“Argh! What the heck did Sam give me?

“What’s wrong?”

“The figures are not tallying. The system shouldn’t have allowed him to save this if that’s the case.”

“That’s weird. Did you check with him?”

“Yes. But he insists that the figures were correct when he sent them to me.” 

“Get him to send the spreadsheet version, I guess. You’ll have to look at it manually. If there’s no error then we have a bug… again..”

“I don’t look forward to having to relearn a whole new system but this provider sucks. Why’d we choose them in the first place?”

“I heard they offered the most competitive price.”

“But they’re not established, right? What made purchasing decide on them?”

“I know, you know. Now shut up and work.”

Dave shut up. It was an open secret that there had been something shady about the company giving such a profitable deal to a new start-up company but who were grunts in lower and middle management to question it? There had been some shake-up and reshuffling at the top though, and the sudden retirement of one senior director and the transfer of another to a small branch up north. The CEO had announced that the company would be terminating the contract with the service provider and was in the midst of looking at new bids. But in the meantime, he requested that the staff be patient and enlist the help of the IT department to sort their problems temporarily. The fact that the company was willing to pay for damages for the breach of contract instead of waiting for the contract to expire at the end of next year just showed how bad it was. However, there were also rumours that the company was going to sue the service provider for failure to deliver. It was going to be an ugly legal battle but the lower echelons were not interested. All they wanted to do was put in a decent day’s job and earn an honest wage.

In the midst of clacking keyboards and low volume chatter, Dave’s cell phone vibrated on the table. He picked it up to look at the message before replying with a helpless smile.

“Something the matter?” Josh was stretching when he noticed the look on his unit leader.

“Linda wants me to pick up some things for her at the Asian market. Those preserved plums you gave her the other time is really helping her nausea.”

“I’m glad about that. I remember my pregnant colleague back home always had a jar of them on her desk. And my sister swears by them too.”

“That explains it. When’s she due?”

“End of September or early October when she last told me.”

“That’s very soon. Will you be going to visit?”

“If I can take time off. But I doubt it. I need to prepare the third quarter’s reports.”

“That’s too bad. Maybe you can take your leave after that. It’s usually more relaxed after that.”

Josh nodded in assent and they continued to work, extracting and generating the sales figures to be consolidated into their monthly reports to the higher up. Josh was in charge of his country’s region, being familiar with the sales figures as well as goods and services provided there. He was also in charge of looking at the feasibility of new services to be provided, basically acting as the go-between for his region and headquarters. He enjoyed his job; it was better than running around doing sales. He was not a smooth enough talker, even if he was very familiar with the goods and services his company provided. He was happier analysing the facts and figures and providing troubleshooting for the problems that occurred. Besides, wearing a suit and running around in tropical weather was awful.

Because of the faulty system, report generating, which should have been as easy as opening the relevant page and printing them remotely, was now horribly tedious as files went missing, were unable to be accessed or showed up with a bunch of errors. Everything had to be crosschecked manually, which took up time and resulted in a lot of overtime for everyone.

“When will this finish...” Josh took off his glasses to rub his tired eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Tell me about it… I want to go home and see my wife while she’s still awake.” Dave was having his third cup of coffee, his face pale and accessorized by a splendid pair of eyebags. Josh did feel sorry for him but he too had to stay back to put in late nights and weekends. The system had crashed two weeks ago, leading to massive data loss and downtime. Thankfully, IT managed to recover most of it with the help of the inexperienced service provider. But that had been the last straw.

“Well, if you’ve sorted out most of your data, just call it a day today. We’re supposed to be off the clock now.” He pointed at the clock behind him.

“But…” Dave looked hesitant.

“Look, your wife’s going through her first trimester and that’s usually the hardest. Go home and give her some emotional support. She needs to know you care.”

There was silence but Dave was saving his documents. He looked resolute. Josh smiled.

“Go get dinner, some flowers and surprise her. You both deserve some time together.”

“You’re right.” Dave got up and addressed the rest of his team. “All of you, go home early today. We’re mostly done so higher ups shouldn’t begrudge us this. We all need a break.” There were cheers as everyone started to save their progress and tidy their desks. Two weeks of non-stop overtime had taken its toll and this was a great morale booster. So when Erick arrived at Josh’s office, he was surprised to see the office quiet and everyone gone. 

“What happened?” he asked Josh as he approached his desk. Josh gave him a wry smile. “I sent Dave home because he was missing his wife. He sent everyone home because he didn’t want to be the only one skipping OT.”

Erick raised his eyebrows. “So what are you still doing here?” They still behaved professionally at the office, with the occasional friendly banter like this thrown in. Just like two good friends who happened to work in the same company.

“Waiting for you. You’re doing OT too but you’ve stopped by everyday this week. Come on, let’s go for dinner.” Josh picked up his bag and they both left the company, chatting about everything but work; they’ve had enough of it during the day. Summer was ending but it was still light outside, despite being past seven. They stopped at a nearby pizzeria, agreeing to share one together. While they were eating, Josh’s phone issued a beep.

[She loved the dinner and flowers. Thanks!]

[That’s good. Enjoy your evening together and I’ll see you tomorrow.]

“Who’s that?”

“Dave. He took my suggestion and got dinner and flowers for the wife.To make up for all the overtime he was putting in.”

“Where’s my flowers then?”

“When you get pregnant then I’ll buy you all the flowers you want.”

They liked to joke around like this. While they kissed and cuddled a lot, they hadn’t gone beyond that. Erick was patiently allowing Josh all the time he needed to prepare himself mentally and spiritually; Josh couldn’t have asked for a better partner. He reached out to grab another slice of pizza, taking a bite. There was another beep on his phone. Thinking that it was another message from Dave, he casually opened his phone, pizza in his other hand. His eyes widened as he read the message and the pizza in his hand fell onto his plate as his hand went slack.

“Josh?!” 

“I… My sister…”

“What’s wrong with your sister?”

Josh still could not believe the short message that he had received from his brother-in-law, reading it over and over again.

[Jo was involved in a minor fender-bender. She’s fine but the shock induced labour. She’s in the delivery room now.]

Erick took the phone from his slack fingers and read the message. He frowned, knowing that Josh and his sister were close.

“Go call your brother-in-law.” He handed the phone back.

Josh was still in a daze and looked at Erick. His normally fair face was bloodless and his eyes had lost their natural calm. Erick stroked his cheek and smiled at Josh, who pulled himself together and hurriedly rang Marc’s number.

“Hello?” it was a woman’s voice. Josh did not recognize it.

“Is this Marc’s number?”

“Yes. How do you know my son?” So it was his sister’s mother-in-law.

“Hello. I’m Joshua, Joana’s brother. I got Marc’s message.”

“Oh! Josh! Sorry, I didn’t look at the name earlier.”

“It’s fine aunt- I mean ma’am. How’s my sister?”

“You can call me mama like your sister. She’s in the delivery room now. Marc is with her.” So that explained why Marc didn’t answer.

“What happened?”

“We were on our way to get your sister checked into the hospital when we were rear-ended. It wasn’t a very bad crash but the shock must have caused your sister to go into labour.”

“Shouldn’t she be due in two weeks? Will she and the baby be fine?”

“The doctors had said that she could go into labour at any time. That was why we were going to the hospital in the first place.”

“So she’s fine?” he seemed to have gripped the phone a little too hard.

“Yes. It’ll take a while before the baby’s delivered, since Joana insisted on a natural birth. I’ll keep you updated.”

“All right, thank you ma’am.”

“Not ma’am, mama. I treat your sister like a daughter. So you are just like my son.”

Maybe his sister had said something about his situation to her in-laws but Josh could feel his eyes sting from those warm, accepting words. He blinked rapidly, willing himself not to cry. He could only smile helplessly.

“All right, mama. Keep me posted or I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“I will.” With that, he hung up. He turned to see Erick, who had stood up, looking at him.

“I’ve settled the bill. Let’s go home.”

He nodded and took his things, glad to leave the rather public place. Since his place was within walking distance, Erick accompanied him home. There was no choice since Josh kept looking at his phone instead of paying attention to where he was going. After helping him open the door, Erick stood at the doorway and gave Josh a kiss on the forehead “I’ll see you tomorrow. Keep me posted on your sister.” before he turned to leave. Josh didn’t know what possessed him. On instinct, he grabbed Erick’s hand, who turned to look at him.

“Could- could you please stay?” He looked up, his eyes pleading “Please?” The last was almost a whisper. Erick turned around and enveloped him in a hug. “Of course.” 

Josh sat on the sofa in Erick’s embrace, his eyes never leaving the phone. It’d been several hours since his call to Marc. He could feel Erick stroking his back as he snuggled into the other man, borrowing his warmth and strength.

“Tired?” Erick was kissing his hair.

“I can’t sleep. I’m so worried about my sister.”

“It takes a while if it’s natural birth. Especially when it’s been induced like that.”

“You know a lot.”

“My brother and sister-in-law are doctors. And when my younger sister went into labour, we waited for half a day.”

“I didn’t know you have siblings.”

“I didn’t tell you. But I do want you to meet them.” Josh understood what he meant. He felt warm all over. He wasn’t sure if it was because of embarrassment or from the sweet words Erick was uttering. They just held each other, neither saying another word. Just when Josh was about to drowse off, his message ringtone rang. He was awake almost immediately.

With shaking hands, he opened the message. He found a picture of a wrinkled, red baby swaddled in a pink blanket and the caption [Autumn Summer Luna Lee Martin greets all her aunts and uncles and would like to tell them that she has safely arrived and insists that everyone loves her to bits! ♥]

Josh had to smile at that. It seemed like his sister still had the strength to type nonsense even after that gruelling birth. It also looked like his niece was an impatient go-getter like his sister; he was going to enjoy watching her grow up. He happily showed the picture to Erick, who smiled.

“Congratulations.” He said, kissing Josh on the cheek. Josh responded with a very passionate kiss on his lips. When the both of them were done, they were flushed, panting and aroused.

“Stay. You don’t have to go home tonight.” Josh whispered into his chest, his ears turning red. Erick gently lifted his head to look into his eyes before removing his glasses and kissing him again. Josh closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Erick’s neck. Erick was right; his heart knew when he was ready and they naturally moved onto the next step. What a wonderful way to end the day.

* * * * *

“Dishes are done.” Erick came out of the kitchen and sat next to Josh on the sofa, his slightly damp arms immediately went around Josh’s waist. 

“Thanks.” Josh leaned into Erick’s embrace, lifting his tablet to show him the latest pictures of his niece. Since the day Josh asked Erick to spend the night, he had more or less moved into Josh’s apartment. It was bliss and they were happily living like newlyweds. But he was distressed because his transfer was only until the end of the year. After that, he’d most likely have to go home.

“What’s wrong?” Erick noticed the slight frown on his face.

“I’m just thinking about my contract.”

“We still have eleven months together. And if you perform well, you can ask for an extension,” Erick placated.

“I suppose…” Josh knew that some things were still uncertain but he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Erick. He was sure Erick wanted the same. Outside, the snow had finally stopped. It was his second winter but he really hated the cold, snuggling deeper into Erick’s arms.

“If not, I’ll just follow you back. After all, someone has to oversee the set-up of the new system there.” Erick smiled at him. “And after that, you can apply to come back here again.”

“We might as well inform HR that we’re seeing each other…” Josh grumbled. It wasn’t as if the company forbade office romance. Especially since they were in different departments and their professional interests did not cross.

“Do you want to?”

“Let me think about it.”

 Erick smiled and leaned forward for a kiss, only to find Josh’s hand over his mouth. He looked a little hurt.

“Dude, we just had petai¹Petai: Parkia speciosa, also known as bitter bean or stink bean. Contains sulfur compounds that while tasty make a rather unpleasant experience after. Do not eat this a day before any important meetings. Seriously. for lunch. I’m not kissing you until you’ve brushed your teeth. The durian kiss was bad enough.”

Erick rolled his eyes. “I’m starting to regret that  your country loves pungent food.” he muttered.

“Says the one who cooked it and had extras.”

This was followed up by a round of tickling, laughing and cuddles. The kisses were put on hold because both were too lazy to get up and brush their teeth. The doorbell put a stop to their roughhousing. They looked at each other.

“Are you expecting anyone?” Erick sat up, tidying his hair and clothes. 

“No.” Josh was doing the same before he got off the sofa to open the door. He was stunned to see his sister and brother-in-law, with little Summer bundled tightly in her mother’s arms.

“Sis? Marc? What- Why-” He was unable to form a coherent question.

“Surprise!” Joana smiled. “It’s almost time for the spring festival. Since you’ve been giving us so many excuses, we thought we’d just come over instead. Now let us in. Baby will get cold.”

Josh numbly stepped aside. He was further shocked when he saw the people behind his sister and her husband.

“Ma? Dad…” he trailed off, not quite sure he believed his eyes. 

“Son…” His mother stood at the door, her face a mixed bag of emotions. His father was silent, refusing to look at him. They stood in silence, unsure of what to say to the other.

“Let them in first. It’s awkward standing at the door.” Erick’s voice startled the three people at the entrance. Josh gestured for them to come inside but his parents were staring at Erick, their faces unreadable.

“Ma, Pa, come in and sit down first la.”Joana had handed her daughter to her husband and walked over. She lightly tugged at her mother’s arm. “I’ve told you about Erick already, right?” She smiled at her brother’s boyfriend. 

“We finally meet in person.” Erick smiled at Joana; they’d spoken to each other over video calls before, when Josh admitted to his sister that he was dating him.

“Yes. Wait, why do I smell sambal?”

“Sorry, you just missed lunch. Do you want a drink by the way?”

“That’d be great. It’s really cold outside.” Their voices disappeared into the kitchen, and Marc had tactfully brought the baby along, giving the three of them some privacy. Josh did not say anything, his mind still in a whirl at the sudden appearance of his parents. His mother, who had been staring at Erick and her daughter finally turned over and smiled at her son.

“He seems like a nice person…”

“He is.” Josh really didn’t know what to say. It felt so surreal to him, seeing both his parents here in his apartment. All three of them looked ill at ease, unsure of what to do or say. 

“Are you sure about this?” His father suddenly spoke, shocking both Josh and his mother. Josh looked at him and shrugged.

“I can’t say I’m 100% sure but I know I like him enough to think about lifetime commitment with him.”

“You’re not getting any younger. You won’t have children to take care of you in the future.”

“Even if I married a woman, what are the guarantees that I’ll have children of my own? Sis’s daughter and any other children she has will be enough. And there’s also Erick’s nephews and niece.”

“You’ve met his family?” His mother asked, surprised. 

“Yes. The tickets were too expensive to visit sis so Erick took me with him when he went home to celebrate the Christmas holidays.” He had been enthusiastically welcomed by Erick’s family, making him a little overwhelmed but warm and fuzzy inside. He’d seen Erick’s commitment to him and he had reciprocated. “Besides, even when you have children, there’s no guarantee that they will be filial to you.” He added as an afterthought. 

No, there was no guarantee; this caused more uneasy silence. Joshua had been bitter and hurt over his father’s rejection and had decided to cut his ties, like his father wanted. He didn’t know how to speak to the crusty, old-fashioned old man without losing either his temper or his respect. Especially when he had been so confused about his orientation then. But now that he had met Erick, had  been welcomed by his family and knew that his sister was on his side, he’d mellowed down. He had planned to reach out to his parents again, to seek their understanding and perhaps, blessing; and if they still could not accept it, then he would have given up without any hard feelings. He had not expected them to reach out first.

“Josh, Erick said you made this? I didn’t know you cooked. Wait, why are you all still at the door?” Joana had walked out of the kitchen with a plate of soft, steamed cakes topped with desiccated coconut. They had been one of his favourites when he was back home.

“Yes. I wasn’t sure when I’d ever get a chance to taste Ma’s again so I thought that I had to learn to make my own.” He shrugged again, looking a little helpless. When she heard him, his mother burst into tears and hugged her son, finally able to hold him after more than a year. He awkwardly patted her back.

“I followed the recipe but it still doesn’t taste like yours…” he admitted.

“Compared to that last time when you scorched my kettle, this is very good. We can make this together and you can learn properly.” His mother gave him a teary smile.

“You weren’t lying about the kettle, I thought you had been embellishing.” Erick, who was bringing out a tray laden with tea, smiled at him.

“Oh no, he was a disaster in the kitchen. You should have seen the mess that followed.” His sister interjected.

“Hey!” 

They had a good laugh and moved to the living room sofa. Josh noticed that his father was still standing there, unable to join the rest of them.

“Pa…” He hadn’t called his father that in years, preferring to just call him dad, since he felt it was more matured. His father finally looked him in the eye. Josh was a little shocked to see tears in his eyes; he couldn’t recall ever seeing his father cry, not even when his paternal grandparents had passed away. He hurried over to him.

“Pa?”

“I was so angry that day. I shouldn’t have said that. No matter what, you’re still my son.”

To see his father cry and then admit his mistakes was a first for him. But knowing how much pride his stubborn father had to swallow, he met him half-way.

“I was too stubborn as well. I was confused and needed some time. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

“I don’t want you to make a mistake that can ruin your life.” 

“I know.” Deep down, he did. His father had just used the wrong approach. “Let’s sit down. You must be tired from your journey.” He urged his father to sit before he joined everyone else. He then held his niece for the first time; feeling both awed and awkward at the same time, when he looked at the tiny little bundle, his brother-in-law hovering protectively next to him. Finally fed up with Marc’s anxiousness and afraid that he would drop her, he returned her to him, who smiled dotingly at his first child.

The Lunar New Year was going to take place in a few days so everyone was staying on for this. Compared to the cold and lonely non-celebration last year, this year felt like the Lunar New Year celebration that he was familiar with. Spring was coming and it was a time for new beginnings. There were probably going to be hiccups and challenges in the future; but that was life, full of certain uncertainties. Josh smiled as he watched his parents trying to get to know Erick and familiarize themselves with the new part of their son’s life. Come what may, his life was richer and sweeter with every new encounter and he had no regrets for now. While looking forward to the future, he would enjoy it one day at a time.

END