Sugar Daddy » bangchan

Chapter 51: Nostalgia

The four sat around the square table in completely awkward silence. While Aisha sat beside Chan, her father and mother were sitting right in front of them, her father opposite to her.

"Uh, would you like something to eat-" Chan initiated, but the older man raised a hand to signify him to stop talking. He leaned back uncomfortably and looked at Aisha.

"Why are we invited here today?" her father skeptically asked.

"Dad, I..." she stopped talking halfway, having accidentally caught his intimidating gaze.

"Sir, I think I should introduce myself first. I'm Bang Chan, Aisha's... boyfriend," Chan slowly said the last word, scanning his face for his reaction, and when her father averted his eyes in disgust, he lowly sighed.

"We know who you are, son," her mother tried her best to muster up a smile, but one glare from her husband and she quieted down.

"Pleasure to meet you both!" Chan tried to make the aura light-hearted, but to no avail. Her father kept glaring at the two youngsters.

"Don't make me repeat my words. I asked why we're invited here," he spoke.

"Uh, actually, Aisha had her first exhibition today," Chan fished out his phone from his pocket and opened the gallery to show them the pictures he had taken of Aisha and her paintings, and some pictures together. He preferred not to show them their pictures as a couple at that point, though.

As he swiped the pictures back and forth, displaying the pictures to her parents, he saw how her mother gaped at the paintings and whisper to Aisha, "Did... did you make these?"

"Yes, I did," Aisha smiled, a warm feeling rushing in her veins upon seeing her mother after such a long time – nostalgia, warmth, and being a subject of a mother's love. She felt like a little kid again; when she used to live with them and laugh with them.

She realized that she missed having a family.

"These are really good!" her mother appreciated, and Aisha's smile grew. But then she cast a glance at her father, and saw that he looked uninterested. Inwardly sighing at his expected behavior, she seemed resigned as she leaned back on her chair, looking anywhere but at her father.

"They're fine," her father stared at his daughter, not able to comprehend what emotion he was feeling. He wanted to be proud of his daughter for getting an exhibition, but as per his thought process, artistic skills couldn't make her successful.

Chan withdrew his phone and looked at Aisha, who was staring at her lap and fiddling with her fingers. He grabbed her hand under the table so her parents couldn't see it, and when she looked up at him, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Is this it? This is why you chose to waste my time?" her father rudely spoke.

"Please, be a little soft. She's our daughter, and it's been years since we've seen her," her mother whispered to her husband, knitting her eyebrows together to emphasize her point.

"I know that I'll be interfering with your family issues, but I need to say something important. And so does she," Chan drew in a breath, and Aisha questioningly looked at him.

He then exhaled, and boldly, he looked at her father and asked, "Why?"

"What?" he questioned back.

"Why didn't you support her with her dreams, her life choices?" the younger spoke, "She's your only daughter. Why did you stop her from chasing her dreams?"

"Are you serious?" her father humorlessly chuckled, "Being an artist gets you nowhere. I was just trying to protect my daughter... but I guess she had a conscience of her own, greater than mine. She over-smarted me, knowing she'll get nowhere."

"But guess what, dad? I do love my life. I don't regret leaving your house," Aisha intervened.

"You better not speak bullshit, young lady," her father warned her.

Aisha blinked back tears as she spoke, raising her voice a little bit, "No, I won't, dad! You've always told me to keep quiet, but let me speak, goddammit! This was the biggest reason why I left your house. You called it home, but I never felt like I was at home whenever I was there. You always told me to leave painting, to act like a sophisticated young lady, to follow what you said. But you know what? Leaving your house was the best decision I ever made."

Her father was speechless, and a second later, he grew wrinkles on his forehead in anger, and as he was about to stand up, his wife pulled him back gently, begging, "Please hear her out."

Aisha's voice was choked by tears as she continued, "Did you ever care about me? No! You never did! You cared about your image in society. Of course, who would believe that such a successful businessman's daughter would turn out to be an artist? That's what you always thought...!"

She sobbed a little, gripping Chan's hand tighter as she continued yet again, "Dad... my dreams were supposed to be mine, not yours."

"I just wanted to protect you... from all the evil and fraud in this world," her father whispered, "You were too naïve."

"But dad, this naïve girl was meant to learn how to live by herself. Do you even know that I developed insomnia ever since I left your house? I couldn't sleep because of the guilt of leaving you guys and ruining your reputation... and in the fear that you would find me and drag me back to that shell of a home..."

Her mother was crying, grabbing her daughter's free hand and taking it into her own.

"My daughter has grown up so well," she smiled through the tears. That triggered a pain in Aisha's chest and she broke down, having held her mother's hand after years.

"...I'm sorry," her father finally spoke, staring at the colorless wooden table, "I just wanted to protect you. I never thought that it would lead to this."

"And why were you so ashamed of me when the news of me and Chan trended?" Aisha asked, wiping her tears with her sleep.

"I was just worried for you... I still thought that you were naïve and would get your heart broken, especially since he is an idol," her father ashamedly confessed.

"Dad, he would never hurt me," she reassured, "He is the one who arranged this meeting without me even knowing. Who else would go that far to mend our relationship?"

Her father nodded, and her mother got up, went to Aisha's seat, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. This feeling – of a mother's love being received after years of loneliness – made Aisha try to hold back her tears as tightly as she could; but once her mother started crying again, she couldn't hold back her tears as well.

And as the two hugged, Aisha looked at Chan, who was looking proudly at them, and she mouthed to him,

"Thank you."

Next chapter:

"I'm not going away until I get a kiss, babygirl," he stated firmly.

"You're really that adamant, aren't you?" she giggled.

"Test me," he spoke, smirking.

(a/n: longest chapter yet! this was very emotional for me because it was kind of what happened in the past with me, before I went into depression. But my parents are so understanding now! (:

Anyway, the emotional stuff is over. Next up are the few chapters which will lead to the ending, so yeah, stay tuned!)