“Sorry about that, but you two looked way too cozy there,” she murmured under her breath. “Be glad I wasn’t holding soda.”
Melanie shivered as ice water trickled down her back, causing her cotton blouse to stick to her skin. A slew of not-so-kind words rested on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back. Instead, she spat out a curt, “Thanks,” between chattering teeth.
“I’ve got an extra shirt in the car,” Ben offered. “It’s a bit big, but it’ll beat wearing a wet shirt all night. Let me go get it.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
“Ah, I forgot the plum sauce,” Mrs. Koo declared before retracing her footsteps back to the kitchen.
As soon as their mother left the room, Sam turned to Melanie. “That was close! Another second and Ma would’ve put two and two together and figured out that Mr. Peters is interested in a lot more than math.”
“ Aiya . I got a little distracted.”
“A little? You two were off in your own world. Like in another galaxy.”
Melanie groaned. “I know. I need to get back to earth.” Being near Ben made her feel like she was floating around in space, and the limited oxygen supply had compromised her decision-making skills. “This is all too much, too fast.”
Sam pursed her lips at the line appearing between Melanie’s eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t want to sneak around behind Ma’s back anymore. I wish our relationship could be easier, but Ben and I are so different. We eat different food. We speak different languages. We don’t go to the same church, either.” Realization hit her like a bucket of cold water, chilling her more than the liquid Sam had just poured on her. She couldn’t believe her ears. She was speaking the very words that Melvin had once said to her. But if they didn’t have any merit before, why should they matter now?
“Like I always say, who cares?” Sam threw her hands up in the air. “You know, Ga Je , for someone who didn’t mind working her butt off in school, you sure like to take the easy way out in love. Just because something is easy doesn’t mean it’s better. Sometimes the hard things in life are the ones worth fighting for.”
“Don’t you think I know that? That’s why I tried so hard to make it work with Ming. Even when I flew back to Hong Kong to surprise him for his twenty-first birthday, it didn’t change things. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can’t force a relationship. What if Ben decides one day that he doesn’t want to put in the effort to make us work?”
Before Sam could answer, Ben returned with a white T-shirt in one hand and a gift bag in the other. He set the bag down and held up the shirt for them to see. “This is my favorite shirt. Wear it with pride.”
Melanie noted the words Party with Trees printed across the front next to a red S and the image of a redwood tree. “I can’t believe it…”
“It’s cool, isn’t it? I’m going to order another one just like it in forest green to match the tree.”
“It is a great shirt. And you are a true Stanford alumni,” she declared with a lopsided grin. “I’m going to go change.” She excused herself from the table, all the while shaking her head in amusement at the shirt in her hands.
Sam eyed Ben as he sat back down. “Have you ever dated a Chinese girl, Mr. Peters?”
“Please, call me Ben. Even though your sister insists on introducing me as Billie’s teacher, I really am off duty,” he replied with a grin. “To answer your question, no, I haven’t.” Curious as to her train of thought, he asked, “Does it matter if I have?”
“Well, I know you like my sister, and she feels the same,” Sam affirmed with a smile, “but the key to closing the deal is to get our stereotypical Chinese mother on board, too.”
It seemed some stereotypes did ring true. “Tell me more, I’m listening.”
“Let me warn you that it’s not going to be easy, but I’ll try my best to
Melanie shivered as ice water trickled down her back, causing her cotton blouse to stick to her skin. A slew of not-so-kind words rested on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back. Instead, she spat out a curt, “Thanks,” between chattering teeth.
“I’ve got an extra shirt in the car,” Ben offered. “It’s a bit big, but it’ll beat wearing a wet shirt all night. Let me go get it.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
“Ah, I forgot the plum sauce,” Mrs. Koo declared before retracing her footsteps back to the kitchen.
As soon as their mother left the room, Sam turned to Melanie. “That was close! Another second and Ma would’ve put two and two together and figured out that Mr. Peters is interested in a lot more than math.”
“ Aiya . I got a little distracted.”
“A little? You two were off in your own world. Like in another galaxy.”
Melanie groaned. “I know. I need to get back to earth.” Being near Ben made her feel like she was floating around in space, and the limited oxygen supply had compromised her decision-making skills. “This is all too much, too fast.”
Sam pursed her lips at the line appearing between Melanie’s eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t want to sneak around behind Ma’s back anymore. I wish our relationship could be easier, but Ben and I are so different. We eat different food. We speak different languages. We don’t go to the same church, either.” Realization hit her like a bucket of cold water, chilling her more than the liquid Sam had just poured on her. She couldn’t believe her ears. She was speaking the very words that Melvin had once said to her. But if they didn’t have any merit before, why should they matter now?
“Like I always say, who cares?” Sam threw her hands up in the air. “You know, Ga Je , for someone who didn’t mind working her butt off in school, you sure like to take the easy way out in love. Just because something is easy doesn’t mean it’s better. Sometimes the hard things in life are the ones worth fighting for.”
“Don’t you think I know that? That’s why I tried so hard to make it work with Ming. Even when I flew back to Hong Kong to surprise him for his twenty-first birthday, it didn’t change things. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can’t force a relationship. What if Ben decides one day that he doesn’t want to put in the effort to make us work?”
Before Sam could answer, Ben returned with a white T-shirt in one hand and a gift bag in the other. He set the bag down and held up the shirt for them to see. “This is my favorite shirt. Wear it with pride.”
Melanie noted the words Party with Trees printed across the front next to a red S and the image of a redwood tree. “I can’t believe it…”
“It’s cool, isn’t it? I’m going to order another one just like it in forest green to match the tree.”
“It is a great shirt. And you are a true Stanford alumni,” she declared with a lopsided grin. “I’m going to go change.” She excused herself from the table, all the while shaking her head in amusement at the shirt in her hands.
Sam eyed Ben as he sat back down. “Have you ever dated a Chinese girl, Mr. Peters?”
“Please, call me Ben. Even though your sister insists on introducing me as Billie’s teacher, I really am off duty,” he replied with a grin. “To answer your question, no, I haven’t.” Curious as to her train of thought, he asked, “Does it matter if I have?”
“Well, I know you like my sister, and she feels the same,” Sam affirmed with a smile, “but the key to closing the deal is to get our stereotypical Chinese mother on board, too.”
It seemed some stereotypes did ring true. “Tell me more, I’m listening.”
“Let me warn you that it’s not going to be easy, but I’ll try my best to
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