My Moon, Chapter 17 pg 6
My Moon, Chapter 17 pg 6
“Okay, son. I’ll have fresh milk and cookies ready for you,” his father said warmly.
“Thank you, Dad.”
“Poj, you’re such a sweet dad,” Ms. Lin’s mother remarked. “Ever thought about giving Klaijai a little sibling?”
“I already told you, Mom, that we decided not to have more kids,” Ms. Lin replied.
“Oh, I was just teasing. Poj just seems a bit lonely,” her mother said.
“Honestly, I’m not lonely,” Poj said. “I just like doting on my kid.”
His father’s response lightened the slightly heavy atmosphere that had begun to creep into the dining room. Klaijai didn’t feel annoyed or upset; he’d long prepared himself for questions like this.
This question didn’t come from Ms. Lin’s mother alone.
But someday, it would come from someone else.
If he hadn’t braced himself from the start, Klaijai would likely feel hurt every time the topic came up.
He never pressured or forbade his father and Ms. Lin from having children together. But on the day of their engagement, they came to him and said they’d decided not to have kids. To them, the family they had was already complete.
Back then, Klaijai felt both grateful and apologetic.
Grateful that they valued his feelings so much.
And sorry that his feelings had become a limitation for them.
“Oh, by the way, I got the wedding date from the monk,” his father announced.
“Which month, Dad?” Klaijai asked.
“January next year.”
Klai looked up from his plate to glance at his father, quietly letting out a soft sigh before setting his spoon down. He could tell right away that his father wasn’t pleased with his father-in-law’s response. His father had one ironclad rule since his mother passed away: the family would not hold any joyous celebrations in January.
January was the month his mother died.
In January, their family would hold a merit-making ceremony on the anniversary of her passing.
His father wanted January to be solely for commemorating his mother’s death.
Klai was certain his father would never agree to hold a wedding in January, and he hoped Miss Lin would understand how everyone in the household felt. When the engagement was scheduled on his birthday, Klai didn’t think much of it, as he could manage his own feelings, seeing it as just a birthday. But this time, it involved the feelings of many others. If his father and Ms. Lin couldn’t come to an understanding on this, Klai thought he’d need to say something after this meal.
“Dad, I already told you we don’t want January… Could you ask the monk again?” Ms. Lin said.
“But this month is auspicious…”
“I believe there are plenty of other auspicious months,” she replied.
Klai glanced at the person sitting beside him.
Ms. Lin, sitting next to him, spoke to her father with a serious expression and tone. When Klai wasn’t home, Phii Jeab had told him that the chair to his right would be left empty, and Ms. Lin would sit on his left instead. Both chairs flanked his father’s seat at the head of the table.
But today, Ms. Lin chose to sit next to Klai, farther from his father. Since joining them for dinner, she had been trying to engage him in conversation, sometimes even serving food onto his plate. Though she seemed a bit hesitant, Klai could see her effort.
It wasn’t just Klai trying to adjust.
Ms. Lin was trying hard too.
“We’re a family now… It’s not just about auspicious dates or anything like that. It’s about the feelings of everyone in the family,” she said.
“…”
“And I think that besides my feelings and Poj’s… Khun Klai’s feelings matter too, and so do Miss Jeab’s. We all need to move forward together… I hope Mom and Dad can understand my perspective on this.”
“Fine, I’ll find a new auspicious date then,” her father replied, his expression and tone showing slight displeasure. But he had to relent, as Ms. Lin showed no sign of backing down. When her father responded like that, Ms. Lin gave a faint smile and turned to look at Klai. He nodded to her in gratitude.
Thank you for honoring his mother.
And thank you for still valuing everyone’s feelings.
Klai’s slender hands glided over the piano, which hadn’t been played in quite a while. He sat down on the soft chair and lifted the wooden cover over the white keys. His ten delicate fingers began playing a melody he often performed in January, and a soft voice emerged from his thin lips.
“Walking hand in hand through joy and sorrow, laughing and crying together for so long… I’ll never forget those days in my heart. The days we smiled, the days we fought, those days and nights will always remain beautiful, never changing.”
“They still feel like yesterday, deep in my memories, but the only difference now is…”
Klai gave a faint smile before singing the next verse.
It was a verse that once made him cry heavily.
But not anymore… Klai no longer cried.
“I don’t have you by my side anymore, like the days we crossed through everything together. It was the best time of my life, even if it was just a short moment that happened to me… because of you.”
Because now, in Klai’s heart, only happy memories and longing remained.
I miss you so much, Mom.
And I’ll miss you forever…
The small figure smiled and stood up from the chair, then turned toward the living room door, sensing someone had been watching him since he started playing the piano.
“Ms. Lin…”
“I’m sorry for secretly watching you play the piano, KhunKlai. Poj was asking for you, but I saw you playing and didn’t want to interrupt,” Ms. Lin said.
“It’s okay,” Klai replied.
“The song you played was really beautiful,” she said.
“Thank you. I usually play this song in January… for my mom to hear.”
“…”
“I just went up to pay respects to my mom. The fresh flower garland on her urn, that’s from you, right?” Klai knew it was from Ms. Lin because Phii Jeab had told him she replaced the garland with fresh flowers every day. Still, he wanted to hear her response.
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