated.
“Door?” Ah Sze looked at her puzzled.
“Door,” she pointed to the door.
“Oh, someone’s at the door. You have a great ear. Thanks honey.” She kissed her on the head and went to open the door. Ah Sze was surprised to see that it was Ah Lik. “Ah Lik?”
“Am I not welcomed?” He gave a weak smile.
“You’re always welcomed. But we didn’t think you would come. The party started three hours ago.”
“I know, sorry, got held up in something.”
“But it’s Christmas. You still have to work during Christmas?”
“Work isn’t the only thing that holds people up.”
Ah Sze smiled, “Come in.” Everyone was too busy having fun to even notice that Ah Lik arrived. Ah Sze alerted Alan to Ah Lik’s presence.
“Oh, hey Ah Lik. So glad you could come.” He gave him a hug. “You hungry? There’s still some food left on the table. There would have been more if you came earlier,” he smiled. “Well, make yourself at home, but make sure you have some fun.” He winked.
“Thanks.” Ah Lik went to the counter and poured himself a cola. All these noises and people were giving him a headache. He decided to find someplace quieter. He took his drink with him and walked out into the balcony. Man Gwan turned around and they fixed gazes on each other. They didn’t budge. An awkward silence ensued until Man Gwan decided to break it.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
“How are you?” They said in unison.
“You go first,” They said together.
“Fine, I’ll go first,” said Man Gwan. “How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Good.”
“That’s good.”
“I guess we’re both good then,” she smiled.
He looked down at his drink, “yeah.”
The air was thick with tension, so thick that a knife couldn’t cut it. The both of them didn’t know what to say or do.
Man Gwan could see that he was having trouble opening up to people. She decided to try to help him. “I know you probably don’t want people to get into your business or your problems, but you do know a lot of us worry about you.”
“What is there to worry about?”
“You not wanting to talk to anyone, that sort of thing.”
Ah Lik shifted his feet. “Is that what they say? I’m just watching out for myself.”
“I know that closing yourself up is like a defense mechanism for you, but it can only work temporarily. You need a long term solution.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I suggest you work on the core of the problem, which in your case is trusting people. I know you feel that everyone you meet is dishonest, but not everyone is like that. You shouldn’t let a couple of bad experiences scar you for life.” Ah Lik ran his hands through his hair. “I know it’s painful and hard to accept, but I’m not asking you to change your attitude right away. I understand these things take time, but it’s been a more than a year. Don’t you think you’ve sulked enough?”
Ah Lik forcefully placed his hands on the balcony banister. He leaned on it and it broke off. He was now hanging on with his dear life. He would have fallen off of the balcony if he hadn’t grabbed hold of the railing next to it. Man Gwan screamed. “Are you okay?”
“My hands are slipping; I don’t think I can hold on much longer.” He gripped on hard.
“Take my hand, I’ll pull you over.” Her hands reached for him.
Ah Lik looked down and saw that he was really high up there. One wrong move and he could be tumbling down twenty stories. He looked back up at Man Gwan. His heart was racing and sweat was pouring down his face. “What if you lose grip of me and I fall?”
“I won’t. I won’t let you fall.”
“But you’re only a woman. Can you even support my weight?”
“If you hesitate any longer, I have no doubt that you will be falling twenty stories.” Ah Lik’s hands were hurting. “Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Ah Lik swallowed and gave her his hand. “Hold on.” She was struggling. She used all the strength she had to pull him up. “You got to work with me. Try to bring yourself up.” He did as she said. With both of them cooperating, he managed to get back on the balcony safely. They were on the floor breathing heavily. “See, I told you. You’d be fine.”
Ah Lik still couldn’t believe it. He was so sure he was going to turn into paste. “Thank you, for…for saving my life.”
“No, thank you, for trusting me.” She stood up and helped Ah Lik up. She dusted herself off. “Here,” she gave him a napkin. “Wipe off your sweat before you get sick.” He accepted it. “Boy that was exhausting. I’m thirsty. I’m going to get a drink.”
“Wait, let me get it for you,” he smiled.
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New Year’s Eve has arrived. Alan, Ah Sze, Man Gwan went downtown for the New Year’s Countdown and fireworks. They were even able to get Ah Lik to come along. There was a crowd of people by the pier waiting for the fireworks to begin. Luckily they came early so they got a great spot right in front.
“The sky is so clear tonight, that means we’ll really be able to see the fireworks,” said Alan. Ah Sze stared off into space. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just worried about Hailey.”
“Hailey’s fine. I’m sure Lang Po can handle her. It hasn’t been just the two of us for a long time so we should cherish tonight.”
Ah Sze smiled, “Yeah, I do miss it.” She leaned her head on Alan’s shoulders.
Man Gwan and Ah Lik were sitting next to them. They shuttered. “Don’t they still make you sick,” said Ah Lik.
“Yeah, they’re still so lovey dovey.”
“We heard that,” said Ah Sze.
Man Gwan shivered. “You cold,” asked Ah Lik.
“No, I’m fine,” her voice trembled..
Ah Lik took off his jacket and put it on her. “No you’re not. You’re turning into an icicle.”
Man Gwan smiled, “thanks.”
Only ten seconds remained of the year 2007. Everyone began to count down, “10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!” It was now January 1st, 2008. Fireworks exploded in the sky.
Alan gave Ah Sze a New Year’s kiss. “Happy New Year!”
Man Gwan was smiling and cheering when suddenly she felt a kiss on her cheek. She turned and saw that Ah Lik had kissed her. Her heart fluttered and her cheeks were flushed with a crimson red.
“Happy New Year,” he said smiling.
“Happy New Year,” she responded. They gazed intently into each other’s eyes. There seemed to be some sort of magnetic force that pulled their face closer together. Soon their lips met and engaged in a passionate kiss. They were so into it that they forgot that they weren’t alone.
“Now look who’s being lovey dovey,” said Alan. Ah Sze was clapping and cheering them on.
“It’s about time,” said Ah Sze.
They immediately broke apart. Both their faces had the same shade of red.
“So you can be all lovey dovey, but we can’t?” Both Man Gwan and Ah Lik said simultaneously.
“Nope, because we will forever hold the cutest couple award,” Alan smirked.
Ah Lik and Man Gwan exchanged glances. Ah Lik took Man Gwan’s hands and they said, “Well, you’re going to have some competition this time.”
“Uh oh,” said Alan as he exchanged glances with Ah Sze. He took Ah Sze’s hand and they made a run for it. Ah Lik and Man Gwan went after them. Both couples ran and dodged the annoyed crowds. All the while, the fireworks lit up the clear and gorgeous Hong Kong skyline, welcoming the New Year.
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A/N: That's it, the end! What do you think of the ending? The story in general? What's your favorite chapter or storyline? Favorite character? I already know who your least favorite character is, hehe. Please leave your comments. To all my silent readers out there, it's time to come out of your shell. Don't be shy, I won't bite. It's your last chance to leave a comment. At least give me a shout out so I know who has been reading.
Thanks all for coming along on this wonderful journey of mine and I hope you all had a great ride!
Until next time...
(c) April 8, 2006 TheTruthLies