The Apology (12)

Auntie Xiao allowed Joann to cry in her embrace. She did not say anything, she just sat there and hugged her. However, to Joann, it was more than enough. She had been shouldering plenty of responsibilities lately, many people waited for her to come to a decision and it felt nice to feel protected, to know that someone was in her corner.

After Joann calmed down and her crying receded, Auntie Xiao patted her on the back like a mother would when she tried to make her baby to hiccup. Over the top of her head, Joann could hear Auntie Xiao said, "Yes, change is inevitable but that doesn't mean that we're powerless. I mean, just take a look at this place. It's slowly being abandoned by time but that doesn't mean I've thrown in the towel, does it?"

"I'm still fighting," Auntie Xiao stressed. "What I'm saying is, if it's worth it, then fight for it."

Auntie Xiao felt the woman in her arms nod.

...

Not a long time had passed since Xiu Ling and Joann's Three Month Club's meeting but the two women could be seen gathered at a cafe, with a generous spread on the table between them. During the previous club meeting, Joann told Xiu Ling to give her some space and Xiu Ling did... or at least on the surface, Xiu Ling told Joann she would.

She did end up doing all those things for Joann like assigning Lin Kang's men to scout out the cafe where Joann and Sylvia would be meeting Qing Qing as well as deal with Qing Qing on Joann's behalf. She did all these things for Joann's sake but she did not intend to tell Joann about them, at least not yet because she did not want her best friend to get the wrong idea. Things were rocky at the moment and Xiu Ling did not want to add more trouble into the mix.

Xiu Ling was willing to step into the shadow and help Joann from the sidelines should she need it. She was willing to give Joann as much time and space as she needed to get over this ordeal, to get her head sorted out.

Therefore, Xiu Ling immediately said yes when Joann reached out to her to ask for a afternoon tea meet-up. From Xiu Ling's perspective, it felt like Joann already had some things figured out and she was ready to welcome other people into her life again. Xiu Ling was truly happy for her friend.

After exchanging some quick preamble, Xiu Ling did notice something different about her best friend. Joann seemed looser and less stressed for some reason. Xiu Ling wanted to be happy for her friend but considering the choices that she was forced to make, Xiu Ling was not sure the lack of pressure was a good thing or not.

On the one hand, she was glad that Joann did not get her whole head wrapped up over this but on the other, she did not want her friend to just brush it off either. This problem deserved to be examined and probed.

Trying to lead the conversation to the main problem, Xiu Ling began with an apology, "Joann, I'm so sorry."

Joann who was in the middle of pouring herself a cup of tea, stopped and put the teapot down. She turned to Xiu Ling and asked, "Why are you apologizing?"

Xiu Ling was not sure Joann was being disingenuous or not but she admitted truthfully, "For withholding the truth from you for so long and for breaking the news to Sylvia before you."

Joann just stared at Xiu Ling when she said so. This continued for several minutes with neither of the women saying anything. Just as Xiu Ling thought her friend was about to storm off, Joann merely shrugged and said, "You know what. I was mad at you at one time but it's all in the past now. Furthermore, they're barely your fault. I cannot blame you for running into Xu Jing when you did. You did nothing wrong. If anything, I should thank you for helping me see the truth. After all, better late than never, right?"

Xiu Ling was surprised that her friend was able to face this with such openness. Based on her understanding of her best friend's personality, Joann would not be able to let go of this so easily... unless something managed to open her eyes.

While Xiu Ling was curious at what kind of event that was, she did not ask because she did not want to intrude into her friend's privacy. She was just happy on her behalf for having a breakthrough in her understanding of self.

Then again, Joann did not really give Xiu Ling a chance to ask before she quickly added, "But..."

Hearing that, Xiu Ling's heart squeezed. She was worried that her friend would still fault her and the earlier things that she said were just for show. Therefore, it was to her surprise that Joann would lead to a question, "Why didn't you tell me about this back then?"

"Huh?!" Xiu Ling definitely did not anticipate that. She thought about it and answered truthfully, "Because I was afraid of you."

"Afraid of me?!" Now it was Joann's turn to be surprised. Instead of being offended or brushing it off like she normally would, Joann asked for an explanation in a curious tone, "Why were you afraid of me?" It sounded like she was in the mood to listen, which was honestly quite a surprising change in the woman.

Xiu Ling definitely had noticed this change in her friend and she nodded. "Because I was afraid of how you might react. I did not want to ruin a perfectly good marriage. I was unsure." Here Xiu Ling paused to stress what she had to say next. "Furthermore, Joann, please don't take this as an offense, but you can be quite the domineering party in your relationships."