Even If You Beg

Chapter 20

In the Meantime Downstairs

Third Person POV

"These fudge brownies taste so good!"  exclaimed Mr. Medthanan, "did you bake them yourself?"

"Yes, I did," replied Can's mom, "they're not hard to bake. I just baked them straight from a premixed box," she confessed.

"Well, they really taste so good," Mr. Medthanan reiterated, looking at Can's mom appreciatively. "I wish my wife could bake as well as you do."

Can's mom started to blush and Can's dad started to look suspiciously at Mr. Medthanan.

"Would you like more tea, Chanvit?" he asked, holding the tea container over Mr. Medthanan's tea cup, getting ready to pour the tea into it.

"Of course, yes please," Mr. Medthanan replied.

"What flavor did you add to the tea......er....I'm sorry....you must forgive me.....I don't think Prem has ever mentioned your name to me," said Mr. Medthanan, addressing Can's mom again.

"It's Jasmine," Can's dad volunteered, "I'm sorry, I thought I had told you already, how remiss of me."

"You can call me Jazz for short," said Can's mom with a shy smile.

"That I will," said Mr. Medthanan before sipping his tea.

"So what flavor did you add to this tea? It's so fragrant and delicious," Mr. Medthanan asked again.

"Oh, I brewed some dried hibiscus petals before I dipped the bags of tea," Can's mom explained.

"I see," said Mr. Medthanan, as he sipped from his cup again. "I will instruct my wife to do the same for me."

"That would be good idea," said Can's dad. He seemed to refrain from saying, you better not let my wife be the one to do it for you at your home.

Was Mr. Medthanan getting attracted to his wife? Can's dad started to wonder. He mentally shook his head. No, that was a ridiculous thought.

Suddenly everyone heard a loud thud and a bang from upstairs. The noise was too loud to ignore.

Everyone set down their cups and forks and made their way quickly upstairs.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they found Tin standing outside the closed door of Can's room, nursing a bleeding mouth.

The loud thud must have come from him falling to the floor and the loud bang must have been Can shutting the door on him.

Can's dad pounded on Can's door.

"Cantaloupe!!!" he yelled, "open this door this very minute!!!"

He waited. No response.

Can's dad pounded on the door again.

"If you don't open the door, I will break it down!" Can's dad threatened him.

The door opened slowly and Can with an unbuttoned shirt and rumpled hair opened the door.

"Son," Mr. Medthanan addressed Can gently, "would you please enlighten us as to what just happened between you and Tin?"

"No, dad, it's okay," said Tin, motioning to Can not to speak.

"Tin, I need to know," said Can's dad, "if he punched you, he has to apologize to you."

"Tin, what did you do to Can?" Mr. Medthanan asked his son, looking a bit uncomfortable. He seemed to know what his son might have done to Can. He looked at Can's rumpled hair and unbuttoned shirt and started to wipe some imaginary sweat from his face.

Mr. Medthanan actually would have preferred his son not to talk, but he was a just man and if Tin needed to make amends for a wrongdoing, he would have to let him do so.

When Tin remained quiet, Mr. Medthanan said, "I need to get to the bottom of this. We can not go home without sorting out this incident."

Tin heaved a heavy sigh and said, "I kissed him, dad, so he punched me."

"WHAAAAATTTT???!!!???!!!" Everybody reacted and asked it at the same time.

When things quieted down, Can's dad turned to Can and said, "You still should not have punched Tin."

"Yeah, you should have just kissed him back," Lay who had been quiet all this time, spoke up.

Lay's mom dragged her away from the scene and pushed her into her room and shut the door.