"American Girl Breaking Traditions Everywhere"




Chapter Two





Zhi sat at his desk reading. Truly he read the words but he didn’t pay attention to them. Today was rather odd. He’d never once bumped into a woman who wanted him to date her friend. Then again he’d also never broke any ones window so maybe this was normal. Shaking his head at the thought of the five foot five woman who seemed on edge he tried to focus his mind on the book at hand. Suddenly the phone rang and zhi jumped at the sound.

“Hello” he answered.

“Hey!” The female voice said. “It’s me Lydia. You broke my window today.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“I remember too. All too well actually. Anyway, so my friend agreed to the date. It really didn’t take her long to agree. She loves Asians. Don’t take it offensively.” She said.

“I wouldn’t” he replied listening to her in fascination. She was for sure a person who was just straight up herself.

“Yeah, so basically all that remains is the when and the where. My friend really likes baseball. I think if you show her that hit you got going there she’ll just go goo goo for you. By the way, are you in a professional team?”

“No.” Zhi said in resentment. Of course it would be his dream to be in a professional team but of course as everyman in his family did. He was to become a doctor.

“Well you should be. How about as a date you guys go to the bating cages and then afterwards you take her for lunch. Let’s say tomorrow? Around twelve?”

“sure.” He said. Although Zhi hated blind dates he couldn’t say no. He felt horrible about her window and if this was all it took to make her happy then get on with the date.

“Ok, sounds great. I’ll have her ready. I think she just needs a fun day out. She seems more depressed and zoned out then normal.”

“Ah… well batting cages it is.” He said.

“Yeah, oh and do me a favor?” She said.

“Hum?”

“Talk more to her then you did me.” Zhi smiled and said ok. He hung up the phone and turned back to his book. Zhi read about twenty pages before checking the time. He sighed and got up. Off to his mother’s house for dinner it was. It amazed him how no matter how old he was his mother still demanded him to be at dinner and on time.

He grabbed his keys and stuffed his wallet into his over sized pockets. He left his room told his roommate peace and was out of the apartment. He fled down the steps quickly and walked out the building entrance. With in minutes he reached his car and jumped in. He started his car and pulled out. Twenty minutes later it was five fifty and he was in front of his mother’s home.

He turned the car off and jumped out. Hoping his mother wasn’t in yet another bad mood he knocked on the door. His mother seemed to be going through menopause and he hated to catch her at the wrong times. Thanks to his fellow siblings it seemed that the bad time was always happening. Like his mother was permanently turned on in the anger department. Sometimes it occurred to him that his mother could also just be feeling bitter. These days it was hard to tell.

His sister, Meiling, opened the door and walked away. Enjoying the welcome zhi stepped into the doorway and closed the door. He walked to the dining room where his other sister, Shan, was setting the table.

“Hello mother” he said to her.

His mother nodded her head at him and continued what ever she was doing. He moved to the living room where his father sat in front of the T.V. Truth be it although his family was Chinese he saw them as just another American family. His mother and father were born in China. They married in China where they had him. When Zhi was three his father and mother migrated to American where his mother became pregnant with his sister Shan. Shan and Zhi were about four years apart. Shan just turned twenty one while Zhi was twenty five. He worked at a hospital as a licensed nurse and was on his fifth year of college. Soon he would be a licensed doctor.

Shan of course was not urged to become a doctor. She had chosen a career in clothing making. She was finishing her forth year in college for fashion. Meiling was a late child. Meiling was only fourteen. She had just started high school and had no idea where her life was going. Although each child was assigned to different careers there was one thing that was for sure. Each one of them was to do the best they could. Their parents expected the best of the best from them.

Finally his mother called out that dinner was now. All of them retreated to the dinner table and his mother began serving. They all ate and no one said anything. He sensed in the air that something was stirring up. What ever it was he hoped it ended before seven thirty. Checking his watch he noted he had an hour and a half.

“Why did you look at your watch?” His mother asked her tone all too serious.

“No reason just wanted to know the time.” Zhi said.

“You know there’s a Yankee game at seven thirty today Zhi?” Meiling said to him. Zhi glared and Meiling and Meiling smiled back.

“Yankee game! You are checking the time so that you will leave from dinner with your family to see a Yankee game? Zhi you know I do not like the game baseball. How dare you?”

Zhi rolled his eyes at his mother’s words and quickly wished he hadn’t. Tonight would be a long dinner.

**************************************

Chrissy carried her tired self up the flights to her apartment. She was so tired. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and opened the door. She walked through and closed the door behind her. She continued through the hall way to enter the living room where Ahmet and Lydia were on the couch. Lydia was holding Ahmet’s face back and Ahmet seemed to be pushing his force against her in some kind of … what ever it was!

“Don’t bite! Stop!” Lydia was yelling. Lydia was laughing and ahmet was growling and Chrissy just stood there as she watched the animals in action.

“Do I ever come home and you guys aren’t on that couch acting stupid?” Chrissy said to them.

“Sure you do” Lydia said.

“When?” Chrissy said her voice sounding skeptical.

“When you come home and we’re on my couch acting stupid.” Ahmet said giving up on what he was doing and turning to grab the T.V. remote.

Lydia got off the couch and walked to Chrissy. They both moved into the connecting Kitchen. Lydia hopped onto the counter and Chrissy looked into the refrigerator.

“So how was your day?” Lydia asked.

“It was ok.” Chrissy said pulling out the two liter pepsi. Lydia gave Chrissy a look and Chrissy sighed. She put the pepsi back in the refrigerator and went to the sink. She poured some water and said “yum”

“Well, I can make it better. I got you a date with that Asian tomorrow. At the batting cages around twelve.” Lydia said. “Yes, you must love me.”

“Lydia did it ever occur to you I don’t want you to set me up?” Chrissy said. Honestly she just wasn’t in for another “this man is perfect for you” and then the guy is awful. Not only did she get let down but so did the guy and Lydia.

“I’m sorry about last time! You once showed me a white guy that you thought was cute and so I thought you would find that one cute too. He had amazing eyes you have to admit that.” Lydia said. Her voice was sounding pleading.

“Yes, he did have amazing eyes. But his amazing eyes were nothing compared to his white skin complexion.” Chrissy said pointing at her own white and freckled skin.

“This time he is Asian. Remember staring out the window at all those Asian in the back of the Chinese restaurant? Don’t you want one of those? I’m telling you this guy is great. There is no way I could mess up on this one.” Lydia said.

“Ok, fine. One date. That is all.” Chrissy said drinking some more of her water. “I’m mostly agreeing to this because I planned to go to the batting cages anyway.”

“Lydia! You’re missing the movie!” Ahmet called form the couch.

“Ahmet, I don’t care!” Lydia called back to him. “Let’s go to your room and pick out what you’re going to wear!”

“Lydia you really need to dump Ahmet so that you can stop living the single life through me.” Chrissy said walking to her room.

“I heard that!” Ahmet said.

Chrissy smiled and continued her way. She got to her room door and opened it. She flicked the lights on and threw her shoes off. She moved for her bed and threw her body onto it. She lay down for two minutes with her eyes closed as Lydia flipped through her closet. Powerless to her tiredness her awareness of the world slipped away from her as she drifted off into dream world. Today had been a long night.