When Fate Knocks (and Mom Answers)
Chapter 9
You are reading The Misadventures of Endora Pan, a romantic comedy exploring the unpredictable nature of love and the chaos of everyday life. Set in the world of a young Taiwanese-American woman, this story delves into themes of self-discovery, cultural identity, and finding connection in unexpected places. Written in a witty, self-aware style, this novel is for readers looking for a light-hearted yet emotional read.
This less-than-omniscient narrator was mistaken in her last statement. A thousand apologies. Endora would never think of herself as a loser. Clumsy, she may be, but a healthy ability to laugh at herself, she has in abundance.
Still, all Endora’s self-confidence would need to be called upon at this moment as her eyes took in the state of the kitchen. Despite their love for Jesus, the Pan family was not one of those Christians that believed cleanliness was close to godliness. Chi Jun also did not share her daughter’s aesthetic tastes. Oil-splattered brown cabinets adorned the light purple walls. Try as she might, Endora could not convince her mother to repaint the atrocious walls. Aluminum foil covered the gas stove, on which a huge pot rested. Barely an inch of the counters could be seen.
“Endora, 去叫弟弟下來吃飯了(Tell your little brother to come down and eat)！” Chi Jun said.
Grasping at this opportunity to get out of Dominic’s line of vision, our woebegone heroine all but scurried out of the kitchen. She stomped up the narrow stairway to the second story, knowing all too well her brother would be playing video games at the computer area near the top of the stairs with his headphones on. If Max was home for once, that is where he’d have planted himself.
Endora resisted the urge to smack Max on the back of the head to get his attention. She could pretend it was Dominic’s head. But no. It would not do to have a scene with her sworn enemy in the house.
She took the mature route and tapped him on the shoulder instead. “Dinner.”
Max pulled his headphones off. “Huh?”
“Dinner!”
“Okay! Geez!”
Following a sulky brother back down the stairs and feeling rather sulky herself, Endora found herself trying and failing to avert her eyes from Dominic’s tall figure, which was bent over the steaming pot as Chi Jun chatted animatedly to him. He’s chubby, Endora thought to herself with bitter resentment. Like a teddybear, her mind interjected. But like, an ugly one.
“Who’s this?” Max’s voice interjected her thoughts. “Mom! Did you pick a random neighbor off the street for dinner again??”
“Why do you have to make us sound like a bunch of vampires?” Endora yelled.
Chi Jun whipped around. “You don’t talk to your mother like that!” she said, waving the spatula and adding 獅子頭 juice splatter to the cabinet veneer. Chi Jun turned back to stirring, and in a milder tone to Dominic, added, “We don’t eat our guests.”
Max rolled his eyes. “We just overfeed them.”
Meanwhile, Dominic’s eyes had flicked back and forth. He closed his mouth as though he’d just noticed it hanging open.
Endora noticed and glared at him. “So are you just slacking off during work hours, or what? Do you always accept random invitations to tea from package recipients?”
Dominic forced a laugh. “To be honest, your mom didn’t give me a chance to turn her down. And I delivered your package last on purpose for my route. I didn’t want to be rushing off while trying to apologize.”
“Such a nice boy,” Chi Jun murmured.
The “nice boy” must have noticed some softening in Endora’s glare, because he continued while rubbing his elbows. “I did want to say sorry for the chocolate, and for yelling at you at the gym the other day. It wasn’t a great move. Hope you’ll come back sometime and you can punch me in the face for real.”
It worked. A laugh burst through Endora’s lips, to her absolute horror.