Leej Nus Ntxim Hlub

              “General Manager, you are my most loyal employee and friend,” the chairman said.  A man of robust and charismatic features, there were light patches of skinfolds around his eyes, his hair had a mixture of gray and white strands, and he appeared overwhelm and tire.  “Tell me honestly, except for Suab Kaj, don’t you find the rest of my daughters very useless?”

                “Chairman, I…” the general manager answered hesitatingly.

                “You don’t need to pity anyone of them,” the chairman brushed his secretary off.  “I am their father.  I know how they are.  The eldest spends all her time shopping and making herself look pretty, the second one cares only about cooking, the third and fourth are flirtatious silly girls who hit on every man they see…old or young, the fifth is a bookworm who spits out nonsense every time she opens her mouth, and the sixth…well…she just doesn’t say or do much.  And who is to blame for all of this?”

                “No one, Chairman.”

                “That’s where you are wrong, General Manager!” the chairman shouted.  “You need not be afraid of being frank to me.  You should say that everything is your fault, Chairman.  You were the one too busy running your business that you’ve neglected your family.  Without their mother, instead of showering them with love, you’ve showered them with money to make up for the times you couldn’t spend with them.  In the end, it was you who turned them into useless creatures who can be of no help to you...again, except for the little one.  Thank the heavens for giving her a little more wit than her sisters.”  He sighed.  “But I won’t live forever to take care of them.  What will their lives become when I perish one day?   So General Manager, ask me how I’m going to fix this mess?”

                “How are you going to fix this mess, Chairman?”

                “Good question.  I’ve decided that I alone cannot do the job.  In order to change the girls, we need the help of some capable, smart, young men.  But which young man will volunteer to tame those silly girls.  No one, right?”

                The general manager shook his head in agreement.

                “But if a young man weds a girl instead then he has no choice but to cope and work with her to slowly change her into a better person.  And what’s more?  As her husband, he now bears responsibility of taking care of her so when my time comes, I can go peacefully.”

                “Ah…very clever, Chairman.”

                “I’m glad you agreed,” he said and patted the general manager on the shoulder.  “That’s why I’m going to leave this task for you.”

                “What task, Chairman?”

                “I want you to send an invitation to all eligible high-ranking bachelors in the business industry.  In one week, I will present all of my daughters to the young men and each girl will choose among the group one lucky lad to be her husband.  Understand?”

                “Yes, Chairman.”

***

                A girl bowed at the front of a conference table as the sound of pleasing claps vibrated in the grand room.  The group of professionals smiled contently at the adroit young woman, whose wit and skills proved to exceed that of her father.  Within the last five years since her incorporation into the company, the business’ stock skyrocketed to an unprecedented level.  So although without a brother, the board members were optimistic that she would become the successor of Moj Them Electronics Group. 

She lifted her head as the clapping sounds died down, and returned a satisfying smile.    When the conference was adjourned, the girl rushed to her car.  She had heard rumors from the employees that her father was going to hold a ball to choose husbands for her and her sisters.  If the silly party included only her older sisters, then she would understand and blindly accept the idea but to include her as well was just absurd.  She urgently needed to clarify this matter with her father. 

The girl stepped on the gas pedal and headed in the direction of the airport, where her father was on his way out of the country for a three-day business trip.  But before she reached the airport, her car started to beep, and the gas tank icon flashed red.  “Nuts!  I’m out of gas,” she exclaimed.

She pulled over to the nearest gas station in a poor neighborhood.  Although she was in a rush, the long-line of cars ahead of her was unaware of this.  They crawl so slowly like ants to the gas pump.  After she finally reached a gas pump unit, she realized that even if she sped to the airport after filling her tank—she would be too late.  Her father’s plane would have taken off already.

She decided to just call and talk to her father instead.  “But why am I included too, Dad?” she asked, turning on her car engine after pumping gas.

                “Well, I’ve decided that you too are of age and you should marry and start a family.  Since all of your sisters will be participating, it only makes sense that you are included.”

                “But I’m not like my sisters.  I can be independent and help you out just like a son.  Why am I bounded to the same rules as my older sisters?”

                  “Things may seem easy now, but once I leave this world, my business would be too much of a burden for you to carry alone, child.  I feel that it is better if you can share that burden with someone else, like a husband—do I make sense?  Well, I’ll see you at the ball, darling.  The plane’s taking off and I can’t talk anymore.  Bye.”

                “Dad.  Dad!” the girl shouted as she backed her car out of the gas station.  Absorbed in fury at her father, she forgot to pay attention to the surrounding and only became alert that she was operating a vehicle when she heard a smacking sound like her car had crashed into a log.

                “What was that?” she gasped, asking.

                She darted out of the driver’s seat, and there, near the back of her automobile lied an unconscious man with his front facing the ground.  Fear spread across her face and she uneasily paced back and forth.  “What am I going to do?  What am I going to do?” she repeated.  “Will I go to jail if he’s dead?”

                After pondering for a few seconds, she decided to turn the man over to see if he was still breathing.  Once his back lay on the cement ground instead, she realized that she had hit a homeless person.  His hair was long and dirtied, his face covered with facial hair, his clothes torn, and his body exuded a foul fragrance like he had not shower for many years.  She covered her nose, disgusted at his poor-hygiene body.  She then slowly stretched a hand toward his face to check if there was any air moving out of his nose.  When she lightly felt something brushing against her index finger, she smiled.  “He’s still alive,” she commented with a sigh of relief. 

“Hey you, wake up.  Wake up!” she called, nudging the man with her index finger but he didn’t budge at all.  “What am I going to do?  Shall I leave him here and walk away?  Yes, I should do that.”

She quickly got back inside her car, turned on the engine and was about to drive away when her conscious pricked her mind like a thorn on a finger.  Her heart became heavy and she could not bring herself to abandon that homeless man that she most likely ran over.  Finally, she decided that it was only morally just that she take responsibility for the problem she caused. 

So, the girl turned her engine off and got out of the car.  She opened a back-seat door and used all her might to drag the homeless man’s heavy body into her car.  She then drove him to the emergency room.

***

                “Will he be alright?” she anxiously asked the doctor.  “Am I going to go to jail if he doesn’t wake up?”

                “Don’t worry, Miss,” the doctor reassured her.  “I believe he will be fine.  There’s not even a single scratch on his body.”

                “Oh, then why is he not waking up?”

                “He might have been frightened by the situation and lost consciousness.  That’s all.”

                “So that means that legally, I have no obligations toward him, right?”

                “Well, I’m not sure about that.  Although there’s not enough damage to contact the police, when he wakes up and wishes for compensation, he may still sue you.”

                “Doctor, would you do me the great honor of explaining to him not to do that.  I’m so busy that I have no time to waste in a court hearing.”

“Why won’t you explain things to him yourself?”

“Because it’s already 3 and I have an appointment to attend to in half an hour.  I’ll tell you what.  I’ll take care of his hospital bill, and I’ll leave you my business card.  When he wakes up and needs anything else, tell him to contact me.  I will be more than glad to help him get his health back at any cost.”

                The girl handed the doctor her business card, paid for the homeless man’s medical expense, and left the hospital.  Once she was gone, the doctor walked into the patient’s room.  “Alright, you may stop your act now.  She’s gone,” he said.

                The homeless man opened his eyes and smiled.  He got up to a sitting position, and burst out laughing at another successful fraudulent act.

                “You really need to stop this deception.  I swear this is the last time I’m going to help you.  If I encounter you one more time in the hospital for another car accident injury, our friendship ends there.”

                “Hey, it’s an easy way to make money,” the homeless man answered.

                “When you are caught one day, I’m sure it won’t become so easy anymore,” the doctor said and sighed.  “Here, this is her business card.  She said that she’s willing to help you recover your health at any cost.  But from the way I’m seeing it, I don’t think you need help recovering your health at all.  What you really need is help recovering your craziness and overcoming your laziness.”

                “See…that’s where you are wrong—my friend.  I am hurt all over from this car accident, and need lots and lots of money to recover my poor, poor health,” the homeless man exaggerated, and pretended to cough a few times.

                The doctor shook his head in disbelief.

***

                After many failed attempts at contacting the woman on the business card by phone, the homeless man decided to show up at her work place to claim his compensation.  He had thought that she was just an employee working for a small firm, but was surprised when the address on her business card pointed to the tallest skyscraper—a state-of-the-art facility built to perfection.  “Moj Them Electronics Group?” the homeless man murmured in awe.

                He made his way to the glass entrance doors, but was stopped by the security guards.  No matter which idea he used to try to divert their attention, the guards were adamant and caught him every time.

                “Why can’t I enter?” he asked tiredly.

                “No shoes, no entry buddy!” one of the guards shouted.  “Besides, this building is not an asylum for the homeless.”  They laughed mockingly at him.

                “So you think I can’t outsmart you, huh?” the homeless man thought.  He took a few steps back and eyed the passing strangers for a good victim.  When a perky middle-aged woman came by, he purposely knocked into her so that she bumped into another man.  The homeless man then grabbed her purse and dumped the content everywhere.  He took her wallet, and slipped it into the other man’s hands.

                The woman agitatedly got up, and quickly picked up her purse’s content.  When she realized that her wallet was missing, she looked to the man who had barely gotten up because she had sat on him.  There, in his hands, she saw her wallet and began to yell.  “Help!  Help!” she shouted, grabbing the attention of the security guards.  “This bastard stole my wallet!  Someone help me please!”

                The security guards ran over to the scene and while they tried to help the victim, the homeless man sneaked into the building.  He approached the receptionist, who looked terrify at seeing a homeless person entering the professional space.  She eyed for security and was about to open her mouth when he grabbed her and covered her mouth. 

                “Don’t scream please, I beg you,” he said.  “I’m not going to hurt you if you just answer one question for me.  Once I get my answer, I’ll be out of here.  Do we have a deal?”

The receptionist nodded.

The homeless man took out the business card and showed it to the receptionist.  “You are looking for the person whom this business card belongs to?” she asked.

He nodded.

“But how did you…never mind.  She’s not here today.  In fact, everyone except me and the two security guards outside have left early to attend the Chairman’s ball.”

“Ball?”

“Yes.  It’s a ball to find husbands for his daughters.”

“Where is it held at?”

“At the Grand Palace Hotel on Fifth Avenue.  Hey…you said that I only have to answer one question.  Why are you asking me two questions now?”

“Thank you,” the homeless man answered, and dashed out of the building—passing the security guards who were left dumbstruck at when the homeless man was able to enter their precious workplace.

***

     The guests, high-ranked eligible bachelors from all branches of the business world along with their parents, have arrived.  They impatiently waited for the initiation of the prime event that night, the introduction of the chairman’s daughters and the meeting of their soon-to-be brides.  When the clock stroked seven, the general manager introduced the chairman who then lay out the details of the event for the young lads.  “Every bachelor here tonight will receive the opportunity to dance and socialize with my daughters.  By the end of ball, my daughters will each choose one of you to be her husband and from the group of my soon to be sons-in-law, I will choose one to become the successor of Moj Them Electronics Group.”

The crowd of young men cheered on jubilantly while the chairman returned to his seat.  The general manager stepped back onto the podium and began to introduce the chairman’s daughters.  

“First up, ladies and gentlemen, is the Eldest Young Lady—the graceful, elegant, and beautiful Suab Paj.  Next up is the jewel in the chairman’s palace, the magnificent home cook Suab Luag.  The Third Young Lady is the soft-voice, sweet-tongued Suab See.  The Fourth Young Lady is the friendly, sociable Suab Ntxhee.  Next is the person whose brain you can pick any time, the Fifth Young Lady Suab Yig.  The Sixth Young Lady is the obedient, timid Suab Zoo.  And lastly, the one who is dear to the chairman’s heart, the Youngest Young Lady Suab Kaj.”

A young woman with fair facial features, jet-black silky hair that shined brightly under the chandelier, Suab Kaj stepped in line next to her sisters and glowed most beautifully among them as well.  She was not only sharp and well-respected among her colleagues, but a person with manners, poise, integrity, and reason.  While her sisters smiled proudly at the crowd—showing their perfectly bleached-white teeth, the youngest sister felt silly and annoyed so she could not force herself to smile at all.  She tuned out the noise in the room, and wished only that the event would pass by hastily. 

“Young Ladies,” the general manager said.  “You may step down the stage and choose among the young men the one whom you wish to dance with.”

“Can we switch partners?” Suab See asked excitedly.

“As many times as you wish, Third Young Lady, until you find a suitable candidate,” the general manager replied.

The older sisters squealed pleasingly and proceeded to the dance floor to do as they were told.  While her sisters danced delightfully and changed partners as often as they changed their night’s outfit, Suab Kaj found herself standing uncomfortably alone.  Although she resisted the idea of being forced to choose a husband in this manner, she knew that her father would not be satisfied unless she was wed off too so she might as well use this opportunity to look for a possible suitor.  But after eying all the young men in the room—she found no one worthy of her wit and talent so she rejected all the young men who approached her.

As the event drew near the end of closure, the chairman took center-stage once more.  “The time has come,” he announced, “for my daughters to choose their husbands.  I want to extend my foremost gratitude to all the young men in this room for attending.  I hope that each one of you has had a chance to interact with my daughters.  If you are not chosen, please feel no remorse and consider that you are not fated to be my son-in-law.  Each of my daughters will have in their possession an embroidered silk ball.  Whomever they give the ball to shall become her husband.  Let us begin now.”

One by one, Suab Kaj watched as each of her sisters from eldest to youngest gave their embroidered silk ball away.  She looked uneasily at the young men once more, and could not force herself to give her ball to anyone of them so she held tightly onto it instead.  When it seemed as if all the balls were given away, the general manager called the lucky grooms to stand next to their brides so that the chairman may come by to greet his sons-in-law.

The eldest daughter chose for her spouse the heir of Miaozu Beer, a slender and stern-looking young man of decent appearance.  The second daughter chose a rather scrawny suitor, CEO of the Food Network.  The third and fourth sisters chose for their husbands a pair of silly father and son, who ran the very successful bathroom accessory business Delightful & Bright.  However, the odd pairing confused the chairman, so he had to stop.  “Wait a minute,” the chairman interrupted the flirting couples.  “Are you a young man?” he asked with a perplexed facial countenance.

“No, sir, but I’m just as eligible of a bachelor as my son.  And you did declare that all eligible bachelors are welcomed to participate in this event, so why should I be excluded just because I’m not young in appearance anymore.  Besides, it was your daughter’s choice and she chose me.”

The chairman thought for a few seconds.  “You are correct,” he responded.  “But don’t the four of you find this pairing very awkward.”

The pairs looked at one another and shook their heads in disagreement.

“Suab Ntxhee, tell me, so how are you going to address your Third Sister from now on?” the chairman asked.

“I will address her as elder sister because she is my older sister.”

“Okay, so how are you going to address her husband?”

“I will address him as ‘Older Brother-in-Law’ because he is my older sister’s husband.”

“But aren’t you marrying your older brother-in-law’s father?  Shouldn’t you be addressing your older brother-in-law as ‘Son’ instead?”

“Son?  But I’m still young…”

“Exactly,” the chairman answered.  He then looked to his third daughter.  “And you, Suab See, how are you going to address Suab Ntxhee and her husband?”

“I will address her husband as ‘Dad’ because he is my husband’s father and I will address younger sister as ‘Younger Sister’ because she is my younger sister,” Suab See replied confidently.  Then she realized that something did not sound right and she quickly scratched her head.  “Wait a minute,” the girl said.  “Or, should I address Fourth Sister as ‘Mom’ because she is married to my husband’s father?”

“Good question.  Hold onto that thought,” the chairman responded with a griming smile.

“And you, Mr. President, how are you going to address your son?”

“Well, he is my son so I am still his father.”

“But he is marrying your wife’s older sister, so shouldn’t he be your older brother-in-law?”

“You are right, Mr. Chairman.  Since I will become the husband of Suab Ntxhee, my son will now be my older brother-in-law.  What?” the over fifty years of age president reacted puzzlingly.

“So when my daughter, Suab Ntxhee, has your child—will your son become his older brother or his uncle?  And when Suab See has your son’s child, will my grandson call you uncle or grandpa?  If he calls you grandpa, is he going to call his aunt by blood grandma too?”

“That’s a very complex relationship, Mr. Chairman.  I’ll have to take a minute to think about all of this,” he replied, chuckling.

“What’s there to think over?” the chairman exploded in anger, startling the odd couples.  “None of this makes sense?  How can you call your own son brother-in-law?  How can my fourth daughter become the mother-in-law to her older sister?”

The chairman took a deep breath and straightened his bow tie before he spoke again.  “Suab Ntxhee,” he called calmly.

“Yes, Dad,” the girl answered frightfully.

“I’ve decided that it is best if you keep your relationship with your Third Sister as the younger sister and with Mr. President as your sister’s father-in-law only.”

“But Dad…” the girl moaned.

“No buts, Suab Ntxhee.  You know Dad’s temper, and once I make a decision, even the tumbling heavens cannot make me change my mind.  Please apologize to Mr. President and choose another bachelor.”

“I don’t want to,” the girl resisted.

“You either do what I say or I will disown you!” her father demanded.  “And in case you decide to choose the option of cutting ties with me, just know that you will have to pay your own credit card debt…worth over a billion dollars.”

“Dad…”

“I’m serious.”

Hearing of his young bride’s enormous debt, the old president’s eyes popped out.  Although his company was successful, a billion dollars would take him at least five years to earn.  He knew that he could not afford such an investment, especially if his young wife continued to charge credit cards recklessly.

He moved near Suab Ntxhee, and whispered into her ears.  “Darling, I’m sorry, but maybe it’s a good idea if you do as your father instructs.”

“Mr. President!” Suab Ntxhee cried, grabbing everyone’s attention.

The old president cleared his throat.  “Perhaps, your father is correct,” he answered positively.  “This relationship is too complex so let us just be daughter and father-in-law through your older sister’s marriage to my son.”  

“You hear that?” the chairman checked.

“Yes, Dad, thanks a lot,” Suab Ntxhee answered.

“Go ahead.  While time permits, you may pick another husband.  But please, this time don’t choose one that is old enough to be your father.  I know that your taste is a little strange, but pick someone you won’t be embarrassed to show off to your friends when you turn fifty, dear.”

Suab Ntxhee grabbed the embroidered silk ball from the old president and kicked him hard, causing him to howl in pain like a wolf.  She then faced the group of young men left, glancing among them the next most suitable partner.  They, however, have heard of her debt and were scared.  No one wanted to wed someone with so much debt.  So when Suab Ntxhee tried to give her silk ball away, no one wanted to accept it.  Disappointed, she almost gave up to return to the old president but she then saw a young man sitting at a corner—busy calculating his net revenue’s worth.  She dropped her ball in his lap without his awareness, and the chairman burst out laughing.

“Good choice, daughter.  Brock Lee, son of Tanglee Motors.  He will make a fine husband for you,” the chairman commented.  “Bring him here.”

Suab Ntxhee nodded and grabbed the busied man by the arm.  “What is it?” he asked.

“I’ve chosen you,” Suab Ntxhee replied.

“Me?” he sounded surprised.

She nodded.

“Great,” he answered and got up.  He then walked flauntingly to the front with his new wife while the rest of the young men jeered at him.

“What’s wrong with everyone?” he asked his bride.

“They’re just jealous of you,” she answered.

“Oh, really?  That’s because I’m smart and handsome, and now I’ve got myself a pretty wife too,” he answered cornily, and giggled.

“Yeah, whatever,” she remarked.

Once Suab Ntxhee brought her new husband over, the chairman seemed satisfied to move on down the line.  “CEO of eLifeStyle, Manager of Zoom Corporation—great choices fifth and sixth daughters,” the chairman complimented, patting his daughters on the shoulder and the girls smiled happily in return.

“And who’s the lucky husband of my precious seventh daughter?  Where is he?  How come I don’t see anyone?” the chairman asked.

“Because there is no one, Dad,” Suab Kaj answered.

“What?  There are so many young eligible bachelors here tonight.  You mean to tell me that that no one here pleased you?”

The girl shook her head.

“This is ridiculous.  I will not have this.  I am only going to do one wedding ceremony for you and all your sisters so you must choose a husband tonight!”

“But Dad, I told you that I will be fine without a husband.  Why are you forcing me to do this?”

                “Aren’t you the more reasonable one among your sisters?  How many times must I explain things to you, daughter?  I am only doing the best thing for you.”

                “How can forcing me into matrimony be the best thing for me, Dad?” the girl questioned angrily.

                However, before her father had a chance to answer, a scruffy-looking man in torn, dirtied clothes barged into the ballroom followed by a team of securities—grabbing the attention of all the attendants.  He stomped tiredly forward, glancing in every direction as if he was looking for a victim.  The security guards quickly encircled the man, and pushed him to the floor. 

“Let me go!” he screamed, but the security team paid no attention.  They grabbed his arms and pulled them to his back.  Afterward, they handcuffed him. 

“Why are you arresting me?  I’m only looking for someone?” the man declared.

“You have intruded a private party, sir.  If you are compliant, we will release you once you step away from this building,” one of the security guards remarked.

“But I haven’t don’t anything wrong?  I’m only looking for a person.  That is not treason,” he continued to shout.

“It’s not, sir!  But it is trespassing and that’s equally illegal!” the security guard answered and pulled him up to a standing position.  Afterward, the security team dragged the ragged man toward the exit.

“Wait!” the chairman stopped the security team.  “Release him.”

“But sir!” the security guards protested.

“It’s alright.  I believe he’s harmless.”

The scruffy man sneered at the security guards, who looked annoyed and hesitantly took the cuffs off.  Once he was freed, the man smiled and rubbed his wrists with his hands.  “It’s great to be free again,” he said with a smile, irritating the security guards even further.  “Now let’s see, I just need to find the right person.”  He remarked and laughed like a drunken, imprudent person.  He impulsively interrupted any woman he stumbled upon in the room, frightening her and her husband—to look for the one that he may claim his compensation from.

“Dad, this is useless.  I’m going home,” Suab Kaj said and was about to walk away when her father fumed up in anger.

“Stop right there!” he yelled.  “You cannot leave this room tonight, unless you grab yourself a husband.”

“I’m not marrying anyone here tonight, Dad.”

“Fine.  If that’s how you are going to be then I guess I will just have to be stricter.  When I gave you the chance to choose, you didn’t take an advantage of it, so now you have no say in who I pick for you,” the chairman said resolutely.

“Dad.  You cannot ruin my life like this,” the girl objected.

“Yes, I can.  I’m your father, remember, and you owed me your life.  So I can do this and I will do this.”  The chairman hastily glimpsed at the young men in the room, and then turned to his daughter again.  “You see that rude, filthy man that just charged in the room, choose him.”

“What?”

“I want you to take your silk ball to him, and pick him as your husband right now.”

“Dad!”

“NOW!” the chairman screamed, silencing the noise in the room.  The guests turned their attention to and stared at the chairman and his daughter.

Seeing everyone’s eyes focused on her, Suab Kaj felt embarrassed and deep down inside, wanted to burst out crying like a child.  But she knew she could not, at least not in front of so many distinguished people.  So, she ended up biting her lips to suppress her tears and anger.

Her eldest sister stepped behind her.  “Suab Kaj, Dad is angry.  You should just obey.”

Feeling helpless and trapped by her father’s fury, Suab Kaj grabbed her silk ball and gradually made her way toward him.  As she walked through the crowd, the guests moved apart as to clear a path for a princess but they kept an eye on her every movement. 

The obscene and rash man was still focused on searching for that woman whom he felt owed him that he did not even realize what had happened in the room.  What he noticed though, was that the chitchat in the room had abruptly halted and everyone was staring at something.  At him?  It could not be.  That happened a while ago when he stormed into the room. 

Curious, he looked at the people with a silly facial expression and then turned around to check out what they were gazing at.  When he finally saw what the people saw, his foolish countenance unexpectedly vanished, and he too stared at her.  There in front of him stood the most beautiful and elegant young woman he had ever witnessed.  She was the girl of his dream, the one he had been waiting for all his life, and his eyes widened while his heart race rapidly as it was stroke with love at first sight. 

Suab Kaj too stared into the man’s eyes, and after a few seconds of scrutiny, became a little startled.  But then without a single thought, her silk ball fell into his hands.

When the chairman saw what the Seventh Young Lady had just done, he almost had a heart attack.  “Chairman, are you okay?” the general manager asked, catching the chairman before he fell to the floor.  Once the chairman was helped to a standing position, he was filled with so much rage that he angrily, but speechlessly left the ball.    

“What has she done?” her older sisters whispered nosily amongst themselves.  “How can she shame herself and Dad by choosing that bum?”

“What have I done?” Suab Kaj thought.  “Did I just pick him?”

The homeless man grabbed Suab Kaj’s hands and smiled at her.  Although she was nervous of what she had thoughtlessly done, his hands felt warm and she saw sincerity in his gleaming eyes.  Perhaps, even in spite of his faults, she might have made the right choice after all.

***

“What is the meaning of this?” the chairman roared like thunder, lecturing Suab Kaj.  “I only forced you to choose him in the hope that you will see how disgusting he is and will change your heart to pick a better eligible young man instead.  But what did you do?  You decided to pick that bum.  This is preposterous.  Absolutely ridiculous!”

“Dad, I don’t understand why you are behaving this way.  No matter what I have done, I’ve always only followed your command.  Besides, how can you belittle my husband like that?  It doesn’t matter if he is rich or poor, he is still human, isn’t he?” she questioned. 

“So I’m the one at fault then.  I guess I am no longer important to you.  Well, I will tell you what, Miss Smarty-pants.  From now on, you can go on to live with that bum husband of yours.  I want to see how you will survive outside of my circle without my support or influence.  Starting today, as chairman of Moj Them Electronics Group, I am firing you.  And as your father, your credit cards and luxury possessions will be confiscated.  You will have to move out of Kaj Siab Manor and live life like a commoner.”

***

After a hard day of laboring at a fast food restaurant, Suab Kaj went home exhausted and hopeless.  If it was not because of her powerful father, a man capable of making one’s life a living heaven or hell, she would be working at a comfortable job utilizing her talent.  But her father had threatened his friends and comrades to not hire her.  So, some blocked her job application and others found fault in every interview answer she gave.  After many months of futile job searches, her cash savings was draining rapidly and she could no longer wait to land a well-paid job.  She was forced to resort to any job offer, as long as it made income so that she could pay for her living expenses. 

She returned to a compact, one-bedroom apartment in the poor neighborhood she crashed into her husband that day.  It was not much, a lifestyle drastically different from the one she grew up with, but it was tolerable.  Besides, she knew that living a life where she had to survive on her own would be a challenge so she needed to conserve as much as possible for when needy times arrive.    

When Suab Kaj opened the door to her home, she was disappointed to find her husband munching on snacks watching college football like a lazy couch potato while she was out toiling at the restaurant to make ends meet.  His clothes and trash scattered everywhere, and he did not even care to greet her.  Filled with anger, she picked up his mess and threw them in his face.

“Would you stop being lazy?” she yelled at him, on the brink of tears.  “For once, can’t you cut your hair, shave cleanly and go find yourself a job?  I don’t even know why I decided to pick you and end up living such a miserable life!”

“Well, I thought it was because I was handsome that’s why you chose me.”

“Handsome?” she scorned at him and laughed. 

“But your eyes that evening sparkled like twinkling stars when you looked at me.  I thought you were madly in love with me or something, that’s why you picked me as your husband.”

Suab Kaj was flabbergasted to hear his response.  “No, sir, you are wrong,” she corrected him.  “I only picked you because when I stared at you that night, I realized that you were that homeless guy I almost ran over.  And then, aggravated by my father’s fury…ah…whatever…it’s not your looks, it’s cause I felt indebted to you, you idiot!  That’s the only reason why I chose you!  Understand?” 

“Wow, so it’s you!  You were the woman that ran me over that one day,” he answered with a surprised expression.  “I can’t believe I ended up marrying her?”

 

 

“Would you stop acting so foolish?” Suab Kaj yelled.  “Look here, Jesus Christ.   From the way you behave sometimes, I know you are a perfectly normal person capable of handling a job like every other woman’s husband.  But I don’t understand why you act like you are mentally retarded sometimes.  I also don’t know why we’ve been married for a few months now and no matter how much I pester you about it, you won’t tell me your name, or where you came from, or who your family is.  What are you trying to hide?”

“Nothing,” he immediately answered.  “I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“Ah, forget it!” she remarked with frustration.  “I think the more I absorb this nonsense, the more I drive myself nuts only.” 

She left for the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.  That night, she locked herself in the bedroom, unmoved by her husband’s pleads to open the door.  He had no choice but to sleep on the couch.  While he stared at their bedroom door, he pondered about the words she said and was sleepless the entire night.

She too thought about what she slandered him with.  When she got up the next morning, she was readied to apologize to him but could not find her husband anywhere.  In the kitchen though, an unfamiliar man about her husband’s height stood with his back to her, cooking something.  Afraid that a stranger had broken into the apartment, Suab Kaj grabbed a mop and was readied to fight back if the man was to attack.

“Who are you?” she demanded from a distance.  “What did you do to my husband?”

Hearing her words, the stranger turned around and smiled at Suab Kaj.  “If I recall correctly, I believe that I live in this place and you are my wife,” he answered.

“What nonsense are you spurting out?” she questioned.  “I’m not your wife.  I’m that bum’s wife…not the wife of…someone…someone like you.”

“Really?  I’m surprised,” he replied with a smile.  “Well, if you don’t believe that the person standing in front of you is your husband, then look carefully into my eyes.”

“I…”

“Go ahead.  Don’t be scared,” he assured her. 

Suab Kaj took a few paces over, and stared at the stranger.  Her eyes soon brightened up, and she understood that he did not lie to her.  That pair of gleaming eyes sparkled like the pair that met her eyes that evening.   

“So, am I or am I not your husband?”

The girl turned her head timidly away and nodded. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, “that you ended up marrying a bum like me.  Instead of giving you a helping hand, I gave you more troubles instead.  But I promise that starting today, I will go find a job and create a better life for you.”

“I’m glad you feel that way now,” she answered.  “And I just wanted to say I’m sorry…for being too harsh on you yesterday.”

“No, don’t be,” he immediately replied.  “What did you say that I didn’t deserve?  You were right about everything.  It’s just that there are certain things about me that I really can’t bring myself to share with you.  But after thinking about it all night, I now understand that it is only fair if I enlighten you a bit.”

“If you are not comfortable, you don’t have to explain anything to me.  As long as you are sincere to me, I promise you that I won’t provoke you on this matter anymore.”

“No, no.  I’ve decided that it is time I need to tell you about who I am.”    

To Be Continued...