Bed Partners

Miracle

Qing's tape 1, Side B

Dra.Yen: What do you want to be when you grown up?

Qing: (sounding annoyed) Stop asking me questions like I am five years old.

Dra.Yen: Sorry. What is your ambition in life, Qing?

Qing: To be the President of this country.

Dra.Yen: Excuse me? To be what?

Qing: To be not deaf like you.

Dra.Yen: (chuckling) Ah teenagers with angst.

Qing: (sighing) I don't have angst...you know what, never mind. I want to be the President of this country.

Dra.Yen: Why?

Qing: Because I think it's a challenging job. It will occupy my mind. I don't like thinking too deeply about myself and my problem with my emotions. It leads me to doing things like...

Dra.Yen: Like hurting yourself.

Qing: Yeah. So I want to have a challenging job. Running a business empire is in my blood, so I will be natural at it. Not enough challenge. Running a whole country, on the other hand...

Dra.Yen: Will be challenging.

Qing: I hope.

Dra.Yen: I see.

Silence

Dra.Yen: Do you have friends at your school?

Qing: Sure. I call them friends but I also don't care much for them. I don't even hang out with them that much.

Dra.Yen: Why not?

Qing: They are boring. They whine.

Dra.Yen: You don't like whiny people?

Qing: I don't know. I don't find it irritating. I just let them all pass in my ear. Not giving a care.

Dra.Yen: I see. What about your cousins?

Qing: What about them?

Dra.Yen: (patient tone) Can you tell me something about them?

Qing: Yal Li is nine years younger than me. Pele is thirteen years younger than me. He is only three. Basically a baby.

Dra.Yen: And...anything else?

Qing: (confuse) What else can I tell you about them?

Dra.Yen: What do you feel about them?

Qing: What should I feel about them?

Dra.Yen: (sighing) Nevermind. (Paper rustling sound) Your grandparents, how do you feel about them?

Qing: What should I feel about them?

Silence as that answer lingered in the air.

Dra.Yen: Your parents. What do you feel about them?

Qing: I don't know.

Dra.Yen: Why don't you know, they are your parents.

Qing: Should I feel something for them just because they are my parents?

Dra.Yen: (a bit flustered) I...I don't think so. I...okay...

Qing: Are you really a psychologist? Where did you graduated? When? Where and when did you get your license?