Page 69 of Four Aunties and a Wedding

Nathan’s features soften. “I love you too. Let’s go in.” He crooks his arm and I slip mine through his.

The doors yawn wide open, and together, we enter the gorgeous reception hall to loud applause.

Christ Church College’s dining hall is iconic for a reason. It’sthe place that the Hogwarts dining hall is modeled after. All the walls are gilded with opulent gold and hung with plenty of paintings. The long tables are set with vases bursting with flowers, and huge chandeliers hang from the vaulted ceiling. Next to the stage, there is a beautiful dessert table with all sorts of sugary treats, and in the center of it is a towering, gargantuan wedding cake with a cascade of delicate sugar flowers wrapped around it that would make any Chinese-Indonesian bride happy.

It’s a scene straight out of the most prestigious wedding magazines. The guests clap and cheer and whistle as we walk in. The attention of over two hundred people is so overwhelming that my legs become watery and I would’ve fallen if I hadn’t been holding on to Nathan. I force myself to take a deep breath. We walk past the rows of clapping people and take our place at the front dining table. Annie and Chris are seated there and I give them each a hug and an air kiss.

“Where’s your family?” Annie says, her expression clearly puzzled and also disapproving.

It’s a good question. Where indeed?Probably somewhere in the meadow trying to convince a cow to eat someoneis not going to fly as an answer.

“Um, it’s a long story,” I say with an apologetic smile. “I think they’re—uh, a bit indisposed at the moment.”

Annie sniffs and exchanges a sneering look with Chris. It hurts. I know it shouldn’t, but it does. They’re my parents-in-law now, and I wanted so badly for everything to go well, to fit into Nathan’s lovely, functional family. I wanted them to embrace me and my family, to tell me I’m the daughter-in-law they’ve always wished for, and that my family is delightful.

“I suppose it’s just as well, isn’t it, dear?” Annie says to Chris, who shrugs cautiously.

I bite down on my lip so hard I almost draw blood.

“Mum,” Nathan says in a warning tone.

“What? They’ve been absolutely—”

The doors slam open again and Annie stops talking as my aunts and mother explode into the dining hall. I can’t help but smile at the sight of them. It’s true that they’ve been absolutely—whatever Annie was about to say—but they’re also my family and I would’ve been crushed if they missed my wedding reception. I’m about to rush over to give them each a big hug when Ma shifts, revealing something behind her. My blood freezes. My heart stops beating. All noise is suddenly muted.

Because right behind Ma, being pushed along by Second Aunt, is Third Uncle, still wrapped up like a burrito in the wheelchair. My brain implodes. They’ve brought along the guy they kidnapped to my wedding reception.

27

This can’t be real. It just can’t. I’m in a nightmare. A really long, really elaborate nightmare, but still a dream nevertheless. Just something my mind cooked up. Maybe I’m drunk. Maybe Ma slipped some of her TCM into my morning coffee and now I’m hallucinating. Yeah, that’s it. This entire day has been nothing but a hallucination. The question is: how the hell do I wake up from it?

I can do nothing but stare in absolute horror as my family makes their way down the aisle toward us. As usual, Fourth Aunt relishes the attention. She’s waving and blowing kisses as she walks. Big Aunt is striding like a matron off to catch a naughty kid, and Ma and Second Aunt walk along with their heads slightly bowed, obviously uncomfortable with all the attention. Third Uncle is still knocked out.

“Oh, is that your grandmother in the wheelchair?” Anniesays, forcing a smile. “How lovely and unexpected. I don’t recall seeing any grandparents on the guest list.”

“That’s um—it’s—my. Uh. Yeah.” I catch the frown on Nathan’s face and quickly say, “Yep, that’s my grandmother.”

Instead of dissipating, the frown grows deeper. “I didn’t know your grandma’s still around,” he says, clearly not buying my lie.

“Yeah, I rarely talk about her because she lives in Indonesia?” Goddammit, whenever I lie, the lie always comes out as a question. I’m pretty sure Nathan catches on to it too, because his eyes narrow for a second.

“Okay,” he says, finally. That look of disappointment weighs down his handsome features, cracking my heart like a chisel, and before I can say anything else, he turns away slightly.

This is the fucking worst. My hands ball up into fists. The last thing I wanted to do is to hurt Nathan, but obviously all the lies have done exactly that. Tears burn the backs of my eyes. I just—god. I just what? I don’t know what the hell to do, and anyway, there isn’t anything that can be done now. Not in front of our two hundred guests and his parents and Staphanie and Ama. All I can do is greet my family with false warmth when they get to us and say, loudly, “Ah, you’ve brought Popo! What a wonderful surprise!” before bending over to kiss Third Uncle on the cheek.

Annie approaches, hugging Ma and the aunts stiffly and giving them polite air kisses before stopping in front of Third Uncle. She bends over slightly and calls out, “Hello! Welcome to England!”

Of course, Third Uncle remains absolutely still. Annie glances at us, a hesitant smile on her face. “Er, it’s lovely to have you here!” she half-shouts at Third Uncle again.

“I think my grandmother is asleep,” I say quickly. “Long flight and all. Isn’t that right, Ma? Grandmother is asleep?”

It takes a moment for what I said to click with Ma. She blinks at me, mouthing the word “grandmother” very slowly. Then she brightens up and says, “Oh yes! Yes, grandmother. Yes, this our grandmother.”

Annie’s eyebrows shoot up into her hairline. “Oh my. So this is your great-grandmother? That’s incredible!”

“No, she’s my grandmother,” I cut in, then wonder why I felt the need to cut in. What does it matter whose grandmother we’re pretending Third Uncle is?

“Ah? Right,” Annie says. “Well.”

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