True To You (Taking Chances #2) (15 page)

“I understand. Few people like to
chi ku
¹²
,” Julie stated with a wink. “We would much rather have an easy life.”

Melanie grinned when she heard Julie’s play on words; the Chinese term she used could either mean “eating bitterness” or “enduring hardship”. “That’s one reason I appreciate the Chinese language. The phrases we use make sense. To this day I still don’t understand what cats and dogs have to do with rain.”

“I know what you mean,” Julie agreed. “I always get those idioms mixed up. I think they are called idioms because you feel like an idiot when you get them wrong.”

Melanie laughed. “I’ve been in the States for ten years and I still have trouble with them.”

“It’s been almost thirty for me and Ted still needs to correct me from time to time.”

Glancing over again at the sleeping man, Melanie noted his freckled skin and a head of fiery red hair. “How long have you been married?”

“Twenty-five years, but it feels like we only met yesterday. I don’t know where the time went. Somehow we are old enough to have four grown children, two in college and two in high school.”

“What a blessing,” Melanie commented. “Do you mind me asking how you met?”

“At the doorstep of my parents’ home. He was a salesman selling knives door to door. This was long before you could order things on the Internet. He was funny and sweet and honest. We talked for half an hour before I realized I was late for school. Even though I didn’t buy anything from him, he came back the next day and asked me out. The rest is history.”

“So your parents didn’t mind you going out with a foreigner?”

“Oh, of course they did. They had a million reasons why he was not the right one for me. My mother thought for sure Ted’s mom had eaten too much hot sauce when she was pregnant and that his red hair meant he had a bad temper. My father couldn’t get over the fact that Ted always took the last helping of food,” she smirked, “even though he offered it to him.”

“
Aiya
,” Melanie murmured, “but he thought he was being polite by accepting it.”

“Yes, but my father couldn’t understand that. Poor Teddy was always so unsure of how to act in front of my parents. He managed to always do the opposite of what my parents thought he should do. But the worst part was when we went out to eat at a restaurant for my twentieth birthday. Ted had planned to pay for the meal, but then my father took the bill from the server-”

“And he expected Ted to fight him for it,” Melanie interjected.

“Right. So when he left my father standing there with the check in his hand, that was it. My mother claimed he was stingy and rude. She told me I needed to stop seeing him,” Julie relayed with a loud sigh, “or I had to move out of their house.”

“Oh! What did you do?”

“We went to Vegas and eloped.”

Melanie’s eyes widened. “Did you get married by Elvis?”

“In fact, we did. We chose the Elvis in a white jumpsuit. We just renewed our vows this weekend with him. Well, not with the same Elvis,” she added. “We heard that one got a job singing on a cruise ship. This one was a much younger, slimmer version.”

“That’s… amazing.” Melanie’s tone wavered between admiration and disbelief. “But what happened between you and your parents?”

“After we got married, I called them every day and tried to visit them once a week. I told them I still cared for them and that they hadn’t lost a daughter, but had gained a son. I admit I ate plenty of bitterness in those days, but not once did I regret my decision to marry Ted.”

“Not once?”

“Not once. We may not be able to choose the family we are born into, but we can choose the family we create. When you pick a spouse, it’s important that
you
,” she paused for emphasis, “make a choice you will not regret.”

Melanie’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’ve figured out why I’ve been so curious about your story,” she surmised.

“I had a feeling you weren’t trying to make polite conversation,” Julie admitted, her brown eyes sparkling with playfulness. She gestured to the green T-shirt Melanie wore. “So, do you have someone special waiting for you at school?”

Pointing to the red block letters and the image of a redwood tree on her chest, Melanie shook her head. “I’m not at Stanford anymore, I graduated a couple of years ago. But yes, there is someone back home who means a lot to me.”

“He’s someone you have chosen?”

“Yes… and no. He’s not someone I would have chosen to fall in love with, but I am choosing to be with him.” Speaking the words seemed to solidify her decision even more. This was the first time she had expressed her feelings out loud for Ben. Now if only she could admit them to him in person. “It’s time I told him how I feel.”

“Good for you. I wish you luck.”

Melanie thanked Julie for her well wishes, but she understood she had more than luck on her side. As Ben had reminded her before, something greater had made their paths cross. And it was time she started trusting God again with her love life.

The rest of the flight passed in a daze of anticipation and nerves. After the plane touched down in San Jose, Melanie picked up the family van from the long-term parking lot. She drove to Ben’s house, stopping briefly at her own to pick up a gift bag.

Standing on Ben’s doorstep, she said a quick prayer and rang the doorbell.

“Melanie!”

A bright smile and a sole dimple met Melanie at the door. “Ashlynn, hi. I hope it’s not too late. Is Ben home?”

“Oh please, you can come over anytime,” she gushed. “Ben will feel so much better when he sees you. He’s been sick all day.”

“He’s sick?”

“Yup, with a pretty bad stomachache. I offered to get him some medicine, but he insisted on going himself. He just left for the supermarket. Do you want to come inside and wait for him?”

“Sure, thanks,” she replied as she took a step inside, then abruptly stopped. The idea of sitting around seemed almost silly considering the leap of faith she had taken to come back early. Her heart rate picked up at the thought of seeing Ben, and the sooner she did, the better. “Actually, I’ll go look for him. I haven’t seen him in over a week, I’d rather not wait. I’ll see you later, Ashlynn.”

“Hold on, do you know which store he went to?”

Waving goodbye over her shoulder, Melanie called back, “I have an idea, but I’ll give him a call to confirm.” She entered her car and took her phone out of her purse. Just as she was about to dial Ben’s number, the screen lit up with an incoming call. “Hello?”

“
Ga Je
, are you back in California?”

“Sam, yes, I am,” Melanie answered as she turned on the speakerphone and drove down the street. “I landed not too long ago. Is the concert over already? It sounds so quiet.”

“We didn’t make it-,” Sam began, only to have her words cut off by a voice yelling in Cantonese. “Why does she have to be so dramatic! You’re lucky you left before all the craziness started.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Everything’s fine now, but earlier,” Sam grumbled, “Ma had another one of her episodes when I told her you left Vegas.”

“An episode? Ma had a heart attack? Is she okay?”

“Heart attack, my foot! She had
heartburn
,” she corrected. “The chest pain she had tonight-and at Christmas dinner-was most likely from eating tomatoes!”

“Are you sure? How do you know? Did she get evaluated at the hospital?”

“Ming’s personal doctor checked her out. We’re in his dressing room right now, which is more like the size of a small apartment,” she marveled, “but anyhow, the doctor asked Ma what she ate for dinner, gave her two antacids and
voilà
, she was as good as new.”

“That’s it? Antacids? No aspirin? That’s what worked last time.”

“He was one hundred and fifty percent sure it was heartburn. He said Ming gets it all the time, so he recognized the symptoms right away.”

A chuckle escaped Melanie’s lips as she recalled the pastel tablets Ming had taken during her confrontation. “I can’t believe it. Heartburn? Why didn’t I diagnose that? All this time I’ve been thinking I caused Ma’s heart attack by bringing Ben to dinner. But it was the tomato beef!”

“And the tomato sauce on the steak tonight,” Sam added. Lowering her voice, she continued in a murmur, “I gotta say though, tomatoes are my new favorite veggie. They have the power to sideline Ma from her feisty ways. You should see her. She’s acting all frail and helpless and trying to milk her
faux
illness for all its worth. The doc said stress contributed to her heartburn, so she’s getting her feet massaged as we speak. Can you believe Ming has a personal masseuse? I hope he pays her extra for putting up with Ma’s orders.”

“Let her enjoy it. Maybe the pampering will loosen her up a bit.”

“It’s fine with me as long as she brings the relaxation back home. But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. You know what they say, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

“Very funny,” Melanie smirked. Turning into the parking lot of their neighborhood grocery store, she pulled into a space near the entrance. To her left she spotted Ben’s motorcycle and cheered. She exited her car and made her way into the store. “This is such a relief, Sam. Now I can tell Ben about Ma, so he can stop feeling guilty, too. Maybe she’ll give him another chance.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t count on that happening any time soon. She was not a happy camper when she heard you chose Ben over Ming. But the fact that you’re saving us money on the airport parking fee calmed her down a little. I have a feeling she’s going to push
me
at Ming now,” Sam groaned. “First, Melvin and now, Ming? This really gives the term hand-me-down a new meaning.”

“Sorry, but I know you’ll have no problems standing up for what you want, just like I’m learning to stand up for what I want.”

“That you are. Hey, it’s my turn next!” Sam called out. “Gotta go,
Ga Je
! Say
bonjour
to Ben for me!”

“I will.”

“Oh, and Ma says to come half an hour after our plane lands so you don’t waste gas circling the airport while we get our luggage.”

“Of course. I was planning on doing that. Tell her not to worry.”

“See you tomorrow, bye!”

Melanie smiled as she hung up the phone. She could always count on some things in her life, like her family, to stay the same. That thought brought comfort to her, but some fear as well, knowing that she was about to shake things up. But just as she had learned to accept her family and their way of doing things, she held out hope that they would someday accept hers.

Because it was time to start living courageously.

She walked past a display of New Year party supplies, then quickened her pace as she approached the personal care aisle. There she spotted a man dressed in jeans and a green hooded sweatshirt perusing the over-the-counter medicines. His head of sandy brown hair looked more tousled than usual, but she would recognize it anywhere.

She marveled at the thought that not too long ago, she had been in this exact place and had made a decision that changed her life. Here she was about to make another decision of the same, if not greater, magnitude. Like a patient about to get her heart jump-started and a second chance at life, she felt a tremendous amount of gratitude.

All thanks to the man standing before her.

She took a step towards him and cleared her throat. “Excuse me. It looks like you could use some help,” she offered in a playful tone.

Ben turned and dropped his jaw. If the ache in his stomach wasn’t so severe, he would have wrapped his arms around Melanie and held her tight. The pain, however, couldn’t diminish the joy welling up inside him. “Mel, you’re a sight for sore eyes. Are you here to rescue me again?”

The bloodshot hazel eyes looking back at her caused her to gasp. “
Aiya
, Ben, what happened to you? You look terrible!”

“Well, if I had known you were coming, I would have dressed up more,” he joked as he rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “As it is, I’m less nerd and more caveman today.”

How someone could look as sick as he did and still make her smile was beyond her. But that was Ben, positive and endearing, even when he was feeling his worst. Why had she ever doubted him? He really was the whole package. “I don’t care what you look like, Ben. It’s your heart that I love.” The words slipped off her tongue before she had a chance to think about them.

Surprise registered on Ben’s face as he reiterated, “Did you say the “L word”?”

“I did, didn’t I?” she admitted with raised eyebrows. “It feels a little foreign to me, but I’m sure I’ll get used to saying it.”

“I know I’ll never get tired of hearing it, especially if it’s about me.”

Encouraged by the warmth in his eyes, she said, “Then let me practice some more. There’s so much I want to tell you.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I love that you’re a numbers guy and how dedicated you are to teaching your students. I love how you have a bucket list and even included your fears on it. I love how much hope you have even though you’ve been through some really hard times. I love how much you value family, that you care for your sister and how you worked so hard to get to know mine. I love how different we are and how much I’ve grown from having you in my life. I love everything about you.”

“Everything?”

“Well, I’m sure there will be things that annoy us about each other that we haven’t found out about yet, but for all the important things, yes. I choose you, Ben. I hope you feel the same.”

“You know I do,” Ben reassured her with a smile that barely brightened his sallow complexion. “I love you, too, Mel. I’ve missed you so much. And I’d love to wrap my arms around you right now if I wasn’t feeling so sick.”

Reaching up, she placed a hand on his forehead and exclaimed, “You’re burning up! Have you checked your temperature? How long have you had a fever?”

“Slow down, Dr. Koo. I’ve got the solution right here.” He picked up a bright pink box from the shelf and held it up. “Peppermint or cherry flavor?”

“Ben, I need to evaluate you first. What symptoms do you have?”

“The stomachache started before lunch. Last time I checked, my temperature was one hundred and one. I had some vomiting this afternoon.”