Short Soup(17)

An hour later, her treatments done, Toni wandered into the spa’s relaxation lounge, intent on snatching a quick nap while she waited for her mother to finish up. Several women, all in white robes and slippers, were already in the lounge. She headed straight for an empty couch in the corner and plopped herself down, closing her eyes as she sank into the soft cushions.

“Toni? Is that you?” a voice piped up to her left.

Reluctantly she looked up to see Melissa leaning towards her. She sighed inwardly. Chatting to Dion’s ex-girlfriend wasn’t her idea of relaxation, but she conjured up a polite smile. “Hi, Melissa. This is a surprise.”

“It’s my rostered day off. Thought I could do with a bit of pampering.”

Toni nodded. “I’m here with my mother.” She hesitated, searching for a suitably neutral subject. “This is my first visit here.”

“Oh, I’m a regular.” Melissa flicked back her auburn waves and patted her perfect complexion. “It’s important women take care of themselves, don’t you think? Men appreciate that, not letting ourselves go to seed.”

Toni’s toes curled up in their slippers. “Yeah, for sure,” she said, pretending to examine her freshly manicured fingernails.

“I like that colour you chose.” Melissa flashed her a friendly smile. “So are you seeing anyone special at the moment?”

“Um?” Toni drew back, flushing. “No, I’ve just divorced, remember?”

The other woman lifted her shoulders, her eyebrows drawing together. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“You didn’t. I just – I’m not seeing anyone, no.” She couldn’t look at Melissa, couldn’t lie straight to her face.

After a pause, Melissa said, “Hey, I hope you don’t hold it against me that I’m Dion’s ex.”

“What – what gave you that idea?”

“Nothing, really. Just picking up a certain vibe.” Melissa twirled the end of the robe belt around her fingers. “You know, it wasn’t me who ended things. It was Dion. He doesn’t like complications, and he may look easy-going, but there’s steel underneath. When he decides something, that’s it. End of discussion. When he broke it off, I was devastated, but he’s such a charmer I couldn’t stay mad with him for long. Besides, I couldn’t say I hadn’t been warned. Dion’s never been into serious relationships, and he was quite upfront about that right from the start.” She broke off, glanced again at Toni. “But why am I rambling on like this? I’m not telling you anything new. You know more than anyone else what Dion’s like.”

Oh yes, she did, and everything Melissa said rang true. Dion was a charmer. Dion got his way. And Dion didn’t want or need a serious relationship. All truths she’d known forever. But still she felt cold and sick as she foresaw a future where she’d be just like Melissa, yet another of Dion’s cast-off exes. Well, what else did she expect or want? She didn’t know. All she knew was that her insides felt full of squirming live eels and she couldn’t bear another minute of Melissa’s company.

Fortunately her mother arrived and after she’d greeted Melissa, informed Toni that they would be late for lunch if they didn’t hurry. Toni gladly escaped with her mother. At the antiques centre they found her father waiting outside one of the shops.

Pearl’s eyes lit up as she spotted the shop’s interior jammed with bric-a-brac. “Wah, I must have a look inside.” She glanced at Kai who was holding a new golf club. “You better not go inside in case you break something.”

Kai nodded. “Wait,” he called to Toni as she began to follow her mother into the shop. “I want to talk to you.”

The sombre expression on his face made Toni pause. Her dad didn’t look pleased at all. “What is it, Dad?”

“I just got a phone call from Shen. He’s very mad with Dion.”

Her back tensed. “Why?”

“Dion was supposed to go to the fish market first thing this morning to get the best fish. He didn’t show up. Shen went over to his place and found him still asleep. They had big argument. Shen doesn’t believe Dion is ready to run the restaurant on his own. He thinks we should step in before Dion makes even bigger mistakes.”

Toni gulped for air. “But that’s not fair. Uncle Shen’s always so hard on Dion. Dion’s thrown so much effort into making the restaurant a success, not to mention his financial contribution. So he overslept one morning, big deal. He’s been working hard, putting in long hours. It – it’s not surprising he slept in.”

Kai stepped closer. His normally gentle face was unusually stern, his forehead creased into a fierce and unfamiliar frown. “I know why Dion oversleep,” he barked. “I saw you come home this morning with Dion. You climb into your bedroom window at six o’clock. You spend all night at Dion’s place, keeping him up, that’s why he too tired to go to fish market.”

“You sleep with Dion last night? Aiya!” Toni spun round to catch her mother’s stricken expression. Her mother marched up and glared at Kai. “Why didn’t you tell me this morning?”

Kai’s frown deepened. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Upset! Upset!” Pearl shook her head as if she couldn’t fathom her husband’s ignorance before she redirected her ire at Toni. “Is your father right? Did you sleep with Dion last night?”

Two pairs of accusing eyes bored into Toni. She could have lied, told them she’d slept over at Dion’s place without anything happening, but she didn’t want to. She’d had enough lies and half-truths from Nick; she wasn’t going down that path too. Better to make a clean breast of things.

She met their glowers head on. “Yeah, I did, as a matter of fact, and I don’t know why you’re making such a song and dance about it. Dion and I are both adults. We know what we’re doing.”

“Oh!” Her mother clutched her overstuffed handbag to her chest as though she’d been shot. “Is that what you do now? You sleep with any man you find? Oh, what did I do wrong? I thought I brought you up properly. I thought you were a good daughter, not some Suzie Wong.”

“Mum!” Heat flashed across her cheeks. “Stop talking as if I’m a floozy. I don’t sleep with any man I find. That’s ridiculous.”

“But you sleep with Dion.” Pearl bit her lower lip, smearing lipstick onto her teeth. “And you not even engaged to him.”

Toni grimaced. She’d hoped her mother’s views on premarital sex would have softened now Toni was no longer a teenager, but obviously Pearl was just as hardline as ever.

“What about his mother?” Pearl looked even more distressed. “What I tell Queenie?”

“Never mind that,” Kai brusquely interrupted. He turned to Toni. “You very bad for Dion. You make him stay up all night. You make him lose concentration. And for what?” He threw up his hands in a gesture of frustration. “You only here for a few days. You want to have some fun before you go back to Sydney, but you not thinking about Dion. You only thinking about yourself.” He waggled a bony finger at her. “Ah Mei, I’m very disappointed at your selfishness. You must stop this at once.”

The rareness of her father’s censure made it bite even deeper. In his quiet, unassuming way he’d always been on her side. Even when he didn’t say much she knew she had his unspoken backing. But now he’d crossed over to the other side, and his criticism weighed heavily on her.

“I didn’t realise Dion had an early start this morning,” she said. If she had, she would at least have made sure he got a wake-up call. All the wonder and delight of last night fizzled away, leaving behind only a sour aftertaste. It had seemed such a special and private moment, shared only between the two of them, but now it was out in the open, and through the lens of her parents’ disapproval the memories of the night became grubby and disreputable. She rubbed her upper arms as a chill settled over her. “You’re right. It’s my fault he overslept and didn’t make it to the fish market. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

Her father gave her a curt nod. “Make sure you don’t.” He turned to Pearl, nudging her elbow. “We late for lunch now. No time for shopping.”

Nauseous and tense, Toni trudged after her parents. How was Dion feeling now? As bad as she, or worse, probably, knowing how cranky Uncle Shen could be, especially towards Dion. He’d always been the one who badgered Dion to do better, while Aunt Queenie had always been the parent who cosseted and spoiled him, maybe over-compensating for Uncle Shen’s grouchiness.

Their lunch at a harbour side restaurant was meant to have been a celebration, but instead the atmosphere was strained and subdued. They ordered food glumly, and when it arrived no-one appeared to have much appetite. After a few minutes of stilted conversation, Pearl rested her elbow on the starched tablecloth and tapped Toni on the arm.

“I want to know if you’re serious about Dion,” Pearl announced without preamble.

Kai choked on his mouthful of chicken before warning his wife, “Don’t cause more trouble.”