Work Text:
Chapter One
“I am an utter disgrace to my family, myself, and whoever may marry me. Although, who would marry someone living in a boarding house? If my family found out they would be absolutely livid with me. I said I would be fine and make a name for myself. I mean, this is definitely a step to that, however small it may be. Ugh, maybe it’s not too late to turn back–”
“Young man? Are you perhaps Felix Klein?” An older woman interrupted Felix’s thoughts, making him jump in place. She tilted her head in confusion as she waited for an answer. “Way to make a first impression,” Felix thought as he shook his head before smiling at the woman.
“I am. You must be the lovely Ms. Choi who is housing me. I can’t thank you enough for doing this.” Grabbing his suitcase full of sweaters and papers, he strode towards Ms. Choi and embraced her in a tight hug. She laughed into his chest, squeezing back as if he were her son. She then held his shoulders and lightly shook him. “You are more handsome in person, young man. Those eyes as well…I made a wonderful decision.”
She held onto him for a bit longer before spinning around, motioning him to follow. “I’ll give you a quick tour of the house and then show you to your room.”
The boarding house was a three bedroom two bathroom residence. It had a small porch out front and a nice backyard, just about five-thousand square feet.
The kitchen and living room were connected. The kitchen had a tiny island and a few cabinets, nothing major. The living room consisted of a box TV, a couch, and two recliners.
The master bedroom belonged to Ms. Choi, containing one of the bathrooms. Her room was off limits.
The second room, the first guest room, belonged to Ms. Choi’s son, who visits from time to time. His room imitated that of an organized hoarder. There were books stuffed into a corner next to a desk piled high with folders. The bed was unkempt and pillows were thrown astray atop it. The laundry next to the closet was filled to the brim, although the clothes were folded.
The second guest room, right beside the second bathroom and the first guest room, was Felix’s. The room was clean and gray, with a small window letting the evening sun in. This room had a small walk in closet and a wardrobe, as well as a desk under the window.
“I hope it’s to your liking. My last boarding house was bigger, but we had to move because of David’s work and money issues.” Ms. Choi nervously spoke.
Felix reassured her that the room is perfect before setting his things down at the foot of the bed. “This is more than enough. I will be able to focus for sure.”
Ms. Choi took a deep breath, allowing her built up nerves to settle. It had been three months since she last took in a young person in need. She had only helped two others, a doctor named Philips Walter and a young lawyer by the name of Renee Boyd. Philips had stayed for quite a while, but Renee and David always seemed to quarrel, so she eventually left after five months.
Reminded of that, Ms. Choi glanced at her son’s room before turning back to Felix, who was already putting clothes away. “Well, I’ll put some tea on for you. My son is coming by next week, so please don’t be startled. He looks just like me, except for his blonde hair.”
At that, Ms. Choi lightly closed the door to Felix’s new room. His freedom had finally begun. Felix, in a daze, spun around the room with awe twinkling in his eyes. He had never seen something so normal yet so spectacular. The plain walls, the thin blanket on the bed, the wooden desk chair, and even the small window were so incredible he didn’t know how to react. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed, “This is…”
He side-eyed his suitcase and decided he would finish unpacking later. First, he wanted to have some of that tea Ms. Choi was talking about.
The pair sat in the living room, both in the recliners sipping their teas. It was a peach tea with added lemon. Felix couldn’t remember the last time he felt so at peace in a house. Ms. Choi looked at her phone and cleared her throat, saying, “My son will be home soon. I want to talk to you about him before he comes.”
Nodding, Felix put his teacup down on the coaster beside him and sat fully upright. Ms. Choi did the same, smiling at his manners.
“My son is a hard-working boy. Since he became an adult, he has been working non-stop. I had been struggling to pay for our older house, which was a few cities away from here, and David, my son, surprised me by buying me this house. He is so incredibly sweet and never once made me worry.”
A moment of silence passed as she sipped her tea.
“However, he is not so kind to other people. You see, he has a bit of a temper. He just doesn’t get along with others as well as I do. So, if you could be patient with him, I would appreciate that.”
Felix nodded slowly at this. “How mean could the guy be?” he thought, reaching for his tea. After taking a drink, he asked, “How old is your son?” Felix himself was 26, and he knew in his early twenties he was quite the handful. Maybe this boy was just young?
“He’s 30, but he takes after me. His young face gives him the appearance of 22.” Ms. Choi said as she folded her hands under face and grinned.
“Oh…,” was all Felix could muster. He was older than him, but somehow had a temper? Another silence filled the room before the two changed the subject, talking about authors and nearby cafes.
If Felix wasn’t the wiser about her past he would have believed she was raised here. The woman talked with such vigor about the town and its people, one could assume she established the town back in the 1800’s.
Her voice was soothing and methodic. When emphasizing a certain word, her hands swam in the air before dropping into her lap, then back onto her mug. The crows’ feet nestled by her eyes added a shine to her green and brown eyes, although the brown had taken over by a stronghold. The front left tooth on the top of her mouth swayed slightly, and although being afraid to go himself, Felix wondered if her son had made a dentist appointment for her. He wondered if this son with a temper would even do such a thing; taking care of his mother.
Felix would have enjoyed taking care of his aging parents, he believed. He never got the chance to see, but if her son wasn’t willing, he would take that role for this lovely woman.
The conversation eventually died down and both mugs were empty; tea leaves sitting nicely on the bottom of the ceramic.