Page 71 of Four Weddings to Fall in Love
After some coffee and toast, I drive to an Asian supermarket that I haven’t been to in a while.It’s not the closest one to my apartment, but they have some snack foods that I can’t get anywhere else.
I’ve just put a bag of lychees in my shopping cart when I hear a familiar voice speaking in Cantonese.I freeze.
“Fucking hell.”I try to be quiet, but an older man cuts me a glare.“Sorry,” I whisper, then hurry away with my shopping cart, attempting to avoid the notice of Troy’s mom.
This is some rotten luck.The last thing I want to do is have a conversation with my ex-boyfriend’s mother, and there’s nowhere to hide in the produce section.I hurry away and grab everything else I need before circling back to the produce.
But when I round the corner to the checkout, she’s right there.
I start to walk backward.Perhaps I need some meat, or maybe I should check if pineapples are on sale…
“Kim!”
Too late.
Well, maybe it’s not a big deal.It’s not as if I’m dating her son anymore.If she doesn’t like me, who cares?
“Stand behind me,” she says.“This lane is moving the fastest.”
That’s not so bad, is it?
But then she looks at my shopping cart, and I can see her judging my choices.There are probably too many snacks and noodle bowls for her liking.
She clucks her tongue.“Troy said you didn’t do much cooking.I can see that hasn’t changed.”
“Yeah, I’m busy.”
“How old are you now?Thirty-two?”
I’m not sure my own father knows my age, but Troy’s mother remembers.
“That’s right,” I say.
“You need to eat well to keep your figure as you get older.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”Though I try not to soundtoosarcastic, she narrows her eyes at me nonetheless.I’m not very tall, but she’s shorter—five feet at the most—yet I still find her a bit intimidating.I don’t want to, but I do.
“He’s engaged, you know,” she says, and I swear she lifts her nose in the air.
Her words shouldn’t bother me.It’s not like I still have feelings for Troy—God, no—but I feel the tiniest bit of discomfort that he’s “ahead” of me.
“Give him my congratulations,” I tell her, keeping my tone light.
“That could have been you, if only you hadn’t broken his heart.”
She’s acting so superior, but I’m the one who’s too good for Troy, the guy who’d go running to his mother when I didn’t do what he wanted.
“I have no regrets,” I say simply.
Her mouth drops open.I guess I was supposed to say “if only” and act like he was the one that got away.
“Why should I?”I ask.“He’s apparently happy, and I have a boyfriend.”
It’s the first time I’ve called Max my boyfriend, and the word feels awkward on my lips.When faced with my ex’s mother, the idea of having a boyfriend makes me uncomfortable.
But I press on.“He’s a respectable engineer and my mother loves him.”
Her eyes widen.I bet she’s surprised that someone like Max would dare date a mouthy woman like me, but then it’s her turn at the checkout.I consider moving to another line, but she was right about one thing—this is the best lane, and I don’t want to change lanes just to get away from her.
