Chapter 2: My life… My choice

Chapter 2: My life… My choice

Nobody can dictate Mathew Sinclair Chan. Not even his parents. He always thought of independence, self-reliance, individualism, privacy and freedom. He did not mind his parents telling him their thoughts but to straightforwardly dictate him, was stepping into his territory unwelcome.  He was having the best time of his life and it is perfect. Then why would he give up this freedom? Marriage had never crossed his mind, not now or in the near future.

There are so much he wants to do with his life and taking a nagging wife is not one of them. He respects his father but he is going too far, but he knows that his father knew that his son is not easy to control. But the son also knew that the father won’t give up.

If he is to take a wife now, it would result in no good, it will only bring misery not only to him but to his wife and child.

His friends who turned out to have a bad marriage said that love did not really exist. That it was only an imagination,  an illusion. They said that it  only felt good in the beginning, and that can be mistaken with love. But once get married and live  in one roof, it would be a different story.

Some even said that as if you are   being bewitched or under a spell. You will expect that being with the person you think you fell in love with is a heaven on earth, a wish come true. But when the magic had faded and problems started to surface,  only then that you realize that you made mistake, that you were not  ready after all. He had witnessed so many broken marriages and he did not want to go into all that crap and ruin the fun of his life .

But in his case he has other reasons why he did not want to be in a serious relationship. He fears to love and ends up marrying a woman who loves him for his money.

For now all that Matthew could think about is to get away for a while. His parents will never leave him alone.

He took out his mobile and dialled  an overseas number.

“ Hello?” the voice said  on the other line.

“ Hello, Shane ?  it is  me Matthew”

“ Matt?! How nice of you to call, little brother. What’s up?”

“I am going down the rabbit hole” he said, he can hear his sister laughing.

“ that is unusual, are you not supposed to be in control?” her sister replied.

“ it's about Dad. “

“dad? That….. smells trouble. What did he want this time?”

“He  is arranging a bride for me”

“ oh dear….  I understand how you feel. So, how can I be of help?”

“ I just want to get away for a while,  can I come for a visit”

“ sure. Your niece will be happy to see you again. She was so pretty fond of you last time. When will you be coming?”

“Any day within this week. Just need to settle things at the office then I will arrange my flight.”

“Ok. See you soon then.”

“See you.”

~~~~~~

It has been three days since his talks with his parents and he had scheduled his departure the following day without their knowledge.  He never called Cindy either, furious on how she made her way to making his parents believe her. He also needs to get away from her.

He was busy signing some papers in his office when unexpectedly and uninvited, the door opened and  Cindy walked in.

“Hello darling” she happily went to him and kissed him . “ You never called this week. So I came over to see you.” She said flirtatiously.

He brushed her away . stood up and walked far from her. “ You should not come barging in like that,  Cindy.  I do not like it.”

“ok. I am sorry” ignoring his irritation. “ How about we go to the movie after your work?”

“I am busy” he wanted  to confront her but he knew better. Serious talk about serious matters is hopeless with Cindy.  She is childish.

She walked towards him and tried to wrap her arms on him. Matthew would not deny how attractive Cindy is. And she knew that he can’t resist.

But at that moment, Matthew was tired and Cindy infuriates him. He pushed her away and treated her the most civil way he could muster.

“Some other time, Cindy. I really need to finish the work. I will call you when  it is convenient. Now if you will excuse me.” He returned to his desk and pretended to work on the papers. Cindy marched towards the door irritated. “One more thing, close the door behind you.” Cindy closed the door with a bang. Surely, she felt rejected and she does not like it a bit.

His mobile rang and the display says it is his mother. She seldom gets a call from her mother. If he does, he can only guess one very reason. His mother is calling on behalf of his father. But this time he guessed wrong.

“mom?” he answered the phone.

“Matthew,  Cindy came to the house today. She said you sent her away when she came to visit you. She said that she was just worried that you haven’t  contacted her for days. The girl was crying and felt bad about how you treated her.”

“I do not know exactly what did she tell you or how did she say it. I am not going to have an argument with you , mom, just because of what she said which you believe.  But you see, this is the reason why I do not want to get married yet. Most women are like Cindy, childish and self centered.”

“Nevertheless, I expect that you will fix this.  If she will  be part of the family, you better mend your differences. And apologize to her.” Her mother commanded.

‘I really have to get out of here. If not I will lose my mind.’ Matthew told himself.