3: 3

3.

Before I could get a word out, my father snatched the phone, his face dark with fury, and barked into it, "Tell him not to bother coming."

Whoever was on the other end clearly hadn't expected my father to answer.

A weak voice came right back. "Uncle, I'm so sorry. Allan only wanted Peggy to donate a kidney because he was worried sick about me. Uncle, I won't take Peggy's kidney, I really won't, cough, cough—"

A violent fit of coughing crackled through the line.

The next second, I heard a voice I knew too well.

"Joyce, what's wrong? Didn't the doctor tell you not to get out of bed?"

"Allan, I'm fine. You should hurry back and get engaged to Peggy. Don't worry about me."

"Don't talk nonsense. If she won't give you a kidney, I'm not getting engaged to her. Joyce, don't worry. I'll make sure you get a healthy kidney."

Instinctively I looked over at my father and everyone else. Their faces were all furious. If Allan had been standing here, there was no telling how badly he'd have been beaten.

Things had come to this. There was no future for Allan and me, no matter how much I still loved him in my heart.

Allan on the other end had no idea I was on the call. What he said next to his first love was what made me resolve to drive him out of my heart for good.

"Joyce, you know you've always been in my heart. But I've been with Peggy for seven years. I can't just walk away from her. Don't worry, though. Even after I'm married, your business is my business. I'll always take good care of you—"

That was as far as I could listen. I said one thing to the two of them on the line. "Allan, my body was given to me by my parents. No one gets to decide the fate of my life except them."

Then, without giving anyone on the other end a chance to react, I hung up. And while I was at it, I dropped Allan's number straight into my blocked list.

When the dinner began, everyone kept a tactful silence and said nothing more. No one asked what had actually happened. We just treated it as an ordinary family gathering.

Just as the food came out, Allan showed up.

He didn't so much as glance at anyone's expression. He simply grabbed me and started hauling me toward the door. When my father tried to stop him, he told him off in a reproachful tone. "Uncle, this is between Joyce and me. You're an elder. You really shouldn't be getting involved."

Allan dragged me out the door by force and found a corner where no one was around.

"Peggy, what's this supposed to mean?"

I shook his hand off, rubbed my wrist, and let out a sarcastic little laugh. "What do I mean? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Weren't you going to take care of her for the rest of your life? I'm stepping aside for the two of you. Shouldn't you be happy?"

His body went stiff for a moment, and he didn't dare meet my eyes, guilt written all over him.

"Peggy, you've got it wrong. You're the only one in my heart. Why hold anything against a sick person?"

Then he shot a glance toward the private room and said, "Peggy, you saw it too. All those relatives are here. People came with their blessings to see us get engaged. You don't want to make a scene either, do you?"

"So?"

"Peggy, let's go back in together."

As he spoke he reached for my hand, but I dodged it in disgust. His hand hung there in midair, and his face darkened in an instant, a trace of anger in his voice. "Peggy, I've already come all this way. What exactly are you throwing a tantrum about?"

Ha.

So in his eyes, this was me throwing a tantrum.

"Allan, if I donate the kidney, will you marry me right away?"

4: 4

4.

"Peggy, do you mean it?"

His eyes were full of excitement when he looked at me.

In that instant, I smiled.

Though I couldn't tell whether it was a sad smile, or disappointment, or maybe relief.

The next second, Allan pulled me into his arms and said, all fake feeling, "Peggy, I love you."

After putting on that little show of false devotion, he let go of me just as fast, watching me with a face full of expectation. "Peggy, let's go to the hospital right now. That way Joyce can have a healthy kidney soon."

He started tugging me toward the exit, not noticing in the slightest how utterly unwilling I was.

Just then his phone rang.

He took it out, and his eyes turned tender in an instant. It reminded me of when we first got together, when he used to look at me that same way.

But that was then and this was now. The tenderness in his eyes wasn't for me anymore. It belonged to another woman.

At that moment, I finally understood something.

Maybe the people your parents won't let you be with are the ones you shouldn't be with.

Because they can tell from the way a person acts and speaks whether he's really worth handing your whole life over to.

Clearly my father had seen from the start that Allan wasn't a good man.

A shame I only understood it now.

Allan's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Joyce, I have good news for you. Peggy's going to donate a kidney to you. You'll be better soon. Don't you love the beach? Once you're well, I'll take you there..."

The two of them traded lines over the phone that would make anyone think they were the couple.

I just stood there quietly and listened to the back-and-forth.

Five minutes later.

Allan finally brought himself to hang up.

He checked my expression first, and only after finding I wasn't angry did he let out a breath.

"Peggy, about the marriage license, why don't we wait until after you've donated the kidney and recovered?"

"Sure. Whatever you say."

I nodded and agreed, not caring in the least.

Seeing how readily I answered, Allan looked at me with something I could have sworn was a flicker of guilt, if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

He slowly took my hand. "Peggy, thank you. I promise I'll treat you well from now on."

I pulled my hand free. "Forget it. I'm not fortunate enough to deserve your kindness. Save it for someone who needs it."

For an instant, the guilt in his eyes deepened. "Peggy, I know you're angry."

I couldn't help clicking my tongue.

"Allan, you think far too highly of yourself."

That got through to him, and he finally caught the wrongness in my tone. "Peggy, are you scared donating the kidney will hurt your health? Don't worry, I asked the doctor. He said as long as you rest properly there won't be any problems."

Ha.

This was hilarious.

He asked the doctor?

No problems?

Then why didn't he donate his own? Or that woman didn't need a kidney, since nothing would go wrong anyway.

At that point, my father, who had come up behind us at some moment I hadn't noticed, yanked me behind him.

He pointed at Allan and said, "Get out, you animal."

Allan didn't even get angry. He just looked at me. "Peggy, hurry, let's go, we're running out of time."

I looked at him and smiled. "Allan, you've got some nerve. I never said I'd donate my kidney to a stranger."

The moment I said it, Allan panicked.

"Peggy Pruitt, you clearly just said you'd donate the kidney. How can you go back on your word?"

Beside me my father rolled up his sleeves, ready to hit him. Luckily I stopped him. I didn't want my father taking a trip to jail over a piece of trash like this.

Then, with a smile on my face, I said, "What? I never saw you make good on all those things you promised me before. I was just teasing you. Did you really have to take it seriously?"

With that, I pulled the ring off my ring finger and threw it at his face. "Here, you can have it back. From now on, you're you and I'm me. We have nothing to do with each other."