AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 22
BRIDGET
Past
Iput on the summer dress Cheryl bought to meet Mrs. Sharon Lee. I feel a little nervous, more so when I see her for the first time standing with one of the other wedding guests. Sharon is tall, beautiful and has a quiet glamor to her.
“Mother,” Darren greets her.
Her eyes light up upon seeing him, though there are no hugs or kisses. Amy explained to me once that many Asian families are not big on public displays of affection.
She narrows her eyes at her son. “You look dark. How are you so tan when it’s winter?”
“I was in Hawaii not that long ago.”
“You got too much sun then.”
“Mother, this is Bridget Moore.”
She looks me over, and I get the feeling I’m not what she expected, but her tone is friendly enough when she says, “Nice to meet you.”
The other guest, Mr. Liao, is a friend of the bride’s family. He hasn’t seen Darren in a while and asks how things are going. He politely asks a few questions of me, and says, “Go, Bears” when I tell him I go to Cal.
When I tell him I’m studying public health, he asks if I plan to go to medical school. I explain I’m more interested in the policy side of health, and he responds by asking, “Don’t you get paid more as a doctor?”
“You do, and you’re also less likely to receive death threats than a public health officer,” I reply.
“So why would you want to be in public health?”
“I think the last pandemic showed that we need public health expertise.”
He either agrees with my answer or decides it’s not worth talking about anymore, because he turns to Sharon. “You must be proud of Darren. Word is he might follow in his old man’s footsteps.”
I feel Darren stiffen beside me. Is it my imagination or did a chill just fall over us?
Sharon turns to me. “So, tell me more about public health. Besides pandemics, what else does it involve?”
“A lot. Everything from food to hospital care to environmental health to racial inequities. I could go on and on.”
“You sound passionate about it. You must be a good student.”
She raises a brow at Darren.
“‘Unlike my son’ is what that look means,” Darren says to me.
“Grades aren’t as important anymore,” says Mr. Liao. “As we can see from Darren’s success.”
Sharon doesn’t seem to want to talk about her son. She looks past us and says with a grim curl of her lips, “I see that Elaine is here.”
“Of course,” Darren replies. “She’s the bride’s aunt.”
Elaine spots Darren’s mother. “Is that Sharon Lee?”
She comes over and drips with obsequiousness. “I thought you couldn’t make it.”
Sharon looks to Darren. “Something came up, and I had to be here.”
Elaine turns to Darren, too. “You aren’t at the rehearsal dinner.”
