Jiro raised one eyebrow then said, “Naza and I were friends since high school. This is how I knew of the wedding.”

Naza turned to look at Jiro without a frown.

“Is that so? I’m sorry then.” the bride apologized. “Make yourselves feel welcome.”

“Xiao Er! They’re waiting for you!” a voice called.

“I’ll be right there!” the bride shouted back then turned to Hebe. “You have to wait for the wedding to finish before you leave, alright?”

Hebe nodded and watched as her cousin rushed off with her husband. She turned to Jiro who was just taking a breath of relief.

“The world’s pretty small.” Hebe commented. “I never knew you were classmates with Naza.”  

So she hadn’t caught on. Jiro stretched his arms with a funny smile.

“Oh,” Jiro laughed hiding his sigh of relief, “what a coincidence huh?”

Jiro looked around a bit more and recognized Hebe’s step brother standing not too far away with some family members, a cup of champagne in his hand. He was laughing about something they were talking about. Since it was a wedding Jiro decided to hold back on his curious questions, get rid of his investigation for the moment, and led Hebe over to a table where they sat with some others they didn’t know.

Once the music began playing Jiro watched and turned to see Hebe smiling happily for her cousin. Had she been just as happy when she married Aaron? Jiro turned away and this time his eyes landed on Mr. and Mrs. Tian who were looking over. Had they been watching Hebe the whole time? Jiro smiled and nodded at them, another sudden idea appearing before him.

After the new wedded couple had exchanged vows, their rings, and cut their cake, the orchestra began playing a concerto. Jiro had never been to a wedding ceremony before and had only seen the basics in TV and read about it in the newspaper. When others began getting up to gather and dance at the front with their partners Jiro began looking around.

“Jiro, do you…” Hebe began.

Jiro turned back to her suddenly asking without thinking, “Would you like to dance?”

Hebe sat silent for a moment and nodded with a smile. Jiro took her hand leading her to the dance floor. He didn’t know how long they were up there for, but all he could recall after he had returned to his seat was the way her eyes had looked at him, and the sudden feeling of electricity running through him.

When the sky had darkened and after the last toast the venue began to empty. Jiro waited behind a bit before he turned to Hebe who still kept beside him. Whether she wanted to or not and whether she’d hate him or not Jiro decided it should be a thing done. Her parents should be given a chance to reunite with their daughter and Hebe should let go of the anger she’d held within herself.

“H…Hebe there’s someone I’d like to take you to see,” Jiro said turning to her.

Hebe looked at him, “Who?”

“You’ll find out,” Jiro said extending his hand out for her to take.

As she took his hand Jiro came to another conclusion about her. She was naïve. A kid, an adolescent still growing up, a girl who wanted someone to correct her wrongs. He gently gripped her hand as he slowly walked around the empty venue hoping that her parents were still there. He circled around the empty seats where the orchestra had sat earlier and as he passed under the vine tree he could feel Hebe slowly grasp his hand. Just up ahead was the large table where the bride and groom had cut their cake. It was being cleaned up and taken down. Six shadows stood in the dark and among them were her parents.

“Sir,” Jiro’s voice came through the silence.

Hebe stood by Jiro with a smile wondering who Jiro wanted to show to her. Mr. and Mrs. Tian turned around, the moonlight highlighting their faces. The three of them suddenly lost their current expressions. During that moment it seemed as if the world spun around only them. The chatter of the birds earlier in the day had died by now and the sun was low in the sky. It really felt like they were giving Hebe and her parents the environment they needed to talk.

Jiro felt Hebe tug her hand out of his, but he held onto her hand even more tightly. If he let her go she’d just run away. Hebe tried to pry his hand off of hers, but lost the strength.

“Liar. You lied. You set me up!” Hebe assumed looking up at him with tears growing in her eyes.

Jiro bit down on his lower teeth, the outline of his jaw stood out among his face.

“Hebe,” her step mother walked over slowly.

“Don’t!” Hebe shouted suddenly scaring her step mother who flinched.

“We only wanted to see you,” Mr. Tian told.

“You set me up! You told him to lie to me!” Hebe screamed.

“It’s not their fault Hebe,” Jiro tried to explain.

Hebe turned her face away with angry tears. She hadn’t wanted to see them. Ever since college, ever since their disappointment about her being pregnant, but their joy of seeing the twins, and then their disappointment about the twins’ disappearance. Hebe didn’t know why she was so angry about it, but the fact that her mother had left her to become another woman’s daughter made her angry. And Jiro, on the other hand, who had brought her there…

“Hebe, listen to me,” Jiro said putting his hand on her shoulder and turning her to face him, “remember that night you were talking to me about my family, your family?”

Hebe kept her eyes glued to the ground.

“You know what I mean don’t you?” Jiro asked, his voice soft. “You know what to do. I’ll be in the car.”

Hebe felt his hand slide off her shoulder and his hand release hers suddenly feeling as if she should have grasped onto his hand to hold it a bit longer. He turned to her parents with a small bow and walked away. Hebe turned slightly to watch him then returned her eyes to the ground.

“Dear…” her father started.

They were silent for the longest time. Emotions and flashbacks ran through Hebe's mind in an instant. Arguments, her step mother’s favorite plates she’d thrown on the ground, the homework she’d tossed away before going off to school, and eavesdropping on the conversation about her real mother. The time when she had run away from home and almost died a week a later when she returned home to the wait of her father’s arms. Her silent resentment toward them both and the regret she’d hidden inside. She wasn’t able to say anything about it because it had been hard growing up in the house where she knew her mother had countless affairs. The many affairs that proved she didn’t love her father. It didn’t take long to realize in college that she’d ran from the truth and remained a child to the world because she didn’t want to get hurt anymore. Because she wanted someone to love her, make her feel like she was the luckiest girl on earth, and she wanted a harmonious family that would remain together, she never returned home.   

“I’m sorry.” Hebe apologized as she turned to them. “I know you guys understand…I haven’t been good. I’m sorry...dad, mom. I’m so sorry.”

Tears crept in her step mother’s eyes when Hebe had began to sob her suffocating sobs.

“Go ahead and cry.” Mr. Tian said as he pulled them both into a hug. “We don’t need anymore of this cold war between us. We’re sorry too.”

Hebe had never realized that such small, short words could mean so many things, hold so many meanings behind them. She didn’t need to say it all out because they were the parents that watched her grow up. Just looking at each other and realizing that there was no distance between them told it all. All the regrets and sorrow. Maybe it was as Jiro had said before. Those two strings born between children and their parents were like…empathy.    

After bidding her parents goodbye Hebe found her way back to the car where Jiro was waiting patiently. How in the world had she ever come across such a person? Jiro unlocked the door for her when he saw her.

She smiled brightly at him.

“How’d it go?” asked Jiro already aware of how it had gone.

“Can we go for some ice cream? It’s on me.”

After buying two ice cream bars from the convenience store Hebe led Jiro down a small path in a park behind tall trees that reached up into the far sky.

“I thought you just wanted some ice cream,” Jiro said, “but we’re also here.”

Hebe walked toward a bench and sat down. Jiro sat down beside her. The two of them sat beside one another just gazing up at the stars.   

“I don’t know why but you’re the first,” Hebe said.

First what? Jiro had spaced out for a moment and wondered whether he had missed something she had said. Jiro turned to look at her only to be shocked by the kiss she placed on his lips. His heart raced, it jumped, it skipped a few beats.

“You speak in short words that are filled with the meanings you want me to understand,” Hebe said, “you’re the first that I really listened to. Thank you.”

Jiro still felt lost even as Hebe turned to stare at the sky. What?