Planned Lie
"Thank you," Xiao Ping says while thinly nods to the driver that delivers her to where she stands now. The man replies with a nod before drives the car to rives the silence of the morning that still has purple sky. Xiao Ping stands still for a moment after the car disappears on the corner of the road, then she turns around and approaching her bicycle that has waited loyally in front of the internet cafe.
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With a thumping heart, Xiao Ping opens her house front door. "Xiao Ping!" her mother greets, full of relieved approaching her. Xiao Ping's head quickly drops down deep when she sees her father, doesn't move from the dining chair, is just staring dagger sharp at her with a stiff jaw. "I..am home," Xiao Ping says so weak, not even dare to raise her head.
"Why do you even bother to go home ?! You don't need to go home !! We don't have people who worry about you here. There is no mother who didn't sleep all night long. No father who wandered around the city in the middle of the night to find you !!" Mr. Yuan suddenly roars making Xiao Ping almost jumps in scared.
Loud creek of the dining chair as if represented Mr Yuan's rage. He stands and approaches Xiao Ping. "What kind of a child are you ?! You were forbid to come home late yet you come home in the morning, huh !! How can you break all the rules !! Don't you consider me anymore ?! You dare to disobey now ?!!" Mr. Yuan is thundering, getting more and more emotional while pointing at Xiao Ping's face.
"I'm not, Dad.. I'm not.." Xiao Ping is stammered due to fear. But that doesn't calm down her father's anger. "Who taught you, he ?!! That Yu Jin ?!!" Xiao Ping shakes her head hard. "No, Dad.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.. I really didn't mean to," Xiao Ping answers, slowly sags until she sits on the floor because her legs feel so weak. She then sobs. Her mother joins her on the floor and strokes her hair lovingly.
"Where have you been, Xiao Ping ? We were so worry. Your father was searching for you all night long, to the cafe, to Er Hua's, also to Yu Jin's, but you weren't anywhere. Where were you ?" Mrs. Yuan gently asks.
"I... I...," while calming her cry, Xiao Ping's mind and heart have a war. It is impossible for her to tell her parents the truth. IMPOSSIBLE ! But she has never been good in lying, and she never lied to her parents.
"I.. Yesterday Takeshi came to Taipei. I .. I tried to meet him," she confesses. "Takeshi, Takeshi !! All you think of is your stupid idol until you forget your family ?!" Mr. Yuan snaps. "My husband," Mrs. Yuan whispers and gives her husband a warning sight for not using harsh words. Xiao Ping doesn't say a word. A part of her heart is hurt when her father called Takeshi stupid, but she knows why he did that.
"Where did you sleep last night ? Did you willing to sleep on the street for your idol ?" Mr. Yuan asks sounded more like attack. "I.."
A phone rings, cuts Xiao Ping's sentence. At first no one moves to receive the call. The phone is still ringing. Finally Mr. Yuan stands and accepts it. Xiao Ping doesn't dare to raise her head. she can only hear her father mumbles some "Yes", "I see", "Hmm", "Okay", and "Thank you" to the caller. She doesn't even realize when her father has finished the call.
"Your friend Xu Qian. She said she insisted you to sleep over in her house last night. Was it true ?" Mr. Yuan asks with a much softer voice. Xiao Ping is stunned a bit, then nods in doubt. "A..after seeing Takeshi I went to her house," she answers weakly. Xiao Ping drops her head down, doesn't dare to show the lie that definitely is captured on her face.
Mr. Yuan sighs. "Why didn't you call ?" he asks again. "I forgot. Forgive me," Xiao Ping regrets. This time she is not lying. Mr. Yuan makes a log sigh.
"You know, we were so worry about you. You are a girl. If anything happened ..." with her head stays low, Xiao Ping listens to her father's advice. In the same time, Mrs. Yuan is silently looking at Xiao Ping with sad stare. For the first time, her daughter lied.
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Before closing his cellular's flip, Yu Jin said thank you to the one across the cable. Meanwhile his feet keep on walking to leave Xiao Ping's aisle.
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Xiao Ping lies on her bed with a glare on the ceiling. She doesn't understand weird thing that is happening to her. Less than five minutes ago, her father was throwing rage on her. Even worse, she lied. She should feel sad and guilty. And.. actually she did. But, once she lied her tried body on the bed then accidentally saw Takeshi's face on the wall, her smile immediately raises and her sadness slowly goes away, replaced by the memory of her and her boyfriend.
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A soft tap on the cheek woke Xiao Ping from her sleep. Once her eyes were opened, for a few seconds she thought her self was still dreaming. Takeshi laid right next to her, stared at her face with a calm sight.
"Good morning," Takeshi greeted while holding a smile. "Oh .. Eh .. Good morning," Xiao Ping mumbled with a closed lips, remembered she hadn't brushed her teeth. Takeshi's smile widened to see her cute act.
"Wow," Xiao Ping murmured once she saw the sky is no longer as dark as the last time. There was a splash of red light near the horizon line that produced a color gradation of red-purple around it.
"Beautiful, isn't it ?" Takeshi asked for her agreement while putting his arm around Xiao Ping's body. The girl nodded. Timidly she leaned her body to Takeshi's chest. He sticked his face to Xiao Ping's hair and kissed her head.
"They said, when a couple see the breaking of dawn together, they will last forever," Takeshi whispered to Xiao Ping's hair. Xiao Ping turned to him just to give him a smile full of happiness and a hopeful sight of the myth.
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While holding on the passenger' seats on his right and left, Hiroshi walks through the narrow plane aisle. Once he arrives at his sear, Hiroshi halts his will to sit and grins to see a wide smile on Takeshi's sleeping face. When the airplane took off at 6.30 this morning, the Japanese idol immediately fell asleep. No wonder because Takeshi admitted that he had no sleep last night. Hiroshi had no idea what they were doing on the roof top, but it seemed to be something that so delightful as to be carry away in the idol's dream. Afraid to wake Takeshi up. Hiroshi carefully sits next to Takeshi then sighs. As a friend he is very happy to know that Takeshi has moved on and has new girlfriend. But ... Hiroshi purposely doesn't want to destroy Takeshi's happiness by reminding him about the consequence he will have to face. Hiroshi glances at Takeshi and sighs again. Well.. let me think about the solution by my self, Hiroshi says inwardly.