A wedding
Diano and Summer were seated at table number 18 at the banquet. Since both the bride and the groom were their schoolmates, it had turned into a school reunion sorts. Most of their table-mates, all western men in their middle age, were colleagues of the groom. The only exception was a young boy, of perhaps seventeen, who was stuck between gweilos, sitting opposite Diano.
As the evening progressed, so did the proceedings. The bride changed her dress and the couple re-entered the hall. A familiar piece of music announced their return. The stage was to his left and there were no TV screens displaying live action. After a few minutes, when he turned back, Diano’s eyes met those of the boy. The strange look in them caught Diano’s attention. It was a desperate plea for help! Diano strained his ears trying to catch what the gweilo to the boy’s right was saying to him.
“Don’t tell me he’s your type.” Summer nudged him.
“I think he’s in trouble.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Do you see that gweilo? He’s been trying to get the boy drunk.”
“Really?” She looked in the boy’s direction. “He’s gone red.”
“And now he’s touching him under the table. Shit.”
“How can you say that?” she asked.
“Look at the boy’s expression. It’s obvious.”
“Hamsup low.” She sounded angry.
Diano caught the boy’s eyes again and tilted his head to the left signaling the boy to come over and sit next to him. The original occupant of that chair had stepped away from their table. The boy got up and walked unsteadily around the table. Diano pulled back the chair and motioned for him to sit down.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m Diano.”
“Hallo. I’m Billy.” He smiled. “Thank you!”
“That’s okay. Was he troubling you?” asked Diano.
“Yes. He’s been trying to get me drunk. He asked me to go to disco after the banquet.”
“Don’t drink any more then. Where are you from?”
“Guangzhou.”
“So you’re a friend of the couple?” asked Summer.
“No. My parents know the groom’s parents. We are family friends.”
“I see. Are your parents here?”
“Yes, they’re at that table. Actually, I decided to attend the banquet at the last minute. Since their table was full, my parents encouraged me to sit with the foreigners to practice my English.” He pointed at a table near the stage.
“I see. Just sit with us and be comfortable,” Summer told Billy.
“Thank you.”
“Do your parents know you are drinking?”
“They will kill me, I think.” He looked towards their table.
“Your eyes look red,” Summer said.
“I’m sleepy,” Billy closed his eyes and rested his head on the back rest. After a few minutes, he was breathing heavily as if in deep sleep.
“So you saved the little prince from that monster today, huh?” Summer winked at Diano. “Fairy tale stuff.”
“Just doing my job. That guy does look pretty scary. I wonder what he’d have done to Billy if…” He trailed off feeling angry, scared and anxious at the same time.
“Maybe this is a new beginning? A new love story.”
“No way. Come on. I don’t know him. Plus, he is not my type.”
“Look at you blushing. He’s good-looking.” She winked.
“I’m not blushing and he is good-looking. But I’m not interested in him.”
“Then who are you interested in?”
“Nobody.”
“Norman?”
Diano didn’t reply. He’d been thinking of Norman often these days. Love? Probably not. Infatuation? Probably not. But he liked that guy somehow. Moreover, he was straight anyway… or so he claimed to be. They had met a few times after the cycling event but most of it had been in one disco or another. He knew Norman liked to hang out with him and he liked hanging out with Norman. But love? Maybe not.
“Wow.” Summer laughed. “If one guy can make you think so much, you should go after him.”
“Enough!” Diano said. “He’s straight.”
“So what? Who cares?”
“I do.”
“But it was you who’d told me two nights ago that you like him.”
“Like, not love.”
“Not yet? But in the future, yeah?”
“Stop it!”
“Why?” she asked. “I have every right.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because you’re the one who’s in love with that guy, Oliver, and yet afraid to tell him.”
“That doesn’t count. That’s a separate issue.”
“Wow. My pee is pee but your pee is beer?!”
“Ha-ha. Where did you learn that?”
“From a colleague. Anyway, don’t change the topic. So when are you going to tell him you love him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know? You’ve been dating him for so long already.”
“That’s not true.”
“What’s not true? Didn’t you go to movies and dinners with him?”
“Yes, I did. But that’s just, you know, kind of catching up.”
“Yeah, right. Who are you kidding? You need to catch up with him 2-3 times a week, is it?” He laughed.
“Come on.”
“That qualifies you as his girlfriend already.”
“Stop it.”
“Have you guys done it yet?” he asked her.
“No!” She almost shouted. “Have you?”
“Ha-ha. There’s no chance. I told you he’s straight. And, how well you’ve tried to change the topic again!”
Billy sat up suddenly.
“I must have slept off. Sorry.”
“That’s okay lah. How are you now?” asked Summer.
“Much better. Thanks.”
The western guy who was trying to get him drunk earlier walked up to them and stood next to Billy.
“Hey. Why did you run away? Are you okay? Do you want to disco?”
Diano stood up.
“What’s up? Don’t you see he’s drunk already?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m his friend.”
“Ooh la la. Lucky you,” the gweilo said. “Got a hot one, eh? You aren’t bad yourself. Do you want to go Karaoke with me?”
“Martin! Stop misbehaving with the guests.” One of his friends called out to the gweilo. “You’re drunk. What a shame.”
“Let’s go get a smoke.” Another guy pulled Martin away from their table.
“Phew.” Diano breathed a sigh of relief as he plopped down on his chair.
“Thank you. I think I’d be in trouble if you didn’t help me.” Billy said.
“That’s okay. You’re welcome.”
The waiters served one course after another in lightning succession, as they tried to catch up with the schedule.
