Falling for the Ace Assassin

Change of Perception

The weekend rolled around and Connie was up early to clean around the house, dusting and airing out every room. Since she moved in, she had been too busy for a deep clean and she needed some time to clear her head before heading home to visit her parents in the late afternoon. She had called last week letting her mother know she was going to be home for the weekly family evening get-together which was the first in years since Connie did everything she could to avoid seeing her cousins.

But this time, it was going to be different. Part of her was hellbent on spilling the beans to the entire family and shaming her cousins but another part, the one that prevailed all these years, wanted her to keep quiet to keep the family peace. She struggled internally on how to proceed and decided to work herself to the bone during the day so she wouldn’t have to think about it.

***

It took over an hour to drive to her parent’s home without traffic. Connie was exhausted as she finally pulled up the empty driveway. Connie got out of the car and glanced into the front window– it looked quiet and empty inside, good. She wanted to tell her parents in advance before doing the big reveal in front of her whole family just so they wouldn’t be shocked.

Connie walked up to the front door and twisted the knob, it was unlocked as usual. Something her parents did only on Saturday evenings so the family could just enter without having to ring the doorbell.

“I’m home!”

“Welcome home, darling! I’m in the kitchen. Go freshen up and help set the table please.”

“Where’s dad?”

“He’s in the backyard picking some lemons. He’ll be in soon.”

Connie went to use the restroom and wash her hands before she came back out to help set up the table. She glanced at the time, there was still half an hour before anyone would arrive.

“Mom. I have something important I want to tell you.”

Connie’s mother turned and smiled at her daughter. “What is it, darling?”

Connie hesitated for a moment but took a deep breath and just let it all out. “I never told you or Dad but the boys always bullied me since I was young. They stole my food, pulled my hair, and even threw me into the pool once. This is why I never wanted to come back. They always look for ways to abuse me! All of them! I wanted to tell you all at the dinner today. I feel like one day I’m going to pass away and no one will know they ever hurt me.”

Her mother frowned. She turned around and shut off the stove. Taking Connie by the hand, they walked into a bedroom and her mother closed the door.

“Darling, come sit next to me,” they sat down on the soft bed and faced each other while holding hands.

“Baby, we knew what happened when you were young.”

Connie’s eyes grew wide, “Then why didn’t you do anything about it?!”

Her mother sighed, “We didn’t want you all to know about our hardships. We wanted you to all feel safe growing up. Did you think it was a coincidence that your two uncles live in the same neighborhood and they always came over once a week for dinner? Your father and his brothers pooled all their assets to buy three houses at a discount from the builder. We didn’t have a lot of money when we first immigrated and your two uncles were still doing their masters. As the eldest brother, your father supported them and their families. Your cousins were always hungry and were growing boys and we didn’t have a lot so they were always grabbing food whenever they could. We turned a blind eye because we didn’t want to embarrass them but did you ever go hungry?”

Connie shook her head, “No…,” a tear trickled down her eye, “you would always give me your food. I didn’t want that.”

Sarah hugged her daughter tightly, “That’s what mothers do, baby. We all want our children to grow up strong and healthy. Now that our situation has improved, we still continue the family tradition of eating together because we want you all to grow up with the same family values. Though with you gone all these years, it kind of defeats the purpose. I’m sorry I never realized how you felt.”

Connie shrugged, “Then what about them pulling my hair and throwing me into the pool?”

“Boys always play rough. You probably don’t notice but pulling hair was much better than all the judo moves and karate chops they threw at each other. It was part of growing up; they never pulled your hair after a certain age did they?”

Connie shook her head, suddenly recalling things she conveniently forgot.

“As for the pool incident, that was only once. Your dad was furious but he didn’t let it show; he didn’t want his brothers to feel ashamed. We never told you but when your uncles went home they gave all the boys a good spanking that day.”

Connie sniffed, feeling a burden lift off her shoulder. “I kind of wish I told you all this earlier. Maybe I wouldn’t have missed all these family dinners.”

Sarah smiled and hugged Connie tightly, “It’s never too late, baby. Go wash your face. Your cousins heard that you were coming home and all of them made time to come back to see you.”

Connie groaned and Sarah laughed.

***

When it was time for dinner, the house was packed. Uncles, aunts, and cousins sat around multiple tables mashed together that spilled from the dining room into the living room. The tables were covered with foods brought by each family.

“Wow! Our Connie is a beautiful young lady now!”

Connie leaned over the table and smiled, “Thanks, Auntie.”

As one of the younger generation, she had to sit with her cousins as their parents sat at the main table.

One of her cousins, Henry, made a swipe for the eggroll on her plate. Connie reflexively grabbed it and stuffed it in her mouth, giving him a stink eye. “Gom geh your ohn!” She pointed to the heaping plate of egg rolls.

Henry laughed and pointed at her chipmunk face. “Hahaha, I was just testing your reflexes. You’re still as fast as ever.”

Connie smiled despite the amount of food in her mouth. It was a simple change of perception and all the hurt she felt for years seemed so petty and meaningless. This was her family that she had tried so hard to run away from and now she deeply regretted it. Swallowing the food in her mouth she turned to Henry again.

“So what is it that you do now?”

Henry shoveled noodles onto his plate as he replied, “Eh, nothing great according to Dad. I’m just an FBI agent in the Behavioral Science Unit.”

Connie tilted her head and frowned, “So... you’re like a psychiatrist?”

Henry shrugged and started shoveling food into his mouth. “Something like that.”

“Cool.”

“So what do you do now, Connie? We heard you work for a big company in the city.”

Connie shrugged, “Nothing great either. I’m just a glorified personal assistant for the COO.”

An auntie chimed in, “Ooh! That’s great! You must learn a lot from that position! Make sure you work hard and learn while you still can. It’ll be an invaluable experience.”

Connie smiled and nodded and quickly imitated her cousins in shoveling food into her mouth so she wouldn’t have to talk about work. The parents continued to talk and Connie listened as she ate. She learned that most of her cousins were doctors or engineers while Henry and her were the black sheep in the family that went into law enforcement and business respectively.

After dinner, everyone hung around to chat but Connie wanted to go home and rest. She went up to her mom and dad and kissed them on the cheek.

“Why are you going home so early? Stay and chat with us!” Her Uncle Justin grumbled.

“No, Uncle. I have a lot of work to do. My boss is still new and he has to work overtime this weekend. I might have to go in tomorrow.”

Uncle Justin huffed, “Work there for a couple of years then jump into a cushy job. If you keep working like that, you’ll never find a good boy to get married to.” He turned to his sons and jabbed at them, “YOU TOO! Work is good but don’t forget about making a family! If you guys see any good guys at your work, make sure to grab him for your cousin. Good looking, hard working, family man only!”

All the cousins rolled their eyes, the older generation were always so eager for them to settle down and start a family.

“We’ll get married as soon as Connie gets married,” Henry tossed the hot potato into Connie’s lap and she glared daggers at him.

“Didn’t they teach you not to talk so much at the FBI?”

Henry laughed, “This is for survival. Don’t blame me!”

Connie jabbed him in the arm. “I’ll get you for this.” Turning to the family she smiled and waved, “Good night everyone! I’ll try to make it back next week to see you all!”

Everyone cheered and said goodnight and Connie turned to walk out of the house. Henry got up and ran up behind her. “Hey! Let me walk you to your car.”

Connie’s mother also gestured to her, “Wait a minute, I packed some food for you to take home. Let me go grab it for you.”

She hurried into the kitchen and came back with two large tote bags stuffed full of containers and ziplock bags of food. “This one is for frozen foods and this one is for the refrigerator. Make sure you put it into the fridge as soon as you get home okay?” She handed the two bags to Henry and then pulled Connie in for a hug. “I love you, darling. Come home more often.”

Connie smiled, “Thanks, mom. I love you.” She turned and waved at her dad, “Bye Dad! I love you too!”

Her dad beamed and waved, “Drive safely! Call us when you get home!”

Henry groaned, “Hurry up, these bags are heavy…”

Connie laughed and hurried out of the house to open the car trunk for Henry. Once Henry loaded the bags and closed the door, he pulled Connie into a bear hug. When he pulled away, he dug into his breast pocket and pulled out a card.

“This is my business card with my private number. If you ever run into any trouble, call me okay? I’ll take care of you.”

Connie smiled and nodded. She got into her car and put it in reverse. As she pulled out onto the road, she waved at Henry and then drove off into the darkening world.

Part of her was tempted to tell him about Ace but she knew it was a trap. The moment she spoke of Ace there were only two outcomes: she would die or she would forever live in fear until Ace and all of his followers were captured. It was better to pretend nothing happened and move on.