Ivy found herself awake next to Jason in his room. As she sat up she saw Jason was still sleeping opposite her on a sofa bed in his room, in his family’s house. She slowly recalled she must have fallen asleep on him when he comforted her last night by the piano as she face palmed herself. She checked the time on her phone and noticed if she didn't head home to change, she would be late for her exam as she quickly tipped past Jason to the washroom.
Jason hasn't been sleeping well the entire night as his mind kept wandering of the thousand possibilities of Ivy discovering her family and the effect on their friendship that he had been watching her asleep in his bed from afar. When Ivy stirred in bed, he was worried she would be dreaming and awaken from her nightmares but fortunately, she had managed to sleep a peaceful night throughout.
When she sat up in bed early in the morning, he quickly shut his eyes as he waited to hear where she was headed to. When she entered the washroom, he waited for her to walk past him again as he knew she would be collecting her belongings before she leaves. This time, he kept his eyes open all the way and wondered if she noticed but she didn't and was about to leave without noticing that he quickly grabbed hold of her left arm.
“Argh!” Ivy yelped in shock as Jason sat up and the force made her fall onto his lap.
“Hmmm… Ms. Ophal, you’re too loud in the early morning…” Jason teased as Ivy covered her mouth.
“Sorry…You frightened me a little…” She winced as Jason opened his eyes with a smile. “Go, I will sneak you out of the house and drive you home…” Jason urged but Ivy was worried of his injury as she quickly stood.
“Sorry, it must have hurt…” She touched his injury place lightly. “Not really… You were putting your weight on the other leg which was not injured…” Jason said as he tried to stand on his wobbly legs.
“It’s alright.. Sit… You didn’t bring me in here yesterday by yourself did you?” Ivy asked knowing his leg wouldn't be able to sustain heavy weights.
“The maid helped me…” He explained as Ivy squatted in front of him while sighing as she cupped his face onto her palms.
“I will drive myself home… You can barely stand on your own. I promise I will quickly sneak away alright? I will text you.” Ivy whispered, assuring him confidently.
“In the meantime, I will email you the proposal later. Once you have reviewed it, I will check it in the afternoon…” Ivy explained as she recalled she had missed out on some work with him as Jason recalled her family would arrive today and decided to give her a break.
He held both her hands in his as they looked into each other’s eyes. Ivy could sense something was not right with him but all she could think of that was bothering him was about the investor and the funds needed for their big client’s events. Little did she know, she was his worry all along and the savior to his dilemma.
“Today, after the exam, stay home. Compensation for yesterday. Work from home for the rest of the week, alright? Stay at your grandma’s place…” Jason specifically emphasised on the last part of his sentence which Ivy felt weird as she raised an eyebrow. In order to cover his true intentions,
Jason knew he needed to divert her suspicions. “Don't worry about Lucky. I will get Marcel to send him here… Just spend time with Sandra and Andrew… Ask them to sleep over maybe…” Jason tried to smile but Ivy started to fold her arms.
“Go, no time to waste. Quickly sneak away… I have already told the same maid who brought you in to escort you off…” Jason chased her to leave instead which left her with no choice but to oblige as she threw Jason a quick hug before sneaking away.
Jason was trying hard not to stop her as he shut his eyes and calmed himself till he heard a message from his phone. He checked the notification from Ivy that she had left safely and she had managed to send him the proposal she worked on the entire afternoon which was of no use as of now. He sent a reply message to Peter to inform him that he would be able to meet Ivy today as he had given her off days for the entire week as he laid back on the sofa bed and watched the oscillating fan on the ceiling swirling away his miseries before slowly drifting to sleep.
The familiar scent of the chili noodles wafted through Peter’s nostrils as it brought back thousand memories he had with Ivy’s biological mother and grandmother. Ryu who had gotten used to the town was the one who led the family to the chili noodle stall address Peter had told them although in actual fact, Peter still remembered the way. He had secretly led them on a short cut in a few corners just to reminisce about the past a little while Jin was getting a little uncomfortable with the entire town due to its’ under development.
“Jin, stop grimacing…” Ray noticed Jin’s being too obvious that he worried it would upset their father as he whispered his warning. Jin quickly kept himself composed as he trailed Ryu and their father with Ray from behind as they stopped in front of Ivy’s grandma’s chili store.
Auntie Soh was stepping out of the stall to wait for her goods delivery when she spotted a very familiar figure she had seen thousands of times and hoped to appear when Ivy’s grandma passed away standing in front of her stall with three young boys. Peter who was standing in front of her stall was staring back at her as it brought back memories of the days when he was courting Ivy’s mother and how Auntie Soh was always rooting for them. She instantly called out to him in his native name.
“Seu Semai!!! Ohhhh… Is that you Seu Semai?” Auntie Soh cried out as she dropped her basket to the ground. After so many years, Peter had aged but still had his youthful look which was easily recognised by Auntie Soh. Peter quickly helped her pick it up and hand it back to her. The boys watched in confusion as they had never heard of their father’s native name before although they knew he had one but had changed to use his current name due to professionalism in the business world. No doubt he still tried to maintain his surname which relates to his “seletar” origins.
“Jai Lin?” He was half calling her and half wondering if it was her as after so many years, Auntie Soh had grown older. “Yes, Semai…Oh ho ho, Ai Lee will be so happy about this…” Auntie Soh who was overexcited tried to keep herself calm and composed when she noticed three confused boys standing behind Peter.
Peter noticed Auntie Soh was looking behind him and he knew he should be introducing everyone as he took a step back. “They are my sons. Ai Ray the eldest, Ai Jin the second and Ai Rui the youngest…” Peter pointed to each of them as he lifted his left hand to introduce Auntie Soh to the boys.
“This is Auntie Soh, the neighbor who lives next to your grandmother’s house…” Peter introduced as the boys nodded in unison before addressing her. “Auntie…”
“They share Ai Lee’s first Chinese syllabus…” Auntie mumbled to herself. “Good boys…” Auntie Soh praised as Peter nodded in reply to her mumble which was loud enough for everyone to hear her while she looked at them admiring.
From afar, she was distracted by the loud motor engine of her delivery truck approaching the front of her stall as she quickly made way and took her stock list out from her apron’s pocket to tally to her orders. The delivery truck driver was none other than Andrew’s father known as Ah Ghee by everyone.
“Jai Lin, you have so many helpers today?” Ah Ghee asked while hopping down from the truck as he noticed the boys from a far but didn’t notice one of them was Peter, who looked equally youthful among the boys.
“Eh…” Ah Ghee paused as he tried to recall the moment he saw Peter.
“This is Seu Semai…” Auntie Soh, introduced as Ah Ghee, instantly pulled him for a hug. “Semai!! I am Ah Ghee ah!” Ah Ghee greeted half happily and upset as he thought about Ivy. Peter gave Ah Ghee a brotherly hug as he recalled how the three of them became parents together in the same year.
“Ah Ghee!” Peter greeted them as they let go of each other and Ah Ghee noticed the boys who looked alike as Peter.
“They are…” Ah Ghee asked as he pointed at the boys. “My sons…” Peter nodded and smiled while Ah Ghee gave him a thumb up.
“Come, let us help you…” Ray offered as he took the list from Auntie Soh while Ryu and Jin stepped in to help collect the goods from Ah Ghee who was climbing into his truck to retrieve the goods.
“Did you take over the business after my mother passed away?” Peter asked as Auntie Soh smiled and nodded hearing Peter still addressing his ex mother in law as his mother even though he didn’t have to.
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“Yes, Granny Sim was very worried about Ai Lee before she left. I offered to help take care of Ai Lee as a guardian and promised Granny Sim to take care of two of her stalls for the sake of Ai Lee… Ahh, I nearly forgot. We should head home as Ai Lee and my daughter will be back with Ah Ghee’s son soon from college. They were having exams this week…” Auntie Soh recalled but halted as the thought of Ivy heading for internship crossed her mind.
“Oh, not sure if Ai Lee will be back home today cause she always has her internship on Wednesdays till Fridays… You know your daughter is so hardworking, Semai…” Auntie Soh complimented as Peter stood by the side of the stall, listening to her meekly while recalling Jason’s side of story which tallied. Peter decided to hand Auntie Soh his name card.
“Semai, you have changed your name to Peter now…” Peter nodded as Auntie Soh looked a little dejected. “Oh you still maintain your surname Ophal like back then cause Ai Lee has been keeping that surname too…” Auntie Soh said with relief.
“Yes.. You may still call me Semai… I’m just letting you know…” Peter noticed if he were to let people from his past to move on and accept his present self, it would be rather impossible. Hence, he decided to keep things as they were instead.
“Auntie, the goods are correct… Where is your kitchen?” Ray asked after they tallied out the goods. “Ah, it’s alright.. it’s alright… I will bring them in later. All of you must have traveled very far to come here, haven't you?” Auntie Soh said with concern.
“Don’t worry Auntie. We are very fit. Let us help you bring them in first alright?” Ryu said as he carried two boxes of noodles and walked into the stall heading to the kitchen with Jin who was carrying a box of vegetables. Ray followed behind with bottles of oils and a sack of dried chilies.
Auntie Soh felt a little bad as she watched the boys help out. “Don’t worry Jai Lin… they have been living independently without maids all these years. They can handle things like this.”
“Semai! I need to catch up with my deliveries… If I have time I will drop by your mother’s house or Jai Lin’s house to catch up alright?” Ah Ghee said as he hopped back into his truck and started the engine. Peter nodded as he and Auntie Soh waved goodbye to Ah Ghee.
“So, tell me how’s my daughter like all these years?” Peter asked excitedly as Auntie Soh led him into the stall and sat by one of the tables.
Auntie Soh poured him a cup of tea as the boys sat at the table behind them and rested after they transferred all the goods to the kitchen.
“Your daughter… She loves debating and Ah Ghee’s son, Andrew, was always her debate partner…” Auntie Soh took a sip of tea with Peter before she continued. Peter recalled the video he watched which Jason showed him and nodded in acknowledgement to Auntie Soh’s update.
“My daughter, Sandra, was always very worried about Ai Lee. Most of the time, Ai Lee lives alone… Lately, she has tutor sessions with her boss I think… I am also not so sure with the kids’ matters because they are old enough but this boss I heard was very kind. He knew Ai Lee was looking for an internship for their foundation year. You know in Manes college, their foundation has prestige because of this working experience requirement. So, Ai Lee found a job and also had the boss to tutor her accounts… Nowadays, I heard from Sandra that the three of them are planning to head to Landsfield to find a place to live together when they enter university next year. They also look for internship opportunities in the medical line for Sandra and Andrew because these two are going to study psychology in university instead… Oh yes, where do you live now with your sons?” Auntie Soh asked as she poured them tea again into their empty cups.
Peter smiled. “Landsfield…”
“Aiya, what a coincidence!” Auntie Soh exclaimed as they both laughed.
“You know it’s a waste for your daughter to choose business management. In fact, I can see she loves debating so much and has talent to pursue law but because she wanted to run her grandma’s businesses later, she made that decision. I heard my daughter say, Ai Lee even wanted to go into the psychology faculty with Andrew and Sandra but her science subject was weak...” Auntie Soh lamented as Peter gathered his thoughts and felt a huge gratitude towards Auntie Soh, Ah Ghee and Jason for being by his daughter’s side helping her out all along.
“But it’s alright… at least they are all still living together while in university… That way they can support each other…” Auntie Soh sighed as Peter came up with an idea.
“Why not let them live with me in Landsfield? I have extra rooms to spare for them… After all, you can consider it as returning the favor for being a great guardian all this while to Ai Lee?” Peter said as Auntie Soh’s restless face instantly went away but wondered if his second wife would mind.
“Wouldn’t you need to discuss this with your wife first? After all, Ai Lee after all this year has grown up and…” Auntie Soh was interrupted instantly by Peter.
“She has passed away…” Peter said briefly.
“Awww… What happened?” Auntie Soh asked with concern.
“After the youngest, she suffered from post natal depression. I…” Peter tried to calm his emotion to explain further only to find himself tongue tied recalling about the incident. Auntie Soh held on to his hand.
“Semai… stay strong… Never expected both your wives to have the same issue…” Auntie Soh sighed.
“You need to be strong for Ai Lee and the boys… Besides, Ah Jiat is still alive…” Auntie Soh said solemnly about Ivy’s biological mother as Peter lifted his head to look at Auntie Soh.
“I know she is because I have not heard from the lawyers about lifting the restriction she instructed all these years from meeting Ai Lee. Do you… know where she is?” Peter asked after taking a moment to gather some courage to face his past.
“Last I heard from Granny Sim, she was in a sanatorium… She had apparently succumbed to her postnatal aggression… If you want I can give you the address. Once you have settled down with Ai Lee… Perhaps, the both of you can seek some closure…” Auntie Soh patted Peter’s hand to comfort him while the boys sat quietly among themselves pondering on how bad their older sister’s fate could be.
Sandra and Andrew were wondering why Ivy was not in a hurry to head to work when it was Wednesday as Ivy kept checking her phone for messages and followed the couple walking towards her grandma’s chili noodles stall for lunch.
“How come you don’t have to work today?” Sandra asked while Ivy stopped staring at the message Jason sent to her about staying at her grandma’s place today and not bother about him or Lucky as Marcel will manage them. She was very bothered by the message which repeated the same thing he told her this morning and couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong. Ivy was so bothered about it that she didn’t hear Sandra till she nudged her.
“Huh? What do you want?” Ivy asked hastily as Andrew and Sandra stopped by the small path leading to the stall.
“What’s going on again? You’re not yourself lately do you know?” Andrew nagged.
“Tell us…” Sandra pestered as they pushed her to a corner where she leaned up against the wall. Ivy sighed as she recalled her behaviors lately.
“I know… I am a bit absent minded lately about the ambiguous relationship with Jason. I don’t know what or which direction he wants to lead me to.. I am equally confused too. Today he emphasised many times that I should stay at home and not bother about him or Lucky when in actual fact he knows I have finished my exams. He even told me to work from home the entire week. Sometimes, I wonder if he is trying to push me away but why or is he trying to keep me by his side but again what is stopping him from doing so… but one thing I know for sure is that, I can try to lean by his side for now but in months to come, I need to leave him… And for that…” Ivy choked while explaining.
“Ivy…” Sandra hugged her.
“We promise we will always be here for you… We will head into university together and stay together even if we study different courses alright? Since you have a break, I guess we should check out Landsfield before our college’s camping trip this weekend?” Sandra tried comforting her as she let Ivy go from her embrace and watched Ivy try to stay composed and nodded with a smile.
“Besides, we both need to get an internship soon. If it’s in Landsfield that would certainly be better for us to settle down as quickly as possible.” Andrew explained as both girls agreed. “Alright, we shall head to Landsfield after this. Well at least let your parents know about the plans…” Ivy said as they continued to walk towards the stall.
“Let’s go for lunch first…” Andrew messed up Ivy’s hair as she smacked Andrew and their noisy laughter was heard from inside the stall alerting Auntie Soh of their arrival.
When the trio entered the stall happily, Ivy saw three familiar faces looking back at her. Andrew and Sandra only recognised Ryu as Auntie Soh stood.
“Ryu, Ray, Jin!” Ivy greeted happily as she stood at the door. “Ivy…” The three boys said in unison as Jin adjusted his spectacles. Jin had figured out Ivy was their older sister instantly as Ryu slowly made sense of the entire situation. Ray was a little slow but eventually caught on when he saw their dad’s reaction.
“What are you all doing here? Such a coincidence!” Ivy said cheerfully without noticing that Andrew and Sandra had already noticed another old figure sitting in front of Auntie Soh whom they both recognised instantly. They both had seen photos of Ivy’s family around her house and also their own house that they could even recognise just by looking at him from behind.
Ivy was too excited to notice him but the eyes of the three boys directing at their father made Ivy take a glance at the old figure who was turning around to see her.
Peter took quite a moment to gain some courage to finally see the face of his beloved daughter whose voice was enough to melt his heart longing to hold her.
Ivy watched as Peter stood while their eyes met. She widened her eyes in disbelief as she half wanting it to be real but was afraid it was a dream again as she pinched herself only to find her tears flow tears unwillingly; unsure if it was due to the pain she felt or the many years of imagining the scene in front of her turning into a reality.
Ivy had seen his pictures a thousand times but never did she imagined she would be able to see him in flesh as they both stared at each other with glistening eyes.
“Ai Lee…” Peter finally called out gently as he blinked back his tears of joy.
“Daddy…” She called out as her voice cracked as more tears welled up her eyes blurring the vision of him.