A Chain Reaction; Moons on the Twist

52. Meeting the in-law

Meeting the in-law

I stretched my hand up lazily. Without even opening my eyes I knew it was mid morning. P’Pha’s bed is positioned in such a way that morning sun peeked directly at the bed. It’s kinda annoying when you want to sleep late.

I trailed my hand to his side of bed and found it empty. Of course he’s already gone to work. He’s such a workaholic, I smiled remembering last night.

I opened my eyes slowly. There are traces of my constant presence in his room. A discarded t-shirt draped carelessly over a chair. My favorite facial cream on the dressing table. Few of my casual clothes in his closet. Extra toothbrush in the bathroom.

It’s not that I have moved in with him. Unknowingly, I’ve started to spend majority of my time with P’Pha in his apartment.

Throwing the bed cover aside carelessly I rolled out of the bed. Walking around the room I picked up few cloths thrown around the floor hastily last night. I dropped them on the hamper.

I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I smiled at the pink sticky note pasted on the bathroom mirror.

Good morning love.

“Good morning to you too, P’Pha.” I whispered, picking it up.

There’s another one on my toothbrush.

Don’t forget a healthy breakfast, you lazy bones.

“I won’t.” I picked the sticky note up and pressed it to my heart.

P’Pha’s neat little kitchen is full of modern kitchenware which he never used. But since I’ve started shacking up with him, I took the opportunity of the full advantage of using them to prepare meals for him. I’ve actually become a true wife to him during past few weeks.

I took my oatmeal from the microwave and put the pieces of fruits over it. I carried it to the den. Slumping down on his sofa, I switched on the television.

After my highschool days, this is the first time I’ve been idle. For the past six, seven years of my life had been endless rotation of practice, shooting, recoding, performing, interviews and what not. Being an Idol wasn’t an easy thing.

I ate my oatmeal watching the replay of last night's news.

…….stay tuned with us for more details. The high Court gave the maximum sentence to Park after proving guilty for multiple charges against him on Wayo Panichyasawad case. He was arrested when….

I gasped. Placing the empty bowl on the coffee table I picked up my phone to check the social media. I’ve totally forgotten about the case yesterday. My dad's lawyers must have done well. The most amazing part is he hadn’t ratted out P’Pring.

When they first identified that person, P’Pha told me about P’Pring’s involvement with him. I was a bit shock to hear that such an elegant lady would have anything to do with a ruffian like Park. Other than that I didn’t feel any anger towards her. Deep down I felt guilty for stealing P’Pha from her and unconsciously rationalized her behavior. If P’Pha was stolen from my grasp, I might have done the same thing.

P’Pha says I’m crazy for taking her side. We decided to keep her out of police reports. P’Pha says that he kinda owe it to her family, since it was he who broke off the engagement. And besides P’Pha, Park and me, no one knew about her entanglement in the case. I’m kinda glad that P’Pring is safe.

I spoke to her on the phone briefly and she apologized to me sincerely. P’Pha says, I’m too trusting and forgive too easily. I say life is too short and it’s painful to hold grudges. If I wanted revenge from her then I’m no different than Park.

Just one thing is worrying me. P’Pha refuses to go home and talk to his dad. He’s so adamant. He says unless his dad accepts me, he won’t go home, ever. It scares me when I hear such words. Because as I said before life is too short to hold grudges.

My phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Ai’Yo”

“Ai’Ming?” Ming rarely calls me during office hours. “What’s up?”

“P’Forth is moving in with P'Beam this weekend.” Ah yeah I’ve heard that P’Forth and P’Beam are dating. “Are you free? Let’s help him settle.” Since I’m jobless now, I help everyone these days.

“Sure.”

“What about P’Pha?”

“I’ll ask him.”

“Thanks man.”

“No issue Ming.” I hung up. He must be busy at work. They are working people, unlike me.

P’Pha disapproves of my retirement from singing. He says I should pursue what I want in life. But he doesn’t understand that I had everything I wanted in my life except him. Now that I’ve finally found him, I’ve lost interest in everything else in my life.

But I know he’s right. I can’t continue to be idle like this. From idol to idle, I laughed at my own pun. I stood up. It’s time to clean up.

I was just adding the final touches to the casserole dish when the front door opened.

It’s too early for P’Pha. Did he get off early today? I walked to the living room curiously, wiping my hands.
I froze in my midstride, seeing three women at the doorway. They stopped their idle chatter seeing me in the middle of the room, dressed in a pink floral apron.

I blinked in confusion. For a moment I thought they came to the wrong house by mistake. Then again they did have a key to the house.

“Wayo?” a tall elegant woman in early fifties addressed me. I nodded slowly. “I’m Phana's mother.” She smiled. I flushed violently, remembering my deshelved status. I squirmed in embarrassment, wiping down my silly apron. My hair is a mess and I was still wearing a sleep shorts and a ratty old t-shirt. A nice first impression for your mother in law.

“I'm sorry Mrs. Konthanine.” I placed my palms together and greeted her in traditional Thai way. “P’Pha is at work.” My embarrassment is evident in my tone.

“Go on. You two carry on. Start with the bathrooms, first” She commanded the other two women, who are obviously maids. “It’s alright son.” She smiled kindly. “I should be the one to apologize for barging in like this.” She moved closer. “But I called Phana. His phone is off.” She looked around the house appreciatively.

“He has a major surgery today, Mrs. Konthanine.

“Oh please call me mom.” She touched my cheek lightly. “You are obviously a sweet boy.” She smiled. There’s nothing I could do but blush furiously. “I come in once in a while to help him clean up. But there's hardly anything to clean here.” She looked around. “You must be responsible for the neatness of this place, I believe?” I didn’t say anything. She laughed.

“Please sit down mom.” I jumped up, remembering my manners. “Would you like a cup of coffee?” I asked walking to the kitchen.

“Yes please, my dear.” She sniffed. “What’s that aroma? Phana never cooked. Was it your doing?” she peered curiously.

“Yes mom, I made a dish for P’Pha.” I said still feeling shy. Gosh what she must be thinking about me. Would she consider me as a freak who stole her son's happiness? I thought worriedly.

“Son?” She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Have no fear. I respect Phana’s decision. He’s an adult who can make up his own mind. And if it’s you whose in his mind, I accept you.” She said calmly. I let loose a long breath I’ve been holding. It’s like I’ve been carrying a heavy load on my shoulder all this time.

“Thank you mom.” I said with feelings.

“Now,” She rubbed her palms together. “What have you made?” She moved closer to me. “Let’s have a taste.” She grinned mischievously.

She’s so nice. Maybe she and I can be friends?