"I've been hanging around with the Brits. Smashing guys.”
"What time is it?" Grafton noticed that Lundeen's bed had not been slept in.
"Almost ten. Let's go, matey. Up an' at'em, shit and shave."
"What's the rush?" Jake groaned. "Where were you last night, anyway?"
"These Brits I met-Royal Navy types-fixed me up with an Aussie lassie, an airline stew who immediately recognized my sterling qualities. Couldn't bear to spend the night without me." Sammy rolled his eyes appreciatively. "Cool Hand, this is your lucky day. She's got a friend. A sex-starved female just dying to meet you."
Jake rose and went into the bathroom, and Sammy came over and stood near the door. "Hey, Grafton. Has it been so long you've forgotten what sex is? I said I got you fixed up. Had to lie a little, of course. Told her you had hundreds of females fighting each other for your bod. But what the hell, a friend's a friend, right?'
"Right," said Jake. He came out of the bathroom. "I really appreciate this, but there's a glitch. I-P
"A glitch? What're you talking about?"
"Remember that woman I told you about yesterday, The one who-~-'
"What?" said Sammy, incredulously. "You mean Miss Tea and Crumpets? You can't be serious. I've goi you fixed up with a real woman, also an Aussie. A,( good as I am, I couldn't possibly handle them both."
"Sure," said Jake. "But I've got a commit „
"Now look, Jake." Sammy spoke very slowly and deliberately, as though he were speaking to a small child. "Let me make this very clear. You can get 14M today. By this voluptuous hunk of very tall blonde woman. This woman will overstress your main spar, laddy. You know what I'm talking about. L-A-I-D."
"Yeah," said Jake. "But listen a goddamn minute to what--"
"Okay," said Sam, my with finality. "I got. the picture. " Walking toward the door, he said, "Well, I was gonna go to breakfast with you, but I can see you're oft your rocker today and I'm starving, so I'm not gonna wait." Sammy opened the door, then turned toward Jake. "Tell me this. Did you get into her crumpets? Huh? Huh?"
"Go to hell."
"Hal I knew it! I rest my case." He slammed the door.
Deciding he'd shower later, Jake shaved hurriedly. He caught Sammy at breakfast. The residue of fried eggs was on his plate. Jake ordered coffee, tomato juice, and toast with orange marmalade.
"You should've checked first," said Jake. "I told you about her yesterday."
"And just how could I do that? Anyway, how can I take seriously a broad who says she wants to meet you for tea?"
"I take her seriously. She's all right."
"Yeah, yeah."
"I'd like you to meet her," said Jake.
"Don't see how I could fit that in. I've got a lot of things to do today. Arrangements would have to be rearranged, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. I sure do appreciate what you did. But I want you to meet her. Like to know what you think,"
Sammy took two sips of coffee before answering. "Well, as I said, I'll be pretty busy today. But I'll give consideration to it."
When Callie called from the lobby, Jake told her that he wanted her to meet a friend of his. In the hallway Sammy said, "What the hell are crumpets, anyway?"
"Beats me."
As they waited at the elevator, Jake said, "Be nice, okay?"
"Grafton, if my little deal with the Aussie sisters falls apart because I can't come up with another guy, your ass is grass."
They walked into the lobby, which was brighter than Jake had ever seen it. "Is that her," Sammy said, "standing by the pillar?"
"Yep," said Jake, returning Callie's wave. "That's her."
Callie was wearing dark slacks and an unbuttoned white sweater over a yellow blouse. She carried a small shoulder bag.
"Not bad," Sammy said. "Not bad at all."
Jake wanted to hug Callie, but instead he introduced her to Sammy, who stood with his feet together and made a little bow. Callie smiled and said, "Jake told me you're his roomie. Are you a pilot, too?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Sammy. "I'm crazy, too."
Callie laughed. "I didn't know you had to be crazy to fly.”
"You gotta be nuts to fly and nuts to be in the navy," Sammy said solemnly. "So we've got a double whammy. Only insane people could live for months cooped up on a ship like a bunch of monks."
"How long have you two been inflicting craziness on each other?"
The men exchanged glances. "We've known each other a couple years, I guess," Jake said.
"Yeah," said Sammy. "And we've been living together for about a year, so I know all Jake's faults. I can make up a list when we get back to our floating monastery and send it to you. That much paper will have to go freight-rate, though."
Callie looked at Jake with raised eyebrows. Then she turned back to Sammy. "Not meaning to change the subject, but are you enjoying Hong Kong?"
"Definitely," said Sammy. "I'm having a blast."
Jake said, "Callie's going to show me the real Hong Kong. She's going to keep me out of the tourist traps."
"With one exception," said Callie. "We're going to the Peak. That's one tourist attraction nobody should miss."
"I know," said Sammy. "I was there last night." "Last night?" said Callie. "You couldn't have seen a thing!"
"My friend and I didn't mind."
"Well," said Jake. "I can see that months of contemplation and prayer have done you no good at all." 192
"You and your friend should go back," said Callie. "To check out the view."
"I'll seriously consider your advice," said Sammy. "Well, I must leave you young people." He leaned down and spoke softly in Callie's ear. "Jake's list of faults isn't so long. In fact, you're lucky. He's really a great guy."
"What do you think of Sammy?" said Jake as he and Callie stepped out into the bright day.
"He's funny," she said. "Only a little crazy. I like him."
The sky was blue and cloudless, and the air was comfortably dry. It was breezy. Jake took Callie's hand and they walked up Nathan Road. "Most of these stores are open, on a Sunday?" he said.
"They do a booming business. Tourists like to shop here."
Callie led him down a narrow side street where vendors hawked fresh vegetables and plump fruits, the many colors, shapes, and textures overbrimming the large wicker baskets. "What are these?" asked Jake, picking up a small fuzzy object.
"Kiwi fruits. Those are mangoes. They're sweet and delicious."
The air was heavy with the smell of produce and the street was thronged with shoppers, many carrying bulging plastic bags. Jake yanked Callie out of the path of a wobbling bicycle ridden by a boy of seven or eight. "Bet he doesn't have a driver's license," said Callie.
"He's probably late for a date with his girlfriend."
They passed a flower shop. The window bloomed with multicolored plastic flowers. An old woman with missing teeth darted up from the doorway and grabbed Jake's sleeve. "Flowers for the lady? Flowers for the lady?"
Jake smiled at Callie. "If she has some real ones, would you like some flowers?"
"Thanks, but I don't know where I'd put them."
The woman kept up her chant and tugged harder at Jake's sleeve. "No flowers," he said. "The lady doesn't want flowers. No, thank you." The old woman beamed and pulled all the harder at Jake. "No, no. No flowers! No!"
Collie laughed- "She knows a soft touch when she sees one." She then spoke to the woman in Cantontse. Her voice sounded to Jake like the other nasal, singsong voices he'd been hearing. He was startled. For a moment he felt as if Callie were an imposter: a Chinese woman wearing the skin of an American. The old woman immediately dropped Jake's arm. But when she turned to Callie, her eyes were twining: and she launched into a stream of comment, from which Jake and Callie fled down the street.
After a while, having walked street after street, Jake decided that just about anything a person might want could be bought in Kowloon. But he didn't want any of it-no jade, no sequined sweaters, no watches
, no sculptured ivory sampans or concentric balls, no gold trinkets, no enameled rings, no silks, no toys. Although he had gotten hungry, he didn't want to try the duck a vendor was roasting over a charcoal fire, and he didn't want to taste the golden egg yolks that had been salted and dried in the sun. In fact, he temporarily lost his appetite after seeing a butcher shop where chickens dangled by cords and cows' heads lay in pools of blood. And he didn't want his fortune told-that least of all.
Callie tried to talk him into having a suit and some shirts made. "You're missing a terrific opportunity."
"That's all right. I don't wear civilian clothes very often. Are you ready to go to Victoria Peak?"
"Are you tired?"'
"Maybe," he said. "All these people, everybody
pushing you to buy something."
Callie put her hand behind his head and massaged his
neck. Then she kissed him. "I bet you're hungry."
She led him down an alley that was only as wide as a sidewalk. It was lined with racks of cassette tapes and books, some of which were in English.
"These books and tapes aren't for sale," Callie said. "They're part of a lending library."
Farther down the alley Callie stopped. "This is it," she said, and opened the door to a very small room. Jake stepped inside and looked around. There were only three tables, which were covered with newspaper, and in the back of the room a middle-aged man and woman were busy cooking. A young Chinese couple were seated at a table. Callie led Jake to a table by the window, away from the other couple. As they sat down a fly landed on Jake's forehead. He swept it away. "Trust me," said Callie. "It's a lot better than it looks."
The blue walls were faded and a single wooden fan squeaked overhead. The woman came up to them, wiping her hands on her apron. She smiled widely when she recognized Callie. Callie said to Jake, "I'll order us some dumplings. I think you'll like them better fried. Would you like a beer?"
"I sure would. I might not have anything else."
"Ching-ni gei-woman er-shih-ssu-ge chao-tzu, liangping pi -jyou, " said Callie. Jake was startled again by her verbal metamorphosis. "You're really good," said Jake when the woman had gone away..
Callie grinned. "How would you know?"
"If we get dumplings and beer, I'll know you're good. If we get fried snakes or toasted rabbit ears, I'll know you blew it."
Callie threw back her head and laughed.
The woman brought a mound of dumplings on a single plate, which they shared. Jake gingerly picked one up. "Pretty tasty," he said with his mouth full. He reached for another.
"I told you they'd be good."
After the dumplings were gone, Jake thought about ordering another beer.
"Are you rejuvenated?" Callie asked.
"Like an actress with a facelift. I'm ready for anything."
"Good. Let's go to the Peak, then. It's a wonderful day for it."
As they headed for the Star Ferry, Callie took him down side streets they had not been on before. Jake stopped to look at a man, sitting on a stool, who was writing while a gray-haired woman standing next to him spoke. The black Chinese characters seemed to flow from his pen. "He's a calligrapher," explained Callie. "He's writing a letter for the woman because she doesn't know how to write. She'll pay him for it."
"What's the letter about?"
"Wait just a minute." Callie eavesdropped. After a moment she said, "My goodness, Jake! Her granddaughter has had twins! There's great rejoicing over this event, which portends many good things for the family. But I don't know who she's writing to."
"That's great news, Jake said. "Congratulations," he said to the woman, who looked up at him. Jake raised two fingers in a peace or victory sign. The great-grandmother smiled back and bowed her head in acknowledgment. When they started to walk away, the woman called out something to them. Jake asked, "What did she say to us?"
"Hmm. I'm not sure I should tell you."
"Come on. What'd she say?"
"All right, I'll tell you. She said that she hopes we'ree
similarly blessed."
"That's a nice thought."
The second-class seats on the Star Ferry had thin wooden slats that made Jake fidget. Yesterday the water had been dark, but today it was blue-green and it sparkled. Jake enjoyed the breeze, although it sometimes carried a smell of fish. He marveled at how the slow-moving junks and other small craft managed to avoid colliding with the ferry. Callie sat next to him by the open side of the ferry, and her yellow dropped earrings danced. When Jake put his arm around her, she put her hand on his leg.
As it neared the pier, the ferry vibrated from its backing engines. Callie said,. "Let's take a cab. Unless you want to hike uphill."
"I left my mountain-climbing shoes at home."
They waited at the Peak Tram station on Garden Road, passing up opportunities to board until Callie could be sure of getting seats at the rear of the tram on the right side, where the view would be best.
Pulled on rails by a thick steel cable, the rumbling, packed train rose steeply toward the Peak, and the city fell away behind. The L-shaped Hong Kong Hilton and other high rises seemed to be shrinking. Across the street from the tram station was the American consulate, an attractive, balconied building that Callie pointed out to Jake after they had left the cab. She had also pointed out Estoril Courts, her apartment house, a tan concrete building two blocks from the consulate. Most of Callie's neighbors had put out flowers and plants on their balconies; Callie had told him that from her balcony you could see the harbor, but new construction was blocking the view.
The tram stopped a third time, with a gentle rocking back and forth. Jake said, "How many more stops before we get to the top?"
"Who cares? It's such a beautiful day!"
The tram rose even more sharply and Jake felt that he was more lying on his back than sitting down. He said to Callie, "If this tram moved eighty times faster, you'd have an idea of what it's like to zoom-climb in an A-6."
"Sounds like great fun," she said. "Will you take me flying someday?"
Jake looked at her closely. Putting his arm around her shoulder, he said, "You can count on it."
At the Peak, hawkers selling photographic transparencies and other souvenirs aggressively worked the crowds spilling out of the tram station. Callie took Jake's hand and led him across the street where there was an outdoor restaurant.
Jake stopped. "I hope you're not going to suggest we have tea again."
"Not at this tourist trap. But what would be wrong with having tea?"
"Sammy gave me a lot of flak about meeting you for tea. He calls you my tea-and-crumpets girl."
She laughed. "I'vee been called worse. Well, you can tell Sammy that I think he's a nice guy but a bit presumptuous."
"Presumptuous?"
"Don't you think so? Calling me `your girl'?"
"Well, I don't know," said Jake with a grin. "Sammy's not a guy who jumps to conclusions."
Reflecting, Callie pursed her lips. "I'm nobody's `girl,' actually. But I suppose that I could be somebody's...." She gave a laugh. "No! That wasn't coming out the way I intended it to." Callie paused, and said, "Maybe I should try saying it in Chinese."
"No, don't do that," he laughed. "Then I'd never understand you. Look, let's try this. Why don't we see what we can do to not make a liar out of Sammy. Hell, we've got to protect his honor."
Callie shook her head slowly. "Jake Grafton, you're a tricky SOB. But all right. I'm willing to explore, for today anyway, how we can preserve Sammy's honor."
"Time's awastin'," Jake said. He put his hands around her arms and gave her a brief kiss. Then he drew her close to him, and watched her dark eyes slowly close; he felt her relax in his arms. He kissed her again, and this time her body pressed against his. Their tongues touched once, surprising him, and something electric jumped in his body. He didn't want to stop, but she eased them apart. Jake became aware that he was breathing heavily, and he noticed Callie was too.
Running her hand through her hair, Callie said, "We've got to stop doing this in public."
"I don't think the public gives a damn. But I'm easy. I'll do it wherever you want."
"Come on, smart ass," she said, taking his hand. "Let's see what we came here to see."
They stood together near a rusty coin-operated telescope, to which a young Chinese man wearing aviatortype sunglasses held up his gesticulating, noisy, chubby-legged son. Jake was watching them when Callie spoke. "It's so clear I can't believe it. This is really unusual. The pollution is getting so bad that very often you can't see much."
"The visibility is terrific. It'd be a great day for flying." He looked at the harbor, and at the disorderly congestion of sailing craft and motorboats. Only the Star ferries seemed to have destinations. He counted three of them moving between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
"See that mountain in the distance, Jake? That's Castle Peak. Behind it a few miles is Deep Bay, where Wang Chiang's brother drowned." "I see it."
"On the other side of the bay is mainland China.,"
Jake gazed at the massive blue-gray mountains. They made the green Virginia mountains he knew so well seem like mere hills. Rugged country if you were shot down, he reflected. `Yeah, he said at last. "They're impressive."
"Sometimes I come here alone," Callie told him. "F usually walk along the road to the other side of the Peak to get away from the crowds. It's a good place t6 sort things out. To try and figure out what you believe in.
"Have you figured anything out yet?" asked Jake, still looking at the mountains.
Callie considered the question. "Nothing earthshaking. I've always believed in God. But I decided that organized religion doesn't do much for me. I guess I don't want anything intruding between me and God." She smiled. "Like Moses, I prefer direct contact."
Jake grinned. "But Moses had a mountain. Have you ever brought stone tablets up here and looked around for bushes on fire?"
"No," she laughed. "I'm still looking for the right mountain." She canted her head. "Maybe I should place an ad in the newspapers."
"Let's see. You could say: Wanted, one mountain. Must be able to withstand huge bolts of lightning, hurricane-force winds-and a voice a thousand times louder than thunder.`
Flight of the Intruder Page 17