Chapter Twenty-Two
One Year Later
38,000 Feet Over Las Vegas
“Try to relax,” Ethan advised, flipping through a magazine. “And stop playing with all the buttons.”
“I just want to see where we are exactly,” Bethany protested. “It feels like we’ve been trapped on this thing for ages. We should be almost there, right?”
“Six hours down, ten more to go. For your information we’re just over Vegas and the Spring Mountains. We still have to cross the Pacific. The plane’s flight progress tracker should’ve told you that. Down to exactly how many more miles and minutes we have left.”
In response, Bethany blew a raspberry and leaned back in her seat.
Ethan put the magazine down and gave her his full attention. “Maybe you should try to get some sleep?” he suggested.
“I’m too wired,” she fussed. At his look, she relented. “And nervous. This is a big deal. Not just any trip.”
“We’ll have fun, even though my mother insists on meeting you in person first thing Tuesday. At least it’s the day after we land so you can get your bearings,” he assured her. After multiple rounds of intense negotiations, Bethany had agreed to accompany him on a two-week visit to Taiwan.
He may or may not have had to agree to certain favors, sexual and non-sexual, to seal the deal. But the way he’d seen it, he’d had no choice. Either they visited his mother during this trip or who knows when Ping Mei would descend on New York or for how long. At least this way, they had more control over the situation.
Ignoring him, Bethany plowed on. “Not to mention, I feel slightly guilty. I can’t believe you splurged on business-class seats. Must have cost you a fortune.”
He shrugged. “The prices weren’t that bad, all things considered. Besides, it’s worth it. You’re worth it.” In the interest of earning some brownie points, he refrained from adding that on a long-haul flight like this, being crammed back in economy would’ve been close to his version of hell on earth—which he fully recognized and appreciated was a very privileged position to be in.
As if reading his mind, Bethany agreed. “I suppose if we’re flying for the majority of a whole damn day, we might as well be comfortable. But seriously, thank you.”
“My pleasure. And this is a great time of year to visit Taiwan. The Mid-Autumn Festival is next week, so we’ll have a lot to do. You won’t be cooped up with my mother the whole time, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Fresh mooncakes.” Bethany’s eyes lit up at the prospect. Much better. “At the very least I know I have two weeks of awesome eating to look forward to.”
“There is that.”
“And no, I’m not worried. My parents already sent out an APB, so I have a whole ton of relatives who expect me to visit and eat with them.” She slid him a look. “They probably expect to meet you, too. You may have to head down to Kaohsiung.”
“Not a problem. It’s only about two and a half hours away by train. But I’m starting to wonder if two weeks is long enough.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Bethany warned. “Two weeks is plenty, mister. I still can’t believe I’m taking such a long trip. I don’t think I’ve ever taken off more than a week at most. And I’m officially taking three weeks off, so I have recovery time when I get back.”
“It wouldn’t be worth it otherwise,” he pointed out. “If we only went for a week, by the time your body adjusted and got over the jet lag it would have been time to fly home.”
“Stop making sense,” Bethany grumped. “That’s not what we do here.” But she reached over and laced her hands with his.
“I appreciate you coming to Taiwan with me,” he said sincerely. “It means a lot to me, and I do really hope you have a good time.”
“I will,” she promised with a small smile. “And of course I came. This is important to you, so it’s important to me.”
Just as his heart swelled, she brought him back down to earth. “It’s the perfect opportunity for me to show off how much my Mandarin and Taiwanese have improved. And after all you’ve told me about your mother and the conversations we’ve had with her, I expect to earn some major points for this.”
“Nice to know some things never change.” But to be honest, he couldn’t fault her for the comment about his mother. Much. Bethany and Ping Mei had had a few brief FaceTime calls ever since he’d had to come clean to his mother he was in a relationship with “an American” and it had been a classic case of an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force with both sides having to declare a draw and neither being happy about it.
He still wasn’t sure which was the unstoppable force and which was the immovable object.
Who was he kidding? Bethany was absolutely the unstoppable force. And he loved her for it.
“Lots of brownie points,” Bethany muttered as she adjusted her pillow.
“My mother is a lot, I know.” He sighed.
Bethany shrugged. “I’ve been told I’m a lot, too. Whatever. I can take it. I’m a big girl. I’ve handled worse—you know that. The day a pushy mom, even a pushy Asian mom, gets the better of me is the day I retire. Besides, she and I already have one point in common. We both love you. I’ll make it work.”
That deserved a kiss so he leaned over and indulged.
“I think that’s enough in-flight entertainment for the cabin,” Bethany said, flushed, once they came up for air.
“Everyone is either sleeping or watching a movie,” he pointed out. “Which is what we should probably be doing.”
“Maybe we can watch one together,” she suggested.
“With separate headphones?” he asked skeptically.
“You can be a real mood killer, you know that?” Bethany tsked. “But fine, be that way.”
For a few moments, she flipped through the screens, looking for the perfect selection.
“Oh, My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” she enthused. “Haven’t seen that in forever.” She slid him a look. “You really should watch this with me. It could be instructive. Ian and Toula also have to deal with crazy families and in-laws and how to bridge a cultural divide. Though my family is probably the one more likely to be roasting a lamb on a spit in the front yard,” she acknowledged with a sigh.
“As fun as that sounds, I think I’m going to watch this National Geographic special on the Great Barrier Reef instead. There’s also another about the animals of the Serengeti.”
“Whatever floats your boat. Get down with your bad self, David Attenborough.”
“That’s Sir David Attenborough to you.” When she threw him a look he shrugged. “I had a British private tutor and spent time in Britain. It was drilled into me.”
“You really are lucky you’re cute and that I love you.”
“I know.”
“Stop sucking up. It won’t work.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek and whispered, “I would still love you even if your parents roasted a lamb in their front yard.”
“Damn it. Okay, maybe the sucking up works after all.”
*
“When is shecoming?” his mother asked for the fifteenth time.
“Soon,” Ethan repeated. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Bethany is still sleeping. The flight really took a toll on her.” And he couldn’t blame her. Trans-continental and cross-Pacific travel would wear down anyone.
“Then she should have postponed the visit. It’s rude to be late.” Ping Mei sniffed.
“She’s not late. She’ll be here any minute.” He hoped. His mother’s fussing was becoming hard to take. And he would bet any amount of money that if he and Bethany had asked to push back this meet, Ping Mei would have found a reason to complain about that too.
His mother disappeared into the kitchen, probably to empty out the fridge and pantry to put out a spread.
Right on cue, the doorbell rang. Ethan likely broke speed records to beat his mother to the door.
“You’re here,” he said with relief, drinking in the sight of her. A good night’s rest had done wonders—the circles under her eyes were fading and she looked refreshed and alert.
He nodded at her cousin Jai Sun who had picked Bethany up at the airport the day before. “Nice to see you again.”
“Same. I had to make sure she got here safely. I’ve been put in charge of her and I take my responsibilities seriously. Besides, Auntie Pam would never forgive me if anything happened.”
Ethan sympathized. He wouldn’t want to risk the wrath of Pam Lee either.
“Hey, I would have been fine,” Bethany protested.
“Sure, Cousin. I’m sure you could have taken those two buses by yourself and found this place on your own and not gotten lost.” Jai Sun rolled her eyes.
“I have your number on LINE and could have called you if I’d had problems, which I wouldn’t have.”
“You mean your phone from America, which is in no way compatible here? And didn’t bother to buy a SIM card for before you arrived?”
Bethany planted her hands on her hips, and Ethan decided to quickly intervene.
“I can help you with the SIM card,” he promised, then looked at Jai Sun. “It’ll be all right. I’ll take care of her.”
“I’m sure you will,” Bethany’s cousin replied, brow raised.
“Hello. I’m. Right. Here.”
“I’m outta here, Cuz. Ethan here can drop you off.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay,” he offered politely.
Jai Sun’s eyes flicked up and down before she shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I have errands to run before I head over to work. I’ll see you later. Nice to see you again,” she added, offering her hand to Ethan, which he shook. “You do clean up nice. My cousin has good taste. I’ll have to let the rest of the family know and report back. You wouldn’t happen to have any single cousins, would you?”
Ethan bit back a chuckle as he shook his head and Bethany turned tomato red. With a wave, Jai Soon left, but not before offering Ethan a business card where she’d scribbled down her address so he’d know where to drop Bethany off.
“Come in, sit down, make yourself comfortable,” he said as he took Bethany’s bags and she slipped on some house slippers.
“I am so sorry about that,” she muttered as she sat down in the living room, and he put the bag on the dining room table.
Before he could respond, his mother bustled in from the kitchen.
“I thought I heard the doorbell but was busy preparing snacks for our guest. Son, why didn’t you let me know your girlfriend was here?”
Bethany got up and stood next to him. He put his arm around her in an unconscious gesture of support.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she offered as she stuck out her hand. Ping Mei’s eyes narrowed slightly but she shook the proffered hand gingerly. Bethany, game face on, just smiled, seemingly unfazed.
“So you’re the American who’s keeping my son from me.”
“I’m pretty sure that was his choice. The last time I checked, I didn’t force him to stay in New York by threatening or bribing him. I’m just glad he did.”
Ethan squeezed her hand in appreciation. Then turned to his mother. “Ma, stop that. We already talked about this.”
“Stop what? This is my house. I’m not allowed to speak my mind in my own home?”
“Ethan tells me you’re a fan of musicals. We should definitely take in a Broadway show the next time you visit.”
“If my son can find time. It seems all he does is work.” Ping Mei sniffed, but Ethan saw the excited gleam in her eye. Score one for Bethany.
Bethany walked over and grabbed her bag from the dining room table. “Before I forget, I brought you a gift.” She offered it to Ping Mei who peeked inside.
“Mooncakes?” she asked in surprise as she took out the fancy box.
“I’m told this is from one of the best and most famous bakeries here in Taipei. At least that’s what my aunt and cousin told me.”
“So, really, this present is from them.”
Ignoring his mother’s rudeness, Bethany turned to him. “They also told me about this small Mom and Pop shop that is offering mooncake-making classes. Apparently, they offer ten different flavors. I thought we could go together.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“We could bring you some,” Bethany offered to his mother.
“Oh, you remembered I’m here? At least they will be homemade. My son probably eats nothing but takeout in New York and you probably don’t know how to cook properly. Go sit down while I find some plates for these. You might as well stay for lunch. I made reservations at my favorite restaurant.” She looked at Bethany’s outfit. “I suppose what you’re wearing will do.”
“Sounds great. Always look forward to a lovely homemade lunch,” Bethany murmured.
Ping Mei pursed her lips but eventually silently conceded the round to Bethany. “I’ll be right back. I also have some persimmons and apples. We’ll have a snack and a nice chat before lunch.”
“Would you like any help in the kitchen?” Bethany offered, syrupy sweet.
“No, you’re a guest. How would that make me look, putting a guest to work in my home? I wouldn’t be able to show my face. That may be how you do things in America, but not here.”
Bethany shrugged. “I figured the polite thing would be to offer.”
“Maybe you do have some manners after all.” With that, Ping Mei disappeared back into the kitchen.
“I am so sorry,” he whispered in horror. He’d hoped against hope his mother would have company manners but no such luck.
Bethany went on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek. “It’s fine. Your mom can be as passive-aggressive as she wants. I’m made of tougher stuff than that. It’s almost like a tennis match, and I know I can keep up. Besides she’s paying for lunch so who am I to complain? At least I assume she’s paying.”
“Oh it’s absolutely her treat,” Ethan assured her. Trust Bethany to turn a meeting with his mother into a competition she was determined to win. He gave her a quick hug.
“I better help her in the kitchen before she cuts up all the fruit in the refrigerator.”
As he suspected, Ping Mei had several bags of fruit out on the counter and was busy chopping up some apples.
“Ma, that’s more than enough. We don’t want to lose our appetite before lunch.”
“What are you talking about? I thought Americans were used to enormous portions. Doesn’t your girlfriend eat? She really looks skinny.”
“Please give her a chance before you start criticizing her?” he pleaded.
“What criticizing? I’m stating facts. You didn’t used to be so sensitive. Besides, I like her fine.”
“You do?” He blinked in surprise.
Ping Mei shrugged. “For an American. She has a little too much attitude but what can you do? Young people these days. Maybe she just can’t help it. But at least she has some manners, so all hope isn’t lost. You could do worse.”
From his mother this was major progress.
“Thank you,” he said.
“You’re my son. I just want you to be happy. Even if that means I have to accept that you want to leave me here and live halfway around the world.” She waved a hand at the look on his face. “Stop. I’ll get used to it.” She tilted her head, pursed her lips, and shook her head.
“What?”
“Bethany reminds me of me when I was younger. Maybe this is what your grandmother meant when she said one day she hoped I’d have a child just like me. It was her way of cursing me and exacting revenge.”
While Ethan’s brain short-circuited at the Freudian and Oedipal implications of Ping Mei’s last statement, his mother picked up the platter of fruit and went back out into the living room.
No. Absolutely not. He was not going down that path. For his sanity.
Once he got himself together, he joined them.
“So tell me, what Broadway show can I see when I visit? Nothing vulgar. I hear The Full Monty has nudity. So inappropriate.”
The next two weeks were going to be interesting. Very interesting