Anthony was busy in the kitchen when one of his employees sidled up next to him and informed him his mother was waiting for him outside. He nodded before preparing a couple slices of strawberry cheesecake on separate plates and two cups of hot chocolate. He placed them on a tray and carried them out from the kitchen. He spotted his mother occupying one of the tables close to the door. She appeared calm, but he noticed the tell-tale signs of her nervousness when he caught sight of her fiddling with the short straps of her purse and tapping her fingernails gently on the tabletop. He approached the table and forced a smile at his mother.

“Hey, Mom.”

Anthony’s mother nodded without even looking at him. “Have a seat.”

Anthony obliged and served her the cake and hot chocolate before doing the same for himself. He bit back a sigh when she obviously refused to look at him.

“What’s going on?”

“Eric had already proposed to Olivia last night.”

Anthony grinned at his mother even though she had yet to glance up at him. Instead, her focus was on the cake, which she was cutting into with the fork.

“That’s great news.”

“It is. The engagement party will be fifteen days after the first day of the Lunar New Year.”

“Awesome. Thanks for telling me, Mom.”

His mother didn’t respond. Instead, she continued to chew on the cake inside her mouth before swallowing it. Anthony waited for his mother to say something, which she eventually did.

“Eric is your younger brother. You don’t mind him getting married before you do, do you?”

Anthony shook his head. “It’s fine, Mom.”

“Okay. When he and Olivia get married, they will present you with a new pair of pants. It’s an old tradition.”

Anthony shrugged. “Sure.”

Then a rather awkward silence stretched on for a brief moment before Anthony’s mother spoke up.

“How are you doing? How’s the business?”

“The bakery is busy most of the time. I’m here by six or so in the morning even though the operating hours of the bakery start at seven o’clock. Then we close up shop by nine in the evening. I usually leave around half past nine unless I have something else going on before that.”

“Okay. What about your personal life?”

Anthony hesitated for a few seconds before answering the question. “I have a date tonight.”

His mother raised her head for the first time since he got to her table. “What’s her name?”

Anthony’s heart sank. “I have a date with a man. His name is Vincent Yang.”

“Oh.”

Anthony was disappointed when his mother didn’t even bother to finish the remainder of the cake. She sipped on the hot chocolate and stood.

“Mom --”

“I have an errand to run. I’ll see you at home for the reunion dinner. It starts at seven.”

Anthony sighed when his mother picked up her purse and dashed out from the bakery without sparing him a second glance. His relationship with his parents had been strained ever since he came out as a gay man twelve years ago when he was only twenty years old. His younger brothers, Eric and Russell, didn’t care about his sexuality one way or the other, but they never got themselves involved in his affairs. Besides, he was aware Eric and Russell were worried they might be cut off from the vast amount of inheritance they would receive from their parents someday. He knew he would never obtain even a fraction of a cent of his parents’ wealth because his parents had erased him from their will not long after he had come out to them. He didn’t hope for any inheritance, but his parents’ treatment of him hurt him deeply.