“Wah, look at that one, crocodile skin Kelly,” Ma whispers to Big Aunt. Fourth Aunt twists her head around so far to catch sight of the coveted bag that her grip on the cooler slips. It slams onto the floor, and one of the wheels snaps right off.
“Aiya!” All four of us say it.
Heads turn. Curious gazes follow us. A few conversations have stilled as the aunties and uncles watch us.
“Tch, why you so kaypoh?” Ma scolds.
“You distracted me!”
“It’s fine, just pick it up,” I whisper, which seems ridiculous, whispering in such a huge space packed with people. But I feel the weight of those stares, crawling over my skin, and I need to get out of here. Fourth Aunt picks up her corner of the cooler once more and we hurry to the reception desk, where to my dismay there is a large line of guests waiting to check in.
“No worry, I go talk to them,” Big Aunt says. We set down the cooler and she goes round to the side of the reception desk. She says a few words to the harried receptionist, who glances at her and then turns back to the computer screen, apparently ignoring Big Aunt. Her face turns red, and she says something else to the receptionist. From where we’re watching, I can tell from Big Aunt’s pinched expression the exact tone of voice she’s using. It’s the one she brings out when she’s displeased with us, a quiet voice filled with iron, impossible to ignore. The reason Big Aunt is the matriarch of our entire family isn’t merely that she’s the oldest. If that were the only reason, she’d have been dethroned ages ago. No, the reason is that she has The Voice.
I watch as she uses her superpower on the receptionist right now. Whatever it is she says to her, the receptionist’s head whips up, and she stares at Big Aunt with a worried frown. Big Aunt raises her eyebrows and gives a nod. With a sigh, the receptionist starts typing with a vengeance, and within minutes, Big Aunt is handed a key card with a tight smile. She walks back to us with a triumphant smile, waving the key card.
“Wah, Da Jie, good job!” Ma says.
“Yeah, that was nothing short of amazing,” Fourth Aunt says.
Their respect and admiration show clearly on their faces, and for one guilty moment, I’m glad that Second Aunt isn’t here to sour Big Aunt’s moment. It’s nice, seeing the sisters get along.
“Aiya, is nothing, lah,” Big Aunt says, though she’s smiling widely and it’s obviously not nothing to her. “I just say to her—”
“Hi, Meddy.”
My entire body reacts to Nathan’s voice before my brain catches up, whirling round and angling my head up to meet his gaze. I’m already biting my lip—stop it!—but the expression on his face makes it clear there’s nothing romantic about this moment. He’s wearing a puzzled frown.
“Hey. Hi.”
“Everything okay here?” he says.
“Yeah, just checking into our rooms,” I say quickly, hyper-aware of the curious stares from my mom and aunts.
“I hope you’re finding everything okay,” he says.
Ma comes up and squeezes in between us. “Such a good boy,” she says, and to my horror, reaches up to pat his cheek. “So handsome also.” I shrivel up and die.
“Can I get someone to help you to your room, Auntie?” Nathan says. His glance darts to the cooler, and his smile wanes. “I see you’re still struggling with that same cooler?” He looks at me with a world of questions in his eyes.
“Yeah, we didn’t want to take too much space in the fridge, and this is all non-essential stuff, so we thought we’d take it out of your way,” I babble.
Ma is still touching Nathan all over appraisingly, as though he’s a watermelon she’s thinking of buying. “Very tall,” she murmurs, “good height. You have braces when you were small?”
“I—what?”
“Ma!”
“Braces, you know, on teeth.”
Big Aunt and Fourth Aunt smile up at Nathan expectantly.
“Um, no?” Nathan’s face has that glassy expression I often see on people when Ma is talking at them.
“Wah, so your teeth naturally straight? So good! Meddy, he is very good specimen, will give good offspring. No need to spend money on braces for your kids.”
My jaw crashes to the marble floor. Nathan’s face is so red I’m sure we could boil a kettle on it.
“MA!” I give a pleading look to my aunties, and they finally stop grinning long enough to take Ma’s arms and lead her away. Even so, I still hear Ma going, “Very good teeth on him kan?” I turn to Nathan. “I am so, so sorry about that. Please ignore her.”