Page 3 of Silver Fox's Intern Dilemma

My Dad, native to China, was probably used to the shorter haircut, but Mom insisted women should have long hair and nomakeup, calling it their "crowning glory". It was leftover from her days as a child being raised strictly religious. I was just happy to see Maylin hadn’t stripped her beautiful brown hair and colored it some outrageous color. They would have hated that.

"Yeah! I did." She fluffed her hair on the side and posed, making a kissing face at me. "You like?"

"It's so short," I commented and thought of my own long, straight locks. I would never be so bold as to cut my hair off like that, but she looked amazing. "It's cute."

Maylin hooked her arm around mine and pulled me toward the house, and as I walked away, the proximity sensor on my car locked the doors. I was practically dragging my feet to keep up.

"Oh, my gosh, I met this super cute boy in my advanced physiology class and we went on a date, and my God, you never told me how incredible an orgasm felt when you didn't have to do it yourself."

I burst out laughing at her bold honesty. We told each other everything, but at twenty-two, I figured she'd probably keep some of those details to herself now. I was no stranger to a good romp now and then with a guy I was dating, but it'd been a while. It was refreshing to hear her so happy and excited about a new guy, though, after being dumped by her high school sweetheart.

"Yes, well let's not let Mom and Dad know I perverted you." I snickered and followed her through the front door.

The house was tidy like normal, same floral couch, same ugly striped wallpaper. Mom just had to have it after it was featured on that home improvement show she loved so much. The carpet was new, though, but it was so similar to the old cream Berber we'd always had that I hardly noticed.

"Sophia," Dad said as I walked through the front room, but I didn’t stop to say hello. It was his typical greeting. He'd just say your name and that was it. It was strange but it was him.

"Baba," I called as we weaved past the hickory credenza into the kitchen through the arched doorway.

Mom stood at the stove with her apron on, stirring a dish she was cooking. The old, ratty strip of fabric had images of antique stovepipes and smokehouses on it. She said it was a gift from her great-grandmother. I said it looked like her great-grandmother wore it. It was so old, but she loved it.

"Oh, hey, girls." Mom smiled at us as we waltzed in and then brought the soup spoon to her mouth and tasted. "You're just in time."

"Oh, Ma.” Maylin whined and scowled. "Soup again?"

"May-May, set the table," Mom ordered, and she went to do it immediately. I'd have at least protested first, but May was always the one being Momma's little helper.

I joined Mom at the stove and pecked her on the cheek then hugged her arm and rested my head on her shoulder the way I did when I was younger. She bounced her shoulder a few times in response and put the spoon to my lips, so I slurped the bite and it was delicious.

"Tomato bisque, my favorite." I grinned and decided tonight was going to be a great family meal.

"Help your sister," she said quietly, and I joined Maylin.

When the table was set and the boys came down from wherever they were upstairs, we all sat around the table. We served ourselves and ate in peaceful quiet for a while until Dad started the conversation by bragging about Tom's newest client, a very wealthy and successful plastic surgeon.

I had always wanted to be a doctor, but when Tom spoke about the law, it fascinated me. I could have sat and listened to him tell story after story of winning lawsuits and court battles. He had a passion for it like no other, and it made me get excited about starting my own career. Though, I wouldn't bring that up around this table. Not tonight.

When the conversation shifted to Andrew and how he was starting his own private practice in some remote small town in the mountains west of town, I was relieved they hadn't brought up my new residency. The past four weeks in a row, I'd been hounded about taking one in Baltimore at the famed Johns Hopkins University hospital. Dad knew people. Mom had ties. I had no interest. I wanted to be here near the mountains, and ultimately, I'd have loved to go overseas.

But Mom and Dad had expectations. And given my father’s upbringing in such a strict family, I was expected to follow them. Even Mom couldn't soften Dad's hard edges. His family’s culture growing up was so different from the average American family’s.

"May-May, how about you?" Tom asked, changing the conversation again.

Malin had such a beautiful smile as she announced, "I'm on the dean's list again." I wasn't surprised at all. She was so smart and capable, the way I had always been. "And I'm taking this quarter's classes remotely so I can be around here more. I miss you guys." She clapped her hands and squealed a few times, which was met with congratulations and a bit of oohing and ahhing.

But when they were done fawning over her accomplishments and her love of family, Mom turned to me. I didn't even have to look at Dad to know his expression was sour, so when I did, it didn't surprise me.

"And have you changed your mind, Sophia? You’ve done one week of your internship. Surely, you have to see how this hospital doesn't compare at all to what you could be doing." She took a bite of soup then sopped a piece of bread in it and took a bite of that too.

I squirmed a little. It wasn't that I didn't realize the other hospital was far more prestigious or that it would help my career. I just didn't care. I didn't want to compete with the typesof students who would be at Johns Hopkins. I was able to. I was definitely smart enough and capable of doing it. I just preferred to stay closer to home, closer to the family they so wildly praised Maylin for honoring. Twin Peaks was a great hospital, and I was lucky to be working for the distinguished Dr. Thornton.

In my eyes, there was no difference, and I would have a great career without that hassle and having to relocate. In their eyes, I was a failure because something else that they deemed "greater" was out there waiting for me. I felt my cheeks warming as I dropped my head and had a bite of soup to procrastinate answering.

"I, uh… I like Twin Peaks. I'm doing well. Dr. Thornton is a great teacher and surgeon." Never mind my being late on the first day, the way he talked down to me, and the way I was always playing catch-up. My choices were my choices. I shouldn't have to do what they want just because they gave me life.

"Twin Peaks isn't so good." Dad's broken English only reminded me how in his family, if he had chosen something his parents didn't like, he'd have been shamed and guilted until he changed his mind, the way things worked with Tom and law school.

I just didn't see things the way he did, and I hoped someday, they'd change their minds. Until then, I felt like I was on the verge of repeating Tom's mistake, but I didn't feel like I would back down the way he did.

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