Tears streamed down my face, a mixture of the
physical reaction to vomiting and the bitter
sting of委屈.
Seeing me cry, Ethan panicked. He let go of
Zach and rushed over.
“Anna! What’s wrong?”
He solicitously rubbed my back, pulled a tissue
from his pocket – printed with Doraemon, my
favorite and gently wiped my mouth.
I remembered how, whenever I was upset, he’d
borrow a Doraemon costume and try to cheer
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me up. He said he was my Doraemon, always
there to protect and comfort me.
My tears flowed harder.
“Anna, please don’t cry. Let’s go home, okay?”
He spoke softly, like he used to, but now it just made me feel sick.
I pulled away from his touch. He froze, his eyes wide with surprise, then dimming with hurt.
Zach ran over and tugged at his hand. “Daddy, come home with me and Mommy! Leave the mean lady!”
Ashley hurried over and pulled Zach back. “Don’t be rude, Zach. This is Uncle Ethan’s wife. You should call her Auntie.” Then, turning
to me, she spoke in a soft, conciliatory voice.
“Anna, Ethan and I grew up together. If
anything was going to happen, it would have
<
happened a long time ago. Don’t worry about
us.”
“He’s just helping me out. It’s hard being a single mom. Don’t be mad at him. It’s my fault, I’m so useless without him.”
“Zach’s never had a dad, so he’s attached to
Ethan. Don’t take it personally. I’ll talk to him when we get home.”
She was so reasonable, so understanding. It made me feel like I was the one being
unreasonable.
“We should get going. Ethan, take care of
Anna.”
Zach rolled his eyes, stuck his tongue out at
me, then ran back to Ethan, clinging to his leg.
“Daddy, Mommy and I will be waiting at home!”
Ethan didn’t correct him. He just ruffled Zach’s
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62
hair with a smile. “Okay, buddy. You go ahead. I’ll see you soon.”
He watched them go, then sighed, turning to
me with a reproachful look. “See? Even a child
is more mature than you. What more do you
want?”
“Zach’s never had a dad. Can’t you cut him
some slack? Ashley’s a single mom. I thought
you’d be more understanding.”
“What happened to you, Anna?”
I looked at the red mark on his cheek from my slap, raised my hand, and slapped him again, just as hard, on the other cheek.
“Is it my fault Ashley doesn’t have a husband and Zach doesn’t have a father? Ashley made her own choices, she’s responsible for her own life. I don’t have to be responsible for her, or sacrifice my own marriage and family.”
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“Ashley’s your friend, not mine. You wanted to clean up the mess of her failed marriage, fine. I’ve put up with it for years. How much more understanding do you want from me?”
I opened my mouth to say more, but the world
went black.
I woke up in my own bed. Hearing me stir,
Ethan came rushing in from the kitchen, spatula
in hand.
“Rest a little longer. Your congee will be ready
soon.”
He brought me a glass of water, helped me sit
up, and held it to my lips. “Just relax tonight. If
you’re still not feeling well tomorrow, I’ll take
you to the doctor.”
He was doing it again. Being caring, making me
question everything.
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62
I felt the pregnancy test results in my pocket. I
took a deep breath. “Ethan, there’s something I
need to tell you.”
He patted my head and headed back to the kitchen. “Eat your congee first.”
He returned with a bowl of congee. I placed the
test results on the table, about to speak, when
his phone rang.
“Okay, okay, don’t panic, I’m on my way.” He
hung up and grabbed his jacket.
He glanced at the test results, then placed the bowl of congee on top of them. “Eat up, Anna.
I’ll wash the bowl later.”
“Rest after you eat. I’ll be back soon. Tell me
what you want for dinner when you wake up.”
I still felt unwell. I didn’t touch the congee. I just
closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
