TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Max took a deep breath. He had just returned to his office after enjoying lunch with the company director, who happened to be his newly-married cousin. With a sweet smile, Max offered his apologies for not attending Lucas’s wedding and promised to work diligently as needed.

Now, he faced another trial-a phone call from his mother.

“Hello, Mom. Have you had lunch?” Max answered the phone.

There was a bit of noise on the other side before his middle-aged mother responded to Max’s greeting. “Hello, Max. I had lunch. But… even though I ate, it felt tasteless.”

Max furrowed his brow. He shifted and sat in his chair. “Tasteless? Is it because Bu Sophia didn’t add enough salt or something, Mom?”

“It’s not about the salt.”

Max could hear his mother sigh deeply, sounding exhausted.

“I just feel like it would be better if I could have lunch with my future daughter-in-law.”

Bam! Max’s elbow slipped off the desk.

“Mom!”

“Max! I’m serious! When are you going to introduce that girl to me?”

Max was starting to get annoyed with the question. “Oh, come on, Mom. We just talked about it yesterday. I haven’t talked to her about it yet.”

“Sigh. But you mentioned something about visiting our house during our conversation, didn’t you?”

Max replied wearily, “No, I haven’t.”

“Oh, my goodness. Max, you can’t be like that. Being close to a girl but not giving any certainty is not allowed for guys.”

“What kind of certainty, Mom?” Max asked, wincing.

“Well, inviting a girl to our house to introduce her to the family is one form of commitment from a guy. It’s a step towards certainty.”

Max rolled his eyes at his mother’s words.

“Okay, let me ask you now. After that Saturday night at the party… have you seen each other again?”

The question made Max ponder for a moment.

Seen each other? Of course, we’ve seen each other.

So, Max replied, “Yes, we have seen each other, Ma.”

“For a long time or a short time?”

Max blinked.

We work in the same office, even in the same room.

So, Max answered, “We’ve seen each other for a long time, Ma.”

There was a sigh of relief on the other end.

“For about a week, how often do you usually meet?”

Max thought again.

We work five days a week, so we usually meet for five days.

So once again, Max answered, “Usually, about five days a week, Ma.”

“Wow!”

Max blinked. The enthusiasm in his mother’s voice nearly startled him.

“You’re really serious about this girl, Max?”

Max was confused. “Huh? What do you mean, Mom?”

“Oh, my goodness! I never expected you to prioritize this girl so much.”

“Prioritize?” Max mumbled, puzzled.

Max was left speechless as his mother continued with her enthusiastic remarks. “Guys should be like this, Max. No matter how busy they are with work, they should always make time to meet their girlfriends. It should become a habit from now on, so it becomes natural when you have a family later. No girl would refuse a caring boyfriend.”

Max stared blankly. “Huh?”

Make time?

Have a family?

Caring boyfriend?

For some reason, those three things made Max’s head spin. It felt like the ground beneath him was experiencing a localized earthquake.

“Okay, so now I can tell that you’re really serious about this girl,” his mother added excitedly.

Serious? Oh, no! Not at all! Max’s hair stood on end.

“But it’s impolite, isn’t it? I’ve been asking about that girl all this time, and yet I haven’t even asked her name. I am not an uncivilized mother-in-law, right?”

Oh, my goodness. Max held his breath.

A mother-in-law? Seriously?

“What’s her name, Max? I can’t just refer to your girlfriend as ‘that girl’, right?”

Max winced.

What a situation to be in!

“Her name is Vonda, Ma,” Max reluctantly answered. He did not want to lie and make things worse.

“Vonda. Hmm, unique name. It’s the first time I have heard of a girl named Vonda. She must be a limited-edition future daughter-in-law.”

That laughter felt like a stab to Max’s soul.

“Okay, Max. So, you talk to Vonda about when she can come to our house. I and Dad want to have a chat with her.”

“Mom.”

“You remember that, if there are no obstacles, you’ll be engaged to Olivia in three months, right?”

Oh, goodness.

“I hope that next Saturday night you’ll bring Vonda home. That way, you can quickly wrap up things with Olivia.”

“Mom.”

“Okay, we’ll talk again, my dear? You work hard. Don’t disappoint anyone.”

Max reluctantly agreed, “Sure, Mom.”

“I believe in you, and that’s why it was so hard to persuade you to work, right? If you suddenly agreed, it means you’re ready to work.”

Max did not utter a word to comment on his mother’s statement. He just nodded his head weakly.

“Alright then. I’ll hang up now, and I will wait for good news from you. Bye.”

“Bye.”

The call ended. Right after, Max let out a long sigh. He suddenly felt like he was carrying a burden of hundreds of kilograms on his shoulders.

Vonda? Coming to his house? Oh, dear! Can’t life give him an even heavier burden?

Max put his phone aside and clenched both hands. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. However, the tight tie around his neck made him feel suffocated.

Max loosened the tie roughly and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. He then took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs with as much air as possible.

Shortly after, Max stood up, attempting to control the pressure in his hands, but he was utterly helpless, ending up clenching his hair.

Engagement with Olivia? Or bring Vonda home?

Max paced back and forth in his room.

“On my first day of work, instead of focusing on my job, I’m busy thinking about which girl I should bring to meet my parents? God!”

Max groaned in frustration.

“If only that night, Mom hadn’t seen Vonda getting into my car, all of this wouldn’t have happened. If Vonda hadn’t gotten into my car, Mom wouldn’t have been so worked up about it.”

Max’s feet came to a halt. His eyes widened as if he just realized something.

That’s right. All of this started with Vonda, didn’t it? It’s all because of her.

Max nodded with determination, glancing towards the door and murmuring to himself.

“She caused the problem, so she’s the one who should take responsibility.”

Without further hesitation, Max decided not to waste any more time. He walked to the door, grabbed the doorknob, and opened it roughly.

Brak!

“Oh, my goodness!”

Max saw Vonda jump in surprise in her seat, clutching her left chest. When their eyes met, he noticed Vonda’s tensed expression. But it was not enough for Max to stop himself from approaching her and saying,

“I demand accountability from you.”

Vonda turned pale. “W-what?”

Max pressed his hand on Vonda’s desk, leaning towards her. Their faces were so close, and seriousness emanated from Max’s eyes, causing Vonda to feel a mix of heat and cold.

“I repeat,” Max emphasized. “You must take responsibility for what you did to me that night.”

Vonda’s breath felt like it stopped.

“You must take responsibility.”

*