sea of light

   

"That woman is just like you, TianTian." Tianya's mother, Musha, stated with a chuckle.

"What do you mean, Ma?" Tianya asked while casting her mother a curious look.

"Still so young, but worrying about so many things when you don't need to. You need to live life and be in the present. Not worry about the future or the past."

"C'mon, Ma. I have to worry about you. Who will? Dad died several years ago and you live alone."

"I'm still kicking, aren't I?" Musha mused as Tianya rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes."

She still cast her mother a worrisome look while squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"I still worry and I've been busy lately."

"TianTian, relax, it should be the other way around."

"I know, but still."

"I know, darling, I know."

Tianya aided her mother to her doctor for her mohter's monthly checkup. After that the duo were at the bus stop awaiting their respective bus so that Tianya could take her mother home after picking up the prescribed medication her mother needed to take.

"Ma, you have to make sure to take your medication, okay?"

Tianya reminded her mother as they waited for the bus to arrive.

"Doctor Kong said you have to watched your stress level. You're not getting any younger."

"Aiya, TianTian, stop fussing about me. I'm an old woman. I know what to do and how to care for myself." Her mother dismissed her own health notion as she shot her daughter a look.

"You should worry more about yourself. You should be married by now and giving me grandchildren."

"Ma."

Tianya shook her head with a laugh while taking a hold of her mother's arm and leading her onto the bus.

"William and I haven't even talk about such things, yet alone about having kids."

She helped her mother settled into an empty seat before taking the one seat beside her.

"If it happens, then it happens."

"Psh."

Her mother made a face upon hearing her daughter's words.

"I'm not getting any younger, TianTian. The two of you have been dating for seven years now."

"Ma, it's only four years today."

"What else can I do? I have nothing better to do, but sit around and watch the TV all day."

Musha sighed heavily.

"It's boring doing nothing, TianTian. I miss tending to my garden every morning and evening."

"Don't worry, Ma. Your health will return to normal and you'll be out and about tending to that lovely garden of yours in no time. Anyways, I think the day will come sooner than you think before you know it about me and William."

Tianya smiled as she remembered seeing a tiny black velvet box in the backseat of William's car the other day when he had picked her up for work in the morning.

"Soon, Ma. Very soon. Just you wait."

She patted her mother's hand and reminded her about her medicatin.

"Make sure to take your medication tonight, too. I won't be home as I'll be celebrating my anniversary with William, alright?"

"Alright. Just make sure he finally proposes to you this year."

"Ma."

"I'm just saying. That's all."

"Ma."

"Okay. Okay."

S.

Later that night Yasmine got ready to celebrate hers and WIlliam's two year anniversary. She wore a very stylish white top over black skinny jeans, and cute black and white Converse heels to match. Yasmine tried to maintain her energy as she was usually mellow and calm about almost everything in her life, but something like this was a bit different.

Yasmine was just becoming extra excited as she believed tonight would be the night where her long-awaited vision of marriage becoming true. Her family was doing well and so was her job at the bank. Of course she lived a very normal life and at first thought she was too average and maybe weird for William, but their time together over the course of two years had changed her view of that. Or so she believed.

Upon arriving at the high-end restaurant, Yasmine couldn't believe her eyes due to the fact that they were at the Skylight Terrance where it took months to even reserve a reservation. Her heart thumped rapidly against her chest as she was overcome with anxiousness and silent excitement. Yasmine tried to remain tranquil as possible as she didn't want to get a head of herself now.

The evening went wonderfully and beyond Yasmine's expectations of it. William was charming, attentive, and complimented his girlfriend here and there with lots of small kisses to her knuckles every so often. She was a cute mess and she nearly forgot about the whole proposal until their date was coming to an end.

Unfortunately, nothing happened afterwards of what Yasmine assumed was going to occur that night. There was no special dessert, candlelight mood, or musicians playing a special song. No William getting up from his seat to kneel on one knee in front of Yasmine ready to propose to her and spend the rest of his life with her. There was no tiny black velvet box presented in Yasmine's sight to gasp at the item inside.

Instead, she was sent home with a quick kiss to the lips, and left feeling like it was just like any other date that they had in the past. William didn't mentioned their anniversary. Yasmine hoped that he would say something as she was the one that normally said stuff concerning their status and the likes. Yasmine felt that in every romantic expectation, the guy would take the lead and that night it made her realized that William had never done such things in their relationship.

Of course he showed her that he care when others were around and doing this and that whenever she invited him over to visit her parents. Then she realized that she had never met his parents yet or even brought it up. Yasmine shook the thoughts away while letting out a slow breath as she entered her house and up the stairs to her room in a quiet manner.

Almost like she was on auto-pilot, Yasmine went about her nightly routine like normal while scenarios played throughout her mind. She briefly bid her parents a good night and just told them it went well when they asked her how the date was with a smile. Yasmine didn't want to worry them since it wasn't something that shouldn't concern them. This was her own situation to deal with.

While settling into her comfy bed with the covers pulled close to her chin, Yasmine wondered if sh