After Ever After

Chapter Thirteen

The Fa Residence

Thursday Evening

"So you finally made it over here, huh?" Grandmother Fa's greeting struck a bit of fear in Shang as he entered Mulan's parent's house. Then she kicked him in the butt. "I should tear your pretty boy body limb from limb!"

Shang rubbed the now sore spot on his behind. "I apologize, Grandma, I was-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Grandmother Fa averted her eyes down to the bouquet of pink peonies in his hands. "It's gonna take a lot more than a bunch of flowers to fix your mistakes, Shang."

"Yes I know," Shang followed her further into the house. "Where is Mulan?"

"In the backyard with Lotus."

Shang walked briskly through the kitchen—ignoring the hard glares Mulan's parents were giving him—and went straight to the backyard where he saw Mulan sprawled out under a cherry blossom tree with Lotus sitting between her legs. The both of them were gnawing on slices of honeydew melons, enjoying the shade. Shang admired them from the patio until Mulan spotted him. Her smile faded into a straight line.

Inhaling a deep breath, Shang walked over to his wife and child. Lotus, having seen her father for the first time in a while, started to fidget in her mother's lap. He scooped her up into his large, muscular arms and blew raspberry kisses onto her chubby cheeks. Lotus giggled and grabbed at Shang's face. The sight brought a half-smile to Mulan's face. If only she could see it more often.

"May I sit?" Shang asked.

"Sure."

The pair sat in silence for a while. Mulan wanted to give Shang a few moments with his daughter before she dropped the bomb on him.

"So, what was it that we needed to talk about?" Shang asked.

Well, here goes nothing. "Okay, before I tell you, I need you to just listen to what I have to say first. Let me get everything out and then you can talk, okay?" When Shang nodded, Mulan continued. "I need you to be around more. Despite what you may think, I cannot be a parent to Lotus by myself. You need you to do your part too, Shang."

"I do—"

"No! You are going to let me finish! I did not get married by myself nor did I make Lotus by myself. You need to put as much energy into this family as you do your work. I cannot keep doing this by myself Shang! I am exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally, and you don't even seem to care!"

Mulan didn't bother to stop the tears welling in her eyes, she wanted him to see what kind of effect his absence was having on her. She needed him to understand how much she was hurting.

"You never call to check up on us, you never call to tell me what's going on, you don't even call to tell me you miss us! All you seem to think about is your matches. You can remember your entire work schedule but can't seem to remember to call your own wife!"

"I get really busy—"

"Oh and I don't? Taking care of a baby is a lot of hard work, which of course you wouldn't know since you're never here. Doesn't being away from Lotus bother you? Don't you miss her? Don't you get lonely when you're away from us? Because that's all I feel when you're gone. Alone. I feel alone...I feel abandoned...I feel like you don't love me or Lotus...I feel..." her words got lost in the uncontrollable sobs coming out of her mouth. Shang reached his hand out to console her, but she pushed him away. Shang didn't know what to do.

He placed the bouquet of flowers at her feet. "I'm really sorry."

Mulan scoffed and looked at him with angry, teary eyes. "You better mean it. Don't say it and continue to leave me doing everything myself," she snatched the flowers off the ground, stood to her feet and started to go back inside the house. "If you don't change Shang, we're getting a divorce."