Mother

Wan Household

Down in the living room, Hugo paused in front of an upright piano. Its top, ornamented with a collection of photos of Wans with family and friends.

Hugo stretched his hands towards a small picture frame where three women in their youth dressed in swimsuits, sat by a big boulder where palm trees behind them served as their backdrop.

'Hi, mom,' he said in his heart, rubbing his thumb against the glass frame. His mother's beauty stuck in time as she sat together with Madam Wan and Yiu Lala; the three belles of their era in the Capital.

Eighteen years ago, on the summer solstice of 1981, a pair of twins was born; one was pink, and the other was blue.

"Doc, please save my child," the mother pleaded when she saw her newborn child blue and weak. Everybody's attention was on the pitiful child when the heart rate monitor of the mother started to beep loudly and suddenly followed by a flatline sound.

*beeeeeeeeeeeeep*

The blue baby wailed and sang in duet with the machine. Her color no longer a shade of blue but that of a phoenix that rose from the ashes, a healthy bright red...

Madam Wan saw the crestfallen face of the young man. She walked behind him and squeezed him on the shoulders, "You look exactly like her, sweetie."

"Everybody says so too," Hugo responded, he rested his head on his Auntie Xiaoying's shoulder and inhaled the sweet and homey scent of her bergamot and green tea perfume.

If he could make one wish, it would be to be born in the Wan Household and be a son of Madam Wan, but he also hated the idea whenever he thinks about being brothers with that giant.

"Now, why are you still here?" Madam Wan's soft and loving voice snapped him out of his daydreaming. He exhaled and straightened his back, "Waiting for Cora, Auntie. She should be here any minute now."

A few moments later, Zoey went down the stairs, and cheek kissed Madam Wan, "I'm going home now, Auntie. Thank you for today," she took a step back and gave a small smile to her friend then said, "Sorry, Hugo."

Madam Wan saw Grant trailing behind with a knitted cardigan on his arm. She wanted Zoey to stay and join them for dinner, but she knew that something must have happened between the two again. Before Zoey could reach the door, Grant covered her with the knitted cardigan. "Thank you, " she whispered. Grant patted her head in reply.

Honestly, he was still confused about everything between him and Zoey, but he did not want to force himself on her too. He wanted to say all the words that screamed in his head but decided that it was best to put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer to him instead.

...

Sai Household

Once Zoey got inside her house, she took off the knitted cardigan that was hanging on her shoulders and returned it to Grant. The smell emanating from it made him smile silly, "Now I can sleep well tonight." He left before Zoey could say anything, and once he got to the Sai's gate, he looked back and said, "Goodnight, Zoey Waaaaan!" He ran as fast as he could, just in case the swan would turn into a goose and made a chase.

"Insane!!!" Zoey shrieked, her ears blushed pink from a mixture of shudder and thrill. Across the Wan Household, her voice could be heard, which made Madam Wan and Hugo smile, thankful that the two patched things up yet again.

After Zoey closed the main door, a helper welcomed her and asked what she wanted to have for dinner. Zoey scanned the Sai's house where all the lights were lit but somehow still felt lifeless and desolate. "I'll have bread. Bring it to my room."

Immediately, the helper gathered all the pastries she could find in the pantry and placed them on a tray. She stood for a minute by the fridge, contemplating whether the Sai's Young Miss would want milk or juice. Finally, she decided to put both on the tray, just in case.

She scrambled towards Zoey's bedroom and gently knocked on the door. When the helper got inside, Zoey cozily sat on a nook with a book in her hand. The helper froze in her spot when Zoey's calm demeanor changed. Zoey closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, "I said I'll have a BREAD, not a bakery." The helper shook in her spot frozen, bowed her head and replied with a 'sorry'.

Outside the hallway, Auntie Greta witnessed the whole exchange. She just got home from work and already dead on her feet to even start another heated argument with her daughter.

The truth was, Zoey and Auntie Greta were like water and oil. Never mixing. Always repelling.

For Auntie Greta, she did her best to establish a connection with her daughter, yet every time she does, Zoey would put up a wall around herself. But for Zoey, she felt like her mother never made an effort to reach out to her. It was as if Auntie Greta either busies herself with her duty or comes home to serve Uncle Long whenever he is around.

Zoey caught her mother's shadow by the door and instantly pursed her lips. She was thankful when her mother looked rather uninterested as she walked inside and grabbed a piece of bread, placing it on top of Zoey's study table. "Don't forget to drink your meds," Auntie Greta ordered, then left.

Later, when she was alone in her room, Zoey bit a chunk of the bread and frowned at how salty it tasted. She looked at the bread in bewilderment and sniffled, 'Why is it wet?' She sniffled one more time, and a tear fell on the bread that made her realize, 'Oh, it was me.'

She shrugged it off then walked closer to the window to peep when she heard the Wans' dogs bark in concert. Zoey saw Cora and Reid enter the Wan's Household and were welcomed by the warm embrace of Madam Wan. She continued to finish her bread, her eyes leak with salty tears, yet her face devoid of any emotion.

When the bread started to taste bland, she threw the half-eaten food in a bin. "I only wanted a piece of bread," she said. "I only wanted a mom."

Edited by Swaning