In the middle of the night in the middle of the neighborhood you could clearly tell there was something serious happening even though the neighbors decided to ignore it and pretend nothing was going on. It was obvious that a sorrowful pain was tearing through amidst the bundle of houses.

“No! Please don’t! Let go of my mom! Mom!” a 10 year old Selina screamed as she ran forward extending her arm out in hopes of grabbing onto her mother.

“Let me go please! You can’t do this to me! I don’t want to go!” Selina’s mother pleaded as she tried to rip their arms off of her.

“Mom! Mom! Mom!” Selina screamed as loud as she could with big tear drops flowing out of her eyes.

“Don’t make this harder. Just come with us,” one of them said.

“No! Mom!” Selina shouted as she tried to remove their grip off her mom.

“Selina! Selina!” her mom shouted.

With only two women against three men it was useless. They were already dragging her mom toward the car parked by the narrow street. Realizing that her mother would be taken away in no time Selina roughly pushed herself forward.

“Woah! Hey little girl,” one of the men said as they gently pushed Selina away. “You can visit your mother anytime ok? Don’t chase us anymore.”

“Mom!” Selina cried as she tried to go forward once more.

“Selina!” her mother cried as they gently forced her into the car.

The car doors closed and the engine started and as the car started off slowly Selina made a run after them. All her wishes, all her hopes, and all of her dreams she could throw away if she could just get her mother back. Tired her legs stopped and she dropped onto the street. In the middle of the night in the middle of the street Selina sat there bawling her heart out.

Selina had fallen asleep on the cold floor after she had returned from the chase. As her vision cleared she rubbed her eyes to find her grandparents from her father’s side of the family leaning toward her.

“What happened? Where’s your mother?” her grandpa asked.

Selina sat there silently then it all came back in a flash. opened and she began sobbing.

“They took her away! Some people in the middle of the night came and took her away!” Selina cried.

A shocked expression appeared on her grandma’s face as she turned to look at Grandpa Ren. Selina couldn’t tell, but they had expected this to happen sooner or later.

“Do you think they really sold her?” asked Grandma Ren in a whisper.

“It’s too late. We can’t find her back now,” Grandpa Ren told then turned back to the young Selina. “Dear don’t cry anymore. Lets pack up your things so you can come with grandpa and grandma.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-

Her eyes were red, she looked unhappy, yet a friendly aura shone around her. However the 10 year old Jiro felt a dislike toward her.   

“Doesn’t your new mommy look nice?” asked the nanny beside Jiro.

Jiro stared hard at her and turned around to walk away.

*-*-*-*-*-*-

“Live here with us from now on,” Mr. Wang said sitting in his secluded office filled with bookshelves.

He was sitting behind a large brown oak desk looking calm and comfortable. The quiet sobbing woman stood before him just wanting to return back to her beloved daughter she was forced to leave behind.

“Why…why me?” she questioned with her shaky voice.

“My son needs a mother. You were the only one I could find,” he said.

“I still have a daughter…”

“Is that so?” asked Mr. Wang. “I didn’t know you had any children.”

“This is inhuman,” the woman began.

“If so you can go fetch her. You two can live here together,” Mr. Wang told. “However, you must love my son as if he were your own. You’ll be his mother from now on.” It was more of an order than a cautioning word of advice.

*-*-*-*-*-*-

Selina’s mother climbed out of the car and stopped to look at the house the next morning wondering how Selina was doing. She hoped someone was helping her feed her daughter. Mrs. Ren walked up to the house and knocked on the door. When she received no answer she pushed the unlocked door open and found that it was empty inside. Shocked and terrified she rushed in screaming her daughter’s name then scrambled into all the rooms to find them all vacant. She ran into her room to find a portrait of her with young Selina sitting on her lap on the little table by the bed. All she could do then was hold the photo tight and cry loudly.

*-*-*-*-*-*-

15 years later...

“Ow!” Selina yelped as she felt the oil jump out onto her hand.

She was frying pork at work. It must have been about the 11th time in two months that she’d burnt herself. The burn marks on her arms haven’t disappeared yet either. Selina sighed and took the last piece of pork out and into a box that was to be delivered to a customer.

“Ready to go!” Selina shouted as she placed the box on the counter.

Selina walked out of the store as she slipped her sweater on. Her job for the day was done. She was headed for her job interview next. Her dream job, actually. She had always wanted to work in an office firm managing papers, files, documents and so on. She had to hurry back home and change then head back out again.

She lived in a small apartment with her grandpa after her grandmother had passed away a few years back. She figured her grandpa must be sleeping because the house was dead silent. Making her way to her room Selina quickly chose an outfit and made her way out after she grabbed her car keys and headed out back. The car sitting alone in the lot was really old, but at least it was a car.

The business building was really spectacular and tall. Selina watched the automatic spinning doors for a minute then ran in like an excited little child. She waited by the elevator with a few other people and at the same time she wondered and thought of how awesome it would be to ride the elevator everyday if she were hired. It was a job she would die for.

Selina waited in a small room while she glanced through some magazines. Her name was called after a while and she was interviewed by an old man. She was asked questions she had expected. Besides it wasn’t her first time to be interviewed for such a job. Feeling lucky Selina thanked the interviewer as she walked out.

The elevator opened and Selina walked out, but as she made her way out a man came rushing in bumping into her. As they collided a bunch of binders flew out of his arms landing on the floor.

“Watch out! Move out of the way!” the man shouted as she grabbed the papers off the floor.

“What a rude fellow,” Selina said to herself. “Suits him to be late.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-

Jiro rushed up the elevator and down the long hallway into the office where Selina was just interviewed. Inside he found his father sitting behind the desk, hand over the other, waiting patiently for him. Jiro gritted his teeth knowing he would be getting a good lashing from his father.

“You’re late,” Mr. Wang told.

“I know,” Jiro replied.

“What were you up to last night? You didn’t come home,” Mr. Wang was obviously wanting an explanation from his son.

“Uh….” Jiro went on.

“Don’t uh me,” Mr. Wang warned.

Jiro made a face and turned away.

“You weren’t out drinking were you? Jiro! You know my standards about alcohol!” Mr. Wang scolded. “Your mother doesn’t have time to worry about you anymore. She’s getting terribly sick!”

“I never asked for her to look after me in the first place,” Jiro pointed out. “If you hadn’t been so worried about my growing up in the first place…”

“Jiro!” Mr. Wang yelled.

Jiro bit his lip, “Ok I won’t talk about those stuff.”

Mr. Wang sighed and got out from behind his desk, “You’re not allowed to leave until I leave.”

Mr. Wang opened the door to leave and as soon as the door closed Jiro slammed his binders onto the desk letting out a loud moan. He hated how his father was still controlling him as if he were still a teenager but he was worried about his mother. He never really liked her since the first night she had come to stay with them, but as time went on he got more and more used to her. Especially getting himself attached to her and soon through his eyes she was his mother. She was getting awfully sick a lot during the past days. It pained him to watch her lying so still in bed just coughing and trying not to complain about her headaches.

Jiro sat behind his desk and flipping open a binder he glanced at all the typed up papers. They seemed no fun at all. If only Ella were there or Chun. Since Chun and Ella’s breakup the three of them rarely hung out anymore. He felt guilty in a way, but he also reasoned that he never asked Chun to break up with Ella in the first place. Since it wasn’t his decision it shouldn’t matter to him right?

Still he made time for them. Sometimes he would hang with Chun and at other times he would be with Ella. She was like a perfect girl so honest, kind, and good with jokes. In any sad moment she could make a smile erupt on your face Jiro loved that part of her. He guessed that was what had made him attracted to her in the first place. When they were first introduced to each other he was having a really hard time especially since because his father was making him let go of his singing dreams. It was really hard and an unhappy experience for him to join the business industry, but Ella had made him smile. So he figured for his father who did everything for him this was one small thing he could at least do.

However life did not seem to let him stay happy. His emotions over Ella went through ramps. His feelings swung up and down whenever she would be with him and during times in which she tried to ignore him. Not once had she done anything for him that he wanted her to. Jiro refused to give her up. He just had that feeling that she was the one, that one person.  

There was a quick knock on the door giving Jiro a scare. Assuming it was his father he quickly crumpled up the piece of paper he was using to doodle on and tossed it into the garbage bin. The door opened and his father’s secretary walked in and Jiro let out a sigh of relief then blasted the secretary an annoyed look.

“Your father interviewed some people today,” the secretary told.

Jiro’s eyes moved from his face to the binder he was holding. He moaned silently knowing he’d have to go over some more papers.

“Your father has already made decisions about who he’s hiring to work in your department,” the secretary went on boringly as he opened the binder and place it before Jiro, “their information is all organized in here. As far as I know the president says they’ll begin work the day after tomorrow.”

“Oh…uh-huh,” Jiro mumbled as he flipped through the pages.

Just some average looking man and some middle aged woman. It was really no fun for him.

“Alright I’ll arrange for some training then. You can leave,” Jiro said sticking his pen into his mouth.

As the door closed Jiro leaned back into his seat holding up the binder.

“No, no. How come dad only picks people who are old and ugly?” Jiro asked flipping through the pages.

He stopped as he flipped to the next piece of paper. His eyebrows went up and he leaned forward taking the pen out of his mouth.

“Selina Ren,” he read the name aloud. “She has the same surname as my mother. What a coincidence.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-

Finally the day was over. Chun leaned back with a stretch and got up from his chair grabbing his jacket which hung on the back of the chair. After slipping it on he walked out of his office, bid farewell to his employees, and walked out. He had planned to go on straight home, enjoy a nice warm shower, and just go to sleep. However, his plans quickly changed after he stepped out of the building. Outside by the door Ella was waiting for him. She clutched onto her purse greeting him without even turning her head to look at him.

“Did you have a tiring evening?” Ella asked.

Chun stopped and turned to see her leaning against the building. He didn’t say anything.

“If you’re kind enough would you join me for dinner?” Ella questioned.