As long as...
7 pm. The clock chimed as she laid out the plates and cutlery on
the table. He's going to be home soon, she thought. She looked
around and surveyed the table, satisfied that everything was neatly
placed. Checking the time again, she walked towards the kitchen and
checked on the meal. The soup is simmering just nicely now, ready
to be served once he is back.
She walked over to the kitchen counter and laid a few pieces of
sliced ginger on the fish. That should take care of the fish, she
thought. She knew how much he loved steamed fish with ginger.
Footsteps at the door told her that he has come home. A click, a
rattle, and the door was opened. He came in smiling at her, after a
hard day's work. He dropped his jacket on the couch, gave her a
kiss on her forehead and went into the room to shower. She smiled
back and proceeded to put the fish into the wok to steam. It will
be ready by the time he has showered and is ready for dinner.
She took out the ladle and served the soup into a large soup bowl
for sharing. She brought the bowl out and placed it in the centre
of the small round dining table. She then walked back into the
kitchen and brought out a dish of freshly fried tofu and green
vegetables in oyster sauce.
As she served the rice into the small porcelain rice bowls, a smile
graced her face, satisfied that she has cooked a wholesome meal for
her love, once again. Just as she did everyday, even on those days
when he did not come back for dinner.
Having placed everything on the dinner table, she checked on the
steamed fish. It was perfectly cooked, not too rare and not
over-steamed. She brought out that last dish and surveyed the table
once more.
He's still in the shower, she thought. She turned around and picked
up his jacket for the laundry basket. A whiff of jasmine fragrance
caught her nose and there was a tinge of color on the smart black
jacket. Red.
Again, she thought. Her smile stayed on her face. So long as she
doesn't see her, she thought. She still loves him, as she always
did when they first met, when they got together, when they got
married. As long as it is not in this house, she thought. As long
as she is still the one he comes home to, she thought. It does not
matter what she saw, what she smelled. She loves him and that was
enough for her. He comes home to her and that was enough for her.
She knows but he does not have to know she knows. That was enough
for her.
The smile stayed on her lips as a tear flowed in her heart.
