Thursday, March 13, 2014

Angry at First, 2017

Hapar, spring, 2017
mini-update

Most days, Ming was the picture of organized tranquility. She could calm Xiang Hua down with a few whispered lullabies,




quickly change a foul diaper


and successfully put her daughter down to nap


within ten minutes.


Today was not one of those days. Naptime took an hour and she forgot about the noddles on the stove, which were now burned to a crisp.


She did what she always did when stressed, she got undressed. No sooner did her pants touch the floor, did she hear the piercing scream through the monitor.


He was waiting outside, patient as always.


When she finally opened the door, she hoped that he couldn't tell how stressed she was, but the comforting smell of noodles tickled her nose.


"Did you eat yet?" He asked, "I brought food and strong drinks."


He always seemed to show up whenever she needed someone, but didn't know that she needed someone.


He cooed with Xiang Hua and the baby blessed him with one of her rare smiles.


He had been angry at first, when she told him. Not that she was pregnant, or that she didn't know who Xiang Hua's father was, but that it wasn't him.


That possessiveness scared him and he stayed away for weeks. Their friendship growing silent.


In the end, he showed up with food and drinks and they moved on. Neither talking about it,

but both acknowledging that what was in the past, was in the past.



He would come over when the weather was bad, so hat she didn't have to bring Xiang Hua to his place.


He was moving anyway, he said that it was time to have a house worthy of his celebrity status. Ming knew that he wanted too many bedrooms and a large kitchen that he never cooked in.


"Do you think about him sometimes?" she asked, stuffing noddles in her mouth.


He nodded. "Of course, I never met him. I only saw photos of him, but he looked just like me.

I wanted to see him. Not to tell him that I was his father. Poor kid would have been so confused about how his father was also his uncle.

My family didn't have to adopt him, but they did and I appreciate them for that."


"Is that why you started the scholarship?"

"Yea, it was the only thing I could think of...to honor their memory. To honor the type of family that they were. Sometimes I think it is all unfair, but at least...at least they were together when they died."



Ming nodded. Togetherness. It was something her family had been trying to do lately. Since Xiang Hua's birth her parents demanded to see their grand-daughter. They highly disapproved of her origins, they still wanted Ming to do the honorable thing and get married, but as her mother whispered to her "we never thought we would see grandchildren from you"



Ming wondered if that was why Benjamin had inserted himself into Xiang Hua's life. So that she wouldn't know what it was like to not have a father.

At first it annoyed her. Ming knew that she could provide quite well for her daughter, she had a good job and the paycheck to go with it. She wasn't one of those selfish single parents who tried to do the same things they did before having children. She knew that Xiang Hua required much time, patience and love and Ming was willing and happy to give it to her daughter. She didn't want anyone to tsk tsk when they saw Xiang Hua and Benjamin's help and presence seemed to be mocking her at times.


Now she saw that it was something deeper. Benjamin needed them. He needed the stability of greasy noodles and strong drinks in the evening, the predictability of a 2 am feeding. It was his anchor especially as his schedule got crazier during the season and he was on the road more than he was off of it.

He always found something to do while he was visiting,


something to clean


or fix.


Ming also always found something to do when he visited.


She wanted him to remember that Xiang Hua still had a mother


and a sexy one at that.
-----
Benjamin had a child right before he left Simdale for Apple Valley.

10 comments:

  1. Aw. I know Benjamin bonding with Xiang Hua is fulfilling a need for him too but I still think it's just about the sweetest thing ever. Especially considering the history he has with Ming as well. He's a really good guy at the heart of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shhh, don't tell anyone. I don't think Ben wants a lot of people to know how soft his heart is, but he's a generous soul and loves deeply, which sometimes scares him when he's confronted with his feelings. Thanks for reading and commenting

      Delete
  2. Aw, I agree with Carla that it's really sweet.

    And on a side note I love her place and the decorations. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love her place too, those pops of aqua everywhere :) thanks for reading and commenting

      Delete
  3. Aww. They almost look like a traditional family. I'm glad that everyone is getting what they need out of the arrangement though. And Ben seems like he'd make a great father.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think Ben is trying to redeem himself for not being around his son when he was alive and the guilt of losing his family. They do almost look like a traditional family. Thanks for reading and commenting

      Delete
  4. Aww the fourth. If anything, I think the fact that Ben's not Xiang Hua's biological father makes it even sweeter - in the words of my mum, it takes a special kind of man to look after someone else's child. Especially when you consider that she's Ming's baby from another relationship. I have to say I still can't see them settling down completely though. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't mind them settling down, but I'm not sure how much they would like the idea considering the woohoo studies

      http://applevalleyblogs.blogspot.com/2014/02/woohoo-study-girls.html

      Since Ming doesn't know who the father is, and isn't interested in finding out, it's pretty easy for Ben to come in and treat Xiang Hua as his favorite niece or daughter. Thanks for reading and commenting

      Delete
  5. What a sweet guy Benjamin is! I really like seeing this trio together, really just forming bonds, and finding what works for them without pressure and labels. Ming seems to be doing well as a Mother, and I can't wait to see what her baby looks like! But I totally loved all the photos of them on the sofa, just relaxing and passing the time. Very cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ming is actually very good with children, she used to babysit Krissy and S'Ahmisa kids all the time, she just knew that she wasn't ready to be a mother yet. But since this blessing was unexpectedly given to her, she's being the mother she would have always been, just a lot sooner than she anticipated. Interestingly, she never pictured having the father in the lives of her children, I'm not sure if she was going to adopt or go the route she did. Thanks for reading and commenting

      Delete

Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment! :)

Related Posts with Thumbnails