Page 45 of The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties

“No,” the caterer agrees. “Ish an impor—impor ish a big ’un.”

As I gape in powerless horror, Fourth Aunt bundles him into the minivan, then goes for the next caterer, ushering her in with a soothing voice. I turn to Nathan, who is gaping at Fourth Aunt and Ma like he’s seeing them for the first time. Shame shoots through my entire being. What he must think of my family right now.

When Nathan catches me looking, he schools his expression into something more neutral. “Well, your mom and aunt are... doing their best?” he says.

“They just drugged these people,” I hiss.

Nathan nods slowly. “Yeah...” He swallows, then takes Ma aside. “Ma, ah... can I ask, what was in that drink? I just want to make sure that there’s nothing dangerous in it.”

“Aduh, of course nothing dangerous,” Ma says. “Aiya, better don’t ask such questions lah. You kids don’t understand, we have to get Erjie back!” Her voice cracks then, and she glares at us through her tears. “We do anything to get her back.” Though her voice is slightly wobbly, the desperate strength behind it is clear.

“Oh, Ma.” I go to her and put my arms around her frail shoulders. “We’ll get her back. I promise. Just—please don’t drug anyone again, okay?”

Big Aunt is standing there staring as Abi and his driver carry the caterers and load them up into his minivan. It takes a while for her to regain her voice, and when she finally does, it comes out hoarse and wobbly, barely louder than a whisper. “I—you—you drug my chefs.”

“It’s okay, Dajie,” Fourth Aunt quickly says, linking herarm through Big Aunt’s. “We had to do it. They were never going to allow us all to tag along as part of their team, don’t you see? We would’ve been back on square one, with just you getting inside Kristofer’s house, the rest of us stuck outside, and what good is that going to do?”

Big Aunt takes a shuddery breath, looking unconvinced.

“And Sanjie is right,” Fourth Aunt continues. If I weren’t so shocked myself right now, I would be surprised by the fact that Fourth Aunt just agreed openly with Ma. “Our priority is to save Erjie. Nothing else matters. We would do anything for her. Anything!”

That seems to do the trick. Big Aunt nods slowly, her lips thinning into a firm line. She looks like she’s regained some of her resolve. “Please—” she calls out to Abi, who’s grunting as he lifts one of the caterers over one shoulder. Big Aunt hesitates for a second, emotions warring on her lined face. “Be careful. Don’t hurt them.”

“Yep, don’t hurt them, got it,” Abi huffs, out of breath, right before he carelessly drops the caterer onto the seat of his minivan. The caterer’s head lolls forward, the momentum causing his upper body to sag forward, and we all squeak and rush toward the poor guy, pushing him back upright.

God, could this whole thing feel any shittier? I feel like the worst kind of human right now. Despicable, awful. I couldn’t possibly feel any crappier than I do in this moment.

Then Fourth Aunt opens her mouth and proves me wrong.

“Right. Now we just gotta undress them.” Ignoring Big Aunt’s, Nathan’s, and my horrified expressions, Fourth Aunt winks at us. “Don’t you worry, I’ve got plenty of experience undressing people.”

Sure enough, it seems like only moments later, Fourth Auntstarts flinging pieces of clothing in our direction. Nathan catches the first one—a chef’s jacket—and almost drops it with a shiver. “It’s still warm.” He grimaces as he holds it up.

The mention of the warmth unnerves me. I get a flash of Ah Guan’s body, remaining warm for hours after we thought he had died. Before I can react, a pair of pants scythes through the air and smacks me right in the face. “Argh!” I bat them away frantically, as though they were a cobweb that I just walked into. Nathan bends over and picks them up.

“Last piece,” Fourth Aunt calls out, and flings an apron at us. “That set should fit you, Nathan.” She winks again before moving to the next caterer.

The flurry of uniforms flies out of the minivan in a steady stream, Nathan and I doing our best to catch them all before they fall to the ground. Before we’re even done gathering all of the clothes, Fourth Aunt climbs out of the van, wipes her brow with flourish, and spreads her arms with a wide grin. “Ta-da! Uniforms for everyone. You’re welcome.”

Are we supposed to applaud her? My mind warbles wildly at me. I suppose, as macabre as this whole thing is, Fourth Aunt has technically done something extremely vital, and she’s right. We now have uniforms and can finally get into Kristofer’s house to save Second Aunt.

Second Aunt. Right. Second Aunt, who is in the clutches of people who go around snatching little middle-aged ladies from their front lawns. The thought of this bolsters me. I can’t lose sight of the true purpose here: saving Second Aunt. It’s not about getting rid of a dead body this time, or outwitting the mafia. It’s about saving one of our own. And, I realize with a sudden rush of fierce love, Ma and Fourth Aunt are right. I would do absolutely anything to save any one of them. Druggingan entire catering company and putting on their uniforms? That’s nothing compared to the lengths I would go to when push comes to shove.

My grip on the uniform in my hands tightens. “Thank you, Fourth Aunt. I’ll go change now.” I stride around to the other side of the van for some modicum of privacy without looking back at Nathan. I can’t bear the thought of looking at him and seeing disapproval, or worse still, disappointment. I’m not a good person. I’m not as kind as him, as giving, as pure, as—

“Mind if I join you?”

I startle, my shirt already halfway unbuttoned. Nathan stands before me with a crooked half smile.

“So, this is kind of... out there, huh?” He starts unbuttoning his own shirt.

“Yeah.” I focus on taking off my shirt, unable to meet his eye. I feel so ashamed for dragging him into yet another of my family’s messes.

“You okay?” He takes off his shirt, and now he’s standing before me with his stupidly perfect abs on full display.

I take a deep breath and avoid looking at his abs because they’re so distracting. This is the time to do it. I have to say this. I have to give him an out. “You can sit this one out. I won’t hold it against you.”

“What? Meddy, look at me.” His eyes are somber, his jaw clenched, but—I realize with a start—not with anger. With worry. A lump forms in my throat. “Hey, we’re a family now. And you and your aunts—you’re exactly the kind of family I have always wanted to have. The kind of family that would burn down the world to protect one another. Do you realize what a privilege it is to be included in your family?”

---