Chapter 41.2: My sister is a strong lady
"Welcome back Ivy!" Ryu pulled her in for another hug, squashing her into his chest while she screamed in joy as Auntie Soh stepped out of the kitchen with bowls of chili noodles.
After lunch, Auntie Soh suggested for Ivy to lead her family to visit her grandma's house while Andrew and Sandra were excused from joining them any further.
On the way, Peter held on to Ivy's hand as they walked. "The old roads still look the same…" He said as they took the last set of stairs up to her grandma's house. Ivy noticed her brothers were far ahead of them. She also realised she had addressed them as her brothers in mind subconsciously.
"Yes there weren't many developments…" Ivy said shyly.
"Ai Lee…" Peter called out softly as he stopped his track and Ivy turned around to find him standing below her on the stairs. She noticed he had been calling her second chinese name by another syllable but she didn't want to bother about it just yet. "Yes?" She replied politely.
"Would you bring me to visit your grandma?" Peter asked with a pleading voice which Ivy instantly smiled and nodded.
"I will… Tomorrow, is that alright?" Ivy offered as Peter was reminded of the purpose of his trip and the meeting he has with Jason.
"Ai Lee… In fact, I have something I need to discuss with you and it will determine if we will have to meet this guest tomorrow… but since it would be dinner, we could make the trip to visit her in the morning?" Peter explained as Ivy raised an eyebrow; half curious at what they would be discussing but decided to wait till he told her about it later as she nodded to his arrangements. They both continued to walk up the stairs to where her brothers were looking up in the air with their mouths each gapping as they stared at the huge ugly plushie bear's head popping out of the roof.
Ivy noticed the shock faces of everyone including her father as she shyly explained while scratching her head. "Sorry… it's hideous I know but that's the only way to stop the rain from flooding inside…" There were awkward grimaces from all of their faces as Ivy quickly tried to think of ways to distract them..
"Where will you all be staying?" Ivy squeaked, trying to change the topic as she wondered if she could make them all stay in a rather cramped and run down place. Ryu heard her question as he answered skeptically. "The hotel?"
"That would be alright… I'm afraid it will be too cramped for so many of you here…" Ivy smiled as she tried leading them to the side of the house but none of them was barging as they still couldn't get over the sight of the bear. Peter had to clear his throat to distract his sons.
"Why don't you come and stay with us too in the hotel just for tonight? After all, it would be easy for us to arrange to visit grandma tomorrow?" Peter suggested as Ivy pondered a while before nodding.
"Then… I will pack some stuff first while you all wait inside here…" Ivy led them into the glass door house which Jin gladly went in and took a seat. As for Ryu and Ray who looked at each other, they had a mutual understanding and were more keen to explore the interior of the house. At that sight, Ivy smiled and knew their intention.
"Or you could come in to the house too…" She dug for her house keys as she unlocked the side door and quickly went to pack while Ryu and Ray stepped in with Peter. Peter instantly caught sight of the picture of himself and his second wife with Ivy under the aurora sticking onto the kitchen's refrigerator. The boys noticed their father was staring in one direction as they peered to find the picture of their mother at the kitchen's refrigerator.
"Mom knew about Ivy?" Ryu asked Peter as he nodded. "Yes… In fact, she wanted a daughter so badly herself after I told her about the situation Ai Lee's mother had put me in…" Peter lamented as Ivy overheard their conversation from her room and walked towards the kitchen to take down the picture. She walked over and passed it to Peter.
"The last trip we went together as a family?" Ivy asked as Peter nodded. Ivy could guess the lady in the picture was not her biological mother. "Yes… you should keep it…" He said as he stepped further into the living room.
"She is not my biological mother?" Ivy asked curiously. "No… She was my second wife. Their mother… but she dotes on you very much… Unfortunately, after three children, we tried to have a daughter but her post natal depression had cause her miscarriage… To make things worse, we couldn't get hold of you because of the restriction your biological mother put on me, hence, she succumbed to her post natal depression." Peter explained as Ivy felt bad for bringing up such a bad memory.
"I'm sorry…" Ivy mumbled as Peter walked over and hugged her. "You don't have to be… It's not your fault…" "What about my biological mother? Do you know where she is?" Ivy asked curiously again as she looked up at her father.
Peter sighed and contemplated on telling her as it wasn't the right time with too many things on hand he needed to speak with Ivy. "Ai Lee… There's plenty of time… Why don't we talk about this another day?" Peter suggested as Ivy smiled and nodded before she walked off and picked her bags she packed. A thought of driving them to the hotel they chose crossed her mind as she absentmindedly called out to Peter.
"Daddy…" She called out right before he stepped out of the house with Ray and Ryu. It was a nostalgic moment for the both of them as he was still trying to get used to hearing her calling him that and she was also slowly getting used to calling out to him that.
"Yes, my dear?" Peter didn't hesitate a moment to turn around and find her with her luggage as he quickly fanned his sons to help her out.
"Ah, it's alright.. it's not heavy, I can do it myself…" Ivy rejected her brothers' help only to be helplessly pampered.
"It's alright big sister… you're the princess of the house. You should let the men do such heavy stuff…" Ryu teased as he took one luggage from her while Ray took another.
"Yep.. let us dote on you…" Ray smiled as Ivy gave up retaliating while Peter stepped closer to her.
"Yes.. What is it?" Peter asked again gently as he put some of her loose fringe behind her right ear.
"Oh… I wanted to ask if you all would like to ride in grandma's vintage car?" Ivy suggested as Peter nodded.
"Alright…" He smiled as Ivy went to grab the car keys and Peter noticed Ivy's debate trophies in the display cabinet by the television. He read her full name "Ivy Ophal Ai Yee''.
Ivy walked over as she noticed him peeping into the cupboard. She opened them up for him to have a better view.
"My debate trophies…" Ivy proudly told him as he smiled and nodded.
"Ai Lee… Did you change your name again?" Peter asked curiously as Ivy looked on the ground. She had noticed Peter had called her Ai Lee instead of Ai Yee all the while. She no doubt heard her grandma tell her before on birth certificate her name is indeed Ai Lee but after what had happened between her parents, her mother insisted on changing her last name into Yee. Her mother never did it officially.
"Actually, on the birth certificate it is still Ai Lee… She never made the changes in time officially although she insisted I use Ai Yee informally." Ivy explained with a pout as Peter knew the "she" Ivy meant was her biological mother.
Peter patted her head. "It's alright… at least she didn't change it officially… Come let's go. I will tell you more tonight…" Ivy nodded with a smile as they left the house.
"What are you thinking about?" Ray asked Ryu as they walked over to the glass house. "I just didn't expect someone I know after all is my sister…" Ryu explained as Ray chuckled. "Looks like your words are hammered back at you…"
"What do you think of her?" Ryu asked Ray in return.
"She seemed to be very delicate… she should feel lucky to have three brothers protecting her…I wanna teach her martial arts to protect herself…" Ray said as he pushed open the glass house's door.
Jin had heard their conversation while both brothers were approaching and didn't hesitate to reveal the truth he had observed of Ivy and the environment she had been living in.
"She looks delicate only… But she is a strong girl… Very strong…" Jin greeted them as they walked in.
"And how would you know?" Ray retaliated with his arms crossed.
"Well, look at here… it's all so run down but yet she survived all alone… and the bear…" Jin smirked as they both quickly shut the door.
"Oh my… don't remind me. It's so freaky…" Ray scolded as Jin and Ryu chuckled. "You're so muscular, how could you be so easily frightened by it?" Ryu teased Ray as Ray snarled at him.
"Yet she survived… key word… Alone…" Jin emphasised as all brothers took a moment and realised Jin was right. A sudden knock on the door startled all of them.
Peter pushed the door open. "Don't want to leave? Love it here? We can stay overnight here…" Peter teased as all of his sons barged out of the glass house heading to the stairs only to be called back and redirected to where Ivy was standing as they rushed over trying to avoid looking at the bear head on top of the roof.
Peter laughed to himself recalling the boys' conversation as he reminded himself to help Ivy fix the run down house to preserve the memories not only Ivy had but everyone including himself and the boys.