MING LAN

Chapter Twelve: Rooms For Rent

The three of us have breakfast together but not talking. So is lunch and dinner time. No one talks anymore. Just eat quietly.

Ming Lan tells her Appa that she is cleaning up Amma’s house after leaving it so long. She goes back to Amma’s house on the weekend. She leaves after breakfast, driving the white car I bought her a year ago. I had it thoroughly checked by the foreman for her when she came back. It was left stranded for a year although I warmed up the engine.

‘It’s better for me to get away than being in the house, so boring…’. Thought Ming Lan as she drives. ‘I can’t sit facing the two of them like before. It’s so uncomfortable. I wish I didn't have to live in that house. It is never meant for me to stay in. He never even looked for me until I’m this old. Men are useless indeed’.

‘Keong...the worst, play dumb and deaf everyday. I’m not talking if he’s not talking to me. What I said was not wrong. Does he hate me? Oh! Whatever! Nothing is important anymore. I’ll live my life by myself, it’s peaceful’.

Ming Lan drove away by herself. Appa makes noise again about me letting Ming Lan go alone. My fault again? Ah! Appa...always like that.

Ming Lan lets me follow her in her car, hearing Appa’s complaints, the second week, as long as I do not mention anything about marrying her to her. That’s her warning! Ming Lan, don’t think too much please. My heart is broken enough to even think of that. I need some peace too.

I sit beside her quietly. Scrolling my handphone, listening to songs with my headphones on. I either look outside the car window or close my eyes. This is all Appa’s work, making me tail her, whereas she does not need me at all. As a man, I have my pride too, but for Appa’s sake I thicken my face and get into her car. Feeling so uncomfortable sitting beside her.

I never have anything in particular to do at home anyway, other than going to the gym on weekends.

Ming Lan had cleared up Amma’s room and slept in there last week. There are two big roller boxes outside the room, full of Amma’s belongings with a list outside the box. She has three more boxes she brought with her.

She tidies up the room next to it and labels the content in categories, clothes, towels, decorations.

She cooks rice and has grilled fish and chicken in her shed. I ate with her quietly there. She grills for dinner again after cleaning the compound. I help to dump the dried leaves in the burning pit she dug, a metre square. The whole place was left unattended for too long with too much dust inside and messy on the outside.

She emptied all the other cupboard content into the boxes and stacked up in a corner, after our dinner. I watch and help her, as I do not know what to pack up and which box the item should go to. I just cannot sit doing nothing all day.

Furthermore she is not talking to me, just one or two words. I wiped the cupboards’ inside and out. Then I vacuum the floor after she is done. She mops the whole room, pushing out all the boxes lining the wall outside. We each sleep in our own room. I take the smaller room next to hers.

Ming Lan clears the store room after breakfast. There are so many unusable items in there. I take them to the burning pit and light fire on the broken wood and other unwanted items, old clothes, mats. I take the other plastic containers to the rubbish bin in town. Hoping someone would pick them up and sell them at the recycle centres. It would be too smelly to burn and I am not contributing to the toxic air pollution.

The next day she tidied another room. I drive out with big plastic bags of dry rubbish to the big dustbin outside again. The usable and unusable are separated by her and labelled the content.

Then I take her car to the river for a break. I sit under the small shady tree I planted watching the fish swimming to and fro, doing self reflection. I should have brought my fishing rod along. Oh, never mind, I did not even buy any bait. I take off my shirt and long pants intending to swim. I wade in the river to the other side of the river bank. There is a lot of vegetation growing behind those trees.

Thinking of snakes I turn back and swim by myself. Tired of swimming alone, I drive home. Ming Lan has cooked our lunch. We eat without talking again. I help to vacuum the whole place then have my bath, changing my clothes ready to go home.

She must be tired doing everything by herself when I was at the river. She never says anything but I offer to drive home, letting her sleep in the car. Hmm...I wish she was not like this, making the situation awkward and difficult for me especially.

The fourth week, she almost completely tidied up the whole house. She asks for my opinion on which room should she occupy. I helped her move her things to Amma’s room downstairs, the biggest room. I take the next room, a smaller one which I have been sleeping in. She does not mind me taking that room. I do not have to pack my belongings anymore, leave everything behind for my weekly use.

Every room has a set of furniture, a bed, mattress and cupboards. I helped her move the furniture and prepare the room for renting. Ming Lan had pasted up printed papers in shops she is familiar with. ROOM FOR RENT with her contact number.

A week later, she met up with the future tenants at a coffee shop. Asking me to accompany her this time, still not talking much. They follow her back to the house to have a look at the place. I am in the car with her driving home.

The three rooms upstairs are rented out to a school teacher, Sally, a policeman, Jack and a nurse, Ah Choo. I introduce ourselves as a couple to these people, to save a lot of explanations later on. Ming Lan seems not to mind me saying that to the tenants.

Ming Lan told them that the storeroom is open to all to make use of anything in there, so is the living room and the kitchen, the shed too for grillings. She emphasises that every item must go back to its place after use.

Ming Lan feels glad to be able to rent out the rooms. Hoping that someone will keep the place safe and clean for her.

After talking to the three tenants she slowly sorts out the content in the boxes lining outside. Placing them according to categories. Then label with its detailed content clearly, for easy search when the need arises.

She finished sorting in two days. Pushing certain boxes to the storeroom lining the wall. Anyone can make use of the items inside. She keeps her grandma’s belongings in her bedroom and a box of her own items in another box. Those are her sentimental values, stacked up at a corner. She is sorting out again when she has time for it.

Ming Lan does not talk much to me all this while. Just work and work. She does not mind me helping her either, but never orders nor asks for my help. What am I to her? I still don’t get it. Five weeks have passed and I still accompany her. I find that I cannot leave her alone. Do I like to be with her? I am not sure but I still tag along making the old man happy because I have to care for his daughter.

She cuts off the tree branches just like before. The new branches have grown tall without her hanging anything pulling it lower down in a year. Telling the tenants to enjoy free fresh fruits. Also about two fruit sellers coming to pluck the fruits regularly, asking that teacher, Sally, to keep the fruit money for her, although not much.

“I have planted four soursops. I hope you can water it for me. Just don’t let it die off.” Ming Lan reminds the policeman, Jack. thanking him. The young trees she planted before had died off, uncared for more than a year.

I tag along every time she goes back there. Not a comment from Appa. We are closer to each other by this time. We do not go to the river like before although I miss it. She is more polite to me, not openly straight forward talking like she used to, in an unhappy tone. I feel comfortable in her company, anywhere once again. That feeling is slowly coming back.

Once I tried talking to her about how I feel about her. She does not get angry this time, just sighing, looking at me.

Again I make her realise that she and I do not have friends other than just the two of us, a month later. We are not to grow old together like this, a waste of our life. I told her directly. Might as well we stay together legally. Without interference from Appa.

Hearing that, she stops strumming her guitar and puts it down. Staring at me seriously. “How serious are you this time?” She asks me without blinking.

“100 percent serious, right from my heart.” I answered her confidently with my hand on my chest, sitting on a stool opposite her. My left knee is between her two bent legs.

Surprisingly she hugs me. “Honestly. Did you ever love me?“

“Yes. I do. Always, Ming Lan.” I look her in the eyes saying that. She stares back.

“Is that why you follow me everywhere and want to stay with me?”

“Yes. Ming Lan. I love you. I want to marry you.” I told her frankly.

She looks at me, not saying anything, suddenly she hugs me again, sighing. “Only now, you are telling me….. I’m glad that you said it, at last. Stupid man, (hitting me once on my back) … We’ll let Appa (father) know when we go home,” she says. Then mumbles “I hope you don’t regret saying it.”

I hear her and hug her back, playing with her long hair. “I won’t. I have loved you since I met you two years ago. I just could not tell you that time, afraid that you would not let me come into the house and have to sleep outside. I really love you, Ming Lan. I want to share my life with you. I’ll take good care of you.”

Then I peck both sides of her cheek. She gives me her sweet smile and kisses my cheek in return. That is a good sign. A sign I have been waiting for. She picks up her guitar and strums again, more seriously this time singing as she strums, enjoying herself.

I video taped her. She is good. I watch her and her guitar feeling happy over what had just happened between us. I have butterflies in my heart the whole day once again. I dare not disturb her further. Things are improving between us.

Sitting in the living room after dinner, I ask Ming Lan. “Why didn’t you agree that day and why now?”

She turns to me and gives me a serious look, slowly saying, “You, Keong, as a man, should speak your own mind. Not using someone else’s voice. I want to hear it from your own mouth. Asking me to marry you. But you didn’t say anything on that day. Very disappointing indeed.”

“Then, I got very angry. You’re a man. Say out your mind. As simple as that. Instead, you act dumb, make me mad at you. I end up doing what I did. Angry at you. Angry at Appa too, for hiding the truth from me. Embarrassing me.” She strikes her guitar once, shocking me with the sudden noise.

Oh! Now I got it. I was not manly enough in her eyes, a coward, timid, no mind of his own. Well, I’M NOT! Out of respect for Appa I let him say it all. Now I understand her. My Ming Lan. Due to that I had wasted so much time waiting, with the heartache. I am not waiting anymore!

She continues, “Keong, did you know how embarrassed I was after knowing that you are not my biological brother. I have feelings for you but I have to suppress it thinking it is wrong to love my own brother. I went through a tough time trying to forget it and the heartache too. Then Appa showed me your DNA test result. I was really really angry with him for making me a fool, going through that hell of a time.”

I take her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m used to listening to Appa and waiting for him to tell the truth. I shouldn’t have agreed with him keeping it from you and Amma in the first place. My mistake too. Being too obedient.” I hug her with a sigh. “Sorry, Ming Lan.” I kiss her lips. She is quiet.

We sit in front of the television side by side, not really watching but talking about the two of us. Recalling things between us, talking and laughing over funny incidents. We end up sleeping late. I drove home the next day after breakfast. I am eager to let ‘Appa’ know of our plan.

We let Appa know of our decision, let him choose the date, but a short version of the first arrangement. We are doing things our way. That is getting our marriage certificate and a simple church wedding, in a bride and groom suit black and white. I would be leaving the house to the church earlier, in a friend's car. Ming Lan would leave the house with Appa and his driver in his big car. He is to walk her the aisle.

There would be a lunch buffet at the church compound. We are going for our honeymoon instead. I hope Appa does not mind nor spoil our plan.

Appa does not say much to us when I tell him that I'm marrying Ming Lan and hearing our plan. He just nods his head looking at both of us, confirming. “Are you two very sure? You know I love you both. I don’t want to lose any of you.” Maybe he is afraid of Ming Lan running away again.

“Pa. I have loved Ming Lan since I met her. If not for her running away, I would have married her.”

“I’m sorry Appa, for what happened before. Akeong himself had asked me to marry him. I love him too. We’ll take care of each other and you. Staying in this house with you.” Her words make my Dad smile brightly, which I have not seen since my graduation day. He is obviously very happy to hear the news from us.