Kim counted the days to their next meeting. She always ticked the day on her calendar before she went to bed. Her obsession with the days was pretty worrying to her family, but she refused to tell them and they didn’t attempt to ask. Usually she lost count of days after fighting long hard battles with the villains, but this time she even asked Dr. Drakken what’s the date today before the police took him away. Uncanny, isn’t it?
Ron has been making quite a name in the crime-busting world, only that his territories are mostly in the East. He has been fighting crime throughout Thailand, Korea, Japan, China, and Singapore and even in Taiwan. His stealthy moves and increasing agility in his monkey kungfu has made him pretty famous. He became the good news for the people and bad news for the villains. Many people called him all sorts of nicknames, like Monkey Boy, Super Monkey, Monkey Ninja and stuff like that. He has become a hit among the people in the East and a mystery to the governments of the Eastern countries because no one knows where he came from or where does he live. He was even spotted once or twice the familiar Malaysia. Journalists have relentlessly tried to find him but to no avail. Kim couldn’t help feeling proud of him.
Finally, the full moon day has come. She got herself really cleaned—she washed her auburn hair and put a lot of effort in blow-drying it and sneaked a few of her mother’s expensive Kanebo perfume. She ransacked her wardrobe to find herself a good outfit to wear. She tried to find something befitting but she couldn’t find anything suitable. In the end she had to rush to Monique’s to borrow her clothes. Monique got her a horizon-coloured belly-button blouse and a sunset-coloured mini skirt.
She called Wade to get her transport ready to Beijing and ordered a big take-out from Buenos Nacho before she left. Rufus and Tanya did not want to miss out the reunion. They popped into the basket of Buenos Nacho goodies and stuffed themselves a little during their trip. Kim had to watch out to see that they don’t finish the food before they even got to Beijing.
As soon as she reached Beijing, she rushed straight to the beach without a stop. She was hoping to see Ron waiting for her there but unfortunately, he wasn’t. Kim tried to cheer herself up by saying, “Oh well, maybe I got here a little too early.”
She set her things down and waited. The sky was starry and the moon was full, just exactly like the last time they met. Rufus and Tanya got a little tired of waiting, so they dozed off in Kim’s pocket. Kim lay on the sandy ground, staring up at the moon. She looked at her watch. 8.30 p.m. She has been there for an hour or so, but that didn’t bother her. She could wait. She was going to wait until Ron shows up.
Yet when the watch showed 10.00 p.m., she began to worry. She wondered where Ron could be. Probably he forgot about it. Probably his Wang Ching personality has persuaded Ron to not go to their meeting and concentrate on their own crime-busting and ninja training. Maybe Ron didn’t even bother to come. Maybe he didn’t even remember their date; well, he didn’t exactly make a promise now, did he? Probably…
Kim sighed. Maybe Wade got the facts wrong. That incident last month could only happen maybe once in a million chances. She was disappointed yet again. The days she woke up early hoping to see Ron at her door to walk her to school and the disappointment she got every time he didn’t show came to her like a merciless blow. She promised herself that she would wait until he shows up, but after thinking of all these disappointing possibilities, she decided that last month would be the first and last time she’ll ever be with the real Ron again. She got up tearfully, picked up the basket and was about to walk off when…
“Kim! KP!! Wait up!!”
Kim swung round. There, at a distance, Ron—with his ever familiar grin and out-going features—ran up to her. He was in all smiles as he came up to the speechless Kim.
“Sorry I’m late. Got a little tied-up with my students,” Ron stressed the last word with distaste. “Am I too late for our dinner, KP?”
Kim reached out and hugged him, the tears falling out of her eyes, whispering, “No. You’re just in time.”
“Mom, is Dad really going to come?” A small 6-year-old girl with blonde hair and forest-green eyes tugged at Kim’s sleeve.
“Don’t worry, Elizabeth. He’ll come. Remember, patience is virtue.”
Kim was waiting at the same beach in Beijing 10 years later. This time she wasn’t alone. No, she wasn’t only accompanied by Rufus and Tanya, who had a small family of their own, but also with her own two children Elizabeth and Joey. She had religiously come to the beach every month for 10 years just to meet Ron. No matter how busy she was in her crime-busting or her job as an archeologist, she always found time to jet to Beijing to meet her love.
5 years ago, Ron and Kim got married. She announced at their one of their monthly meeting that she was pregnant and that she told him not to worry because she’ll take care of the baby by herself. The next month, Ron appeared with a ring in his hand that he got from a very grateful citizen he saved and proposed to her. The month after that, they were wed at Middleton Church, in front of some limited guests, like Kim’s family, Ron’s parents, Monique, Josh Mankey and a few other close friends from school. Wade also ‘attended’ the wedding from a mini hovering satellite camera. They didn’t want to make it big—too much publicity is going to wreck havoc, especially from thousands upon thousands of Ron’s fans.
They had Elizabeth Jay Stoppable first, and then 2 years later, they had Joey Kay Stoppable. Elizabeth had her mother’s eyes and her father’s hair, and Joey had vice versa. Now they’re waiting with their mother to meet their father just like the way they waited ever since they were born.
“Mom, I’m hungry. When is Dad gonna come?” Joey whined, his hand fingering naughtily at the basket of Buenos Nacho take-outs.
“He’ll come soon. Don’t you worry. And don’t think of taking a bite of the food. Wait until you Dad comes.”
“But I’m hungry. Can’t I have just one piece of taco, Mom?” Joey whined and did his puppy-eyed pout he inherited from his mother. Kim couldn’t do much to resist.
“Alright, but only one piece. Leave some for your Dad.”
The kids grinned and rummaged through the basket for tacos. Rufus and Tanya joined in to have some of the tacos.
“Eating before me, eh?” Ron’s familiar voice came from behind the kids. He had tied his long blonde hair and wore his usual clothes he wore before he was the Ultimate Monkey Ninja. Weirdly though that his hair hadn’t grown any longer. The last time Kim and Ron met and Kim tried to cut his hair, it just grows back again the second she snipped the hair off. Finally, after several attempts, she gave up and let it be.
“Dad!!!” Elizabeth and Joey jumped up and hugged their father. Rufus and Tanya scurried up Ron and kissed his cheek. The naked mole rat couples’ 4 kids also tried to climb up on Ron but they were too small and too weak. Ron picked them up in his palm.
“That is one big family, Rufus. Way to go, slugger!”
“It nothing,” Rufus chuckled, waving away Ron’s complement proudly.
“Come on, Ron. The nachos are going cold,” Kim said as she laid out the food on the picnic cloth.
As they sat together on the picnic cloth enjoying their Buenos Nacho dinner, they really looked like a one big happy family. And they will always be that way.
Every month, that is.
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