A Force Love Contract With GANG LEADER

Kate knew her daughter’s trick and said, “Blue whale.”

“Right. Okay, 10 points.”

Unlike her contemporary, Cathy had no interest in stories of prince and princess. Her bedtime reading was a children’s encyclopedia. They read it the night before, and then the next morning, they quizzed each other on the way to school.

Fifteen minutes’ drive to Cathy’s school. Five-year-old Cathy had not been to kindergarten in the States, and when they came over here, she went to the primary school directly. Kate was worried that she could not get used to school life, but after a few days in school, Cathy told her mother that her classmates thought she was cute and smart. “Everyone likes me.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

When they stopped at the gate of the school, two 5-6 years old boys ran over and called Cathy’s name. They dragged her and ran into the classroom. Cathy said they were her boyfriend number one and boyfriend number two. “Boys are trouble, you know…” She told her mom.

Kate smiled. Her girl was liked by others. She was happy about it.

Cathy turned her head back over her shoulder and shouted bye-bye to her mother while running with the boys to the classroom.

Kate stood where she was for a long time after her daughter disappeared inside the building. She got back into the car and started the engine, and turned on the music. The air was filled with Westlife’s youthful voices.

She pulled up her hair and made a bun hastily when she left home. Now some strands of hair got loose and fell beside her ear. She pushed them behind her ear. She rolled up the sleeves of her dark blue wind coat to the elbow and showed her fair and shapely forearms. The ring on her right hand blistered under the sun.

She was going to visit a friend.

Her friend’s name was Sarah. She came out to the porch with her 6-month big belly. This was her third child. A pair of 4-year-old twin boys wearing pajamas was playing in the yard, running and crying.

Kate brought a basket of cupcakes she baked this morning. The twins smelt the food and ran by immediately. They took one and sent it to their mouth immediately and said inarticulately, “Thank you, Auntie Kate.”

Sarah stared at them and then grabbed them by the arm and ordered them to get cleaned up and change clothes. Kate followed them into the house.

Sarah’s husband was handsome and rich. Kate was now working part-time in his company as an accountant. Today she sent the financial reports over and also to catch up with Sarah. After talking for some time, Kate looked at her watch and was going to leave. Sarah said, “You are so capable now, having a job and also taking care of the family. We switched roles now. I used to be competing with men and fighting to climb up the ladder, but now I enjoy being a housewife.”

Kate smiled, “It is good as long as you feel happy.”

Sarah said, “Yes, happy. What I sought so hard turned out to be such simple things.”

Sarah’s name was Jessie before.

***

In this country famous for its idyllic scenery, there are bagpipe music and bands and singers Kate liked.

She now lived in a small coastal town with beautiful and quiet scenery and hospitable and rustic people.

Kate liked to drive along the coastal highway from and back home, with the window slid down and enjoying the wind from the sea and seeing the deep blue sea.

Half an hour later, she got to a house behind green shrubbery and lawn.

She slowed down the car. Green ivy crawled from the side of the house to the roof. Along the picket fence, red roses were blooming and stretching their branches outside. A man in a striped shirt and dark blue jeans was cutting the shrub and seemed to concentrate on his work. He looked nice from the back.

She parked the car and walked quietly into the yard, hugged him from his back on the waist.

The man stopped the motion of his hand and said with gentleness, “Finished your job?”

“Yes.” Kate rested her cheek on his back and felt the muscle and temperature of his body. “Do you miss me?”

“You say it.”

“I don’t know.”

The man turned around and held a rose to her face. Kate took the rose. The flower was fresh and full, and the thorn had been removed carefully. She smelled deeply, and the scent reached her lungs. She smiled with satisfaction.

“This is the best one in the garden. I picked for a long time.” The man looked at her and explained.

“This is the first time you sent me a flower.” Kate’s nose still touched the flower petals and accused him.

“I didn’t send it before?” He thought he had picked the moon and star for her.

She pouted and shook her head.

“Okay, I will send you one every day from now on.”

“Okay.” She bent her head in his arms again, and he hugged her tightly.

Standing in the yard, among the greens and red flowers, in the warm sunshine of early autumn, she felt satisfied and peaceful. She closed her eyes and muttered, “Tristan.”

“Uh?”

“Tristan.”

“Yes?”

“It is good that I called, and somebody replied to me.”

Tristan was wordless and just pressed her tightly to himself.

“I want to find a person. He doesn’t just want me to cook and clean the house or raise the kids for him. We should have something to talk about, enjoy the company of each other. We don’t have to be rich, but we can work out whatever problems we have in our life. We can have a few kids, just to make them have companies. I want to be a good wife, good mother, and I want my family to be the warmest place for us in the world…”

“This was my dream-my composition in primary school.”

Tristan was moved. He had read that composition and the teacher scored it an A.

“You helped me realize it.” Kate said in his arms in a muffled voice, “Thank you, Tristan.”

He bent down to kiss the top of her head. “I should say thank you instead.”

Thank you for giving me a second life.

Thank you for letting me be part of your dream.

The time went back to five years ago.

In the church, Kate bent down her head and prayed and lost track of time.

The priest came over and said to her that somebody wanted to see her. She followed him to a room inside. A silver-haired, big, hale, and hearty elderly man was standing by the window with his back to her. He heard her and turned back. His voice was vigorous, “Hi, little girl. Do you still know me?”

“Mr. Hitchcock! How are you?”

“I heard that you come here every week. You believe in God?”

“Yes. And I think you believe in God too. You built this church.”

“Haha. I just did what I was supposed to do. How is your child?”

Kate nodded and added, “You should be clear about what we are doing, don’t you?”

Kate was robbed of her purse on the street once. She had not yet called the police when somebody chased the robber and kicked him after he caught him up. At first, she thought that guy was the police who was spying on her, but the way he acted was not the style of a policeman. Jimmy said that she had some guys around her, but she was not sure if Jimmy was prying, and thus she said she didn’t notice. Actually, she had guessed who they were.