TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Max mimicked Vonda’s position. He rested his head against the back of the chair and stared at the ceiling just like she was doing next to him.

“I feel like throwing up sometimes too, but well… what can you do. That’s just how my life is.”

It was by no means a form of lamentation. It could be more accurately described as veiled joyful satire.

“It must be nice to have so many moms.”

“Hehehe.” Max turned slightly. “Don’t you have many moms?”

Vonda shook her head once. “No, not at all. Besides, we’re really different. You were a difficult child. Well, I think I was an easy child.”

“Hahaha!”

Vonda also turned and gave Max a squinted look. “I heard the story that I appeared in my mom’s womb three weeks after the wedding. Just imagine.”

“Woah!” Max was taken aback and then instantly gave a thumbs-up. “Impressive!”

“Hahaha. Yeah, that’s how it is. That’s why people say that my mom’s reception was actually planned to be canceled.”

“Why?”

“At the time, my parents’ reception was supposed to be held a month after their wedding. But then my mom started feeling nauseous because she was pregnant with me. But canceling it would have been a waste of the money spent. That’s why due to that, there were rumors that my mom was pregnant before the wedding.”

“It seems like our living environments are different, huh?”

Vonda chuckled, but she also nodded. She acknowledged Max’s statement.

“My living environment is a bit toxic, indeed. Sometimes, my mom gets stressed out too, but yeah. When things get out of hand, they get dealt with by my mom. My mom says that living on the outskirts of the capital is tough, even a gentle tongue needs to be trained to be tough.”

“Hahaha!”

“Especially since we’re a large family-”

“A large family?”

“Ah.” Vonda blinked and looked at Max. “I have five younger siblings.”

“Wow! That’s super impressive!” Max exclaimed in awe.

“Hahaha! Because of that, my mom is often told by the neighbors. They say she’s really fond of having kids. She should have used birth control.”

Max chuckled.

“My mom doesn’t care. She usually says something like that,” Vonda continued after taking a deep breath. “I have sex with my own husband. I have children with my own husband. But why are you all so busy commenting on our lives? Why are you the one gets upset?”

This time Max burst out laughing. Whether he liked it or not, he had to get up from his relaxed position. “I think I know where your traits come from now.”

A grin appeared on Vonda’s face. “From my mother, huh?”

“Seems like it. Yeah.”

Vonda let out a long breath, then let the grin slowly fade into a gentle smile.

“Speaking of my mom… I really feel like going back.”

Vonda’s sincere statement made Max smile. “Then go back. Is your home far away?”

Vonda shook her head. “Not far. Quite close. In Marigold Bay.”

“Wow! Just a stone’s throw away.”

Vonda glanced. “Whose underwear was thrown so far that it reached Marigold Bay? Superman’s underwear?”

“Hahaha! Well… what I meant was, I thought your parents lived somewhere far away. Like another island or another country.”

Vonda snorted. “Actually, I’m tired from work, which makes me reluctant to go back. But I have to go back soon.”

“For an event?”

Vonda nodded. “My younger sister is getting engaged.”

“Eh?” Max’s eyes widened. “Engaged?”

Vonda nodded. “She’s getting married to her boyfriend from junior high.”

Max was stunned by this information. “Wow! How many years have they been together?”

“Years,” Vonda answered casually.

Max secretly looked at Vonda. He tried to watch her aura. The atmosphere suddenly became quiet. Finally, one of Vonda’s hands waved briefly in front of her face.

“Don’t look at me with that pitiful look. I really don’t feel sad or anything because my younger sister is taking this step.”

“Well… I don’t feel sorry for you. It’s just that…”

Vonda’s lips formed a smile. Still on the back of the sofa, she turned her face to Max.

“Modern girls don’t use the term ‘steps.’ Destiny is already arranged. So, if you want to complain, blame God.”

Max nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I’m happy for my sister’s engagement,” Vonda sighed. “Besides, what older sister wouldn’t be happy to see her younger sister happy? And that’s what Kania thinks, too.”

“Your sister?” Max asked, referring to the name Kania Vonda had mentioned.

Vonda confirmed with a nod. “Actually, she was supposed to get married last year. Well… although she didn’t tell me, I often heard her and her boyfriend Yale talking about marriage. But Kania postponed it because of me.”

“Oh.”

“I know. I guess she wanted to see me get married first. But, oh my. The last relationship I thought would work out ended up falling apart. Especially since Kania was really excited back then when my family and Andrew met and discussed the engagement.”

Max fell silent.

“That is why when I broke up with Andrew yesterday, I told him to get married first. I couldn’t possibly hold back his happiness out of selfishness.”

“She definitely doesn’t see you as selfish. She just wants you to be happy. She’s afraid your happiness might be tainted by seeing her happiness.”

Max’s words made Vonda suddenly silent for a moment. Then she just looked into Max’s eyes.

There was a sincere warmth in Max’s eyes, as sincere as the words he had just spoken.

Vonda smiled. “Maybe that’s why I reassured Kania… that her happiness couldn’t possibly make me sad. How could an older sister be sad because her younger sister is happy? That’s impossible, right?”

A question that made Max stop. He realized it was just a rhetorical question.

Something about Vonda touched Max. An admiration that made him proud. Realizing that despite her seemingly eccentric nature, there was a kind of maturity that other girls rarely possessed. So, it wasn’t surprising that Max shook his head once in response to her smile.

“Impossible.”

*