“This can’t be true!” I exclaimed to no one in particular as I stared at the wedding invitation card. “I can’t believe this,” I said and slapped a ten-ringgit note onto the table then left the coffee shop without waiting for my change.
My mom is getting married again. She had been widowed thrice already and she still thought that she could find love forever after. I pummeled down the sidewalk back to the office, clutching my purse tight under one arm. The security guard asked me if anything was wrong as I stormed into the twelve-storey building.
I heaved a deep breath. “Don’t worry, Veck. It is not about work, it is family.”
“Okay. I hope is it settled soon.”
I smiled my thanks and took the first elevator up to my fourth floor office. The cubicles were silent; it was lunch break after all. I put my purse into a drawer after taking out my mobile phone. Then I walked over to the pantry and to my relief it was also empty. I stood at the doorway as I made my call, eyes scanning the low cubicles in front of me, watching the elevator and the closed office doors.
Mom’s voice came through. “Hello.”
“Mother, it’s me.”
“Mary, how nice of you to call.”
“Don’t you ‘how-nice’ me. You know I would make this call. Are you crazy?”
“I am happy.”
“Four men are dead, mother, and one of them is not even married to you. What will people say?”
“Everyone is sorry for me, dear. They all know how sad and lonely I am.”
“What if the police start to poke around again?”
“No, they won’t. They know I don’t marry any of these men for their money, because I always give back their money and properties to their own children. I barely keep anything for myself, just pictures or a watch. And they were all sick already when we married.”
“Is Mr Wei sick too?”
“Not yet. Not really anyway.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He is a lot stronger than the others, and when he first started becoming sick, he wanted to call off the wedding. So I nursed him back to health. Now I am rushing the ceremony ahead before he changes his mind again.”
“Mother, please. You must stop doing this.”
“Don’t you want to see your mother happy, dear?”
“This is no way to find happiness.”
She sighed. “You know, the happiest time I had with your father was when he was dying. He even forgot about his mistress when I looked after him. He was so thankful and loving.”
“Mother, this is wrong. Maybe Mr Wei really does love you. This must stop. You don’t have to poison every man you love.”
“But I don’t love him, darling.”
I stopped breathing as I stammered out the question, “Then why are you marrying him?”
“To get my mahjong friends back.”
“What?!”
“That’s right, dear. Those gentle souls are so kind and sympathetic. They talk with me, they tell me how much they love me and they keep me company for months after a funeral.”
“Is that why you are doing this?”
“Of course. What other reason could there be?”
I took a deep breath, and pinched the bridge of my nose. “You don’t have to marry Mr Wei to get friends. You can join a club or do volunteer work.”
“But I’ve tried that. It is really not for me because I have to listen to what other people want. When I am grieving, it’s different because people listen to me.”
“Mother, this must stop.”
“No, darling. It will not. You will understand, when you grow old and lonely. Then you will do what I am doing. You’ll see,” she said and hung up.
I stared at my mobile awhile before walking back to my cubicle. I was glad I was not as needy as her. In fact I hated people. I hated people so much that if anyone was assigned to either one of the cubicles next to mine, I would slip a box of toxic mold under their desk to make them sick. I was very different from my mother.
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