I rolled around in my bed and finally turned off the alarm, which had been going off for the past five minutes. It was already 6 o'clock in the morning, and I had to get up and get ready for the day. I have a lot to do today, so I got up early, and it made me grumpy.
I have to visit my parents today. They've been going on and on about how I rarely visit them ever since I started working at Lunaris Group two years ago.
It's not my fault, though, because I've been quite busy with work. As the youngest HR Manager in my company, I have a lot of pressure on my shoulders. Getting that position was already a tough battle, and some higher-ups are just waiting for me to mess up so they can kick me out of the company.
I remember my first day at Lunaris Group like it was yesterday, when the Director, Mr. Garrett, had introduced me as the new HR Manager and the shock on some of the executives' faces.
They claimed I was too young, that I needed more experience. How could the Director hire a mere 22-year-old graduate with barely a year's experience as an HR Manager? Surely even if I had potential, I should have started as a team member, then after showing my potential, I could slowly climb the ladder and become the HR Manager.
I remember the Director had been present himself for the final interview for the role of HR Manager, and he was very pleased with my answers. He said something about how confident and unaffected I was by the fact that I was the youngest among the candidates—that was intriguing—and since I had great qualifications, he decided to see how I would do.
I'm forever grateful to the Director for giving me that chance two years ago, and since then I've done everything possible to make sure that he never regrets his decision. My work has been nothing but perfect, and I've been able to shut up most of the superiors who questioned the Director for his decision and even suggested that maybe we were entangled and that was why he picked me for the position.
The consequence of that decision of mine, however, is that my social life is basically nonexistent. Dating and having fun while hanging out with friends is something I rarely have time for. The moment I started working at Lunaris Group, my work and career progress became my main goal, and everything else was pushed aside.
My parents are quite unhappy with this. They're worried that with the way things are, I won't ever get married and have children. They think I'll grow old alone, but I don't believe it. I'm just 24 years old, and that's still pretty young, so I don't think I'll have a problem with getting a man or settling down someday in the future.
My parents weren't always this bothersome about my dating life, but they started getting worried since last year when I yelled at them and declared that I had no plans to get married soon. My mum was shocked, and since then they've been trying all sorts of things to get me a guy. They even went as far as setting up a blind date for me. I still cringe anytime I remember that guy.
It was just seven months ago when I went to visit my parents and they informed me that they had set up a date with a nice boy who came from a reputable family and that I should give the boy a chance. I tried to refuse, but my mum wouldn't hear of it—she wouldn't allow her only daughter to grow old as a spinster.
I remember going on the date and eventually regretting it. The guy was such a weirdo. He was a vegetarian and wouldn't allow me to order anything that even had the word meat in its name. He wouldn't let me drink any wine, and he kept going on and on about the different breeds of cats. Safe to say that was the worst 2 hours of my life.
I get out of memory lane as I tidy up my bed and head towards the bathroom. After taking my bath, I get dressed in a knee-length baby blue short-sleeved dress and head towards the kitchen to grab a bowl of cornflakes. I'm still eating when I receive a text on my phone. I check to see that it's my mum asking what time I'll be arriving and not to forget to pack enough clothes since I would be staying for a week. They had insisted that they had something very important to tell me and threatened that if I didn't come to visit them, then they would come visit me at the company where I work. I knew it wasn't an empty threat.
My parents and I don't live in the same city. They live in my hometown, which is a good 4-5 hours drive away from Gremis city where I live, and I have to spend a few days anytime I visit them. I quickly grab my suitcase, which I had packed the night before, and head towards my car. I smile when I see my baby girl—I used the savings of my first year at work to buy this car. I get into the car and drive down the road as I wonder what could be the reason for this urgent visit I was about to make.
Hours later, I finally pull up in the garage at my parents' house and get out of the car, stretching my sore limbs before heading over to the trunk to get my suitcase. I'm still locking the car when I hear the front door open and see my mum running towards me excitedly. She pulls me into a big hug, and I don't hesitate to hug her back. I've actually missed them a lot even if I don't admit it. It's been seven months since I last saw them, and I'm already thinking of extending my stay with them. I think I can stay for two weeks instead—I'd just have to call in with the company and inform them. My mum reaches over and takes the suitcase from me, and I follow behind her as we both head for the house.
On getting inside, I notice how silent it is, and I realize that my dad is probably not at home. If he were home, I would have been greeted by the loud sound of the television blasting as he watched some football match or movie. I turn around to see my mum closing the door to my room—I guess she has already placed the suitcase in my room.
"Where's dad?" I ask when she sits on the couch. She shakes her head with a small frown before answering me. "He has gone out to visit a friend. He said he wouldn't stay long, but it's been over an hour now and he's still not back yet."
"Well, maybe something came up," I tell her as I slowly massage my aching temples.
"You should go take a shower then come downstairs to eat," mum says, and I nod silently before getting up and heading towards my room. After taking a shower and changing my clothes, I head back downstairs and I can already smell the aroma of the delicacies prepared by mum. I head towards the table and see dad sitting there. I immediately run up to him and give him a hug, and he smiles and hugs me back.
"How's my little princess?" my dad asks, and I shake my head in displeasure.
"Dad, I'm not little anymore—now I'm a big princess," I tell him jokingly, and we all laugh.
I don't hesitate to sit down as mum serves me my food. I immediately dig in and start shoveling food into my mouth. Mum has already warned me to slow down so that I wouldn't choke, but I barely pay attention to that. It's been so long since I had nice homemade food. I've been eating mostly junk and instant food for the past few months because I've been busy with work. I haven't had a good homemade meal in forever. I've eaten so much junk food these past few months that I'm wondering why I haven't become a panda yet.
We're almost done eating when my dad clears his throat. I know that he's about to say something, and from the way he cleared his throat and removed his glasses, I can tell it's something important. I focus on him as he folds his hands on the table, then lowers them again. I wonder what's making him so nervous.
"So darling, we have something to discuss with you, and it's of the utmost importance," he says, and I nod, signaling for him to go on.
"Do you remember that family we told you we met last year? The ones that we're now close friends with?" he asks, and I just nod my head. I remember them telling me about the new friends they made and how nice they were. They went on and on about that couple for days. Dad clears his throat again before he continues. "Well, you see darling, we had a couple's day out with them recently and we discussed some issues," he adds, not getting to the point. I'm starting to wonder why he won't just go straight to the point.
"Well darling, we both came up with an idea for something," he says, and mum is quick to back him up.
"Yes dear, a really nice idea." At this point I'm already slightly panicking. I know that this issue somehow involves me even though I don't know how, and the fact that they keep stalling isn't easing up my nerves.
"Dad, mum, just go straight to the point—you're scaring me," I tell them honestly. By now the remaining food has been long forgotten, and I'm paying full attention to their words.
"Oh no, there's no need to panic baby, it's not something bad," mum says, trying to ease my nerves, but I still don't believe her.
"This decision will benefit you greatly," dad says, and I nod.
"You see, this couple have a son. A really handsome, successful, nice young man," dad adds, and I frown a little, knowing where this conversation is headed. I should have known it had something to do with my love life. Trust my parents to call me all the way here just to arrange a blind date for me.
I shake my head in frustration. "Don't tell me it's another blind date. Have you forgotten what happened last time?" I asked, referring to the weird vegetarian dude whose name I can never remember.
"Oh don't worry, it's certainly not a blind date," my dad says, and this confuses me. I'm about to question him on what it's about, but my mum replies before I get the chance to open my mouth.
"We want you guys to get married," she declares, and my jaw drops open. I'm sure my tongue has also rolled out like the red carpet by now.
Did I hear her correctly? Nah, I probably heard wrong. I laughed nervously before talking. "Did you guys just say that you want me to get married to a man who I've never met before and definitely don't love?" I ask incredulously.
"No, of course not," my mum says, and I feel relieved, thinking that I had indeed heard her wrong the first time. I'm about to breathe out a sigh and laugh when she adds something even worse.
"We want you to marry a young, handsome, hardworking, successful, nice young man who will make you happy," she says with a smile, and I just sit there dumbfounded.
This wasn't what I was expecting when I came here. This is definitely going to be a long visit.