The next day, Ellie prepared herself and dressed up well to meet her family. It had been three years since she left and hadn't seen them, not since she moved to Beijing. The clock showed 8 AM.
She locked her room and was about to leave when she ran into Bella in the kitchen. Bella was making toast with strawberry jam, her hair tied up, and wearing glasses.
Ellie froze for a second, watching her.
Without thinking, she said "You look good with your glasses."
Bella looked up at her, her expression calm but kind of intense.
Ellie felt the awkwardness hit her right away.
Trying to make it less weird, she quickly said,
"Sorry, I was just talking to myself. Anyway, enjoy your breakfast, see you later." and practically rushed out of the house.
"Fuck Gaby, I should be not listen to her last night. So embarrassing". Ellie muttered
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Now Ellie arrived at her parents' house, stepped out of her car, and walked toward the front door. Her mind was empty, not thinking about anything, her face showed a lack of enthusiasm.
"Here I am. Welcome home" Ellie murmured quietly to herself while standing outside.
Before she could knock, she heard her dad's voice from inside. It was loud and clear.
"Chen, I can still run the business. I don't know if she can take over the restaurant."
Her mom replied,
"You need to trust her. You can't keep working anymore. You need to think about your health. We're getting older. Just let her take over the business, Tjhan."
Ellie was the only child her parents had now. Hearing them conversation made her reflect on her past, and she started to understand why her father was so attached to the business and so hard to pass it on to her. It has been a part of his life for so long, and actually her father had already planned to pass it down to her older brother. But life had other plans. Her brother had passed away three years ago because an incident and it's also the same year when Ellie decided to left this town to Beijing.
Ellie didn't want to keep thinking about it, so she ignored her parents still arguing inside and knocked on the door.
Knock knock…..
Her mom's voice broke through the noise inside.
"Shut up, Tjhan! I think Ellie's here."
Silence followed…..
Then, the door swung open, revealing her mom Chen. Chen smiled and pulled Ellie into her arms. Ellie could feel how much Chen's missing her all these years.
"Ellie, come on in! Have you eaten yet? Let's have breakfast with your dad. I made something you like," Chen said, ushering her inside.
Ellie smiled, hiding her emotions. She doesn't want to her mom knows if she'd just overheard their arguments before.
"I've missed your food. I'm starving," She replied, following her mom to the table.
On the other hand, Ellie's dad, Tjhan. Was already sitting there, waiting. The air was thick with unspoken tension. Ellie had always been closer to her mom than her dad, and it felt the same now.
The table was large with five chairs but only three were occupied, despite the abundance of food Chen had prepared, the silence in the room felt heavy.
"How's work in Beijing? Was it too busy for you to visit your mom?" Tjhan spoke.
Before Ellie could answer, Chen cut in.
"I'm fine. Ellie, Don't mind what your father says".
"I've decided to stay here." Ellie replied
Tjhan looked at her, surprised.
"Did your mom talk you into this?" He raised his voice a bit as he looked at Chen.
"I already told you—"
Ellie cut him off.
"Don't blame Mom. It was my decision. You need to retire and rest." Ellie said
Chen jumped in to back Ellie up.
"She's right, Tjhan. Let's stop stressing over the restaurant. Ellie can take over."
Tjhan's jaw tightened. "I can still work. You should go back to Beijing."
Ellie's fists clenched.
"How can I go back? I've already moved all my stuff to here. I even quit my job in Beijing already." Ellie replied,
Both Chen and Tjhan stared at her in shock.
"You already quit?" Chen asked softly.
"Yes, Mom." Ellie confirmed.
Chen looked disappointed.
"Then why aren't you staying at home? Where are you living now?" Chen asked softly.
Ellie knew that question would disappoint her mom even more. It must've sounded strange—why Ellie, after coming back, didn't want to stay with them.
"I rented a place near the restaurant." Ellie admitted, trying to sound confident but unsure.
Tjhan stayed quiet, his emotions clearly mixed after hearing that she'd quit her job and moved back had left him speechless.
Chen sighed. "Okay, don't worry. You can live wherever you want. Just let us know if you want to come back to the house."
The rest of breakfast was eaten in near silence.
As the sun started to set, Ellie stood up. "Mom, I should go. I still need to pick up a few things for my new place."
Chen nodded. "Alright. But make sure to come back for meals with us sometimes. Don't worry about your dad—I'll handle the restaurant talk with him."
"Okay, Mom." Ellie replied before heading out.
On her way, she stopped by the nearest supermarket near her house to buy a few things for her new place.