Chapter 19: Once You Promise, You Keep It
1331 Words
Zhuang Ziang and Su Yudie sat side by side on the grass, gazing blankly at the sky, envying the clouds their untethered freedom. Occasionally, a butterfly or two fluttered through their line of sight.
“I wish I were a little butterfly,” Su Yudie sighed. “Then I could fly across the river and see the scenery on the other side.”
“We could fly a kite. Let it see for us,” Zhuang Ziang suggested with a tentative smile.
“That’s a great idea! You’re so clever!” Su Yudie exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
“But you just called me an i***t,” Zhuang Ziang pointed out, a playful edge in his voice. “Should I go buy a kite now?”
Su Yudie glanced at the lowering sun, now a deepening red orb hovering above the western hills. She shook her head. “It’s too late today. I have to catch the bus home soon.”
“Can’t you stay a little longer?” Zhuang Ziang couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“No. I have to catch that bus.” Her tone carried a firmness that hinted at strict rules at home. It made sense, he thought. A girl shouldn’t be out playing too late.
“Little Butterfly,” Zhuang Ziang compromised, “tomorrow’s Saturday, no school. Let’s fly kites here!”
“Okay!” Su Yudie agreed instantly. “Meet at Xishan Park tomorrow morning!”
The sudden ring of Zhuang Ziang’s phone shattered the quiet moment. He picked it up, the screen flashing “Mom.” He stared at it for a dozen heartbeats before swiping to answer.
“Mom? Shouldn’t you be working? What’s up?”
Xu Hui’s voice came through, laced with concern. “I heard you argued with your dad?”
Zhuang Ziang hesitated. “I… I don’t want to go back to that house. I’ll stay with you. I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Xu Hui sighed, her voice earnest. “Zi’ang, the divorce… the hurt it caused you is already too much. Try to understand your father more. Get along with your aunt and brother. Don’t put your father in the middle like that. I… I haven’t been a good mother. I haven’t had time to be there for you…”
Zhuang Ziang abruptly interrupted. “Mom… how are things with your male colleague?”
Xu Hui paused, startled. “You’re still a kid! Why are you suddenly asking about that?”
Zhuang Ziang choked back his real thoughts. “Just… find someone who’ll take good care of you. Don’t work yourself so hard.”
Xu Hui chuckled softly. “When you grow up, you can take care of me!”
A wave of crushing sadness washed over Zhuang Ziang. I won’t grow up, Mom. The words tasted like ash. Xu Hui, unaware of the depth in her son’s words, offered a few more comforting phrases before hanging up in a rush.
“Little Butterfly,” Zhuang Ziang turned to the girl beside him, her presence a sudden anchor, “is your mom good to you?” She seemed so perpetually happy; surely she came from a loving home, cherished by parents who held her like a precious treasure.
Su Yudie nodded, a soft light in her eyes. “Yes. My mom is very good to me. I miss her every day. I just want to throw myself into her arms.” The words sounded warm, yet Zhuang Ziang felt a strange, unplaceable dissonance beneath them.
They sat on the grass until nearly six o’clock, the time slipping away unnoticed. Time was strange. A forty-five-minute math class could feel like an eternity, but sitting with Little Butterfly, doing nothing at all, two hours vanished in a blink.
At the bus stop, students crowded, waiting for rides home. Su Yudie’s arrival instantly drew every boy’s attention. She was radiant, making the very air around her seem sweeter. Zhuang Ziang felt an irrational urge to shield her, to hide that beauty from prying eyes.
The Number 19 bus rumbled around the corner. Time was up. Even though they would meet tomorrow, the pang of parting was sharp.
“I’ll wait for you in the park tomorrow,” Zhuang Ziang said, his voice tight. “You have to come!”
“Of course I’ll come!” Su Yudie declared. “Don’t believe me? Let’s pinky promise!” She held out her right pinky finger.
Zhuang Ziang frowned. He was eighteen! Pinky promises felt childish. And with so many people watching!
“Hurry up!” Su Yudie couldn’t wait. She grabbed his hand before he could protest.
Their pinkies locked together.
“Pinky promise! A hundred years, no changing!” Su Yudie chanted solemnly. She pressed their thumbs together to seal the vow, the ritual performed with utmost seriousness.
A pinky promise was the highest form of contractual honor between children. The adult world relied on laws and morals to bind promises, yet was riddled with betrayal. But children? Once their pinkies linked, the promise was unbreakable.
Students boarded the bus. Su Yudie deliberately waited until last, stealing a few more moments beside Zhuang Ziang.
“Goodbye, Little Butterfly.”
Zhuang Ziang watched the bus pull away. He stood rooted until its red taillights faded into the distance, swallowed by the city. His eyes drifted to the bus route map for the Number 19, trying to guess which stop was hers. He stared until the words blurred, the futility finally sinking in. With a sigh, he turned to leave.
After only a few steps, a sleek black car pulled up beside him. The window slid down, revealing Lin Mushi’s flawless face – the kind of beauty universally acknowledged. Zhuang Ziang privately found Su Yudie more beautiful, but knew that was likely bias. Li Huangxuan’s praise of Su Yudie was probably just to needle Lin Mushi’s pride.
“Zhuang Ziang,” Lin Mushi announced, her tone brooking no argument, “tomorrow is Saturday. You are not standing me up again.”
Zhuang Ziang’s stomach dropped. He’d forgotten about the movie he owed her. But he’d made a pinky promise with Su Yudie. Everyone knew you couldn’t break a pinky promise.
“Mushi…” he began, his thumb unconsciously rubbing his pinky finger. “Something else came up tomorrow. Can we postpone it? Just… a little bit?” He emphasized the smallness of the delay with his gesture.
Lin Mushi’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Are you planning to fool around with that girl again?”
Zhuang Ziang coughed. “Fool around? Choose your words more carefully.”
Lin Mushi pouted, her expression turning accusatory. “Zhuang Ziang, you’ve been slipping lately. Skipping class every other day? You’ll ruin yourself like this.”
Faced with his friend’s reproach, Zhuang Ziang floundered. He couldn’t tell her the truth. Desperation sparked a reckless idea: deflect with teasing.
“Mushi… are you jealous?”
Lin Mushi’s eyebrows shot up, fury flashing in her eyes. “Zhuang Ziang! Who would be jealous of you? Go jump in the lake!” “Then if one day,” Zhuang Ziang pressed, the question slipping out, echoing the one he’d asked Li Huangxuan, “if I really did go away, and never came back… would you miss me?”
This time, it was Lin Mushi’s turn to be met with the question. She met it with scathing disdain.
“Why would I miss you? Get lost right now!”
“There are plenty of boys lining up to take me to the movies. Do you really think I care about you?”
“You don’t know what’s good for you. Go fool around with whoever you want. I don’t care!”
...
She raised the window with a sharp snap. The car pulled away from the curb and vanished around the corner, leaving Zhuang Ziang standing alone in the fading light.
The evening wind picked up, gritty with dust, stinging his eyes.
- Writer
