Kaitlyn Foster
Midwest Native
Daughter of Bethanie and Samuel
Posts: 261
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Post by Kaitlyn Foster on Jul 3, 2021 18:39:17 GMT -5
Kaitlyn pressed a light kiss to the top of Marcus' head as she felt him lean back slightly against her, finding that his response as to what he missed about being in California was pretty well on point with what one might have expected. Having grown up on the west coast, she could imagine how Michigan weather wouldn't really feel ideal, especially in the winter time. Heck, she'd spent her entire life there and she still wasn't a fan once those cold months started rolling around. Admittedly, she couldn't relate very much to him as far as the community went though, as it was much easier for her, as a white woman, to fit in in a city like Lansing, which did have some cultural diversity due to it being a college town but not as much as other places might. Her hands moving to absent mindedly rub at his shoulders as he added that having access to his mother's cooking more frequently was also something he missed, finding herself wondering if there would come a time when the older woman would be inclined to showing her how to prepare some of the recipes her boyfriend had grown up with. In all likelihood, she doubted it would be any time soon. "I guess on the plus side, Michigan's gotta be a lot cheaper to live in than California would be," she said with a light shrug.
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Post by Marcus Huang on Aug 1, 2021 13:10:11 GMT -5
Marcus gave Kaitlyn a brief smile as she started to rub his shoulders, nodding as she mentioned that Michigan was going to be cheaper to live in than California. It certainly was, as soon as he got a job he'd easily be able to afford a decent house and that was not something that he could say would have happened if he'd decided to come back and live in California. Not to mention that he didn't exactly miss having earthquakes. Though, he preferred them slightly to the tornadoes that he'd noticed happening in Michigan from time to time. "Michigan is a much more affordable cost of living," he agreed with nod. "Besides, I don't imagine you want to move far away from your family." He wasn't certain that they'd spend the rest of their lives together but it would be a lie to try and say that he hadn't thought about it. That he wasn't starting to plan a future that could involve her long term. Nothing was certain, of course, there was still time to figure it out but one of the paths that he was considering was that he might be spending holidays with Kaitlyn for the rest of his life.
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Kaitlyn Foster
Midwest Native
Daughter of Bethanie and Samuel
Posts: 261
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Post by Kaitlyn Foster on Aug 5, 2021 15:21:24 GMT -5
There were times when it was actually a bit tricky to know for sure what Marcus envisioned for the future. To be fair, it wasn't exactly a concept that Kaitlyn had often preoccupied herself with - what her life might be like a few years down the road. It would be lying, however, to try and pretend that Marcus didn't figure in most all of the things she did sometimes picture. With that in mind, she always did get a small thrill whenever he alluded to a life that kept the two of them together, like now, in how he included the unlikelihood of her wanting to be very far from her family in his reasoning for sticking around Michigan. Moving her arms to lightly wrap around him as she leaned forward, resting her chin on his shoulder and turning her head slightly to press her lips against the side of his neck. "I mean, yeah, I guess I've kinda always figured I wouldn't get too far from Michigan in the long run,” she began thoughtfully. "I don't know that I would say it's set in stone, though. You know me, I'm pretty flexible,” she added, her tone holding a note of teasing. She loved her family, of course, but the concept of sticking around had a lot to do with familiarity and convenience, more than a dire need to not put too much distance between herself and Grand Rapids.
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Post by Marcus Huang on Dec 17, 2021 17:06:10 GMT -5
Marcus only gave the slightest hum of acknowledgement as Kaitlyn said that she figured she wouldn't get too far from Michigan in the long run while kissing his neck. From what he'd seen of her with her family he knew she wanted to be able to spend holidays with them and that for all the shit she and her siblings seemed to easily share they clearly cared for one another too. He did chuckle a little as she mentioned that she was pretty flexible. "I do know that," he agreed, thinking of the very physical flexibility that she'd often displayed. Although he had to admit that she was fairly easy going in her day to day life as well. At this point staying around Michigan was also for himself and being able to be close to Evelina and Amelia. "We'll see where the future takes us." Mostly, truthfully, his own future depended much more on where he could find a job at the end of the day. Even if he was prioritizing staying close to Evelina and Amelia, he obviously couldn't live somewhere that he couldn't make a living in.
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Kaitlyn Foster
Midwest Native
Daughter of Bethanie and Samuel
Posts: 261
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Post by Kaitlyn Foster on Feb 20, 2022 16:04:07 GMT -5
Even though Kaitlyn felt that she and Marcus worked well together, it was undeniable that there were things they had to be mindful of when it came to one another, things that they weren't necessarily evenly matched on or just didn't instinctively knew to do for other people. The way they showed and felt love was certainly not the same, and it wasn't always easy to remember that. Marcus showed his love in the way he did things, in the little attentions that were admittedly sometimes hard for her to notice, even though she tried her best to make a conscious effort to be more aware. It still never felt quite the same as hearing him say something that just further confirmed the way he felt about her. And as he said that they'd see where the future took them, she felt another small thrill, leaning forward slightly and moving her hand to his cheek so to turn his head to the side, pressing her lips against his. It seemed very doubtful that they would have a lot of alone time to enjoy right now, half expecting him to pull away within seconds to say they had to head back downstairs, but until he did so, she figured there was no harm in making the most of it.
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Post by Marcus Huang on Apr 11, 2022 15:43:23 GMT -5
Marcus allowed himself a few minutes of kissing Kaitlyn until he heard his mom coming up the stairs, at which point he pulled away and put a little distance between the two of them so not to make anything awkward. It worked because a moment later his mom was coming into the room and looking around with a bit of suspicion but seeming happy with the way that they were settled onto the bed.
"Nǐ duǒ zài nǐ de fángjiān lǐ ma?" she demanded.
"Bù ma," he answered. "We were just unpacking."
"Xià lóutī. Wǒ zuòle diǎnxīn," she said, waving behind her. "Nǐ tài shòule." For a moment she looked at Kaitlyn and then continued. "Nǐ nǚ péngyǒu yěshì."
"Hǎo de ma," he nodded, standing and holding his hand out to Kaitlyn. "My mom wants us to come down for food. She thinks we're both too thin."
Wǒ zhīdào nǐ shì," she scoffed. "Qù!"
"She says she knows we are and to go downstairs now," Marcus said quietly to Kaitlyn.
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Kaitlyn Foster
Midwest Native
Daughter of Bethanie and Samuel
Posts: 261
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Post by Kaitlyn Foster on Jun 13, 2022 11:05:01 GMT -5
Although Kaitlyn had known this moment was bound to be short lived, she still had to hold back a sigh as Marcus pulled himself away from her and shifted on the bed so to put more distance between them. She hadn't been paying attention to the noises of the house, figuring she'd leave that up to him, but the manner in which he'd intentionally moved away from her was enough to tell her they were about to be interrupted, and sure enough, the door soon opened to allow his mother to come into the room. The conversation that followed wasn't one she had to bother keeping up with as the only thing she could understand were Marcus' responses - and she couldn't help but wonder how his mother felt about him replying to her in English instead of Mandarin, and if that was a common occurrence or a courtesy because she was there. Looking up as her boyfriend got to his feet and held his hand out to her, taking it and getting off the bed herself. She kept her face neutral as he translated for her that his mother wanted them to go downstairs and eat as they were deemed too thin, which the older lady apparently emphasized with her next statement considering his next bout of translation. Her glance at her boyfriend was slightly unimpressed but she followed without arguing, wondering idly how many comments his mother would make about her appearance that evening that she would not be able to understand - and which would undoubtedly not be translated for her benefit.
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Post by Marcus Huang on Nov 1, 2022 19:41:38 GMT -5
Marcus knew that Kaitlyn wasn't that impressed with his parents thus far and honestly he didn't see it getting better anytime soon. His parents were bound to be disappointed by her for a while, it wasn't something that he could stop but hopefully by the end of the trip they would warm up to her slightly. Or at the very if he could get them all to be okay with one another he'd take it. When he got down to the table he was admittedly very excited to see the spread that was already out. He always ate well when he was home and he couldn't deny that sometimes he missed it.
“Ń, zuò xià ba, nǐ bùyào ràng tā zháoliáng,” his mom said.
Already they had individual bowls of white rice and empty plates to serve from the dishes on the table. Marcus immediately got himself some of the braised tofu, broccoli and fried eggs with tomatoes to start with, knowing that he'd definitely want some of the cabbage and veggie mix that he saw sitting out and whatever soup was also out.
“Wǒ xūyào gěi tā mǎi báirén yòngjù ma?” his father asked.
"Kaitlyn is fine with the soup spoon the chop sticks," Marcus replied, glancing at his girlfriend.
His mom gave a small hum as if she wasn't certain but no one moved to get any extra utensils. “Tā zhīdào nǐ bù huì zhuàn hěnduō qián ma?”
Marcus had been about to take a bite of his food but sighed and put down his chopsticks. “Shì de, māmā, tā zhīdào wǒ bù huì zhuàn hěnduō qián.”
“Ń, nǐ zhīdào nàxiē niánqīng nǚhái, tāmen zhǐ duì nián zhǎng de nánrén gǎn xìngqù lái zhàogù tāmen,”she insisted. “Tā kěnéng xiǎng zhěng tiān dāi zài jiālǐ qù gòuwù.”
"Kaitlyn, do you want to explain your degree and your career goals?" he asked his girlfriend, figuring that if he kept the entire conversation in mandarin she'd be pretty pissed.
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Kaitlyn Foster
Midwest Native
Daughter of Bethanie and Samuel
Posts: 261
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Post by Kaitlyn Foster on Dec 27, 2022 15:01:50 GMT -5
Although Kaitlyn hadn't grown up eating much Asian inspired cuisine, she was typically pretty appreciative of the flavors and the ingredients that it involved. There were times when it was a bit too oily for her taste, and certain meats her body simply could not handle, but for the most part, there was always something for her to eat. As such, she wasn't too worried about finding something to like as she followed Marcus downstairs to join the table for dinner, and she was proven right as she glanced over the various dishes that had been brought out. Following her boyfriend's lead as he started serving himself, picking up her chopsticks just as she heard him assure his father that she was fine with the utensils already set out. Not missing the sound his mother made next and resisting the urge to roll her eyes - it was hard to tell if this came from believing she herself was incompetent, or the fact that they didn't go out much, but she was hardly an oddity as a white person who could handle chopsticks. Focusing her attention on her food as there was no point in trying to follow the conversation. Of course, she was well aware that she was a guest here and this was the language Marcus' parents spoke, and thus the language they were entitled to speak in their own home. Then again, if her mom's first language had been anything but English, and she had English speaking guests around, Kaitlyn was fairly certain she would die of mortification before she purposely held conversation in a language they couldn't understand.
Due to the fact that she wasn't personally involved in the first bit of talking Marcus' parents did with him, it took her a moment to realize he was addressing her, raising an eyebrow as he asked if she wanted to explain her degree and career goals. "Well, I'm studying marketing," she began, stopping herself from simply stating that her career goals involved working in marketing, even though something told her that would be just as efficient as going into specifics. "Ideally, I'd like to go into operations of advertising campaigns, or product designing for cosmetic brands," she went on.
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Post by Marcus Huang on Jan 28, 2023 15:30:44 GMT -5
There was no way that his parents were going to be thrilled with Kaitlyn's career path, but he figured that they would likely be at least happy that she had some. Personally, he thought she'd made a good pick for something that she would both be good at and something that she seemed to enjoy. Also, he didn't care that much about salary though he knew that a good position could definitely make Kaitlyn quite well paid.
"化妆品?" his mom questioned. "她脸上全是这种东西?"
"化妆品包括彩妆," Marcus answered, not rising to the bait about her make-up. Kaitlyn used a fair amount but he didn't think that she overdid it and it wasn't any of his business what she put on her face as long as she liked how she looked.
"Where do you do that?" his father asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do they have companies in Michigan or do you need to move far away?"
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Kaitlyn Foster
Midwest Native
Daughter of Bethanie and Samuel
Posts: 261
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Post by Kaitlyn Foster on Jul 18, 2023 13:54:36 GMT -5
Something told Kaitlyn that her career goals weren't likely to be very impressive in the eyes of Marcus' parents, but she was pretty happy with the decision she'd made for herself - especially considering the fact that it had taken her a bit of time to figure out what she felt she might be good at. She may not be as ambitious as Michelle, but she'd still always known there had to be an option out there for her, and seeing as she hardly had the making of a housewife, a job was kind of a requirement at the end of the day. She was admittedly a bit taken aback at being addressed directly by his father - this was, after all, only the second time since her arrival that he'd spoken to her. And seeing as the first comment he'd made had been about her being very young and asking Marcus if she was a teenager, she hadn't felt he'd be particularly inclined to making further conversation. "It's still a few years off, so I haven't really thought in terms of location yet," she spoke with a light shrug. "Of course larger brands would be the goal, but odds are I'd have to start off with smaller companies. Marketing positions can easily be done remote though, so any place I work for doesn't necessarily has to be based out of wherever we end up living."
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Post by Marcus Huang on Aug 26, 2023 16:09:21 GMT -5
Marcus wasn't surprised by his father's question, sure that it was something that he and his mom had discussed before his arrival. They were always asking when he was going to be moving back to California. It wasn't that he had anything against his home state, besides the lack of affordability, but he knew that he was unlikely to move back unless Evelina also decided to move back and considering how comfortable she was getting with Eli he doubted that was going to happen.
"加州有比密歇根州更大的公司," his mom pointed out.
"She's right," his dad echoed.
"I'm not even finished with my degree yet," Marcus replied. "We'll be staying in Michigan at least until I finish school."
"我们? 所以你让这个女孩决定你想住在哪里?"
"妈妈,你知道伊芙琳娜也住在密歇根州"
She frowned, "伊芙琳娜应该嫁给你,你们两个应该搬回这里"
Marcus sighed, though he was glad that this part of the conversation wasn't one that Kaitlyn could understand. "伊芙琳娜很高兴她现在的处境,她喜欢凯特琳."
His mom turned to look at Kaitlyn. "You like Evelina?"
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Kaitlyn Foster
Midwest Native
Daughter of Bethanie and Samuel
Posts: 261
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Post by Kaitlyn Foster on Aug 26, 2023 18:06:06 GMT -5
It would seem that the most Kaitlyn could contribute to the conversation at a time was the response to one inquiry before the family went on to have their own side discussion that she had no part in, primarily because she didn't understand what was being said. Marcus did seem to be trying to keep part of it in English, but whether it was a force of habit or because there were parts of what he was responding to that he didn't actually want her to understand, he often ended up switching back to Mandarin also. There were a few words here and there she felt she could sort of pinpoint, although she almost missed them as she wasn't really paying attention to what was being said as a whole. Then Marcus' mom addressed her directly with a question that seemed to come out of nowhere as far as she was concerned, but she tried not to dwell on that too much as it was bound to continue being a frequent occurrence as long as they would be visiting here. "Yes, of course. Evelina's a great friend," she responded, not really sure what else there was to say on the matter.
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