*Santa Monica, California* 5:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19th
BRRRRRRRRRINGGGG!!!
With a groan, Shancai rolled over and shut off the alarm on her phone. The previous day's workload had been heavier than usual, what with the catering business being so popular, but it had been worth it since she had planned to take the day off, because today was her little moon's birthday, and she had a handful of surprises to prepare for the day. In fact, she and YueYue had to leave in the next two hours to retrieve the first one, so the young woman hopped out of bed and haphazardly threw on some clothes and applied light makeup to cover up the dark circles under her eyes, and was about to leave to rouse her daughter when a stray ray of sunlight peered into her room, catching on a piece of jewelry, the sparkle almost hypnotic. Shancai stared at it for a minute , giving a small, sad smile, and then squeezes her eyes shut in an attempt to clear her head. Now is not the time to think about that, my attention has to remain on Yue. With that final thought she stepped out of her room and headed toward Yue's. "YueYue? Wake up baby, and we'll have breakfast." Nothing. "Yue?" No response. "Aiyo, this girl sleeps like the dead," Shancai sighed, and turned the knob. Once she'd opened the door, Shancai peered in, her eyes immediately falling on the little girl, who lay cocooned under her fuzzy blue blanket, peacefully dreaming.
They were playing at the beach, she and her loving mama, laughing and splashing in the ocean. "Get back here you naughty girl!" Shancai yelped after she was splashed particularly hard. "Mama no!" Yue said, giggling and hopping out of her mother's reach, "come get me if you can!" Shancai chased after the squealing girl, laughing along with her. It was so rare to see her mama so happy and carefree. She may be a small child, but she wasn't stupid, she could see how sometimes, her mama looked to be on another planet, and she was always so busy.
"What mischief are my two favorite girls up to?" a male voice said in an amused tone, both mother and daughter turning toward the sound. For some reason, Yue knew that the man was her papa, though she'd never met him in her life. But... why couldn't she see his face? Who—
"YueYue!" The child's eyes flew open. "Wake up! You can sleep when you're dead. C'mom let's have breakfast so we can head out." "Okay mama, I'll get dressed and go quickly." Yue said with a yawn as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Again she'd had that strange (but pleasant) dream, yet never once had she told her mother. She wanted to, but she didn't know how her mother would react, so she stayed quiet. Besides, today was her 7th birthday, and she was eager to find out what lay ahead in the day. "Yue, hurry up or we'll be late!" her mother called. Late for what? Yue thought with burning curiosity. Mama had said it was a surprise, and it could be anything, her imagination ran wild with possibilities. "Coming!" Yue replied, and pulled on her favorite hoodie, a baby pink one with a red rose on the chest that her grandmother had stitched on during her last visit a year prior, a pair of light blue jeans, and her cherry red Converse. After hurriedly fixing her shoulder-length black hair and brushing her teeth, Yue then bounded down the hallway to join her mother for breakfast, the sweet scent of freshly made pancakes calling her.
Shancai had just placed down a plate of pancakes at Yue's place at the table when she spotted the little girl come bounding in. Turning off the stove, she quickly strode over to Yue and scooped her into a tight, warm hug. "Happy birthday my little moon! I love you so much!" Yue hugged her mother back as tightly as her little arms could manage "Thanks mama, I love you, too. Now can you please tell me what the surprise is? Pretty please, mama. Pretty, pretty please" Yue pleaded as her mother set her back down. The young mother pretended to think about it for a moment then said, "Sorry sweetie, but it just wouldn't be a surprise if I did. And good things come to those who wait." Yue pouted, and Shancai continued, mirth playing in her eyes, "Don't pout, and don't worry. I'm sure you'll like the surprise." Yue eyed her mother for a moment, then sat down to eat. "Okay, I'll be good and patient," she relented and proceeded to pour a generous amount of maple syrup over her pancakes, because just like her mother (though she wouldn't admit it) she had a sweet tooth. "Dong Yue, take it easy with that syrup or your teeth will rot," her mother reprimanded. "Sorry," Yue said sheepishly. After they'd finished their breakfast and they'd climbed into the car, Yue asked "Where are we going, mama?" Turning around and giving her no answer, Shancai took a blindfold out of her coat pocket and handed it to her daughter, who shot her a confused look. "Go on, put it on. You're not allowed to see where we're going until we arrive." "But—" Yue began to protest "no buts, young lady. Put on the blindfold so we can get a move on." Yue grumbled under her breath, but made quick work of securing the blindfold over her eyes. "No peeking, alright?" she heard her mother say, and she hummed in agreement, and they were off. Yue felt around for the button to roll down the car window, desperate to hear something that would give her a clue, but it was difficult having been stripped of her vision! Once she felt her fingers brush against the button and she'd rolled the window down, she listened intently, but all the little girl could hear was cars rushing by on the freeway and the howl of the wind blowing. Good things come to those who wait so I'll wait, she thought and slumped back into her seat. Luckily, they soon made it and she was led by the hand by her mother. "You can take your blindfold off now." Yue pulled the blindfold up and peeked around. An airport? Her heart rate picked up does that mean...?
"YUEYUE! SHANCAI! We've missed the two of you so much." said a pleasant female voice behind them, and Yue eagerly turned around.
It was her grandparents.
Author's note
Hey everyone have another update. I'm splitting this piece into two parts, and don't worry, Shancai and Ah Si will cross paths soon, so please bear with me, beloved readers. Thank you for reading my garbage
Thank you!
Gracias!
감사합니다!
ありがとう！
谢谢！
-monicacantwrite
BINABASA MO ANG
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