Life Bank: Exchanging life for money

Chapter Four

The expenses of wedding were something that weighed heavily on Daniel. He searched his room for the little red book again, needing to withdraw some money for the upcoming grand event. "There you are." He pulled out the bankbook from under some clothing and looked at the balance. Still healthy, that was good. A hundred thousand wouldn't hurt him much, then.
He tore out a cheque and burnt it with a lighter. Even though he didn't smoke, he'd discovered that it was safer for him to do this in his room than in the kitchen. If his mother caught him, he would not know how to explain.
As the cheque disappeared into green smoke, he got a call.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Is this Mr Daniel Chan?"
"Yes, speaking."
"Congratulations, you have just won yourself one hundred thousand in our lucky draw. Please verify your particulars with me before we arrange a date for collection and a photo shoot session..." And the operator ranted on.
Daniel was shocked but happy. Even though he knew this came from the Life Bank, it was still a good feeling to win something in a lucky draw-especially since it was first prize.
Very soon, Daniel collected his winnings and deposited them into his saving account. Soon, the time would come for him to spend it.
He checked finished items off his list: wedding gown and suit, dinner booking, photo shoot booked, and so on.

***

The wedding day came before he knew it-most likely due to the fact he so was busy preparing for it that time just flew by him.
Chinese wedding days begin very early. Daniel got out of bed early, even before his alarm went off. He hadn't slept; his anxiety for this day had kept him up.
Daniel washed up and changed. Before long, his brothers arrived to go with him to fetch Linda.
The wedding car zoomed through the quiet early Sunday morning traffic. When the gang reached Linda's house, her sisters were waiting for them, blocking the gate, refusing to open it until the party of guys performed tasks concocted by the ladies. Especially for the wedding day, the ladies had become extremely vicious, making the guys drink stuff that no human would even dream of, perform crazy stunts like guess which bra belonged to the bride, and lastly fight a battle over Ang Pow -red packets filled with money. The bargaining to and fro continued till a number was settled: $8888.
Finally Daniel got in, greeted his future in-laws, and saw Linda in her wedding dress. They performed the tea ceremony and Linda cried, the idea of leaving her family had finally settled in. Next, the couple went to Daniel's family and performed another tea ceremony to signify the bride being brought into the family. After all this, it was noon. They munched a quick lunch and started to prepare for the major event this evening: the wedding dinner where relatives and friends would be there to witness the joining of two families.
Daniel yawned as he took off his jacket. Linda was sitting at the dressing table, removing her jewellery.
"It's such a tiring day," Daniel commented.
"Yes, it is, and I couldn't sleep all night," Linda replied.
"Me neither."
Both of them laughed. Very soon, they were napping away in each other's arms.

***

The wedding dinner began with the usual procession of people throwing of flowers in the midst of carbon dioxide vapour.
Daniel and Linda walked up the stage and the guests took their seats. The Master of Ceremonies gave a speech to impress both the couple and the guests. The first phase of the event was the signing of the wedding certificate, including the exchange of vows and rings. Once that was out of the way, the first dish was served, and the couple took leave to change into something lighter.
Dinner started at eight, even though the wedding card stated seven-as usual, people had to be late. A video montage of Daniel and Linda's love story was shown during the dinner, showing how they had met each other at the polytechnic institute and how they fell in love. Then the time came for the couple to go around the hall, taking photos with each table, capturing the moment-the happiest time of their lives.
Dinner ended with dessert. After desserts, the couple and their families stood at the exit to thank their guests. This was finally the end. Daniel and Linda walked to their hotel room, which was complimentary with the wedding dinner, and slumped onto the bed.
"Phew. I am truly beat!" Daniel exclaimed.
"Me too," Linda replied as she continued to undress, preparing to go for a shower.
Daniel hugged her from behind. "Don't bathe first. Shouldn't we be doing something else?"
"Did I miss anything?" Linda wondered.
"Yes, the most important part of the night."
"Most important..." Linda began to scratch her head, her tone teasing.
"Still don't know what it is?" Daniel sighed in mock exasperation. He picked Linda up and dropped her onto the bed. "Now you know." And he bent forward to kiss her, not waiting for her answer.
The lights dimmed and giggling filled the darkened room, ending the tiring day.