The Red Bow [Chaelisa]

6. Dancing Without Music

Chaeyoung simply loved spending Sundays with her family watching Broadway shows. The Park family ignored the comments about the decadence of theater for TV, they simply could not believe this nonsense that art had become outdated. And if there were any other favorite family programs, this would be called staying at home cooking and singing. Mason and Rosalie loved to invent recipes or add ingredients to ready-made dishes, and consequently dragged their daughters together to the kitchen. You could say they were a disaster, but there was no sadness in that house. Chaeyoung loved them above anything.

It was then that sunny Sunday while Rosalie prepared pancakes in the kitchen and Mason played guitar in the living room, the day Chaeyoung hummed around the house holding a hairbrush as a microphone with Alice shaking a broom imitating a guitar, that was the first time she appeared.

There were three brief knockings on the door. Mason soon dropped the guitar on the sofa and made his daughters shut up announcing that he would open the door. He walked in socks around the house over Rosalie's protests and gently opened the door, raising an eyebrow afterwards when he came across a young dark haired girl whose hair fell down the middle of her back. The girl wore denim shorts, a red all star and a gray linen blouse. And in her hands, an apple pie.

At first, Mason was ecstatic with the beauty of the girl who smiled back, but then he returned to reality.

"Can I help you?" he asked curious analyzed the girl from the bottom up.

"Actually, you can." she replied in a sweet voice. "Are you Mason Park?"

Mason looked around, opening and closing his mouth several times in a row. That girl's beauty and education had left him stunned, almost as if he were talking to someone in his own family. He couldn't help but smile at her, that determined and sweet look was contagious.

"Yes, I think so ..." the man's voice died, drawing a brief smile from the girl who took care to hold the pie in one hand and extend the other in greeting.

"Much pleasure! My name is Lalisa Manoban." they shook hands. In fact Lisa squeezed, because Mason was still in his air condition. "Is Chaeyoung home? I don't want to be rude, but I would very much like to ask your permission to go out with your daughter tonight."

Mason didn't have time to process Lisa's request, so Rosalie appeared behind her husband with a wrinkle on her forehead.

"Is there a problem, love?" Then her eyes fell on Lisa and her charming smile that also made the woman's voice shut up.

Now the couple had their mouths open for the Thai girl as if they were face to face with the most beautiful thing they have ever seen in life.

"You must be Rosalie Park, right?" Lisa asked, even though she knew the answer. The similarity between mother and daughter was undeniable, Lisa thought she wished she could see Chaeyoung at that age. "Lalisa Manoban, but you can call me Lisa."

"Hello, Lisa." the Park couple said in unison.

The silence fell for a minute and the Thai girl felt embarrassed knowing that she was being measured from head to toe. She wanted to make a good impression on Chaeyoung's parents, appear casual and carefree, and mentally begged Chaeyoung not to kill her for arriving much earlier than agreed.

"So ..." Lisa started again, tiptoeing a little impatiently. "Is Chaeyoung here?"

"Oh yes, Chaeyoung!" Mason suddenly resumed his speech. "Little star?" He shouted through the entrance hall. Rosalie continued her analysis on Lisa. "You have a visitor!"

A few seconds later Lisa heard muffled sounds from upstairs coming down the steps and finally a jump. Rosalie moved a little away from the door, giving space to her approaching daughter, but without taking her eyes off the dark haired girl in front of her.