"Long time no see!" Wendy hugged An with joy. She was Yasmin's mother, sharing similar facial features. Wendy had smooth black hair and pale brown eyes. Her skin had a light brown undertone that served to emphasise her delicate and beautiful facial features. "Did you have fun?"
"Yes, it was a very fulfilling trip." An exclaimed, hugging her dear friend again.
Meanwhile, Ping was engaging in a conversation with his friend, Wendy's husband, Robert. He had red hair and a freckled face. Robert wore charming rectangular and had a well-groomed beard. The two were both rather taciturn people that only spoke when necessary or excited but they shared similar interests and hobbies and so would talk for hours on end when together.
"Hello, Mr and Mrs Collins." Sherry greeted the two with a smile after they were finished talking.
"Hello to you too, Sherry. You looked more and more like your mother as time goes by." Wendy laughed. "Thank you for taking care of Yasmin all the time."
"No, no. She's so mature sometimes that it's like she's the one taking care of me." Sherry joked and laughed.
Everyone gathered into the dining room to munch on the freshly made dumplings while Sherry retreated into her room. They were enjoying their time together very much and spoke loudly, much to the annoyance of Sherry. She reluctantly unknotted her earphones and blasted some music to drown out the chatter.
As the parents spoke, more guests arrived and a mini party was held. It seemed like most of the children's parents had come to spend some time with the Chens. They gathered around the dining table and snacked on the dumplings, sipping tea and laughing uproariously.
The children had also arrived, they hang out in the living room and just watched TV as usual. Somehow, Sherry was lured out and forced to play cards with them but that was all goods. They even started playing board games and…flashback to raging children, flipped boards, raining paper money and the worn-out rule book…let's just say, a lot happened.
"Recently, I've found that my eldest daughter hasn't been talking with much. When I ask her about her day, she gives me a random answer and doesn't really say anything." Diana's Mother, Chloe heaved a heavy sigh.
The rest cast her sympathetic eyes and mixed reactions. Most of them had yet to experience raising a child in puberty and had no advice to give. An gave Chloe a reassuring smile.
"Children at that age are more interested in friends than family but if you continue to reach out to them, they will eventually respond in kind. Try spending more time with her." She smiled fondly as she recalled her own experience. At the time, she didn't know how to handle a child and had to rely on her mother for every little thing. "Personally, I started to involve Sherry in cooking with me. We often bonded together over food. I even benefitted by making her do the dishes for me." She snickered.
Chloe's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! My child doesn't even know how to fry an egg, it's time she learnt."
The other parents nodded their heads. They simultaneously decided to also teach their children how to cook.
"Recently, George has gotten into running. He keeps bugging me to go jogging with him. It's good to see him be so healthy but it's honestly so tiring. I gave up after a few days." Lily complained.
"Ah, my child too! Frank's gotten more active and energetic. He keeps running around the house doing nothing in particular. It's so annoying." Frank's mother, Julia moaned.
"But it's nice to see them so energetic isn't it? My Fiona just gets cuter the livelier she is." Tina praised.
"Well, it's better than lounging around on the couch all day. George used to just read at home so it's good that he likes to go outside." Lily smiled, happy. "It's thanks to Dylan for making them like this I suppose."
"Dylan? I've heard about him from my kids but I've never met him." Chloe had a good impression of Dylan and had always wanted to meet him. Just that she never got the opportunity to do so.
"He's a handsome young man, quite the charmer. He seemed to be quite close with Sherry." Lily recounted. She thought that Dylan and Sherry were compatible and, in her eyes, they were intimate. The sight of them standing closely was enough for her to ship them.
"I've also met him. He looked like a nice young gentleman. He was rather fit as well." Frank's dad, Rick overheard the conversation and chimed in.
"Have you met him before, An?" Wendy asked.
An replied with a smile. "Yes, he came over for dinner last week."
"Oh my, already had dinner with the parents. At this rate, they'll get married by summer." Lily giggled and teased.
Ping latched onto the phrase. "What marriage? They haven't even started dating yet." He laughed but the hidden tension behind his voice could still be detected.
It would've been quite threatening if the parents hadn't been so close to Ping. They just laughed and continued to tease him with marriage jokes and shipping Dylan and Sherry together. Having enough of it, Ping tuned out of the conversation and just talked to the dads.
"Well, seriously speaking, I think that Dylan may like Sherry." Lily's gossip mode turned on and she whispered even though she didn't need to. It was just for the mood, she would say.
The other mums leaned in with anticipation. An also did so, her eyes sparkling with interest. Her daughter's love life has been practically non-existent thus far so she was especially interested.
"He did stay over with her for a while and even when he was speaking with me, he always stood close to her. His eyes when he looked at her was one of a boy in love." She explained.
"He stayed over?" An quizzically asked.
"?Why, yes. Sherry told me that he was from abroad and didn't have anywhere to go." Lily said, dropping the bomb. At that moment, Sherry was in a heated argument with Yasmin about the rent of her property and didn't hear this. They childishly went back and forth, opening the rule book and quoting from it over and over again.
An's face went dark. "I've never heard of this." She confessed. "I was told that he was a friend she met through Janine."
The mums realised that juicy drama was going on right now and tried to soothe over the situation.
"M-maybe she didn't want you to misunderstand, so she didn't tell you?" Lily panicked after realising what she had done.
"That's right. Janine was probably staying over as well. It was probably just a day." Wendy chimed.
Ping and An narrowed their eyes. Ping recalled his missing pyjamas while An thought back to the intimacy displayed by the two despite them supposed to only have known each other for a maximum of two months.
"You're right. I must be overthinking things." An laughed, dispersing the tense mood. She was letting her go for now. Guests were here, she didn't want to make a big deal.