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"Mom, I can't work on an empty stomach, my legs get crampy" he rubbed his legs to emphasise his point " Maybe Shaun can help him instead of just showing up every day to eat our food"
"I'm happy to help" the other man said, earning a nudge from Madeline when she passed him to greet Katy's grandmother.
"Hello Waipo" she whispered into the woman's greying hair.
"Mads" the older woman had only ever heard her granddaughter call the other girl by her nickname and it stuck.
"No, its Ruihua's job, let him do it" the mother threw her son a sharp glance.
"Waipo" Shaun also greeted the elder of the house and tried to seat himself on the chair besides her.
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"That seat's for Waigong" the older woman said in mandarin Chinese. Madeline was happy she had decided to take Mandarin Chinese classes during her university years as she could converse with the woman and listen to her tales anytime.
"Oh, sorry" Shaun jumped off the chair and moved to stand behind Madeline, sneaking a bite of the rice on the table in front of her and making Madeline feel as warm as she had that morning when he caged her momentarily in his arms as he reached over.
"He's getting all his favourite things this year for the Day of the Dead" the woman continued.
"Are you sure that Waigong is allowed to take Funyuns and cigarettes back to the afterlife?" he asked the woman with a smirk as he spotted those items on the table.
"He can take anything. Last year I put a bottle of whisky on his grave And it was gone the next morning" she said with a smile. Shaun and Madeline shared an amused look and silent chuckles "I know you kids think it is silly"
"We don't think it's silly, Waipo. We just know Waigong would've wanted you to move on and enjoy your life" Katy came out of her room and kissed her grandmother on the head fondly.
"Moving on is an American idea" Mrs Chen said.
"You're American, Mom! Don't forget" Katy told her mother as the older woman went back into the kitchen.
"Shaun, Madeline, did my daughter apply to any new jobs this week?"
Shaun and Madeline shared awkward looks with Katy, knowing how sensitive that subject was for the family.
"She really likes her job. We all do" Shaun said, earning an encouraging nod from Madeline.
"Mm-hmm" Katy agreed.
"Waigong didn't move here from Hunan so you could park cars for a living" Mrs Chen scolded her daughter.
"Well, on that note, I think were gonna miss our bus" Katy grabbed her things and rushed out to the door of the house "I'm sorry for my unacceptable job. And for staying out late last night, trying to enjoy my life. But one day, I'll make you proud, I promise"
"I'm proud of you, sis. Parking cars is super hard" Ruihua said with his mouth stuffed full of food.
"Thanks, bro. Maybe one day you'll pass your drivers test, live the dream like me. Come on, Shaun, let's go" she told her friends.
"When are you two going to get married?" Madeline's smile fell a bit when she heard Waipo ask Shaun that and direct her gaze to Katy.
"Waipo, were just friends" the man muttered, at the same time as his eye focused on Madeline's exiting form.
"All right. Go, go, go" she shooed him away.
Shaun, Katy, and Madeline caught the bus after having had to run to the stop to not miss it.
They were in the bus huddled together and Katy had her eyes fixed on the young woman sitting in front of them typing on her laptop furiously.
"Look. Look at that. Look at that girl. She's writing a research paper on a bus" Madeline's friend said with hidden resentment.
"So?" Shaun asked as the bus took another turn that made him lean on Madeline to stop himself from falling.
"That is exactly the daughter my mom wishes came out of her vagina" Katy stated rather loudly.
"I'm sorry about her. How's it goin?" Shaun waved a hand to the girl who had clearly heard her.
Madeline's attention was taken by the black clothed man that stood from his seat and lumbered his way to them to stand in front of Shaun and her body tensed instinctively.
"Give me the pendant, and no one gets hurt" the man said in Mandarin.
Madeline sat straighter in her place, since Shaun wasn't letting her stand up in front of him and curled her fist in to feel the cool metal of her whip around her wrist.
"Do you know this guy?" Katy asked their friend.
"I don't know what you're talking about, dude. Hey! Get off of me!" Shaun shouted when the man went for his neck.
He blocked the arm and had to stand up fully so as to try and put distance between them only to have two other men come up and hold his arms
Madeline got out from under her male friend and got in front of Katy just in case, her nerves beginning to tremble from the adrenaline her body had started pumping into her like it usually did in these sort of situations. If Shaun had bothered to look back he would have seen how the Italian woman's pupils enlarged ever so slightly.
"Whoa. What is wrong with you, asshole?" Katy said.
"I don't want any trouble" Shaun shouted at the man who tried to go for the jade pendant around Shaun's neck again.
"Then give us the pendant!" the man repeated.
"You have the wrong guy! Does he look like he can fight? Come on, bro!" Katy grunted as Madeline pushed her back behind her when the man tried to do so to them. She herself barely budged when he shoved her.
There was a moment of silence and then Shaun punched the first man in the face before kicking his stomach, making him fall over.
As two more men came into view from their seats and rushed them, Madeline decided to move and hit the first man upside his chin with her closed fist knocking him out cold.
"Stay behind me Katy" she told her friend.
And all hell broke loose.
"The fuck do you me...aaaa!" Katy was forced to bow over as a man swung at her and Shaun hit him away.
"Why do you want that pendant?" Madeline asked the first man that had approached them kneeling at his side.
"Ask your friend" the man smirked until Madeline smacked his temple with the tail of her bracelet, also knocking him out.
Another man grabbed her from under her forearms forcing her to stand and take a hit to the stomach. Shaun kicked the man away from her and she headbutted the other.
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YOU ARE READING
ℭ𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔉𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔰 || 𝔖𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔤 ℭ𝔥𝔦 𝔏𝔢𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔫 ℜ𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰
Fanfiction.҉ .҉ .҉ Madeline Liu moved with her mother to San Francisco at a very young age after her father died. When she was grown and after the death of her mother, which left her all alone, she got a job as a valet parking cars where she made friends with...
