It was July when we had a surprise email from Jia's sister Chen. She was asking if she could visit us again, this time with her new boyfriend! We of course said they were welcome and should just pick a date before mid-August as we were planning to go on holiday abroad then. Chen replied that she would check with her boyfriend and get back to us soon.
Jia immediately called her mum (Fan) on skype to ask about the new man in her sister's life. The Norwegian she had hooked up with after returning for her holiday had already left China so we guessed this must be someone new. Fan answered her call and I left the room while they chatted in Chinese.
It was almost an hour before Jia came to find me and tell me all the news. Apparently the new guy (Derick) is from Hong Kong but has lived in Beijing for a couple of years. He's quite a bit older than Chen and Fan was worried about the age gap. She'd met him a few times and he seemed pleasant enough but she was glad to hear that Jia would have an opportunity to get to know him better.
Jia was excited and the next day an email arrived from Chen saying they could come in two weeks and would like to stay with us for a week before going to Italy or France. The date was fine for us and Jia let her know it was OK.
"I wonder what he's like?" Jia asked me.
"Well you'll find out soon enough!"
"Do you think Chen will want to go to a spa when he's here?"
"I have no clue, why don't you ask her now and then we can plan something."
Jia followed my advice and wrote to Chen asking if she wanted to visit a spa while she was here. The reply came the next day and Chen wrote that she had spoken to Derick and he wasn't too keen. She told Jia not to make any plans yet.
Jia wasn't happy with the news.
"Look, not everyone likes saunas and spas and if she told him they were nude he might have been even more put off! I remember a certain lady that used to call it disgusting!" I told her.
"That's not funny. Once I saw what it was like I changed my mind, so if he never tries it he won't ever know."
"It wasn't that easy to change your mind!"
"Well, this is different. Anyway, I'll tell Chen that we could go without him if he doesn't want to join us."
"Fair enough. Just don't push too much, it's her boyfriend remember!"
Jia wrote to Chen again but we didn't receive a reply. A week later they chatted on skype. Chen confirmed their arrival time and told Jia that Derick still wasn't keen but had agreed to go along if he didn't have to be naked.
I said to Jia "At least the three of us can go and who knows, maybe he'll change his mind when we're there."
She didn't reply but I could tell she was a bit disappointed. Poor Derick had already managed to made a negative impression on Jia even before she met him!
Time passed quickly and before we knew it we were already heading to the airport to pick them up. It was a very warm and sunny day and even in the evening the temperature was high. During the drive I reminded Jia to take it easy on Derick and to give him a chance.
"I will, don't worry. I just hope he at least gives it a go. If there's one thing I hate it's when someone says they don't like something without even trying it."
"You mean like me and some Chinese dishes?"
She laughed "Exactly!"
Soon we were standing at the arrivals area waiting for our guests to emerge. It took a while but we finally spotted Chen. She looked quite different from last time we'd seen her, she was dressed very fashionably in a rather short skirt, a white shirt and thin jacket and her hair style had changed. When she saw us waving she rushed over hugging and kissing Jia before giving me the same treatment. During my hug I thought I could feel her nipples poke into my chest and I wondered if she was wearing a bra.
After the greeting ritual was over she turned around and waved at a man I presumed was Derick. He was pushing both their suitcases and approached us slowly. As Fan had mentioned he was quite a bit older then Chen and looked to be a few years older than me. He was about the same height as Chen, of slim stature and wearing thick glasses and a suit. He seemed overdressed for the temperature but I suppose he was used to much warmer climes.
Jia moved to hug him but he just stuck out his hand. It was one of those typically awkward moments you sometimes have when meeting people for the first time. After shaking Jia's hand he did the same to me.
I asked "How was your flight?"
Chen replied "It was fine, not too full thank god."
I took one case from Derick and we headed to the car park. Jia began to chat with Chen in Chinese so I tried to make conversation with Derick. "Have you been to Switzerland before?"
"No."
"How about anywhere else in Europe?"
"Just the UK."
"How about other places?"
"Singapore and Hong Kong. Australia once."
"OK, anyway I hope you enjoy your holiday, Switzerland is beautiful and I'm sure you'll enjoy France!"
"Yes."
I could tell that this was going to be difficult. Maybe he needed to recover from the journey.
The conversation during our drive home was equally one sided with Jia and I asking questions and getting one word replies from Derick. He never asked us anything and Chen took over most of the dialogue.
When we arrived home it was already after 10PM. We unloaded the car and I took their luggage to the room Jia had prepared for them. Chen then surprised us by saying she had forgotten to mention that Derick would need his own room. Jia quickly prepared the bed in our other guest room and when everything was ready Jia told them they could get up whenever they felt like it the next morning as we would take it easy and relax.
Chen said "Great, I'll use the bathroom first and then go to sleep. I know from last time that I'll probably wake up quite early."
Derick didn't respond so Jia and I withdrew to our bedroom and prepared for the night.
"I don't like him at all!" Jia said as soon as our door closed. "He barely talks and never asks anything about anyone. And what's with the separate bedroom? Do you think they have booked single rooms for the rest of their holiday?"
"I agree he's not the easiest person to talk to. Maybe he just takes a while to get to know new people."
"He's never going to get to know anyone if he can't have a normal conversation. I just don't like him. Chen can do better; I wonder what she likes about him?"
"Give him another chance; maybe he's just tired from the trip or something."
"Hmmm, maybe. I wonder if they've had sex yet. You know what; I can't sleep without some answers. I'm going to talk to Chen now."
"Are you sure, she wanted to get some sleep?"
"It won't take long." With that she left the room.
I undressed and used the bathroom and as I was walking towards our bed the door opened and Jia came back in. "That was quick! I thought you'd be longer."
"I didn't get a chance to speak to her! I was about to knock when I heard some groaning sounds and then noticed the door to Derick's room was open. I listened for a while and could just hear some moans and Derick saying "yes" and "carry on" in Chinese!
"At least that answered one of your questions!"
