Chapter 44: Chapter Twenty One-1

Chapter Twenty-One The chilly spring breeze blows through my flimsy pajama pants and light sweater. Strings of my blond hair fall out of my bun, but I can’t take my eyes off of what’s – who’s in front of me. My mouth is open and I could’ve sworn a mosquito almost went in. I regain my senses and close my mouth and stand straighter. Madam Jin is standing in front of me. She is dressed in a dark green dress and holds a black coat to herself. Her dark hair is in a tight bun, and her eyes are staring straight into me. She has a warm smile on her face, despite her cold aura. Behind her, there is a black –surely expensive – car with two men dressed in black standing by. They must be her bodyguards. She is the queen of the Asian market, a very important business partner to Lee. I think back to the night I met her at Lee’s birthday bash. She seemed to like me…I think. Then a thought strikes me.  That means I have to act like Lee’s girlfriend again. “Madam Jin,” I whisper. I cough, clearing my voice. “What’re you doing here?” Maybe that seemed a bit rude to ask so abruptly. “Ivory,” she smiles, wrinkles appearing on her clear complexion. “Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?” For a minute, I just stare at her before realizing what she had just said. Immediately, I move out of the way and allow her to enter. When she passes by, she smells faintly of a floral perfume. I look outside again. Her bodyguards are still as statues, exactly where they were before. Are they going to come in too? “Don’t worry about them,” Madam Jin calls. I turn to face her. She’s smiling at me. “I have ordered them to wait outside – which took a lot of effort because they thought I was going to get assassinated inside.” She chuckles softly. “You can close the door.” I nod, feeling bad for letting them just stay outside in the dark, cold night. Madam Jin takes a seat on the couch. She looks to Lee and Mark. “Mark, dear, why are you half-naked? Get some decency, child. Put clothes on.” Contrary to her orders, Mark grins and just attacks Madam Jin into a big bear hug. It looks like he’s squeezing the life out of her, but she just slaps his back and yells to get off of her. Even though she’s refusing his hug, she has a faint smile on her face. Wait a minute…do they know each other? “I missed you too, grandma Jin!” Mark chirps, still hugging her. “Get off, Mark! Learn your manners!” she yells back, slapping him. “You love me anyway!” “Get off, you rude boy.” Mark finally lets go, the grin never leaving his face, and quickly runs upstairs and returns in seconds with a gray shirt on. He takes a seat beside me, across Madam Jin. Lee looks a bit flustered since he’s not wearing his suit in front of Madam Jin. This must be the first time he’s ever been unprepared. It’s quite hilarious watching him trying to keep himself professional even though he’s in pajamas. “So,” I say, “Madam Jin, what brings you here?” A sympathetic look passes upon her face. “Why, Mark has told me what has happened and since you are like my own daughter, I couldn’t help not coming.” She gets up and takes a seat beside me before she envelops me in a hug. I’m in shock, but I don’t even have time to respond. “Are you okay, Ivory?” Well, considering my mother is in the hospital on the brink of life and death, certainly not. But Brent is here, I have – almost – two friends who are with me, and now I have Madam Jin supporting me. I guess it’s not all too bad. “I’m fine,” I answer, hugging her back. She smells like a grandma.  I’ve never really had a grandmother in my entire life, so holding her is comforting. “I knew she would make you feel better,” Mark says, genuinely smiling from the corner of my eye. “Nobody’s better than grandma Jin.” Madam Jin pulls back, but still holds my hands in hers. “Wait, you’re Madam Jin’s grandson?” I ask. Mark didn’t really look Asian, but maybe he was mixed or something. Mark chuckles. “I wish, but no. Our families are super close and I’ve basically grown up with Madam Jin all my life so she’s basically my grandmother. Though, it would be nice if we were related.” “That would be horrid,” Madam Jin chimes in. “Aw, you know you love me,” Mark says. I’ve never seen this playful side of him. I can tell he’s really comfortable with Madam Jin and trusts her more than anyone else. “You are just too cute, Madam Jin.” Mark leans and pinches Madam Jin’s cheeks. Usually, it should be the other way around but with the way my life has been lately, I can’t even tell the difference between weird and normal. The line is blurring into one. “Anyways,” Madam Jin begins, “I will be coming back in a couple of days – maybe tomorrow if my schedule clears up – and we’ll go visit your mother together. I’ll bring flowers and everything.” She holds my hands in hers. “Ivory, even though we haven’t known each other too long, I feel a strange connection to you and if you’re hurting, I’m here for you.” She smiles a little. “You know that, right?” My cheeks are wet. “Thank you so much, Madam Jin.” I don’t realize what I’m doing but suddenly I’m engulfing her in a hug. Her floral perfume soothes me and I feel more close to a stranger I’ve only met than to any of the far away, distant relatives of mine. Lee clears his throat. I almost forgot he was there. Almost. “Madam Jin, are you hungry?” he asks. “You must’ve not had dinner yet – always so busy with work. Would you like to stay for dinner?” She chuckles. “That would be delightful.” A phone rings. “Excuse me,” Madam Jin says, reaching for her pocket. Lee nods and heads to the kitchen where Mark follows. “Mmm-hmm,” she speaks to the phone. “Really? Oh my. Okay, yes. Thank you. Yes. All right. Goodbye.” She snaps her phone shut and places it back in her pocket. “Is everything okay?” I ask. “It’s fine,” she replies, smiling. “Actually, more than fine. It seems my secretary has cleared up tonight so I guess I can stay for a while. But I have a meeting at noon tomorrow. I love my job, but I dislike it at the same time.” “I know the feeling,” I chuckle, thinking back to my own job. It must be hard for Madam Jin, running everything at such an old and fragile state. But, something tells me that despite her looks, she’s feistier than a wild bull. I mean, you can’t become queen of the market without having a backbone. “Oh! Madam Jin! If you were not busy till noon tomorrow, would you like to stay overnight? My brother is back in town from college and Lee and Mark are staying over, too. It’s kind of hectic without another female in the house.” “I don’t know, Ivory….” “C’mon! It’ll be fine,” I reassure, patting her forearm. My grin is etched onto my face. “I can do your nails and hair and we’ll do girly things. You need a break from work, too! Isn’t it stressful?” “Yes, but—” “I’ll even make you gourmet food!” Yeah, okay, Ivory. Good lie. “Are you sure?”