Drifting Dandelions in the Wind

In one of the residences in Chinatown, Ronald Chen’s voice resonated, making the others inside the dining room stop eating. “How preposterous!!” He slammed the table with both of his hands. His outburst was followed by deafening silence. Alyssa Rose Chen, his granddaughter, had just graduated highschool. But her declaration that she would study arts in college dampen the jolly atmosphere. The supposed celebratory feast turned into an awkward situation. Ronald couldn’t believe that his granddaughter would divert from the path of their family business. He had built their bank business from scratch with his blood, sweat and tears. He was hoping that he could pass it down to his family’s future generations. “I won’t allow it! You can only study either business or finance. It’s your duty as a member of this family to help in our business.” Ronald stated firmly. “But I don’t like to study business nor finance. And besides eldest brother is already handling the bank just fine.” Alynna exclaimed vehemently. “You’ve got no choice in this matter, Alyssa. Whether you like it or not, you will help your brother on the bank. The same goes for you Rowan.” Ronald looked at his youngest grandson. When Rowan met his grandfather’s eyes, he lowered his head and started playing with his food. Ronald ignored the attitude that Rowan showed him. He thought that Rowan was still young, but his statement would serve as a reminder to him. “I sacrificed a lot in order to get our business to how it is now. It is also the reason why we have this kind of lifestyle. Thanks to it, you got all the things you wanted. I sent you all to a prestigious school so that you can have a good academy record. The three of you are my only grandchildren. I hope that you can help one another run the family business after your father retires. It is the legacy that I want to pass to the future generations of our family.” Ronald continued without even looking at Alyssa. He had high expectations that Rowan would follow in the steps of his eldest brother. On the other hand, Alyssa was a hopeless case. But he still hoped that she would change. He regretted giving in to his wife’s demand to allow Alyssa to draw and paint as a hobby when she was young. Wanting to pursue art right after graduating highschool was a mistake. He was worried about what her life would be if she continued on that path. Art was full of uncertainties. It wouldn’t provide a stable income for her daily needs, he thought. Now that his wife was gone, he would lead Alyssa to the correct path, where she wouldn’t need to worry about her daily needs. “You can’t expect us to do things just because you want to. We also have our dreams.” Alyssa retorted. “And where will that dream of yours take you? Will it give you a stable life?” Ronald was trying to make his granddaughter realize the risk. Alyssa realized that she really hadn’t thought about it. All she wanted to do was to explore the world of arts. She wanted to learn different kind of arts. That was the reason why she wanted to go to an arts college. But she really hadn’t thought of what she would do after achieving it. “We won’t know until I get there. But… at least I can make a job of my own passion or maybe I can form a company of my own.” Alyssa had just said the things that came into her mind to reason out with her grandfather. Ronald saw through her indecisiveness. He ought to save his granddaughter from her own caprice. In order to do so, he had to rebuke her harshly. “You really haven’t thought about it, did you? It only proves that you are impulsive. You will only make a fool of yourself with your impulsiveness.” Ronald thought that those words were enough to make her back down. However, it only made Alyssa more resolute. After hearing those berating words, she was determined to prove herself to her grandfather. “Just watch me, I’ll prove you wrong!” Alyssa countered. “No, you won’t.” Her father calmly interjected. “From now on, I’ll block your card and all your expenses will be monitored. If you need to buy something, you have to ask me for cash instead.” He continued. Reynold, Alyssa’s father, had enough listening to the argument between his father and his daughter. His father was right, Alyssa was too impulsive. He knew his daughter was stubborn, so he had to take measures. He had a feeling that she would do anything she wanted, regardless of how they were against it. “Dad! You can’t do that.” Alyssa exclaimed. “I can and I will. Given your stubbornness, I know that you will enroll in an art college without our knowledge.” Her father said with conviction. Alyssa wasn’t able to say anything because he was right. She was planning to get into an art college without their knowledge. “If you really still want to go against us, then I have no obligation to help you, including financial support. Since you want it, you have to get it yourself. But do remember, if you do, then don’t bother coming back into this house.” Her father gave her a warning before he stood up to leave the dining room. Ronald thought that his son’s decision was too extreme, but given the circumstances, that was the only way to prevent Alyssa. He followed his son to the study room. Her eldest brother also left the dining room. Only Alyssa and Rowan were left in the room. Rowan looked over at his dejected elder sister. He was always envious of his elder sister, so he didn’t like her that much. However, seeing her in a difficult situation didn’t make him happy either. “That’s not cool at all, sis. Why did you have to ruin your own celebration?... Guess you won’t have your way anymore like you used to.” After his remark, he left Alyssa alone in the dining room. Alyssa couldn’t believe what her father said. They were all against her and got her cornered. She suddenly missed her grandmother. Everything changed when her grandmother passed away a month ago. She used to get what she wanted or asked, as long as her grandmother agreed. Now that she was gone, her dad and grandfather were apprehensive of everything she does. Their grandmother was their mother figure in the family. She was only six and her elder brother was fourteen when their mother died giving birth to Rowan. There were times when she was jealous of her elder brother because he both got the attention of their father and grandfather. She could see that their father treated them each differently. Her eldest brother was the favored one, while she was ignored. Her youngest brother got the short end of the stick because sometimes she could see how their father looked at him with reluctance or condemnation. Even though he tried to hide it, it was still visible. She was sure that Rowan could feel it too. That was the reason why Rowan always stayed out of their father’s way. She and Rowan used to be close, but they became estranged as they grew older. The two of them were taken care of by their grandmother. But when Rowan turned six, their grandfather took charge of him, saying that he needed a strict guidance while he was still young. After reminiscing on the past, Alyssa left the room too, more determined than ever. She had decided that she would pursue what her heart wanted. She didn’t want to have any regrets without doing anything. *** “Congratulations!!!” The architecture graduates cheered as they threw their graduation cap up in the air. Jessica Maison gave her younger brother a hug as soon as she saw him exit from the crowd of graduates. “Congratulations! My dear baby brother” She said as she kissed him on his cheeks. Clifford furrowed his brows when he heard the word baby. “Oh please, stop calling me baby brother anymore. Thanks for coming by the way.” He beamed at his sister. “Of course, I would come. There is no way I’m going to miss your big day.” Jessica said happily. “But you are still my baby brother.” She added. “Kids, come and get in the car now or we’re going to be late on our dinner reservation.” Ramona Maison, their mother, shouted as she stuck her head out of the passenger seat of the car. “See! we are still their babies” Jessica said triumphantly. “Ugh!” Clifford could only sigh as he went to the car. The drive to the restaurant was not that long, their mother exaggerated. They were even earlier than the time of reservation. But still they were ushered to the private room they reserved. As they wait for their meal to arrive, they talked about random things which eventually lead to the discussion of Clifford’s future prospects. “So, what do you plan now that you have already graduated?” His father, Brent Maison, asked. His whole family looked at him intently, waiting for his answer. He suddenly felt he was being interrogated. “I plan on taking the license examination as soon as possible, since I already have the experience required.” He answered confidently. Seeing his family nodding in agreement, he continued to divulge his future plans. “After getting my license, I am planning to build a real estate development company, together with my friends. What do you guys think?” Clifford asked for their opinion as well. “That’s good. It seems you thoroughly thought about it. We’re supporting you with your decision.” His dad showed his satisfaction with his plan. “Thanks dad, mom and sis.” He was sincerely grateful for their support. “Awww, my baby brother is already grown-up.” His sister, Jessica, teased him. “Geez, when will you stop calling me baby brother sis?” Clifford was frustrated. “Never. You will always be my baby brother, mwah” She gave him a flying kiss. Clifford just sighed and shook his head, then smiled. “So, who are the friends you want to build the company with?” His mother interjected. Clifford’s eyes brightened as he remembered the impression his friends left on his parents. “Oh, you know them, I already brought them to the house before.” “But you brought a lot of friends to the house before, especially when doing your projects. And everytime, they were different group from the previous. I won’t be able to remember all of them.” His mother’s brows furrowed. “But I’m sure you’ll remember them. After all, they left quite a big impression on you and dad. But sis hasn’t met them yet.” Clifford gave her a clue on who they were. His dad reacted to his statement. He seemed to remember something as he facepalmed his face. “It’s those three?” His dad asked. “Yeah, it’s them” Clifford grinned. “Three?” His mother was still confused as she looked both at the father and son. “The three stooges.” His dad muttered. When Jessica heard it, she laughed out loud. At the same time, his mother realized who they were. “Oh them!... they really did leave a big impression” She laughed heartily. “What’s with the nickname?” Jessica asked curiously. Ramona started to narrate to her daughter why they called them that. Ramona still remembered it vividly, after all they made her and Brent laugh at their wedding anniversary. There was a fashion show that was required to be attended by Ramona, but her daughter took over for her because it was the same day as their wedding anniversary. Unbeknownst to them, their son, Clifford, planned to give them a surprise after their dinner date. The plan was for Clifford to welcome them home normally, then lead them to the dining room, where the lights would turn on and the party poppers would go off as soon as they stepped in, while one of them was presenting the scaled model of their house that Clifford made. But what happened was far from what they planned. Three steps away from the dining area, the poppers went off, followed by the kitchen light turning on and, worst of all, the scaled model house was replaced by the tray of sandwiches and fries. The one assigned to the poppers was fiddling with it, and accidentally popped it ahead of time. The other two panicked after they heard the sound. The one assigned on the lights pressed the wrong switch and the one assigned on the scaled model grabbed the wrong item. Clifford didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. The end result of the surprise was an utter failure, but at least it gave them a good laugh. After Jessica heard the story, she couldn’t stop laughing. She laughed till there were tears in her eyes. They chatted until their food arrived.