Backstory
Bastard
Every story has some type of beginning but it’s not always labeled that way. Lives have a beginning and an end due to birth and death, but a story occurs when many of them are layered and woven together. The point is that labels are very often misleading, but for the sake of this piece, we have to start somewhere.
So we are going to begin at what appears to right in the middle of one story and the end of another. Well, the latter is unbeknownst to one of our main characters at the moment, but you’ll see why in a few lines.
The place was a university. No need for specifics; all that’s important is that it’s in the United States. Don’t worry, the story won’t happen there for very long, but it’s very important.
Chan Mei Lin was a twenty four year old Chinese young lady who is about to graduate university with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. She was not the best in terms of grades, but let's just say that her ideas landed her a full time job with Guangzhou International Business Incubator (GIBI). She was more than thrilled to have received the news about two weeks prior to graduation day, because it was the company she was striving to be a part of for the past five years of university when she first heard about it. The part where her boyfriend of three years was also a current employee of the branch in the States was also a nice perk.
How was he a current employee, you ask? Well, here’s a bit of back-story. The two met when Mei Lin got an internship at GIBI’s American branch during her sophomore year. It wasn’t some “love at first sight” , or the two accidentally bumping into each other and striking up a conversation where they realize they have a lot in common, or even the whole “you two are going to partner up for a project.” Nope, they met because they chose to have lunch around the same time as each other.
One afternoon, about a month into her internship, Mei Lin was exceptionally tired from the sudden week of exams and almost fell asleep in the middle of her sandwich. Before her body decided to doze off for her, Mei Lin pulled herself up to get herself a cup of coffee. She found herself pouring the last cold cup, and, not wanting to cause anyone the disappointment the lack of an afternoon cup of Joe, decided to dump the cold mug that she just poured for herself and looked around in the cabinets for the coffee. Seeing how she’d never had to eat or drink anything that this small break room had to offer, she had no idea where anything was. Luckily, no one was around to see her searching like a clueless ignoramus.
After about five cabinets, she found the coffee. What didn’t make sense to her was why the creamer and sugar and disposable cups were all in different drawers or shelves. Regardless, she made the coffee, and my word was it horrid. How do people drink this stuff? In fact, she asked that very question to the next person that walked in and took a mug of that black crap, straight.
“It has caffeine,” he said.
“So does the soda in the vending machines,” Mei Lin said.
“That has sugar in it, lots of sugar. Not to mention air,” he said.
“Sure tastes better than this.” Mei Lin decided to dump the rest of her cup in the sink.
“What do you expect? This is free. Of course it’s crap.” The man chuckled and then noticed that he’d never really seen this girl before. His first instinct was to stretch out his hand and introduce himself but he instead went with just introducing himself, seeing how it would be nice to start on less of a business impression. “I’m Victor Chang, what’s your name?”
“Mei Lin Chan.”
“You new?”
“No, I’ve been here for about a month or so.”
“College internship?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“What’s your major?”
“Biomedical Engineering; yours?”
“Business Administration.”
“Fun.”
“Ambitious.”
“You?”
“No, you. Your family the typical Asian family or are you honestly interested in this sort of thing?”
“The latter but it’s a perk for my folks. Your family typical?”
“You mean stereotypical?”
“That was your implication.”
“Yeah. Aren’t yours?”
“Came to the States about eight years ago, so yeah, they’re pretty—”
“Fresh off the boat?” Victor chuckled in asking.
“Traditional,” Mei Lin corrected. She wasn’t offended or annoyed; she was simply keeping up with the speed of the conversation.
Victor wasn’t sure what to think of five foot six girl that stood in front of him, but this is probably the longest he’d held a conversation with a female who wasn’t a superior. He laughed at her choice of words but that moment allowed her to glance up at the wall clock. “You’re leaving me here with this terrible brew?” Victor asked.
“My lunch break is over.” She went over to the table and packed away what was left of her sandwich. “It was nice meeting you, Victor.”
Mei Lin left with a smile before Victor could say a proper parting. You would think that that smile left Victor thinking about her all day, but Victor dismissed the thought of Mei Lin after concluding that he was likely never to see her again. Victor had taken an early lunch that day and seeing how he had never seen her before today in spite of her working here for a month, he realized that their encounter was by chance.
His theory was later confirmed the next day when he went to lunch at his usual time and saw the usual people and no Mei Lin. What surprised him was when he reached for his usual cup of horrid caffeine needed to get through the day. When he poured himself a mug, even the smell of it wasn’t repulsing, but rather, like coffee. He took a sip and his eyes widened at the rich taste.
Victor took his coffee black but he found himself looking in the cabinets for the tin that usually held the stale coffee grounds. But as he was searching, he couldn’t help but notice how clean and organized everything was. He had never had to open these cabinets before, but it wasn’t necessary for him to notice that something was different. He found the airtight tin of French coffee next to three different types of sugar and sweeteners and two different types of creamers. There were also Styrofoam cups, coffee filters and little red straw stirs. The shelf below had everyone’s mugs.
Confused, he asked those having lunch who made the much appreciated change. Some joked that the boss was finally concerned about personnel relations while others said that it’d been like that since this morning.
He found the next day that the cabinets had labels of where everything was and that they were fully stocked as well. Victor was suddenly not very hungry, or even thirsty, but rather intrigued. He spent his lunch looking through the intern database and found the girl that suddenly came to mind. He had no reason to suspect it had been her that did all of this. Why would she? She has nothing to gain from all this and if anything, she would lose. Surely this is out of her own pocket and what’s the point if no one knows what you did?
Victor was beyond confused, but that didn’t stop him from walking around the whole floor in search of her. He found her running errands for one of the employees, walking quickly through the maze of cubicles and weaving in and out of glass offices, handing them files and papers and getting things signed.
“Hey,” Victor said unsteadily, in hopes of getting her attention.
It didn’t work and Mei Lin kept walking. Victor followed her and eventually got the courage to reach out and tap her shoulder. Mei Lin turned around very quickly at the sudden contract and was startled once again when she saw the tall man standing behind her.
“Oh, hello.” Mei Lin wasn’t sure what else to say.
“You look tired.” Victor wasn’t sure why he said that but he realized that his comment was accurate.
“Stayed up studying. You don’t look too hot yourself either.” The mention of her exhaustion elicited a small yawn from Mei Lin’s throat, which she tried to cover with her free hand.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Victor asked. Why did I say that?
A small laugh escaped Mei Lin. “I’ll be fine, thank you though.”
“It’s not that bad anymore,” Victor said in attempt to stop Mei Lin from getting back to work.
“I believe you,” Mei Lin smiled as she walked away.
As you may have already guessed, it was indeed Mei Lin who improved the break room. It wasn’t for another week until Victor figured it out. He caught Mei Lin restocking the shelves one morning.
“Why are you doing this?” Victor asked. “You don’t even like coffee.”
“Sometimes it’s a necessary poison,” Mei Lin teased.
“You didn’t answer my question. You’re not getting anything from this, no one even knows it’s you, so—”
“Why can’t you accept the fact that there are indeed good things that happen for no reason?”
The question was blunt but eloquently presented. The soft questioning look on Mei Lin’s pallor had Victor open his mouth but without a response. He said the first thing that came to mind after a moment of hesitation, “Because humans are selfish creatures and we live in a competitive society with many strings attached.”
Mei Lin sighed in sympathy, for she had heard that answer in one form or another many times before. From her reaction, Victor knew that he had just said something stupid. “Generalization is a very sad thing. Please give everyone the time of day if they are deserving.”
Mei Lin got up on the account of the time and as a way of ending the conversation. “I’m giving you my time, aren’t I?”
Mei Lin smiled, “There’s no need to get defensive. My lack of eye contact should’ve told you that the advice wasn’t meant to shoot you down.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m not perfect, in fact, I’m far from it. However, I would like to prove to others that there are decent people in the world and good things can still happen just because. Maybe that’ll inspire others to be a bit less ‘selfish’ or at the very least, maybe that’ll make them feel better and less ‘attached.’”
Victor, after a few more encounters with Mei Lin, realized very quickly that it was simply part of her personality. She wasn’t blind to all that was cruel about the real world, but she wasn’t afraid to try to make it a bit better.
Victor also discovered that Mei Lin wasn’t always working when they ran into each other at the mall. He saw her laughing with two other girls as they walked through the food court. Victor decided against approaching her, not wanting to intrude, but she caught his eye and acknowledged him with a big smile.
“Who was that?” he heard one of her friends ask.
“Someone I work with,” Mei Lin said.
“He was kinda hot, why don’t you ask him out?” And that was all it took for the thought to be even considered by Mei Lin.
When they started to see each other on campus, it lead to study groups, and later, invitations to see a movie with each other’s friends. They were soon very well incorporated into each other’s friend groups.
Mei Lin was shy and very hesitant to make the first move. Seeing how Victor was kind and friendly to everyone, she couldn’t see how she was any different, and why he would agree to anything different with her. Ironically, the feelings were mutual in the sense of interest and in the sense that Victor noticed that Mei Lin was sweet and nice to all her friends, and he was no different. S/He’s just being nice to me because that’s how s/he is.
It wasn’t until a plan had fallen through did any progress occur. A small group of their friends were going to see a comedy show one night. One had to study; another was already out of town and the last two had to work. Of course, the news got to Mei Lin and Victor after they were already standing in line together.
“Bummer,” Victor said to himself after reading the final text aloud for the both of them to hear.
“You still want to see this?” Mei Lin asked.
Victor shrugged, “We’re already here, might as well—That is, if you want to.”
“Why not?”
The humor was crude and had adult content, but the play on words and innuendos left the two in a great mood.
“I didn’t think you would’ve laughed at that stuff,” Victor said after they got out of the venue.
“I love to laugh; it’s no fun being serious all the time.” Victor yawned and Mei Lin asked very slowly, “You want to get a coffee?”
“You hate coffee,” Victor said, confused as to why she would even suggest it.
“Your point?” Mei Lin asked lightheartedly, feeling a bit turned down. “I’m not the one yawning.”
Victor shrugged and they turned the corner into a small café. Mei Lin wasn’t tired, but she ordered herself mocha anyway. They sat in a booth, sipping their respective brews when Victor asked something that snapped Mei Lin’s eyes from the glass wall. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“Yeah, I told you, I love to laugh. How about you?”
“It was funny.”
Mei Lin snickered, “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“I like you,” Victor said quietly, causing Mei Lin to put down the cup she was about to sip from. “But you probably already knew that,” Victor said even more quietly.
The two stared at their cups, one not believing what Victor just said and the other regretting what he just said. Please say something.
Mei Lin eventually found her voice, “How could I?” Victor looked up while Mei Lin kept her eyes on the steaming beverage. The soft smile on her bowed head reassured Victor in his actions. “I don’t read minds, Vick.”
“No, you just make people smile, which is just as amazing.”
Mei Lin bowed her head even lower, letting her hair cascade a black curtain in attempt to hide the hot blush she felt creeping from her chest. The ripples from her cup told Victor that Mei Lin was doing her very best to keep her composure.
“Your turn,” Victor said. Mei Lin looks up a bit in confusion. “Tell me something I don’t know. Or rather, tell me something I don’t quite understand.”
“Shoot.”
“You go out of your way to help your friends, co-workers and even people you don’t know but from what I’ve seen, hardly any of that ever comes back to you—”
“What’s your point?” Mei Lin interrupted, not liking where this was going.
“Why do you still do it? Surely there’s even a reason behind your reasoning. Doesn’t it hurt when you don’t get what you give?”
Mei Lin shrugged, having heard this question many times before. “What are you going to do about it?” she asked nonchalantly, not expecting an answer.
Victor got up and joined Mei Lin on her side of the booth. Before she realized what had happened, Victor had his arms around Mei Lin in a gentle hug. Mei Lin didn’t move, in fact, she stiffened up. Victor didn’t let go until he felt Mei Lin relax and return the hug.
“I was being rhetorical,” Mei Lin mumbled.
“I was being serious,” Victor said, keeping one arm around Mei Lin’s shoulders.
Mei Lin felt stiff again, letting her hair fall between them. Victor wouldn’t have it this time and tucked the hair back behind her ears. The intimacy caused Mei Lin to blush, but Victor felt her shiver. “You—” What am I suppose to say? “You don’t need to do this.”
“Sure I do. You deserve to smile too.”
And sure enough, Mei Lin felt herself smiling. Victor pulled Mei Lin closer to him and hesitated before giving Mei Lin a kiss on the forehead. After they finished their coffee, the two walked to the nearest bus stop before showing the driver their student ID’s, letting them ride for free. Victor walked Mei Lin to her apartment door, hoping that he would get some more solid confirmation that the feelings were mutual.
“Did you have a good time?” Victor asked in an attempt to find out.
“Yeah,” Mei Lin said after finding her key. She unlocked the door but quickly pecked Victor on the cheek just as he turned to leave. “Thanks,” he heard her say before he turned around to a closing door.
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