Rebirth of a Rose

29. New In-laws

Lala and the kittens were back living with Dong Fu. He was on cloud nine, beaming with happiness. All of them had put on weight. The kittens were active all the time, playing and jumping on each other, but that wasn't the case with Lala.

She sat and slept the whole day, she wouldn't run or play and she was overweight. She ate much more than her usual self. Dong Fu wanted to change her diet, so he took her to the vets. He was struck by lightning when the doctor told that she was with pups. Dong Fu was appalled and at the same time very angry that some stupid dog took his girl's innocence.

He immediately called Sam and started barking words of anger. Sam had no idea that Lala was pregnant neither his wife. They didn't know who the father of the pups was. Dong Fu was so angry he stopped talking with Sam. Every time he saw him, he would puff his cheeks and turn away. He was a child throwing tantrum.

Sam sent him gifts every day, a new soft dog bed, puppy crate, toys and chews, lots of towels, food bowls, shampoo, brush and comb, stain removers and deodorants.

Gifts were not the only things he received, but there were three sets of roses he arrived every day. One was anonymous yellow roses, the second was baby pink which were sent by Sam to coax his family's baby and third were red. They arrived for Lala, which came with small packets of yummy dog food, but there was no mention of the dog's name.

Dong Fu's office looked like a pet shop decorated with flowers. People came by to click photos of it, this irritated him to the bone. Lala would start wagging tail after looking at red roses, not that she could identify the coloured but the scent of the food made her happy.

Days passed and it was already sixth December. Today Dong Fu had plans to visit the mountain village where he met his white rose for the first time. He wanted to put a closure to that chapter of his life, he dropped Lala at Sam's place. He didn't speak a word with him and Sam didn't force him either. He knew that Dong Fu's temper was that of a child. If he really was that angry, he would have disappeared without letting Sam know where he went, thus leaving him freaked out.

Dong Fu borrowed Sam's car since he didn't have one. He left early in the morning, on the way he bought red roses. After driving for two hours, he finally reached his destination. It was time for breakfast, so he went to the cafe first.

As usual, he ordered French toast with maple syrup and hot chocolate. The cafe was owned by an old lady, but she had a young granddaughter who used to help her. She kept starring at Dong Fu, his handsome looks made her blush and he was carrying red roses with him. She became lost in her own daydream.

Many tourists visited the village but since it was winter, there were fewer crowds. After breakfast, Dong fu walked near the river. Ten years had changed this place, they had built bamboo footpath on the bank of the river for people to walk.

It was very cold, it took time for Dong Fu to find the rock where he and Yang had exchanged gifts. The rock was surrounded by grass and leaves. He sat there enjoying the cold weather, the sky was cloudy and the surrounding was quite. Other than the water flowing, Dong Fu could hear his own heartbeat. Mother nature was a drug that could attract people towards it, making them forget time.

Dong Fu was already used to people calling him by his new name, except for Sam who still called him Fu sometimes. He sighed, he took a small card from his pocket and wrote something on it. He poked a hole in its corner and passed a ribbon through it, tying it to the roses.

He left them on the rock and walked back towards the village. He looked at the place for a while before getting in the car. He drove back to the city without looking back. This was Dong Fu's goodbye to Yang.

Unknown to him a car drove by him, a man was sitting in the back with white roses in his hand. There was a gentle, yet sad smile on his face.

He walked slowly by the riverbank in the cold weather. He wrapped the beige coloured coat around him. His steps slowed down as he approached the rock. He was bewildered at first, he stopped in front of the rock and saw the roses that were covered in a thin layer of frost.