Prompt Me

Babysitting: Little White Pig

Stealthy as a ninja, Daoming Si poked his head surreptitiously outside his bedroom window; he counted four guards in front of the house and another five patrolling the back yard. Based on his earlier recon, the quickest and least conspicuous escape route would be to jump from this very window. He gulped – it was at least a 25 foot drop to the hard concrete below. But he had something very important to do and it simply couldn't wait.

Humming the theme to "Mission Impossible" for hype, he physically prepared himself: he tightened the laces on his Air Jordans; he loosened his shoulders; he flexed his fingers and cracked his knuckles; he did a few jumping jacks. He felt the rush of energy that surged through him. Climbing gingerly onto the window's edge, he bit his lower lip as he considered the angle down. Here goes nothing. He leapt from the window.

Landing on his feet as gracefully as a cat, he straightened, a self-satisfied smile breaking across his face. Tom Cruise has got nothing on me. Dusting off his hands, he took off in a quick jog towards the taxi cab he knew was waiting around the corner.

Time to babysit his precious little white pig.

***

As he sat at the small table located outside her apartment, it occurred to Ah Si that Shancai would probably kill him if she learned that he was constantly sneaking back and forth between her place and his house in the middle of the night. His sweet, adorable, and very naïve girlfriend actually believed that he was staying full-time in the dilapidated apartment next door to her. If that was the case, didn't she wonder why his mother hadn't put a stop to his shenanigans already? He shook his head ruefully. Worrying about her was going to be the death of him.

Ah Si pursed his lips as he considered their predicament. He'd have to deal with his mother sooner or later, but for now he was more concerned about what he was going to do about Shancai. She stubbornly insisted on acting like Wonder Woman, holding down multiple jobs, living alone in this dangerous place, and putting everyone before herself. Worse still, she refused to let him take care of her. He was constantly worried about whether she remembered to eat; if she was feeling well; if she was warm enough; if she was overworked; if she was protected. It was why he was constantly trying to force feed her pork chops; showing up unannounced and unwelcomed at her parents' house just to sneak a feel on her forehead to assure himself she was fine; buying her thick-lined white jackets to ward off the cold; whisking her off on spontaneous holiday trips; and now, wielding a plastic swatter as if it was an all-powerful weapon, battling flies in the middle of the night because he had this overwhelming need to make sure some faceless thief didn't come back and try to harm her.

Ah Si let out a deflated sigh. Did Shancai even know the depths of his feelings for her? He was head over heels in love with her and despite countless confessions, she still hadn't verbally reciprocated. His heart yearned to hear those very special words from her. How much longer would he have to wait?

"Hey." An unexpected smack to his arm caused his heart to almost leap out of his chest. He looked up and there she was, the object of his affections, standing in front of him in her ridiculously childish but undeniably charming space pajamas. Naturally (to ensure that he didn't give in to the sudden need to haul her against his chest and kiss her senseless, which he knew would only result in some form of violence from her) he made an offhanded remark about her abnormally large eyes and they quickly fell into their bickering routine.

But Ah Si could feel something was different. Her tone suddenly shifted and there was a hint of sadness in her words.

"Don't force yourself anymore. This is not a place you like staying at."

Something in the way she said it tore at his heart. How could she even think that? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was lying in the cramped bed and smiling like a crazy person because he was now breathing the same air as her? What about their intimate chat on the stairway? Or the 100 hugs? How can she be his entire life and not even know it?