Hana was wearing sportswear again, with a white sports cap on her head, leaning on the railing by the river as if she had just finished running.
This time, I didn't waste any time and found the right opening line.
"Hana, what a coincidence! It's Sunday today, don't you have to spend time with your mom?"
Hana, sweating profusely, squinted her eyes and smiled in response.
"Hi there, Brother Janny, good morning! Nah.... my mom and her friends are joining a day tour to Lamma Island (*one of the outlying islands in Hong Kong, famous for hitch-hiking and having seafood meals) today. I don't like the organisation that's hosting it, so I didn't join them."
"I see. Yeah, Lamma Island is fun, definitely worth a visit..."
I replied casually, but my mind was on something else. As I was thinking, Hana noticed my mom sitting in a wheelchair next to me.
"Is this your mom?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOrJ28NU1H
"Oh yes, she is. We were just planning to go to a restaurant to have Dim Sum. "121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNy38Uq86F
"I see... Hello, nice to meet you, auntie!"
Hana greeted my mom politely, showing her signature smile. My mom didn't say anything, but she smiled and nodded at Hana.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiZ6fzn3Z9
Something she hadn't done in a long long time!
Suddenly, an idea came to my mind and I decided to be proactive and go with it.
"Please accept my apologies as my mom doesn't talk much." I said with a smile, "Have you had breakfast yet? If not, why don't you join us?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSunHP9m1hh
"Ah..... is this really okay?" Hana hesitated, pointing to her sweaty outfit.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDA7qhavTb
"Why not? It's not like we are going to a banquet or something!" I insisted, "Come on, please, my mom seems to really like you."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fZBSBhtHL
"Um..... okay then, thanks."
Hana responded shyly but with a hint of excitement. My mom didn't speak, but her smile was even brighter and warmer than before.
But I'm sure at this very moment, my smile must have been a million times brighter than my mom's.
"What the heck are you laughing at?" Hana looked puzzled. "You look like a man with some conspiracies or plots. Okay, let me set the record straight - I don't have my purse with me, so I cannot..."
"Don't worry about that! I'll treat you," I interrupted her and grinned foolishly, "Come on, let's get in!"
We entered the restaurant together. Since it was still early, we didn't have to queue up for a table. Since my mom has high blood cholesterol, and I don't exercise enough, we ordered only the so called "light and healthy" Dim Sum's. But Hana, on the other hand, unabashedly ordered a bunch of high-fat, high-calorie, and high-cholesterol fried foods.
"Fried squid balls, spring rolls, fried wontons, pork dumplings," I stared at the her choice on the Dim Sum ordering sheet, "Are you sure about this? Aren't girls supposed to watch their diet?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSZzls94Ts
"I definitely won't!" Hana said, "I love to eat! I exercise so hard just so I can keep eating and eating and eating!"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskT9KxrhyD
"Okay, but please make sure you finish everything," I said to her as I waved to a waiter, "I am not being stingy, it's just that my mom and I don't eat too much fried food because of health concerns."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbgDvvQah9
"Don't worry, I will surely finish them off!" Hana said with a grin, "And if you don't mind, I plan to order more since you are paying. Haha!"
Soon, the Dim Sum arrived one after another, and our table was almost full of food. Hana's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Yay! I am starving so much! Auntie and Brother Janny, bon appetit!"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Jw1ABrwj9
Even though she was obviously excited, she did not forget about manners. She politely served some vegetarian dumplings and rice rolls to my mom first, saying, "Please enjoy, Auntie." She then gave me a smug look, as if to remind me that she also knows how to be courteous (what a narrow-minded jerk), and began to devour everything. Watching her eat so voraciously and recklessly, I was deeply impressed by her love for food. All the Dim Sum on the table was literally gone in no time.
"It's my turn to say 'impressive' now," I exclaimed. "According to your looks I still cannot believe you have such a big mouth and a huge stomach."
"What do you mean by 'big mouth'? I clearly have a 'cherry-like small mouth'!" said Hana, with food stuck to her face. She retorted, "I have a big appetite because I run often. Look at your slightly chubby figure and protruding belly. You should take care of yourself and exercise more, otherwise I'm afraid you'll soon break the office chair!"
Upon hearing this, my mom couldn't help but burst out laughing. Although I didn't agree with Hana's words, I secretly appreciated her. If I hadn't met her by chance and impulsively invited her to tea, my mum wouldn't have been so cheerful. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLuIxXMPw8
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcHnJwfhTh
An even better idea came to my mind and I decided to be proactive and go with it again.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqcv5EBi2t
"Okay, you obviously have a point there which I can only agree." I responded. "So to help saving my office chair, if you have time, can we go for a run together?"
After hearing this, Hana turned her head, smiled without saying a word. She picked up a fried spring roll using her chopsticks and started eating.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPN5vGG7ETu
I noticed something though - was her hand trembling?
As we walked out of the restaurant after paying, I finally got the answer I was hoping for.
"I'll take you up on your offer. Can you join me for a run next Wednesday after work by the Shing Mun River?" Hana came close and whispered to my ears.
Although I was ecstatic, I pretended to remain calm. I turned and smiled and nodded at her. She, the mischievous one, also appeared nonchalant and gave me a simple reminder.
"It might be a little cold for an evening run, so remember to wear warm clothes. If you catch a cold, I won't take the responsibility!"
After saying goodbye to my mom, Hana ran ahead and left.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZTlYWfmKE
I pushed my mother's wheelchair slowly back home, feeling a lot of emotions.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPowXIbNnn6
My mum and I hadn't been so carefree and relaxed for a long long time.
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