Vanessa sits in the passenger seat next to her husband Ray, as their five-year-old son Henry sits in the back seat playing with his handheld system. They traveled to Hong Kong for Ray’s computer programming company. As the couple sat in silence, the rain pelted their rental, Vanessa had a sick feeling in her stomach. They weren’t the best married couple; Ray’s constant travels caused rifts between them. She often felt alone and miserable, even when he was around.
Gazing out the window, Vanessa sighs, not wanting to start a fight but unable to hold back her feelings anymore. “Ray, I don’t think I can do this anymore.” She slowly turns her gaze towards the windshield, too afraid to look at him.
“What are you talking about? Do what anymore?” He grumbles, sounding confused and perhaps slightly angry.
Vanessa looks out the window again, as tears start to rise, “I’m not happy; I haven’t been happy in years. You’re always gone, sometimes for months on end.”
Ray interrupts her, pulling over on the side of the road. Shutting the car off, he unbuckles his seatbelt. “I have to pay the bills; traveling is part of my job. I can’t do anything about it. We talked about this. Sometimes you can travel with me, you’ve been able to see most of the world. Isn’t that enough for you?”
She can hear Ray move in his seat, trying to face her. Vanessa refuses to turn her gaze from the window. “I understand all of that, and it is nice that I’ve been able to come with you sometimes. However, even when you and I are together, I feel alone. You are so distant; it’s like your mind is elsewhere, not with us. It’s not healthy for Henry to not have his father around.”
“Well, excuse me for having a job, Henry should understand.” Ray snaps, frustration rising.
Vanessa finally turns to look at her husband; she can see the heartbreak on his face. He just doesn’t understand. Henry is only five; how can he understand. Ray never keeps his promises to him or even spends time with Henry. Ray doesn’t even spend time with me anymore. We haven’t been intimate in almost two years, I’ve worn lingerie, made reservations to his favorite restaurant, but he always claims he’s busy. What does he expect from me?
Looking down at her lap, Vanessa can’t hold back the tears any longer. “Henry is only five; he doesn’t understand why his father cancels on his birthdays, the holidays, or even his camping trips.” Vanessa pauses, wiping the tears from her eyes as she tries to sniffle them back into hiding.
“I’m sorry, do you want me to quit my job? Is that it? I mean, it pays our bills, puts food on the table, and allows Henry to attend one of the best schools in the state.” Ray shouts, causing Henry to look up from his game.
Vanessa shakes her head, “no, of course not. It makes you happy. However, it’s not just Henry who is affected by this; I am too. You’ve canceled our anniversaries, my birthdays, and we aren’t even intimate anymore. Ray, you don’t even look at me.”
Ray slams his fist against the steering wheel, causing the horn to go off. Henry starts to cry in the backseat. Ray turns his attention to his son, then looks out the windshield. After a few moments, the driver side door opens as Ray gets out of the vehicle. Slamming the door shut, Vanessa can see him on the phone. She exits the car joining her husband, wondering what he is planning. As he gets off the phone, he turns to Vanessa shaking his head.
“I’m going to the hotel, you can keep the car and rent a room. Let’s get through this trip, and we’ll talk when we get home. If you want to take a flight back to the states, feel free. I’ll be home in a couple of weeks.” Ray turns and goes to the back of the car to retrieve his things. Closing the trunk, he begins walking back down the road to the main street, searching for a taxi.
I don’t know Hong Kong like he does; how am I supposed to find where to go? I don’t even know the language. She sighs in the pouring rain and gets back in the car. Henry is still crying in the backseat, unsure of what is happening. His headphones are still on his ears.
Vanessa looks at her son, “sweetie, it’s okay. Mommy and daddy are having a little squabble. It’ll be alright. Do you want to get something to eat? Maybe go back home?”
“Where’s daddy?” Henry sniffles, terrified his father is never coming back.
She looks down at the center console, “he went back to the hotel. Your father wants to wait until after the trip to talk things out. He just needs time to cool off, that’s all, honey.”
Henry wipes his eyes when they jump at the sound of a soft tap on the side of the car. Vanessa looks out the passenger window and can make out a small elderly woman with an umbrella smiling. Vanessa rolls down the window.
“Everything okay?” Vanessa hears over the rain, hitting the car with loud splats that sound like bullets.
Vanessa nods, but the woman motions her to come out of the vehicle. A younger woman with pale skin, gorgeous almond-shaped eyes, and long raven black hair soon joins the elderly lady. She snaps at her in Chinese before turning her attention to Vanessa.
“I apologize for my mother; she was worried that something happened to your car.” The young woman looks inside at Vanessa’s distraught expression. She can tell something is wrong but doesn’t want to pry.
Vanessa shakes her head, “no, everything is fine with the car. Do you know where the closest hotel is?”
Before the woman can respond, Henry starts crying harder in the backseat screaming for his father. Vanessa blushes in embarrassment, unsure how to console her son. The young woman looks at Henry feeling sympathy.
“Would you like to come inside and join us for dinner?”
Vanessa can’t help but smile in response; it would be nice to get out of the rain and in good company. It might do Henry and me some good; it’ll definitely get our minds off of his father. Henry stops screaming because the hiccups have started.
Vanessa takes the opportunity, “sweetie, would you like to go inside and get something to eat with these nice people?”
Henry shakes his head, “I don’t want to, I want daddy.”
The young woman shooshes Henry, “where is your father?”
Henry sobs, “I don’t know.”
Vanessa tries to hold back her own tears, “he’s at the hotel. Daddy has an important meeting in the morning. We won’t see him until his business affairs are completed in two weeks.”
The young woman smiles, “my son might be wondering where we are; he’s about your age. The closest hotel is further down this road, then take a right, you’ll be at a set of lights. At the lights, you’ll need to take another right.” She pauses as if ensuring she’s giving the right directions.
Vanessa stares at her, confused, “how about you just give me the name? I’ll put it into my GPS. Thank you for the offer; I guess we’ll have to take a rain check.”
The young woman looks back towards her home before gazing back at Vanessa, “I think we have their information inside. We stayed there when we returned from America a few years ago.”
“Mommy, I don’t want to go.” Henry snaps almost immediately.
Vanessa shakes her head in defeat, “do you want to go inside?”
Henry tentatively nods as he unbuckles his seatbelt. Vanessa takes the keys out of the ignition and gets out of the car. She goes to the other side of the vehicle to let Henry out. They follow the elderly woman and the young lady to their home. Inside, Vanessa smells the scents of different foods. Her stomach rumbles in response; she blushes, hoping no one heard it. The young woman turns to her and asks Henry and Vanessa to remove their shoes. Once their sneakers are placed with the others, the young woman turns to them with a warm smile.
“I should have introduced myself earlier; I apologize. My name is Xia, this is my mother Suyin, my son Junjie, my sister Daiyu, my husband Renshu, and his mother, Meilin. Welcome to our home.” Xia motions for Vanessa and Henry to follow her further into the home, to the dining room. A long table sits on the floor, with cushioned mats aligning the sides. Vanessa smiles, unsure of what to do. Xia exits the room into the kitchen, along with Suyin.
Soon they both walk out with another older woman and a beautiful young lady, who Vanessa can only assume is Meilin and Xia’s sister Daiyu. Each one is carrying various plates of food to put on the table. A young man is already sitting at the table, along with a little boy. As the ladies continue bringing out food, Vanessa wonders how they are going to eat it all. Once the table is set, the women all sit at the table. Seeing two empty places, Vanessa takes the one across from Xia, next to Daiyu. Henry takes the seat next to his mother, which is across from Junjie.
Vanessa decides to wait before serving herself until Xia does. When out of the kitchen walks Meilin, carrying a tray of teacups and a teapot. She places a cup in front of each of them and then fills them up with the tea. Vanessa gives a slight bow to show appreciation. Then picks up the cup and takes a sip. The hot brew warms her to the core, making her feel more relaxed. As Meilin sits down at her seat, the young man, Renshu, starts serving himself along with Junjie. Henry immediately follows their lead and starts helping himself to the heaping piles of food.
As Vanessa is about to stop him, Xia begins putting food onto her plate along with everyone else. Vanessa decides to follow their lead and helps herself to the delicious food. Everyone indulges in the meal until everyone had a sufficient amount. Vanessa notices everyone still has food on their plate, including Henry.
Everyone looks at her with curiosity when Xia asks her, “have you had enough? Please help yourself; there is plenty.”
Confusion etches Vanessa’s face as she wonders if she should help herself to some more rice. Vanessa instead helps herself to more shrimp and rice but finds she cannot eat another morsel. Xia smiles in response as she gets up to clear the table with Meilin, Daiyu, and Suyin’s help. Henry yawns as Junjie and Renshu get up from their seats and motion for Vanessa to follow them into the sitting area.
Renshu sits in a red plush chair, while Vanessa takes a seat on the matching sofa across from him. Junjie takes Henry to his room to play, leaving the young man alone with Vanessa. He sits back in the chair and stares straight at Vanessa.
“So, Xia says you’re visiting because of business?” Renshu says with a smile that makes Vanessa blush.
She clears her throat, “my husband is visiting here for business; Henry and I came along.”
Nodding, he leans forward, “where is your husband?”
Vanessa looks away towards the glass coffee table in between them. “At the hotel.”
Renshu’s face scrunches in curiosity, “why aren’t you there with him?”
Vanessa shakes her head, “we had a fight.” She can feel the tears coming to the surface again.
“He just left you alone in Hong Kong. That’s not right; I’m sorry.” Renshu says and soon regrets it. When Xia and Daiyu enter the room and join Vanessa on the couch.
“Well, this brings me to my other question, would you like to stay with us until your husband’s business is complete?” Xia offers.
Vanessa immediately takes her focus off the table and stares at Xia in shock. “Why are you so nice to me?” The words escape her before she could stop herself.
Daiyu chuckles as she stares at her sister in disbelief. “Well, we came from America. Daiyu, Renshu, and I all went to college there. We came back here when our mother Suyin got sick. Renshu’s company allowed him to transfer to the Hong Kong branch, and I got a job at the local hospital. It can be scary when you don’t know your way around a new area and country.” Xia explains as Meilin brings in a tray of tea and departs out of the room.
Vanessa pours herself a glass and sips it, feeling the heat warm her. “I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not imposing; sadly, I’m barely home because of my shifts at the hospital. Daiyu also spends little time here because of her boyfriend. We have plenty of room; you can bunk with Daiyu, and Henry can stay in Junjie’s bedroom.” Xia quickly looks at the time, gets up, and kisses her husband before departing from the room.
Daiyu turns to Vanessa apologetically, “she has to go to work. I’ll show you where our room is and Junjie’s bedroom to get them situated for you both.”
Vanessa gets up, following Daiyu out into the hallway, then they take a left where a few doors line the hallway. Daiyu turns to face Vanessa, “this is our room; across from here is Junjie’s bedroom. At the end of the hall is the bathroom. Outside of the room are slippers for you to wear when you use the bathroom. Xia and Renshu are down the other hallway. Meilin and Suyin live next door; however, they are always here during the day. Although I’ve been thinking of moving into their apartment and letting them have my room.” A wicked grin spreads across Daiyu’s face.
“Oh, I forgot to mention the twins, Li and Fan are at their friend’s house. They’ll be home tomorrow. Most of the time, they stay with their grandparents. When they are home, they sleep in the room next to Junjie.” Daiyu adds before entering her bedroom to set up the extra cot with blankets and a pillow.
Once the cot is made up, Daiyu enters Junjie’s bedroom to set up the bottom bunk. Henry realizing what is happening, excitedly runs to his mother about staying the night. Vanessa kneels down in front of her son.
“Well, sweetie, you have to go to sleep. It’s getting late. Tomorrow we’re going to go over your lessons. Let me run out to the car to grab our things, okay honey.” Vanessa says, getting up from the floor and heading out to her car. Renshu meets her outside with an umbrella.
“Need a hand with those?” Renshu asks as Vanessa unlocks the trunk and gets her suitcase out.
Vanessa doesn’t hear him over the roaring thunder as the rain pours down harder. Renshu touches her shoulder, causing Vanessa to jump.
Chuckling, Renshu grabs the suitcase from Vanessa. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Let me bring this inside for you.” He yells over the crash of lightning.
Vanessa gives an embarrassed laugh before taking Henry’s suitcase out. She closes the trunk and locks it before rushing in through the front door behind Renshu. Taking off her shoes at the door. She can’t help but laugh at her soaked appearance. Renshu takes off his shoes and places the wet umbrella back in its holder.
Looking over Vanessa, he smiles, “you should dry off. Let me get you a towel.”
Henry comes to the doorway to retrieve his suitcase from Vanessa; pulling out the handle, he wheels it away to Junjie’s room. Daiyu soon comes to the entrance looking like she’s going out. Slipping her feet into high heels, Daiyu winks at Vanessa before exiting the house. Renshu wasn’t far behind Daiyu, carrying a towel.
“Daiyu is going out tonight?” He questions no one specific. “Here’s a towel. Sorry, it took so long.”
Vanessa takes the towel and starts drying her black hair, “it’s okay. I think I’m just going to take a shower.” Her hand wraps around the handle of her suitcase as she makes her way to Daiyu’s room. Setting the bag down on the floor next to the cot, Vanessa unzips it looking for her PJs. Once she has clean clothes for bed, Vanessa is about to enter the bathroom when she realizes the slippers sitting next to the doorway. Slipping her stockinged feet inside, Vanessa enters the bathroom and closes the door. The room is small, with a little tub with a shower nozzle.
Opening the cabinet nearby, Vanessa spots a few clean towels. Taking one out, she places it near the tub on top of her clean clothes. Sliding her feet out of the slippers, Vanessa strips off her clothes and turns on the water adjusting it to her needs. After the shower, she changes into her pajama pants and a tank top. Then brushes her teeth. Exiting the bathroom, Vanessa goes back to Daiyu’s room and sits down on the cot.
Pulling her cellphone out of her purse nearby, Vanessa checks to see if Ray called. Seeing no missed calls or texts, she sighs and leans against the wall. Putting her hand against her head, Vanessa pulls her legs up to her chest. Vanessa rests her head on her knees when a soft knock is heard on the doorway. Looking up, she sees Renshu standing at the door.
“Do you need anything?”
Vanessa shakes her head, “no, I’m all set, thank you.”
Renshu nods, “okay, well, if you need anything, feel free to ask.” He says before departing down the hall. Vanessa decides to pull out the book she brought with her for the trip out of the suitcase. Propping up the pillows and pulling a blanket over her, she opens the book to her saved spot. Vanessa tries to read, but her mind keeps returning to Ray.
I wish Ray would just agree that a divorce is necessary. The things she said to Ray keep repeating in her head. Looking at her phone one last time, she notices the time is around eleven. Vanessa closes her novel and decides to try and get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day, maybe he’ll call me after he’s slept on it. Vanessa crawls under the covers and places the pillow under her head. Somehow through all her anxieties, she falls into a nightmarish sleep.
The sound of a blender wakes Vanessa from her sound sleep. Stretching, she notices Daiyu never returned home. Shrugging her shoulders, Vanessa gets up, makes her cot, and closes the door. After getting dressed in jeans and a sweater, Vanessa exits the room and heads to the bathroom. Seeing the door closed, she waits in the hallway for the person. When after a few moments, Henry comes out already dressed for the day. Smiling up at his mother, he hugs her before squeezing by her to the kitchen.
Vanessa looks over herself in the mirror, I look terrible today. Something needs to be done with my hair. Maybe a little makeup will make me look like the living instead of the walking dead. Once Vanessa was pleased with her appearance, she heads into the dining room. Where food is already on the table. Meilin is setting the table, Henry is already seated along with Junjie and Renshu. Two identical teenage girls sit at the table as well, who Vanessa can only assume are Li and Fan. Sitting across from them, she can hear them whispering and laughing. When they stop and glare at Vanessa.
The girls say something in their native language, leaving Vanessa completely clueless. When Renshu says something in return, causing them both to stare at their plates in silence.
“I apologize for their behavior,” Renshu says, still staring at his daughters. Meilin sits down next to Vanessa as Suyin brings in a tray of tea. After setting it down, Xia walks into the dining room, appearing exhausted. Daiyu joins the table with the same disheveled appearance. If Vanessa didn’t know better, it looked like the two of them were hungover from the night before.
Once everyone is seated, people begin filling their plates with deep-fried dough sticks, steamed buns, or porridge. Vanessa decides to try the steamed buns and deep-fried dough sticks. Little bowls filled with a white liquid sit next to the fried dough. Curiously, Vanessa takes one and watches Daiyu dip one into the white liquid. Vanessa follows using her own bowl and finds the white liquid is soybean milk. The flavor adds to the fried dough and, to Vanessa’s surprise, is delicious.
The kids hurry through breakfast, grab their backpacks, and rush out the front door to school. Soon Renshu follows behind them to work as Meilin and Suyin clean up. Vanessa decides to help them as Daiyu leaves to get ready for work. Xia departs to the bathroom, which Vanessa assumes is for a shower. She’s probably going to bed, presumably to rest up before her next shift. I hated the third shift; it always was a pain.
Henry stares at his mother, “what are we doing today?”
Vanessa looks up at her son from her plate, smiling, “we’re going to work on your math problems first, then your spelling, and move onto science. I have a few activities planned for your science assignments that you’ll find entertaining.”
Henry sighs in disappointment; math was boring. Getting up, he walks to the bedroom to retrieve his workbooks and tablet. Vanessa, meanwhile, assisted Suyin in cleaning up the table along with washing the dishes. Suyin and Meilin insisted that they didn’t need her assistance, but Vanessa would not take no for an answer. She always felt that if someone makes a mess, they clean up after themselves.
After helping Meilin and Suyin clean the kitchen and put everything away, Vanessa entered the living room where Henry was already working on his math problems. He was learning how to tell time, along with shapes. Vanessa goes into her bedroom to retrieve her computer for work. Grabbing her laptop, she notices her phone is blinking a notification light. Picking up the phone, Vanessa sees she has three text messages and two phone calls.
Looking at the text messages, Vanessa notices Ray left one of them along with a couple students. Vanessa taught online courses at a University to allow her to travel with Ray. Henry’s school only allowed Henry to travel because his mother was a professor. They felt that she could teach him when he wasn’t in class as long as he did all the work and logged into the school’s platform to do the tests and other assignments. His workbook was what they would cover in class, which he had to bring in to school for credit.
Vanessa sighs, seeing the two missed calls were from Ray. I’ll call him later; he’s at his meetings until around six. Hopefully, Ray had some clarity and sees he isn’t happy either. There’s no way he could be. Vanessa responds to the student asking about the mid-term and the other student asking about an assignment. Once she finishes responding, Vanessa carries her laptop into the living room and logs into her university classroom.
Looking over the assignments the students were supposed to submit yesterday, Vanessa begins grading. Startled by the sound of a vacuum cleaner, Henry looks up from his workbook at Meilin cleaning the dining room. As Henry returns to the problems in his book, she can see the frustration on her son's face. Vanessa exits out of her account and reopens Henry’s section. Pulling up his school’s platform, she logs him in and opens the math section.
"Why don't you do your lessons, it might help you with the workbook problems." Vanessa offers, hoping it will help him understand the homework. While Henry does his lessons, Vanessa logs into her university platform on the tablet and returns to grading.
Hours tick by as Vanessa grades and Henry does his assignments when Vanessa’s’ cell phone starts ringing, causing them both to jump. Answering, she can hear Ray’s voice.
Sounding agitated, “why haven’t you returned my calls or text messages? Where are you?”
Samantha lets out a deep sigh, gets up, and walks out of the room so she wouldn’t disturb Henry from his schoolwork.
“I didn’t respond to your messages because I figured you were at your meetings.”
“Doesn’t explain where you are; you never checked into the hotel room.” Ray snaps, frustrated.
Vanessa shakes her head in defeat, “a sweet family, let Henry and I stay with them until you are finished with your work. I didn’t want to, but I don’t know my way around Hong Kong.”
“You have GPS; I don’t understand why you couldn’t have put in the hotel’s information.”
Vanessa’s face flushes a crimson red in embarrassment, “I couldn’t remember the name of the hotel.”
Ray lets out an exasperated sigh, “tell me the address, and I’ll come pick you both up. Maybe we can talk; I’m going to see if I can stay in the states to reduce the travel.”
Shaking her head, “Ray, I don’t want you to have regrets. This promotion is huge for you in the company. You can’t just throw it away; I won’t let you.”
“Well, I don’t want to lose you for a job. There are other companies.”
Vanessa can’t help but smile; she didn’t think he loved her anymore since he never made time for her or Henry. In the pit of her stomach, she doesn’t believe him. He says things like this, but things never change. I’ll give him the address and see what happens. Vanessa thinks about it and realizes she has no idea where she is.
“Umm…I have no idea where I am. You can track my phone or the car. It’s still in the same place.”
Ray sighs in frustration, “fine, I can do that. I probably won’t be able to make it until this weekend. There’s a conference going on this week that I have to attend. As long as you two are safe, I guess it’s okay. I can’t believe strangers are letting you stay with them.”
“I can’t believe it either, they’ve been very nice. Henry enjoys playing with their son.”
“Has Henry eaten? He can be very picky when it comes to strange foods.”
“Of course, the foods they have prepared for us have been similar to the ones he had at the culture festival in New York.”
“I’m sorry, I was just making sure. Maybe I’ll stop by sooner than the weekend, and we’ll go out to eat.”
Vanessa can hear the tension in Ray’s voice, “I have to get back to work. I’ll call you later tonight to see how you’re doing.”
As Vanessa is about to say she’d like that, the call ends. Seeing the time, she realizes it’s past lunchtime. Henry is probably starving, poor kid. Vanessa enters the family room and notices Henry is missing. She checks the dining room and sees Henry sitting at the table, eating noodles and dumplings. Suyin and Meilin are seated as well, enjoying their lunch. Vanessa smiles and joins them.
After lunch, Henry returns to his studies, and Vanessa returns to grading her course assignments. Vanessa looks over at her son’s workbook to see where Henry is in his assignments. When she notices, he has already completed both math, spelling and was working on History. Returning to the course assignments, she checks in to see how her students are doing with the day’s lesson.
Henry and Vanessa continue working on their workloads until the evening. The twin girls and Junjie walk in as Xia is on her way out the door. The smell of rice and fish permeates the air, causing Vanessa to realize how hungry she is. Junjie, Li, and Fan take their shoes off and walk towards their bedrooms to deposit their school books and bags. Junjie returns and looks over Henry’s shoulder, curious as to what he is working on.
Vanessa looks up from her work with a smile, “Henry, why don’t you take a break? We’ll pick this up in the morning as long as you finished your coursework on the platform.”
Henry looks up with an excited smile; he nods before closing his workbook and rushing off to play with Junjie before dinner. They must do homework after dinner; it’s good that Henry has someone to play with, though, so it’s not all work. He should enjoy himself while he’s away from home. Vanessa finishes up her work tasks before cleaning up the table from their day. As she’s cleaning, Renshu walks in the door. He takes his shoes off and is about to go to his bedroom when he notices Vanessa.
Deciding to talk to her to see how she is adjusting, he walks closer to the coffee table. “Vanessa, you can use the small desk in the corner for work, if you need.”
Vanessa turns her attention to Renshu with a bashful smile, “oh, thank you, I didn’t even notice it. Henry would have a much easier time with his lessons. Thank you.”
“How are you two doing? Is there anything you need?”
Li and Fan soon enter, overhearing their father’s conversation. Immediately they start whispering before exiting into the dining room to help their grandmothers set the table. Vanessa stares after them with curiosity as she returns her attention to Renshu. “No, everything is fine. Henry and I are doing well. I’ll have this cleared up in no time; you won’t even know we were here. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Renshu smiles, “it’s no problem at all. I’m glad the two of you are doing okay; how was your day?”
Placing Henry’s workbook on her laptop and putting the tablet on top, she looks up at Renshu after a few moments, “busy. How was your day?”
“Same, dinner is ready. We probably shouldn’t keep everyone waiting.” Renshu helps Vanessa to her feet. Scooping everything into her arms, she carries everything to her room. Putting everything on the bed, Vanessa walks into the dining room, where everyone is already seated. Blushing, Vanessa sits down next to Daiyu, when Vanessa realizes she never saw Daiyu come home.
As Vanessa helps herself to the food, she notices Fan and Li giving her a dirty look. Vanessa can’t help but wonder if she did something to upset them. Maybe they don’t like a stranger in their home. I can’t blame them; perhaps I’ll try to do something nice for them. It might show that I’m not a threat.
Everyone talked about their day while Vanessa stayed silent. Henry laughed with Junjie about school. After dinner, Vanessa helped clear the table with Suyin and Meilin. The children all scattered to their rooms to do their homework and study. Henry sat in the family room with his handheld system so he wouldn’t disturb Junjie. Once Vanessa finished helping Meilin and Suyin clean up dinner, she joined Henry.
Vanessa texted her sister and best friend about her feelings regarding leaving Ray, craving someone to talk to. Entirely focused on her phone, Vanessa doesn’t see that someone left a cup of tea on the table near her. As Vanessa is about to put the phone down on the table, she almost spills the cup of tea. Instinctively she grabs the cup before it tips and places her phone next to the glass.
“Sweetie, did you see who left the tea?”
“No,” Henry says without looking up from his system.
Vanessa’s face scrunches in confusion; I wonder who’s tea this is. Seeing no one else around, Vanessa assumes it is for her. Taking a sip, the taste is horrendous, but Vanessa drinks it all, not wanting to be disrespectful. After a few moments it feels like the lights have dimmed. Feeling dizzy, Vanessa decides to lean back against the couch. Closing her eyes, a crawling sensation on her arms causes her to open them again. Seeing bugs everywhere, causes Vanessa to panic. Looking around for help, she doesn't see anyone in room. The taste of blood forces Vanessa to check her mouth. Seeing her fingers covered in blood, her heartrate increases as she begins to hyperventilate. Coughing, something hits her hand. Holding it up to her blurred vision, she can see it's a tooth.
Feeling lightheaded, Vanessa's vision begins to fade before she completely blackouts. Laughter erupts around Vanessa causing her to come to. Fan and Li are laughing hysterically at Vanessa's disheveled state. Confusion laces her face as she stares at the girls in disbelief.
"How was the tea?" Fan asks through bursts of laughter.
"I can't believe she drank it all, must have been disgusting." Li chimes in giggling.
Vanessa's head starts pounding, putting her hand to her head, "what do you mean?"
"Are you stupid? We drugged you." Fan mocks her.
Vanessa stares at them in shocked horror, checking her teeth, she finds none are missing. "Why?" she manages to ask them, her voice sounding weak.
Li and Fan put their hands on their hips, "leave our father alone, we see how you two look at each other. The conversations you have, the awkward glances. You don't belong here." Their voices sound like venom.
The ringing of the cell phone on the table causes Vanessa to jump. Answering it, she can hear Ray's voice.
"Hey sweetheart, I decided to come by earlier. I've missed you two, can you get Henry ready to go. We'll go back to the hotel and talk, the conference got moved to tomorrow afternoon." Ray sounds almost excited.
Still dazed from the tea, Vanessa struggles to understand what her husband is telling her, "wait you're on your way here now? Isn't it late?"
Li and Fan exchange devilish glances, as Vanessa gets up from the couch. "No, it's only seven. Why do you think it's late? Have you been drinking? You sound off." Worry laces Ray's voice.
Vanessa shakes her head, which makes her head spin slightly, "no I haven't, just tea that was laced with something." She says aggravated as she glares at the twins.
"I'm almost there, glad I left you the car."
Vanessa stumbles into the dining room, trying to get to the bedrooms. When she trips over something and falls. Henry rushes out of the bedroom to figure out what the sound was, when he sees his mother on the floor. Panicking, Henry rushes to his mother's side. Everyone hovers around her trying to figure out what has happened.
Embarrassed, Vanessa stands up her head spinning. "I just tripped over something, I'm fine. So sorry I worried all of you over my clumsy behavior."
Renshu grabs Vanessa's arm seeing her swagger, "what have you ingested?" He asks her worry creasing his brow.
Loud knocking causes Vanessa to pause, Daiyu rushes to answer the door. Hearing Ray's voice, Henry rushes to his father. Li and Fan try to mask their enjoyment with looks of concern as Ray rushes past them to the hallway where Vanessa is leaning against Renshu for support. Anger swells inside Ray, shaking uncontrollably, he starts shouting. "Is this why you sounded nervous about me stopping by to pick the two of you up?"
Vanessa turns to her husband, "that's not it, some tea didn't agree with me. I was about to fall again, when Renshu caught me. Why are you so upset?"
Li and Fan enter the room, they start shouting in Chinese, which causes Renshu to stare at them in horror. Daiyu overhears the commotion and glares at Vanessa from the hallway entrance behind Ray. Vanessa stares at everyone, trying to understand what is happening. Renshu starts shouting back in Chinese.
Ray turns to leave the hallway, when Renshu grabs Ray's arm pleadingly. Ray without thinking punches him in the face. Anger overtakes Vanessa, "Ray what is wrong with you?"
"You've been sleeping with him, think I wouldn't find out? Is this why you wanted a divorce?"
Vanessa can feel her face get hot as if she had just been slapped, "What are you talking about? I haven't been with anyone since you. Where did you get this from?"
Ray looks at Fan and Li, Vanessa's mouth hangs open in horror as devilish grins spread across their faces.
Daiyu rushes to Renshu with fury, they start shouting in Chinese. Ray turns to look at Vanessa, "I'm going to take Henry with me to the hotel. Return back to the states, I'll send you the divorce papers you wanted." Ray shoves past her to help Henry gather his things.
Vanessa stares after him unsure what to say. Nothing I say will change what he thinks, I just don't understand why those girls think their dad and I were having sex. So he's nice to me, so what that doesn't mean anything. Why does Ray believe them? How can Daiyu suspect something too, when she has been living with them for probably awhile. Shaking her head in disbelief at the situation, Vanessa enters her room and retrieves her things. Walking out, she drops everything off in the family room. Ray stops in to retrieve Henry's tablet, before leaving the house with their son close behind.
Henry breaks away from Ray's hold to run to Vanessa, giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Vanessa hears him whisper he loves her with tears in his eyes before Ray pulls Henry away from her. Through blurred vision from the tears, Vanessa watches them leave the house. Knowing she can't stay with the family any longer, she begins looking for flights back to America. Feeling lightheaded and nauseous, Vanessa wonders what the twins drugged her with. Approaching footsteps causes her to look up to see a Daiyu.
Daiyu shuts the lights off, low chanting fills the room in Chinese. Vanessa tries to see in the darkness, "why'd you shut the lights off? Can you turn them back on, I can't see."
The chanting continues, intensifying as Daiyu comes closer into the room. Her tone sounds venomous, harsh, and cold. Vanessa shivers from a cold chill creeping down her back. Using her phone, Vanessa tries to use it to see what is happening. As Vanessa scans the darkness with her cellphones flashlight, the room appears to be empty. Hands shaking, the light catches something hiding in the shadows. Slowly moving the light back, the spot sits empty.
The room fills with the chants, "what do you want?" Vanessa screams wondering where the chanting is coming from.
A face appears inches from Vanessa's, causing her to scream in shock. "You will pay for what you have done you miserable woman. Instead of talking to your husband about your issues, you ran. However, you ran into the arms of the wrong man, you reap what you sow. No sympathy will you find here."
Vanessa shakes her head in defiance, "I did nothing wrong. The twins jumped to conclusions."
"Really? So why do the twins tell me that he was in your room late at night?"
Tears roll down Vanessa's face, "Renshu was asking..."
"I don't need to hear your lies, just get out."
The lights flicker and return, Vanessa grips her head. A hand grasps her arm, causing her to jump.
"Would you like some water, miss?"
Vanessa slowly glances up, to the face of a young blonde stewardess. Her face scrunches in confusion. Shaking her head no, Vanessa glances out the window at the world below. How did I get on a plane? Better question, when did I get on a plane? Where am I going? Was it all a dream? Vanessa checks her phone for messages, to see her best friend Jennine offered to let her stay with them. They'd meet her at the airport. Looking through the text messages, Vanessa is confused by the conversation. I don't remember messaging her, let alone remembering buying plane tickets home. What's more confusing is I don't mention Ray or the family I stayed with. I just told Jennine that I was returning home because Ray and I had a fight.
Once at the airport, Vanessa retrieves her suitcase from the belt and goes down the escalator. Approaching the lobby, Vanessa notices Jennine smiling with Derek. They make small talk about the trip and if she had everything. Derek takes her bags as Jennine ushers her into the backseat. Looking around Vanessa notices their son Tom was missing.
"Where's your son?"
Jennine turns to look at her friend, "he's back at the house with his grandmother. She came into town for his birthday. Will Ray and Henry return home in time for the holidays?"
Vanessa turns her attention to the window, "I don't know. We're getting a divorce, so I doubt I'm seeing him for the holidays. Not sure how we're going to work out visitation or custody either."
"That's terrible, what happened?" Jennine asks, worry etching her voice.
Shaking her head, "I'll tell you when we get to your house, after I've had a shower." Vanessa forces a laugh, but it just sounds hollow.
Once they arrive at Jennine's house, Derek gets her bags, while Jennine ushers Vanessa inside. Jennine shows Vanessa to her room, Derek drops her things in the closet and goes downstairs to make dinner. Jennine smiles at her as she sits down on the bed, "please tell me what happened."
Vanessa joins her on the bed and tells Jennine everything, she always had a way of getting people to open up. With a look of shock, Jennine wonders how Ray and everyone could believe Vanessa would cheat with little proof.
Jennine decides to confide in her husband about what Vanessa had shared, while her friend cleaned up for dinner.
"Why would Ray think his wife would cheat just because she talked to him about her unhappiness? I understand the family to a degree, I mean they don't know Vanessa like we do." Derek pauses as he turns to grab the wine for the stew, "who knows maybe this Renshu fellow did act differently towards Vanessa, causing them to jump to their conclusions."
Jennine thinks over what her husband had just said, "that's true, but it doesn't explain Ray or his actions."
The couple makes dinner in silence trying to make sense of what their friend was going through. Vanessa approaches the kitchen feeling the tension in the air, gazing at their backs curiously she sits at the counter. "Do you need any help?" She offers not expecting them to accept even if they did.
"No, but thank you." Jennine says as she sits across from Vanessa. Something shiny catches Jennine's eye, when she sees Vanessa wearing a strange pendant. "Where did you get that necklace, it's beautiful. Did Ray give it to you while you were in China?"
Vanessa's face scrunches in confusion, as she reaches up to her chest with her hand. Her fingers feel a cold metal charm. Where did this come from? I don't remember having any jewelry on when I stayed with the family.
"Is something wrong?"
"Not at all, I just don't know where this came from is all."
Jennine gives Vanessa a worried glance, before returning to help her husband with dinner. "Can you set the table?"
Vanessa almost jumps at the opportunity to change the subject, "sure, no problem. Dishes are still in the cabinet in the dining room, right?"
"Yes, thank you."
As Vanessa enters the dining room, Tom and his grandmother are already sitting at the table chatting. Grabbing plates out of the cabinet, Vanessa begins setting the table. As Vanessa places a dish in front of the grandmother, the light catches the pendant draped around Vanessa's neck. The elderly woman gasps before glaring at Vanessa with distaste.
The woman whispers something that Vanessa doesn't quite catch, but soon her voice begins to raise. At first Vanessa doesn't understand what is happening, but then dread soon creeps up on her. Dropping a plate as the elderly woman begins to stand and shout, Vanessa realizes the woman is chanting the same words Daiyu was in China.
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