MING LAN

Chapter Thirteen: The Honeymoon

Both of us get busy hunting for our basic need for our wedding. Everything goes as we plan, smoothly. The church is half full of my friends and hers. Appa’s friends are obviously the elders.

I saw the man Ming Lan brought home that day. He is sitting with a girl. I was right, she borrowed him.

I give Ming Lan a long kiss at the altar in her white wedding gown we chose together, forgetting other matters. I am the happiest man today. I married my woman at last. Someone I love and willing to share my life with.

Ming Lan had applied for ten days leave. We boarded our plane on the same evening to Auckland. I handled our check in with her standing beside me with her sling bag I bought for her. Looking pretty and cute to me. How I love the sight of her now. Ming Lan is my wife now. Someone I really love.

When most passengers are sleeping, I still cannot sleep. I lean closer to her, seeing her not sleeping I take her left hand onto my lap, sandwiching it with mine. She leans in too. I palm her cheek and pull it closer, looking into her pair of beautiful eyes. Oh, how I love her, my Ming Lan.

“I’m so happy we’re husband and wife now. I love you.” I kissed her lips for the second time. I kiss her again and again. She responds. I kiss her passionately in that awkward sitting position, slowly letting her go, sighing.

“I love you, Keong. Don't keep things from me anymore. Say it out.” She whispers, kissing my cheek. Touching my face gently.

I nod my head looking at her. It feels good to have someone touching me like that. Loving me. Feeling her soft hand on my face like before. “Let’s try to sleep. Long hour flight for us.” It is dark outside except for the plane’s flicking red light on the wings.

It seems both of us are still awake despite trying to sleep. Maybe we tried too hard. Maybe our hearts are extra active tonight. Somehow we dozed off holding hands.

I wake up when the stewardesses come distributing our breakfast. Our blankets had slid down onto our lap. No wonder I feel cold.

After breakfast we sleep on. Waking up when the plane lands. We take our time to get off the plane. After taking our luggage, we passed through the Airport Customs’ check, then waited for a cab outside the building, facing the cold wind. We are both hungry by now, asking the driver to take us to a good restaurant.

The wind blowing is cold for both of us. After our lunch, we took a cab to our hotel which I booked earlier.

It is a medium size hotel in the middle of the town. Just what we need. Our room is medium size, with an inviting big bed at a corner by the window. A sofa set facing it and a television on its left, close to a dressing table. The bathroom is big enough, with a shower and a bathtub. It is facing the wardrobe by the entrance like most hotel’s setting.

There we take turns to have our bath, a warm shower actually. Feeling fresh after that shower, getting back into our clothes and lying under the blanket. I love the feeling of having Ming Lan lying next to me. We sleep on hugging each other when sleepiness overcomes us.

My alarm wakes me up. That is for dinner time, the receptionist tells me our dinner time here. I see Ming Lan still sleeping. I wake her up, shaking her arm. She opens her eyes sleepily looking at me.

“What’s the time? I'm hungry. It’s so cold.” She complains.

I move closer to her, lay hugging her with my leg over her. “I’ll keep you warm here. I’m hungry too.”

She giggles. “I’m hungry. You’re hungry. What are we doing here? Then let’s go for dinner.” She takes my hand to her chest touching her breasts. I feel the warmth, and lay there looking at her, feeling her. Then my stomach growls. Making both of us chuckle spontanously.

“Dinner time.” I take my arm and leg off her, turning the other side trying to get up. She moves closer and hugs my hip with her face downwards, refusing to let me go. I turn and stroke her head. “We have to go now, if not we have nothing to eat in this cold weather. Come. We can lay here again afterwards.”

I pull her up gently. She sits up, neaten her long hair and gets off the bed. I stand beside her, watching her straighten her clothes and take her sling bag walking to me. Taking my hand walking to the door, leaving our room.

There are many people eating at the dining place. It is quite spacious, with good lighting, non eye glaring. There are families and couples occupying the tables. A waiter comes and takes us to a table for two by the side. We take time looking at the menu. I ask the waiter for the hotel’s favourite dish.

He points to the page smiling and we have a set each. It is a delicious dinner, beef steak. We do not talk, other than looking at each other while eating. Smiling from time to time, enjoying our dinner. I order another set of desert and a glass of red wine each.

“How do you feel now? Far away from home?” I take her hand, feeling her soft hand despite all the hard work she does all these years.

“Free. I feel free. The wine is going to my head.” She answers me with her cheerful face. This is the Ming Lan that I know and love.

I smile at her. ‘You’ll love your married life tonight.’ Imagining what I’ll do to her for the first time. We were close before but I never took advantage of her, knowing her character. I was her brother at that time. Enduring whatever feelings I had whenever we were close together. No more than just hugging her and kissing her cheeks.

Things are going to be different now that she’s my wife. I am a man after all.

I hold her hand walking back to our room. Locking the door, we sit on the sofa, still not letting go of her hand. I touch her face and tilt it up, she looks at me right into my eyes, gazing at each other then following my heart's desire. Kissing her lips expressing myself. She lets me go on, kissing her neck and back to her lips. I kiss her open mouth, slowly feeling her inside, caressing her body letting go of my emotion.

Cupping her breast as we kiss. It is big alright, big enough for my palm and her body size. I gaze into her eyes as my hand feels both her breasts, watching her. She closes her eyes feeling my hands and the sensation.

I unbutton her blouse slowly, with my heart beating faster and faster. I want to see it. She opened her eyes and unbuttoned my shirt. Soon I take off her blouse and see her breasts, big and round. I loosen her bra hook. Staring at her breast. It is beautiful. I touch both sides feeling its firmness in my palm, caressing both sides for the first time.

I squeeze it and bend down to take it in my mouth sucking her n****e one after another. I do what I want to do with my mouth, tongue and hand, making her moan softly, enjoying my doing to her. It is my first experience touching a woman's breasts and I am not letting go yet. I fondle on, hearing her heavy breathing.

I take off my shirt. She feels me, her hand caressing my chest and n****e making blood rise to my face and head. “Let’s go to bed now.” I pull her up standing. I unzip my pants and she unzips hers. We are both in our underwear only. I feel her butt, pulling her closer and kissing her again.

We stand hugging, kissing, and caressing each other. She snuggles onto me and sighs.

“The bed.” I said, looking at the big comfortable looking bed.

We both tremble as we explore each other on the bed. Feeling both hot and cold come and go. I slowly entered her deeper and deeper. She screams a little when I enter her harder. I stop and pull out, caressing her curled up body with her hand down there.

“The pain will go off soon.” I whisper into her ears, spooning her body, caressing her breast, running my lips on her back neck slowly moving to the front as I squeeze her breast again and again playing with her n****e. My hard c**k is against her back, rubbing it there slowly.

I turn her on her back. Giving her a tissue paper. She wipes and shows me blood. I smile at her. Touching her nose tip. Kissing her lips repeatedly. My heart keeps racing feeling hot all over me, increasing my desire.

“I know. The pain will go away soon.” I whisper to her. In my mind she is my sister, in my heart she is my wife. My woman. I love her. I caress her sighing.

Soon I am inside her again, giving her the pleasure of life with my repeated thrusts. Feeling me inside her. Hearing her soft moans. I cannot hold on for long. It is my first time with a woman. We are both hot and cold again, trembling slightly. She hugs me with her face on my sweaty chest.

I pull the blanket covering our whole body feeling the coldness on our sweaty body.

She wakes up caressing my chest, snuggling onto it. I recall that feeling inside her. A good feeling that I want to feel again. I want to be inside her again. A feeling I can’t explain. I just want to feel it again.

I work my way inside her. She enjoys it, we tremble less this time.

Our third time is better. Our rigidness is almost gone. We fell asleep soon enough with my legs over her body and arm over her breast, palming it. I like to feel her breasts, big bulges with soft pointed tips.

“Keong. Keong” I hear my name. I open my eyes and remember where I am. In bed with my wife far away from home. I turn and lay flat on my back in my sleepiness, hearing her get off the bed.

Remembering what happened, I smile to myself. Hearing her out of the bathroom I get up. Seeing her naked body in the dim light I touch her breast as I walk past her. She hits my butt. I chuckle as I enter the bathroom and wash up. Landing myself on the bed again beside her.

“Keong.” She turns to me. “Thank you. It’s wonderful. I’m not scared anymore. I like it.” She giggles after saying that to me.

“Good. Me too” I touch her nose, kissing her forehead, hugging her close letting out a satisfying sigh. “I love you.” My hands caress her back, sliding down and down caressing her butt. “You want it?” I feel her nodding head at my chest.

I let out my emotions on her and felt her expressing hers. We have a long one this time. I could last longer and she responds better. Both lay panting on our backs. I pull the blanket over us, feeling the coldness. I can see the faint light in the sky through the glass windows. ‘It’s dawn’.

I hear water from the bathroom and touch my side. ‘Oh, she’s inside there.’ I close my eyes again, recalling how we were last night. Smiling to myself, satisfied. Making my wife happy. It is our first time doing it together. Not bad. I grade myself.

She comes shaking me, waking me up. I pretend not to hear her. She kisses my cheek and I hug her pulling her on top of me, chuckling.

“Naughty you,” as she thumbs my lips. “Go, bathe. We’re going for breakfast. I’m hungry now.” I can smell her freshness and peck her mouth before I let loose of my hug, gazing into her eyes. I kiss her lips. She pushes my face aside. “Brush your teeth and bathe.” Hitting my butt before she gets off me, standing by the bed in complete dressing.

“Ok, mam.” I get off the bed and hug her from behind, with my head at her neck moving my body left and right. ”Love you” I peck her cheek before I escape her hand, to the bathroom naked.

I take my time in the bathroom washing up and showering. Feeling so fresh. I dry myself before I walk out of the bathroom with a wrapped towel around my waist. Ming Lan is already dressed up, combing her long silky hair. I stand there watching her in the mirror.

I move forward and take her long hair in my hand, bring it up and smell it. It smells fresh. I hug her looking in the mirror with my head at her shoulder, rubbing my face feeling her hair. “I love you with all my heart. Let me love you, stay with you until we grow old together.” I peck her cheek again.

“I have to get dressed before I take you another round.” I peck her cheek again and again playfully, tickling her, before letting her off.

She sits on the bed watching me putting on my clothes one by one.

“Not helping me?”

She shakes her head. “I’m hungry. I don’t want to end up in bed again.”

“What if I want it?” I put on my pants and pretend to move to her.

“No way.” She begins to move to the door, smiling. I stop and get my socks to put on, sitting on the sofa.

I wash my hands and stand putting on my shoes then open the door for her. We walk hand in hand to the breakfast table with butterflies fluttering in my heart.

There are many people having breakfast. I take her hand walking, seeing food served on the counters. Only then I take a plate for her and another for me.

We pick our food beginning with the first counter. It is almost full by the time we reach the last one. “We’ll come and get it again if you want to eat more.” I whisper to her. She follows me to a table. We sat at a corner table looking out of the window, down the street. Sitting there eating, watching the moving traffic below.

“You should call home. Tell Appa we are fine” she says to me as she chews her food.

I nod, whispering, “Also how I take you in bed. Cold and hot, sweating, trembling the first time.” I make a joke of it, making her chuckle almost choking on her food, eyeing her all the time. She looks happy now. Not like when she was staying in the house.

“I’ll keep you happy Ming Lan no matter where you are.” I told her, looking at her face. She looks up at me with a smile.

“You better be. You’re in charge of my life now.” She looks straight in my face saying that.

“Ok then. I got the green light already.”

“Whatever you have in mind now, you have to promise me. Take me back to Amma’s house every month. I really miss her and that house. Can you promise me that?”

I nod my head looking at her. “I promise. I love the place too. The river…” We smile looking at each other. We had shared good times at the river before. It is definitely going to be better this time that we are now a married couple.

Taking her hand strolling in the morning street is cool. The morning air is cool. The shops are not open yet other than eating places serving breakfast.

My phone shows it is 18 celsius. Cold enough for both of us. We have our jackets on anyway. We walk and walk, seeing the city on foot as we talk. The street is getting noisy with vehicles passing. We both shiver with the strong wind blowing from time to time.

We stop for our lunch, take meat so as not to feel hungry too fast in this cold weather, then stroll again and buy some bread and food at a stall. We took a cab back to our hotel. It is evening by now and it is getting colder. The cold weather makes us get hungry in a short while.

We wash up and get under the blanket. It is cold somehow. We cuddle before having another go for the day. I hugged her, not letting her go, I fell asleep again, exhausted.

We had our late dinner at the hotel, trying another menu. Later I asked the receptionist how to take public transport. She gave me a photocopy of the route map. Circling a few places I should see, explaining to me. Thanking her I put the map in my pocket, going to study it in my room with Ming Lan.

I make a rough plan of my whereabouts for tomorrow, taking note of the places, numbering in order. I can see it again on buses or taxis. There are people to ask around. I’m not worried. I slide it under my pillow as Ming Lan’s hand is unbuttoning my shirt in my jacket.

“So soon? The food is not digested yet.”

“There is nothing better to do.” She gives me a smile I cannot resist. I turn to her, cup her chin, tilt it up and kiss her lips. I could not stop myself from going on, ending up exhausted, sleeping soundly next to her under the blanket.

Our days in Auckland are worthwhile. We visited the Sky Tower and Auckland War Memorial. We read descriptions on how war broke out and the effect of it. We go round reading, for Ming Lan said knowing the history is knowing the country and the people.

We visited Auckland Zoo. There are many species of animals we do not have back home. Feeding is strictly prohibited, no matter how cute the animals are to you, except for the area where they sell food for the animals to tourists. Excited children and families are feeding the animals.

That place smells of urine, to me. Wondering how those people can stand the smell, standing a distance there seeing people feeding the animals is pungent enough for me. Maybe I have a sensitive nose, I see Ming Lan seems fine with the place.

“You like it here?” I ask Ming Lan.

“Me? Like it here?” She turns a face to me. We both chuckle and quickly leave the place. “It’s so smelly. How can I like it. I watch the families there feeding the animals. They’re so happy.”

“Ooo… I thought you’re not leaving that place.” We laugh together. “You love children?”

She nods her head, “You?”

“Of course I do. I want many children with you.”

“Many? How many?”

I put up my five fingers to her. She opens her eyes and mouth with her hands at her cheeks and starts giggling. “Five? You know how hard it is to conceive and give birth, right?”

I nod my head, “I know you can do it. For me, for our family.” I pull her to me and hug her tight, kissing her standing among the people walking about. I do not feel shy at all at the time kissing my wife. I let go of her, feeling out of breath myself. I feel full of love for Ming Lan at the moment. I hug her waist walking on to another spot with a smile on my face. I am happy.

We spent two hours in the Sea Life Aquarium. Standing without having to walk on the moving trail, taking us round and round the glass aquarium, moving our heads and eyes only. Watching the big and small animals moving and swimming there. Children are the happiest here, talking happily. My heart glows seeing different animals swimming in different styles every time we come back to the same spot, standing at the widest aquarium space above and around us.

Thinking that we do not come every year, we spend a long time at every place. The Auckland Art Gallery and Auckland Domain are the last two places we see. It is nice looking at the exhibition pictures, the arch and statues, seeing people coming and going, in all sizes and colour.

We sit in the garden, changing places, taking lots and lots of pictures. In fact, everywhere we go, there are pictures to take except in the museum. We have not taken many pictures of the two of us before. Now is our chance. Posing, acting like children. Sometimes getting help from tourists to take our pictures together.

We flew to Tauranga, curious about what was there then flew back to Auckland. Packed our bags and flew home safely the next day. We sleep better on our way home, exhausted after our last round in bed before checking out of the hotel.

At home, Ming Lan loaded all the pictures on a USB and watched it all over with Appa telling him about our trip, sitting beside him. I sit next to her, adding in to her story about Auckland.

“We’ll go to Wellington next time. Three of us, Appa. I like the country. It is a beautiful place to visit.” Ming Lan agrees with me, turning to me, patting my hand and smiling like a happy kid. It seems she loves travelling.