Table for Two

Xu Jing had no idea how long he had been on the floor but when he came to, it was due to a pair of hands that placed themselves firmly on his shoulders. They tried to pull him up from the floor.

Xu Jing allowed himself to be carried up and he turned to look into the eyes of his benefactor. He saw a pair of eyes that her mother gifted to her looking back at him.

"Dad..." Sylvia started to say but she didn't know what else there was for her to say. What could one say when one saw one's father in such a situation?

In the end, Sylvia settled with saying nothing and Xu Jing did not seem to mind. Sylvia half-carried, half-dragged her father's body down the stairs and into the living room. She placed him at the couch and she sat down beside him.

Sylvia did not know what really happened but when she came back and saw her father lying before her parents' bedroom door, she had a fairly good guess what had transpired. Her father knew that the cat was out of the bag and tried to explain it to her mom, but knowing her mother, she probably refused to listen to him and shut him out.

With her father slumped in a heap beside her, Sylvia didn't know what to even do or say. Her life experience had not taught her how to deal with a situation like this. Indeed, what should you do when one of your parents was caught cheating and kicked out by the other parent?

Sylvia doubted there was a self-help book for a topic like that.

Sylvia heard her father take in a deep breath. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. 'At least he doesn't look as devastated as before.'

Little did Sylvia know she was one of the main reasons why Xu Jing was bouncing back. Xu Jing didn't want to appear like such a mess in front of her daughter. Sylvia's presence reminded him that he was a father and he needed to act like one.

He could break down and cry in front of his mother or even his wife because he saw himself as equal or lower than them but he had to snap out of it and hold it together when he was around his daughter. He could never do the same thing he did before his mother or his wife in front of his daughter. It was due to the dignity of him being a parent.

A parent, especially a father, was supposed to be the rock for the children to lean on and if the rock crumble, what would happen to the children?

Another reason was enough time had passed and he felt more like himself again.

Therefore, the young woman took a deep breath like her father did minutes ago and began with a sincere, "Dad, I'm sorry."

Xu Jing looked at her and asked in a voice that was monotone even though he tried to make it sound upbeat for the sake of Sylvia, "Why are you apologizing to me?"

The fact that he would do something like that in a state like this just broke Sylvia's heart. She sniffled and said, "No, I'm sorry because it was me who sold you out. It was me who broke the news to grandma and mom."

Xu Jing did remember his mother saying something like that. He was too devastated by other news to fully process that piece of information until Sylvia brought it up again.

'So my daughter is the reason that my wife might break up with me?' The question sounded so preposterous in Xu Jing's mind that he had to chuckle.

The chuckle was so out of place that it honestly frightened Sylvia. She was afraid that her father might see her action as an act of betrayal and would collapse from the total mental pressure. Considering the state that she found her father and the amount of devastation Sylvia knew he had been through, it was not a far-fetched possibility.

Sylvia expected her father to break down, or even blame her but what Xu Jing did surprise the hell out of her. Xu Jing put his arms around his daughter's shoulder and said sincerely, "Why are you apologizing to me? I should be the one apologizing to you.

"This should be a problem between me and your mother but this horrible thing that I did had roped you into it as well. I can't imagine the pressure and stress the knowledge must have had on you. Sylvia, I'm so sorry.

"This is all my fault, please don't blame your mother. The fault is no one's but mine."

Sylvia was touched. To think that her father would show her and her mother concern even at a time like this was touching. Granted, this whole mess was his own doing to begin with but credit was given where credit was due.

Xu Jing had always been a caring and loving father. He trusted others and could mix well with everyone. Ironically, it was due to his trusting nature that he had landed himself in this hot water.

Sylvia patted the back of Xu Jing's arm. "It's alright, dad...." Sylvia wanted to say something more than that but consoling her father felt wrong considering his misdeed.