Page 3 of Love Hollow at Last
Noah was instinctively annoyed.If she had any idea the amount of work he had put into the event, the amount of time, the tiny details that seemed to take days to work out… But she was a typical academic, just sitting there, expecting her idealism to get things done.
“Deal,” said Emi, whipping her hand out of the zip tie and standing up.“More coffee, Twyla.There’s a good girl.”
Twyla squinted at her.“I don’t really have to listen to you, Emi.You’re not that much older than me.”
“But I’ll always be older than you.That’s the point,” said Emi.“I’m that thing.I forget what it’s called.Kouhai?”
“Senpai,” said Aya and Noah at the same time.Their eyes met, and they looked away.
“The rock needs to stay,” said Aya quickly.
Noah shook his head, hoping his voice sounded firm.“We’ll talk about it.I’m sure my assistant?—”
“We’ll come by your parents’ house later, Noah,” said Emi.She took some nail clippers out of her pocket, snipped Aya free of her zip tie, and gave him a jaunty wave.“See you then!”
3
Aya
The Love Hollow historic downtown was made for tourists, though they usually only had an influx in the summer months, and in recent years, that tide had slowed to a trickle.The streets were full of historic buildings, and after the mall had closed, some of the storefronts had been rehabilitated.Throughout that time, the Changs had kept their restaurant going, and they had always lived in the two-bedroom upstairs.One of the problems with their relatively small apartment was a lack of kitchen space, so they used the restaurant for all their personal cooking.
That virtually guaranteed that anyone who dropped in would get to eat amazing food.Twyla led them right in the back door, and Mama Chang fussed over all of them.
“Only three of you,” she said.“Not eight!You won’t be lucky.”
Twyla gave a wry grin.“Emi is lucky, I guess?Right?”
Mama Chang understood immediately.“Ah, Emi!Yes, you did get married, you lucky girl.But you married so quickly!What?You didn’t want your friends to be bridesmaids?Why the rush?No shotgun wedding.I can see that.You’re too skinny.”
Emi gave a tight smile.“It was an efficient wedding.I didn’t have that much time between finishing residency and starting work.”
“Enough time to get married,” said Mama Chang.
Twyla, ever the reporter, gave her a curious look.“I’m sure there’s more to that story, Emi.”
“If there is,” said Emi a little sharply, “I don’t plan on sharing it.”
Mama Chang only smiled, shaking her head as she walked back to the kitchen.
Twyla sat back, looking stung.She might be a reporter, but Aya knew that Emi had always been gentle with her.Aya looked between them for a moment.
“Emi,” she said slowly.“Why did you come back?”
For the first time, Aya realized that Emi was in a very tender moment.She was a newlywed.Yet almost as soon as she returned from her brief honeymoon, Emi had come back to Love Hollow alone.Why isn’t she with Charles, cherishing the rare moments of time they might spend together?
“I came for you,” insisted Emi.“What are you still doing here, Aya?My education took forever, but it’s over now.What happened to yours?”
Aya was silent for a minute.“We’re only twenty-eight,” she said.“Lots of people finish doctorates in their forties.”
“You’re not lots of people,” said Twyla.“Xiexie, Mama Chang!”
The women gave a chorus of thank-yous as a scallion pancake appeared on the table.It had arrived so quickly that either Baba Chang had made it while Mama Chang interrogated the newlywed, or they were simply serving up the food intended for their own breakfast.But Aya knew it would be useless to protest.
The pancake was quickly followed by three bowls of tomato-and-egg-noodle soup.Aya, Emi, and Twyla had been raised on Japanese and American cuisine, so they couldn’t handle it when Mama Chang made dishes that were authentically spicy.They loved the blander Chinese staples, though.
“I don’t have time to finish my doctorate,” said Aya.“I’m running the museum singlehandedly.”
Twyla hid her grin as she slurped noodles, but Aya noticed.
