Everyone’s eyes land on me with a complex look on their faces.
“When are you going on your next blind date?” Mama asks me, her face still holding that strange look.
Where has this come from? I look toward Wen, she looks as clueless as I am. What are we supposed to interpret from that? Is my mother doing some sort of digging?
“I’m in depression.” Hats off to me, I’m lying flat on the face of my Aunt. But she doesn’t seem fazed, so I think her abilities as a psychologist must be dead by now.
And I’ve never been more wrong.
Aunt smiles. “You are not.”
I gulp at that smile. Shit.
Aunt narrows her eyes. “You were in the early stages of depression when I came here in August. In September, your condition worsened. But in November, when we met on Wen’s birthday, you were fine. And now it looks like you were never in that state.”
I chuckle, giving my best to make it sound real. “Your observation is amazing, Aunt.”
Mama adds further to my anxiety, “Pheny is right. Your depression goes away on its own during your one-month stay with Zo.”
I shrug. “Zoan took good care of me.”
Aunt rubs her chin, pinning me with her eyes. “Why were you depressed in the first place?”
“I don’t know.” I act innocent, but I know none of these three women believe me.
Mama and Aunt share a look. They’ll discuss this matter in private.
Mama then says, “So now that you are not depressed, what other excuse do you have for not going on a blind date?”
I groan. “Come on, Mama, it’s not even two months since my breakup with Roxion. Let me move on first.”
Ma nods, patting my knee. “Give her time, Avi. She is still very young.”
Aunt speaks, “And you, Wen. Your dad and I have selected a few guys whom you should meet.”
Wen shakes her head, pursing her lips. “Mom, I don’t want to marry yet. Especially an arranged marriage.”
“You will not meet anyone without leaving this place. The only option you have is an arranged marriage,” Aunt answers firmly.
“You used to live the same way and still met Dad. The same way, I will meet someone,” Wen retorts.
Ma nods. “She is right, Pheny. And what’s wrong with you people? Wen has only turned twenty, Avi is still nineteen. What’s the hurry with marriage?”
Wen and I find our savior in her words. Wen pouts. “Look, Ma. They all married according to their own interest, and now they are forcing us.”
I join in, “and Ma, Mama and Daddy forced me to go on a date with Roxion.”
“No one forced you to marry him. We only forced you to go on a date because he is a good boy,” Mama explains, then narrows her eyes. “Wait a minute, Avi. Why do I have a feeling that agreeing to get married all of a sudden was some sort of drama?”
“You’re overthinking, Mama. I think Zoan being asexual has scrambled some circuits in your brain.”
I get up from the daybed and look toward Wen. “Wen, you haven’t shown me your puppy. Where have you caged that poor soul? It’s been two hours.”
She also gets down, and we walk out of the room. After closing the door behind us, we let out a long sigh of relief.
“From where does the idea of saying that come to you?” I ask Wen as we walk upstairs.
“I thought it was a good opportunity. And did you notice? Mom and Aunt didn’t react that badly,” she replies.
