Suying was the least likely to have anything gossip-worthy, given her sad existence of going to work and sleeping at home. The girl didn’t do anything except revolve around Yue’s schedule and hospital responsibilities. She only had women, non-single men, or elderly coworker friends and never socialized with them outside of work.
Meilei spotted the vending machine and tugged Ling’s sleeve to point them out. Nodding that way for them to accompany her before they left because she wanted to hear it too.
“I met someone.” Suying blushed from her chin to her roots. Both Meilei and Ling faltered mid-step, straightened up to stare at her with instant wide blinking eyes and expressions of ‘what?’. Out of the three of them, Suying was the one who had never talked about boys – ever.
They had not seen that one coming.
Meilei shoved Ling in the shoulder and gave her a screwed-up frown of ‘be nice’ for her harsh appraisal of their love-sick friend. Walking towards the machines to pop some coins in while they followed to wait on her.
“I am sure he’s lovely if Suying likes him. She has high standards.” Meilei tried to be sensitive, as Suying rarely got excited over men.
“How often have you seen him, and why didn’t you tell us?” Meilei was half listening as she concentrated on pressing buttons, smiling. Suying had finally found a man who took note of her and glanced over her shoulder. She hoped he was a decent guy and could see how pure and wonderful Suying was. A first love could make or break a girl, and she didn’t want Suying to be scarred in the way hers had turned out.
“Ooooh, our lil Soooby has finally kissed a man.” Ling poked her in the face, hooked Suying in her arm, and then patted her on the head like she was rewarding a good student. Impressed that it had taken the girl almost thirty years to do something she had done at eleven. “Our sweet girl has popped one of her cherries. How was it?”
“When are you seeing him again?” Meilei tutted at Ling and cradled her hot paper cup as she carefully took it from the machine.
“I’ll put in for leave for us at work for a couple of days.” Ling nodded at Meilei, reminding her that needed to be done given Yue’s condition, and Meilei gritted her teeth. Knowing there was no reason for Ling to stay home with them. She could do it alone. Yuelin was not that sick.
They had this conversation before, making Meilei feel like she was worthless as a mother sometimes, even if that was never their intention. Pathetic as a woman and a human.
She knew in the past that she had needed them to get through her worst and survive, and at times, she still did, but she was getting stronger. She needed to learn to stand on her own two feet and do things for herself.
Spending that day at the Zoo with Kai and Yuelin made her realize how little she had done it. She wasn’t going to cower and hide behind other people anymore, especially when this matter was between them and her baby was at the center of it. She had to fight her own battles and show Yue how to grow stronger. How to protect herself well, and it shouldn’t be a lesson taught by her godmothers.
She used to be braver. Maybe she had always been shy and reserved, but she had the courage back then to pursue her dreams. School, living away from her grandmother, and independence. She had been bold enough to love a boy completely out of her league and had never questioned her worth back then. She had fought for what she wanted.
Where was that girl now?
They didn’t doubt that Meilei would fully heal one day and knew she needed time. They weren’t rushing to abandon her, and Yue was their family.
Both women knew it, but it was hard to move aside and let that precious soul you had been shielding for years find her voice again. They feared Kai’s reappearance would return her to the darkness they had helped pull her from. Had done from the second she saw him again.
She had Yuelin, though, and they both knew she was the strength Meilei lacked. They flickered glances towards one another, thoughts in sync, and sighed.
“Keep us updated.” Suying leaned in and hugged her, and Ling followed before the three parted ways.
Meilei turned in the hard foldaway bed, shifting to her other side as she roused, groggily waking even though the room was still dark. She blinked, spotting the privacy curtain around them was now open, and automatically turned to the bed to check on Yue and paused.
It was gone.