by Alexia Praks
A few hours later, when Chan returned to the house she and her sisters shared along Bay View Avenue, the dilapidated house they had inherited from their father, she hit the shower immediately because she felt stuffy and was sweating like a pig. She hadn’t yet gotten used to the hot weather here in Australia, which was so different from New Zealand.
She took her time, letting the cool water pound down on her as she thought long and hard about Grandma Su’s words. The woman had been right. She needed to move on. Yes, most of her loved ones had passed on, but that didn’t mean she too had to pass on. She still had her sisters and her whole life ahead of her.
Just look at her childhood friends Alexandra, Ruby, Nikita, Isabella, and Georgie. They were enjoying their lives, traveling around the world and doing new things. She, unlike them, hadn’t yet experience what the world had to offer. Now, more than ever, she wanted to experience, taste, and feel everything. And especially, she had to forget about Amie, Lisa, and Dave, the people who had hurt and tormented her.
She finally got out, wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel, and came to stand in front of the mirror. There, she stared at herself long and hard. She had to chuckle, wondering what Grandma Su saw in her that made her say she was beautiful. Her hair was a mixture of ash brown and dark blonde, a rare thing for a mixed-blood woman. Her eyes were brown, like the color of chestnuts. Her skin wasn’t too fair nor too dark, but a nice light color. Her nose, well, there was nothing special about it. Grandma Su had said it was a beautiful nose, and Chan wondered how it could be a beautiful nose when it wasn’t the type of nose the current fashion favored. It wasn’t tall, small, and thin like most celebrities aspired to have with surgery. No, hers was slightly on the plump side, though she must admit it was quite elegant and pleasant to look at.
She quit examining herself and got dressed quickly since she wanted to go to the Thursday night market along the beach. She’d missed out last week because Dara and Soriya had insisted on doing a grand dinner to celebrate Dara’s first paychecks. She must admit it had been pleasant, and she’d enjoyed it.
Because it was so hot today, she wore a short floral maxi dress. She had her long hair down, un-brushed and still wet. It was her habit, since brushing while still wet usually broke the strands. And last but not least, she put on her makeup, light and neutral, and then headed out.
The sun was just about to set when she got to the market, and there were people everywhere. Soon, she lost herself in the enthusiastic, entertaining sight before her and simply enjoyed herself. Now and again, she lifted the camera and took loads of photos.
She was hovering over some posters of anime in one of the stalls when a bunch of Japanese tourists rushed in. Chan knew she needed to get out because they sounded very excited, pointing and marveling at the posters of manga and anime that had been translated to English as they recognized famous work of art by their favorite mangakas. She didn’t get out quickly enough and found herself being shoved, throwing her off balance.
Oomph! She collided against a masculine body. Heat rushed to her face as she felt the strength of a man cushioning her with his body. Strong hands gently touched her, and instantly, a delicious tingling sensation rushed through her being. She sucked in her breath and felt just that little bit lightheaded.
Embarrassed at her own reactions to this stranger, she straightened up. She knew she was blushing and behaving like an idiot and so refused to look at him.
“Sorry,” she muttered under her breath and quickly rushed away.
She still felt his gaze hot on her, and in response, her hands trembled. What is wrong with me? she wondered. She took a deep breath and decided she needed something to do to get her mind off the man. She picked up her camera and started taking photos again. That was when she saw a big crowd ahead of her, cheering and laughing excitedly that it was contagious.
“There are monkeys performing!” One of the boys ran past her, nearly throwing her off balance. He was followed by a string of his friends. Luckily, she moved back just in time before they could bowl her over. Chan chuckled at their enthusiasm and began to click the camera away as they ran, taking shots of them mid-action.
“Daddy! Daddy! I want to see!” a sweet little voice begged behind Chan.
Even this little girl was interested. And why not? It’d be entertaining. So Chan headed after the boys to the crowd and not long after, begged her way to the front where some of the boys posted themselves. In what appeared to be the center of the stage, two monkeys wearing clown costumes were performing some cool tricks. It was hilarious and cute to say the least. Chan kept taking photo after photo.
Suddenly, she felt a small being pushing herself against her legs.
“I can’t see! I can’t see!” the little voice muttered.
Chan heard a male chuckle, which was followed by, “Lilly, sweetheart, be careful.” The voice was timbre deep and resonant and caused her body to tingle just a little. It was odd, and Chan told herself it must be the cool breeze setting in for the night.
Not a moment later, the little girl named Lilly appeared beside her. She was a small thing, wearing a pink sundress and her dark hair tied with a pink ribbon. She was struggling to stay in her claimed position because the boys behind her were too excited about the monkeys doing some fantastic kung fu moves to stay still. Chan noted she was beginning to get a bit upset about the whole thing, and when she nearly fell forward, Chan caught her in time before she hit the concrete.
Chan pulled Lilly into her arms, her heart hammering within her chest. “Are you all right?” she asked with concern.
The little girl tightened her grip on Chan. “I nearly fell,” she said, looking up, frightened.
Chan blinked as Lilly gazed at her. Good Lord! She was such a beautiful child, with rich black hair, dark-brown eyes, and petal-white skin. She was going to grow into a heartbreaker.
“Why don’t you stand there?” Chan said, positioning Lilly in front of her so the boys wouldn’t push her about.
“Thanks,” Lilly said, smiling up at Chan.
Chan returned the smile, and that was when she noticed Lilly waving to someone. She was suddenly aware of the heat of a male body behind her, mere inches from her, and she could feel his warm breath above her. She tried to ignore him and the feeling of him so close to her, but it was impossible. When she couldn’t take it any longer, she crouched down beside Lilly.
“Look, the monkeys are dancing,” Lilly said excitedly. “I like dancing. It’s fun. Do you like dancing?”
Chan laughed. “I don’t know how to dance.” She told the little girl the truth.
“Why can’t you? It’s easy.”
Chan chuckled. “I’ve never learned.”
“I can teach you,” Lilly said honestly.
“It’s okay. I think I’ll survive without dancing,” Chan said, stroking the little girl’s cheek.
Shoot! She just realized she’d touched this child without her parents’ permission. She hoped her father, the man behind her, wouldn’t think of her as a child molester or, worse, report her to the police or something.
God, she could feel his gaze on her, intense and hot. Her stomach was fluttering and her heart pumping like crazy. What is wrong with me?
She withdrew her hand from Lilly’s cheek to her side and turned her attention to the show before them. They continued to watch, and all the time, Chan was very aware of Lilly’s father behind her and, sometimes, his gaze on her. Her heart never stopped racing, and neither could she concentrate on the show. Finally, it was over and a big applause followed.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,” the ringmaster said to the audience. “If you’ve enjoyed our little show, please do give a donation.” He gave his tall, black hat to his dog. The canine took it between its teeth and obediently started heading around the crowd. When it came to stand in front of Chan and Lilly, Chan put in five dollars.
Lilly petted the black beast fondly. Then she looked rather upset when it moved away and
even more so when she saw another little girl placing some golden coins into the hat. Chan realized Lilly also wanted to give a donation and looked as though she was about to cry. She couldn’t help herself and gave Lilly her other five dollars.
Lilly looked at her with large, adoring eyes, pleased. “Can I really?”
Chan just wanted to pinch her cheek. Lilly was just too cute. But she couldn’t really because the girl’s father was just behind her, guarding his daughter like a mother hen. So she resigned to simply giving Lilly an encouraging nod and smile instead.
“Can I, Daddy?” Lilly looked up to her father, her eyes large.
In a flash, he was on his knees beside them, and Chan’s heart started to jump into a silly rhythm again. Damn! He was so near she could feel the heat of his large body. She felt like a dwarf next to him.
“Since the pretty lady is being very nice, yes,” he said smoothly.
Chan picked up an American accent and wondered if he and his family were here on holiday in the Gold Coast, like the majority of the people in Surfer Paradise.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Lilly said.
“What do you say to the pretty lady?”
Lilly turned to Chan and said, “Thank you, pretty lady.”
Chan laughed. “You can call me Chan.”
“Thank you, Ch… Chu… Chan?” she said, having a little difficulty pronouncing the name correctly. Then she proceeded to take the five dollars.
She waited patiently for the dog to come back to her, and when it did, she petted the canine again and then placed the money into the hat. “You’re a very good pup,” she said.
By this time, the crowd had dispersed, and Lilly rushed up to her dad behind Chan.
Chan was about to stand when her cell phone rang. She quickly searched for it in her bag as she got up. When she found it, which was as usual way at the bottom of the bag, she put it to her ear as she lifted her head.
“Hello?” she said as she stared at the massive brick wall of chest that belonged to Lilly’s father in front of her. He was wearing a white shirt, the expensive type that men wore to the office. He had it parted at just the right spot, exposing a very enticing muscular, tanned chest. She licked her lips, wondering why her heart was pounding so hard and her stomach fluttering so badly.
As she listened to Amie verbally abusing her as to why she’d resigned from her job with such short notice and she and her sisters had moved away without telling her, Chan dreaded the moment she finally had to meet Lilly’s dad face to face. She could feel him watching her intensely, patiently waiting for her to look up at him. Suddenly, she knew she just couldn’t do it. It was as though she couldn’t find the strength to lift her face just a little more.
Before she could stop herself, she turned around and walked away. She knew it was rude of her, but she felt as though she wasn’t ready to talk to people she didn’t know yet, especially this man who, oddly enough, fascinated her beyond belief. Why? She hadn’t even seen his face. But oh, his voice. It was to die for, and she didn’t understand why she was attracted to him without even seeing his face. And his chest? Her palms itched and a liquid warm sensation coursed through her being.
Amie continued to tell her off as she headed farther away from Lilly and her father.
“Bye, Chan.” Lilly’s voice drifted to her.
She just kept on walking, and in the distance, Lilly said, “Maybe she didn’t hear me.” The little girl sounded disappointed and sad, and Chan’s heart cried out to her.
I’m sorry, Lilly, Chan said to herself. Why are you such a bitch, Chan? Why?
“She’s busy on the phone, sweetheart,” the dad said.
Chan took a deep breath, feeling her heart quivering.
“Chandra! Do you hear me? Do you know how much work you’ve put me through, you irresponsible little piece of shit! You have to come back here and sort this all out.”
Chan released a big sigh and controlled the urge to tell that bitch Amie to go piss off. Instead she said, “What more do you want, Amie? What more? I don’t have any more to give you. You’ve got everything that belonged to Dad.”
“Not everything, you bitch. Not everything. That house on the Gold Coast along Bay View Avenue, that belonged to Michael.”
“Yes it did belong to Mom and Dad, and now it’s ours, mine and my sisters’. It’s under our name. It said so in Dad’s will.”
“Don’t patronize me, you bitch. Oh, I should have never taken you lot in after Michael died. And now look at what you do to me, you ungrateful piece of shit.”
“You’ve never looked after me and my sisters, Amie. Grandmother did. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other, more important things to do. Good-bye, Amie, and I hope to never hear from you ever again.”
Chan ignored Amie’s shout of outrage and shut the phone. She took another deep breath, and oddly enough, she could still feel Lilly’s father’s eyes on her, even this far away.
Finally, after a few more deep breaths and throwing the thought of Amie out of her mind, she had the courage to turn around.
From the great distance and though she couldn’t see their faces at all properly, she smiled and waved at Lilly, who was now sitting comfortably in her father’s strong, powerful arms. Lilly waved back, laughing. Then Chan shifted her gaze to the man who had taken her interest.
Good Lord! He was tall and muscular, and well, just everything that was the opposite of her. He looked as though he could take on the world and would come out the winner. He set her pulse racing and her heart fluttering, the likes of which she’d never experienced before. He was watching her, she could feel it, and then she wondered if she would ever see him again. She didn’t know, but life, as Grandma Lin had always said, was very unpredictable, but at the same time very predictable. If you’re destined to meet someone, no matter how much you try to avoid him, you will still meet him in the most unexpected way.
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CHAPTER 4