Chapter 4: Thinking of Quitting
1225 Words
"I completely forgot to ask this morning."
She rushed to work, and her sister hurried to school, so they didn't have much time to talk.
"What are you talking about, sis?"
She took a sip of the soup before asking. Besides the sweet vegetable soup with ant eggs, her sister also made a fragrant dip.
"About last night. Was everything alright? You didn't tell me anything."
"What do you mean, sis?"
"Oh, it's about you and that guy from last night."
"Nothing happened. He just gave me a lift."
"Why didn't you make him your boyfriend? I even set it up for you."
"Was that your plan, sis? It was embarrassing. Don't do that again, okay?"
"He's so handsome, who cares about embarrassment?"
"Then you should find a handsome guy for yourself."
Her sister hadn't been involved with any guys for a long time. If she wanted to enjoy it, they could enjoy it together.
"How can I, with you following me around all the time? Would I even have time to be with anyone?"
"Go ahead, I won't stop you. I can stop following you."
She wanted her sister to be happy too. Her sister had taken care of her a lot, and she wanted her to be happy for once.
"No, I'm too old for that. My time is over, but you're still young. You can enjoy yourself for many more years."
"How are you old? My sister is beautiful!"
She's twenty, and her sister is thirty-five. How is that old?
"Alright, alright."
Alicia just wanted to find happiness for her sister. She wouldn't get a boyfriend because she was worried about her sister, and her sister wanted to return the favor because she wouldn't get a boyfriend either.
In the end, they're perfectly-matched siblings who can talk about anything, especially this topic. They're always joking around, never backing down.
@Karaoke Bar in the District
Aaron wanted to drink because he was tired from his first day of teaching. He didn't forget to invite two friends along. Even though they had wives and kids, he didn't let them go.
"When I get a wife, you guys can relax!"
The first one, Parker, owned a construction materials and home decor store in the district. He had been married for a while to a beautiful grilled pork sticky rice vendor named Nina. They had a precious son named Navin.
It took a while for them to find happiness because Nina married Parker, but just a month later, she packed her bags and left, which made his friend furious and resentful towards everyone in the village. But when he went back to apologize, Parker's lust turned out to be stronger than his resolve!
The second person is Trent, a young and ambitious district officer. He works as a civil servant, but his family's business is collecting rent from stalls in several dozen markets in the province. He married Dianne, the daughter of Grandma Jan, and they have one grown daughter named Tara, while another child is on the way with the gender still unknown.
Looking back, Trent made both him and Kim quite envious, especially because of Dianne's beauty, which attracted many men. In the end, Trent managed to win Dianne's heart and got married with kids.
Moreover, his mother-in-law adores him, showering affection on her son-in-law, the district officer, so much that people throughout the district are envious of Grandma Jan, who boasts about him from one end of the village to the other.
The thought of it makes him chuckle.
As for him, he's a college lecturer in the district, the only nephew of Director Travis, with a grandfather who owns the college. His status is 'single,' looking for a wife, and it seems he might get married soon, but there are obstacles in the way.
"First day of the term and you're already at it, huh?" Trent handed a glass of mixed liquor to Aaron, who downed it in one go.
"Easy there, what's the rush? Inviting us for a drink on the first day of the term. Is there something troubling you?"
"Tired, my uncle stuffed my schedule full of classes. Are there no more lecturers in the college?"
"So you won't get distracted," the young district officer joked, knowing what Aaron's uncle was trying to correct in his behavior, so Aaron wouldn't have time to flirt with anyone on campus.
"You sound just like Uncle Travis, or are you secretly in cahoots with my uncle?"
"No, and does your busyness give you time to flirt with girls?"
"Nah, but I'm thinking of quitting that. I want to be a better person."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but this morning I just flirted with someone."
"You bastard. Stop that." Trent shook his head before laughing.
Should Aaron stop? No way.
"Do you know why I can't stop?"
"Why?"
"Remember last night at Kim's wedding when we watched Mor Lam? That person who was sneaking glances at my crotch?"
"Those two beautiful girls, right?" he remembered, but it was his own fault for forgetting to zip up. How could he blame them?
"Yes, I ended up taking one of them home."
"Which one? The fair-skinned one? The one who covered her mouth to hide her smile?"
"Yeah, her sister asked me to give her a ride home."
"Her sister dared to let her go with you, huh? Does she have feelings for you or something?"
"What do you think?"
"I'd say she probably wants her sister to be with you."
"Yeah, I know, so I didn't hesitate to take her home because she was beautiful, and I liked her. I almost got to be with her, but she said she wasn't ready."
"So you didn't get to be with her?"
"No."
"Will you continue?"
"Of course, I'm definitely going to find a way to see her again, but come morning, damn, she turns out to be one of my students."
"Wow, talk about fate," Parker, who had been listening all along, shook his head. This guy is always involved with young ones.
"I was planning to quit that habit, but then I ran into her again, so what can I do?"
"Just move on and find someone else."
"I'm stuck on her, not anyone else. Whoever makes me click has to be the one to end it for me, right?"
"So if you end it, you won't go back to it. Is that what you're saying?"
Aaron stood silent, taking a gulp of his drink instead. Honestly, he wanted her to be his mom's daughter-in-law, since she was exactly his type. He didn't want to just have a fling and move on.
"You're determined to get her, huh?" Parker asked again.
"Of course," he said, as he claimed he wasn't at fault because he didn't know beforehand.
She admitted she liked him, so what should he worry about when he's satisfied with Alicia?
In particular, what he saw this morning was so tempting he almost gave in, but he held back. He thought he was being as restrained as possible.
Is he a jerk? Yeah, he is. He does not claim to be a good person, but he wants to be better. He was just thinking about how he could improve.
Alicia isn't going to be studying forever, right? She's graduating after this semester, isn't she?
- Writer
