Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani Read Free Book Online Page B

of humor, and I found that very attractive. He laughed easily, and his laughter was infectious, so our dates together were always a lot of fun. He seemed to know exactly when to call and what to say at the right time. He was gentle, yet strong and persuasive, and I loved that about him.
    However, I still found myself thinking that it was only a matter of time before he discovered the inherent flaws within me. I was afraid he’d soon become disappointed.
    But that day never arrived. Danny was steady and unwavering in his affection for me. He called me on the phone just to see how I was doing and sent me flowers and gifts on special occasions. Unlike many of his counterparts, he loved my independent nature. And instead of being horrified by my interests, dreams, and aspirations, he found humor in my warding off my parents’ attempts at arranging a marriage. He thought all these qualities of mine were endearing. He was genuinely interested in me for who I was, and this feeling of acceptance was so new and refreshing for me.
    Danny had graduated from university with a business degree. As commonly happens in our culture, his father owned a company and Danny, being the only son and heir, was obligated to join the family business.
    At the time, my job entailed some travel outside of Hong Kong. Since Danny’s business did, too, I’d occasionally find his smiling face staring at me in various ports of call, as he purposely coordinated his trips to coincide with mine.
    One evening, as we were walking along Deep Water Bay, one of my favorite beaches on Hong Kong Island, I casually asked Danny if he knew about my past engagement and what people in our community had been saying about me. We’d never spoken about it, so I was almost afraid to ask. I wasn’t sure how he would feel if he hadn’t already heard.
    “Yes,” he replied, “I’ve known about this almost since the time I met you. And thanks to our wonderful community, I’ll even bet the version I’ve heard has been embellished tenfold, with lots of seasoning added for effect!”
    “How did you feel about me when you found out?” I asked, a little bit concerned about what he was going to say.
    “Are you sure you’re ready to know the truth?” he responded, a slight smile appearing at the corners of his lips.
    “Yes, the unadulterated truth, please. I can handle it,” I said, bracing myself for what was coming.
    “Well, when I heard about what you did, the first thing that came to my mind was: Yes ! That’s just the type of woman I’d want to marry—someone who has a mind of her own! ”
    A broad smile spread across my face as I felt a huge flood of relief pour over me. I remember saying, “So I take it you aren’t attracted to me for my chapatti-making skills, then?”
    “Hey, you underestimate my abilities, young lady! I roll a pretty mean chapatti myself—but that’s not all. I do windows, bathrooms, and laundry as well!”
    And at that moment, my smile broke into full-blown laughter. We both fell down on the sand and laughed until tears streamed down our cheeks. We laughed about everything and nothing at the same time.
    As our laughter died down, he clambered up on his knees while I was still sitting on the sand, and our eyes met. He took both my hands in his and said, “Anita, I’ve been wanting to ask this from the day we met. Will you marry me?”
    It was at that moment I knew. I knew for sure that he was the one for me. I had found my soul mate.
    O N M ARCH 17, 1995, EXACTLY TWO MONTHS after Danny proposed to me, the unexpected happened. The telephone rang as I rolled over in bed to look at the time.
    What’s going on? I wondered as I lifted the receiver, It’s only 5:15 in the morning. Before I answered the phone, I knew that it wasn’t good news.
    “Beta, darling, is that you?” I hear my mother’s tearful voice on the other end of the phone before I had a chance to speak.
    “Yes, I’m here. What’s wrong?” I felt the fear racing