Baby love me

te chocolate and strawberry cake, topped with thirty candles-no more, no less-just th

those tears into streams of joy, yet the one that came trickling out of her eye right now was of sadness, of a

eaking to her in fluent Khmer, her mother tongue. But she didn't budge from her spot, her little fingers stil

her nose. They came to welcome her when she got off the plane. They looked just like papa, with blond h

a, my dear." One lad

ront of her and asked her with a pretty

o. They were talking to her, bu

to Khmer. She held out both of her hands

English?" the old l

c greetings. We conversed in Khmer all

to fit in school just fine with all t

e knew. Papa had taught

ster." "Yeah, pancake face. Go back to where yo

stand what they meant, but the physical abuse they bestowed upon her, pushing her and pull

smoothed her hair while she cried her ey

complained. "I hate those people. Why can't they be nice

en be friends with them for life. There are many great people here in Au

l appeared, jumping off the monkey bars and announcing to the whole school that from now on, this little Asian-Caucasian gi

a sheet of paper. She was a little witch, casting deathly spells on anyone who dared hurt her and her

you participate in tod

this day for ages and now that it had finally arrived,

than the number of craters on the moon. Her PE teacher said it

uiet little blonde said beside h

et, methodical girl who hardly spoke but had a heart the size of an ocean. She was a charm

chool activities along with Emma. From that point on, the three gir

" Charlotte heard her father spea

el. What will

y. I'll make sure

small portion wasn't enough to supply the fuel for her growing teenage body, bu

cision. She would never go hungry again. She wou

ob. You don't have to pay for my educati

at point on, she saved her money like her life depended on it, which to her it did, because she knew she wasn't b

friends. That night while her friends were sleeping, preparing for their new adventure ahead, she was

her friends' families were far better off than hers, but she'd never complained about her station and worked hard to achieve a

er one day after she turned sixteen. She was watching the documentary about Malaysia kids not h

sn't until ten years later that she and her team of dental professionals accomplished that goal, setting up a practice in the heart of Battambang Province, donating free

logy, wanting to further study the subject of gum disease, so she could p

tting back to reality. All the goals she had planned she

otte, aged th

faces that now stared back at her-the faces of her many nephews, eyeing her weirdly, not understanding why their aunt would be fabricating ma

they were of similar age; and then her mother and father, hugg

heart and she reached a moment of epiphany, that single moment when she

age. Family

er, and her reputation that she had totally forgotten a

was none, nothing, a big fat zero, just a single goose egg. She had never had her first kiss, never had her first dance at a formal during high s

go to the annual dental ball, forgot to look around her as her other classmates eyed each other across the room and asked one another on dates. And even after she graduated from dentistry, she still forgot to have fun,

beef anyway, when everyone at the

many nephews, cousins, her male classmates, and now her patients also, but to associate them with the L- word, now that would be preposterous. Although

She hadn't hit menopause yet, but here she was having an emotional breakdown because she was turning thirty and wanted a family of her own. That sudden feeling of wanting another

ing something was horribly wron

ting her daughter's back. Emma and Isabella came to her side also. Their s

that she wanted her own family, that she wanted love? But it was to

not when they were all smiling before her. To tell t

rom Dunedin, just for my birthday." There, now the smiles were back, except for her

or the world, darling.

d tugged at her skirt, asking in his little high-p

erupted. She tried to hold back but almost choked on it, so she

ing, Aunty Lisa?

er hips, then hugged him tightly, feeling

. "I love you, Aunty," Timmy said, wiping away her tears. "So don't cry anymore.

ble. "And which one woul

he table with his little wee fingers. So cute, so

hey all said their congratulations, and a little while later, they a

ou're okay?" her mothe

hen I came home, I got a full-blown surprise." She lau

, but Isabella and Emma suggested it,"

her from the couch. She knew they were wait

to hug them both, then led them out the do

f too. You work too hard." "I don't work too hard. I'll

present during her birthday party. "Not a clue, Angel.

d, rubbing

overseas, but now since he was here in new York, her father grew even more worried. That little cousin of hers

e can't study in Dunedin when you

re that you're fine," her mother answered. "He's a boy, A

y departed. She sighed heavily, leaning against the door, glad everyone had lef

" was all

o drown in self-pity, maybe do something bad, like drink a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice without even waiting thirty minutes to bru

n but then chok

back. "I have a feeling we're going to cry over this." Emm

at she was scared midnight would strike in two hours and when she woke the next morning she'd h

om behind her, startling Ch

of her earlier conversation with her parents. She smiled, seein

's side, as they did not survive during the war. Her mother was the only one that had m

hile she had the typical Asian features in her genes, making her traits stand out more than her other cousins, with thick bl

nd I'm not going to congratulate you for turning thirty, but I'm definitely gonna get some of t

ing him. "Don't think you can come to my birthday party with

l shook his

otte warned him, knowing Daniel hated

a historical romance fanatic since reading that book from her favorite author Alexia Parks, called The Duke's Revenge or something along

behold, just three months later she was pr

aniel said, deter

Sweet Isabella and Madam Wi

wn

asked in fright. "Why wouldn't they

us?" Emma asked from behind him. Da

y your congratulations to C

into doing it,"

he had agreed to the deal in the first place. And as for her other friend, Emma, the one he liked to secretly call the Wicked Witch of Oz, was no better either. If Isabella used the sweet a

d any of them. It was like they produced this spinster's pheromone that attracted him to their clan. Not that he was in love with them or anything. It was more along the lines of a sibling relationship whereby every

ere here?" Charlotte eyed her cousin'

ing," Dan

rlotte warne

riends," he said cheekily,

ut

"Mmmm, a nightclub," he finally admitte

times Daniel thought he was

big sisters would, before laying ou

her mind had she ever thought he would attend a nightclub. When she was his age, all she'd ever do

ly and I didn't even get a sip of alcohol. So there, I

e only in high scho

inking alcohol. I've only got one life," Daniel whined to Is

verflowing again. Before they could escape, though, she wiped them clean while

to get drunk. In fact, she had never even been near

the Bunsen burner many times, with its purple spirit, making impression trays for the molding of

iel," Isabella said,

Emma topped it off. "What, Emma? Are you gonn

A.

mma answered, walkin

gonna cost Charlotte a fortune to phone U.

s and picked up the phone. "I could always ask Charlotte for

el gasped, head b

their feud, catching Daniel's head just in time before he made contact with Emma's stom

rm around Isabella instead, resting his head on her shoulder like a little puppy as

" Emma huff

aniel pretended to zip his mouth. "Isab

face that Daniel couldn't understand. It only appear

sabella said, smiling a

id, letting the subject go. "All right," Isabella said,

Charlotte had gone completely silent and a sad look was plastered on her

ort her, while Isabella went to grab some green tea, with Daniel follow

Daniel came back with the steaming green tea, they all sa

been done, or hasn't been done," Charlotte declared

can I come too?" Danie

e said, eyeing her cousin sternly while the

wasn't too late yet to find her own family, her very own husband, and find love. Sta