Without looking up from her book, Auntie Lil commented, “Everything all right over there?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I haven’t heard that much pillow fluffing since I worked one summer at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.”
“Ha, ha. You never worked at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Auntie Lil.”
“Well, you get my point. Are you settled?”
“All settled.”
I attacked my project for a while, then paused with a sigh.
“What’s up?” Auntie Lil asked.
“I don’t know. I just went back to read some of what I had written.”
“And?”
“It’s all well and good that I’m writing it, but where is it going to end up? Am I really going to print it out and hand it to the family? And if I do, will they read it?”
Auntie Lil sighed and patted the space beside her.
“Bring your tablet over here. But leave the pillow fort behind.”
I hopped over and settled in next to her, handing her my iPad.
“Well?” I asked after she’d flipped through a few screens.
“This is very well written, Annalise.”
“You can be honest with me, Auntie. You don’t have to be nice to me because I’m your niece.”
“No, I’m serious, dear. You have a knack for making things come alive. The family will appreciate these.”
“Thank you.” I leaned my head on her shoulder.
After a moment, I had an idea.
“Do you think anyone outside the family would want to read it?” I asked.
“I think so. It’s fresh and entertaining. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I was thinking maybe I could set up a blog. It’s sort of a high-tech diary—”
“I know what a blog is, dear. I’m not your father.”
We both smiled at my father’s stubborn refusal to become fully engaged in the communication methods of this century.
“Well, what if I blogged about this trip rather than just keeping a diary and making people read about it all at once?”
Auntie Lil became excited.
“I think it’s a great idea! You could include photos, couldn’t you?”
“I hadn’t thought about it, but pictures would be perfect.”
“I love this idea, Annalise!” Auntie Lil hugged me tightly, and my iPad nearly fell to the floor.
I rescued it and flopped back on her bed laughing. Then I shot straight up. We were already in the middle of the trip! It was too late. I should have started in the planning stages. I slumped over.
“What’s wrong, dear?” Auntie Lil asked.
I explained my concerns about missing the perfect starting time for the project.
“Nonsense.” She waved her hand. “There is no reason why you can’t start now. You have all of your notes from the beginning of the trip. You have all of our photos so far. The way I see it, you just need to set up a clean design and put the early writing in, then just keep up from now on.”
She had a point. I wasn’t designing a fancy website, just setting up a skeleton blog and feeding the content into it. Oh, wait ...
I slumped over again.
“What now?” Auntie Lil asked.
“The firewall, Auntie Lil. I can’t just send information out of China. The government doesn’t allow that.”
I moved back to my own bed. Oh well, it was a good idea while it lasted.
“What time is it in San Francisco, Annalise?”
“Planning on ordering some sourdough bread?” I asked.
“No. But it occurred to me that if we knew someone who could advise us on this ... situation, it would be handy, wouldn’t it? Someone who was an expert on web design, for example, and who studied that at—”
“Gonzaga? I see what you’re getting at, Auntie Lil, but I don’t think that Breck Connolly would have the time or inclination to get involved with this little project.” I shook my head.
“Well, why not?”
“Why not? Don’t you think we took advantage of his hospitality enough the other day?”
“Oh, Annalise, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Besides, all this means is that we’ll just owe him a bigger favor.” She reached for her own phone in her shoulder bag.
“This is a huge favor, Auntie Lil!” I protested.
“And one we’ll be happy to repay when it comes time.” With her reading glasses perched on her nose, she scrolled through her contacts to find his name and punched in the number.
“Breccan? Dearest, this is Auntie Lilliana Fontana. That’s right, from the airport. Listen, I have the tiniest question to ask you. Do you have a moment?”
And she was off.
Chapter Twenty
Everything looks great. I’ll check in with you when I upload today’s notes. I owe you so much.
I hit “Send” on my text, and with a whoosh my message shot off to Breck. His reply was nearly instantaneous.
No problem, pal. I was looking for a fun distraction to take my mind off a problem I’m trying to solve. Happy scribbling. Best to Auntie L.
I smiled at how Breck thought that designing an entire blog and figuring out how to make it work in China was a “distraction.” And he did it in a few short hours. Oh well, we all have our skills and gifts.
Switching over to my brand-new blog, I scrolled back and forth with pride. Breck had come up with a simple design that I could easily maintain as well as a system to upload text and photos for the duration of the trip. He, Auntie Lil, and I had come up with what I thought was the perfect title on the header—Travels with Gypsy, in honor of my father’s nickname for me. I loved it all.
I sent the final link to my family and friends, put my technology away, stretched, and checked my watch. Yikes! I had been up almost all night working with my genius web friend. But I now had a government-approved blog set up and a method for uploading a daily diary. It pays to know people. Well, specifically, it pays to know Auntie Lil, I guess, because she always knew people.
Luckily I had showered last night, so all I had to do was fix my face and hair and get dressed. Auntie Lil had gone downstairs a few moments earlier to meet the group for breakfast, so I’d better not be too far behind.
The group moved back and forth from the breakfast buffet set up in a corner of the hotel’s dining room laughing and talking. I found Auntie Lil sitting with the spirited Flynn sisters, along with a new gentleman. She waved me over.
“Annalise, dear, come and meet Father John.”
Father John? This group traveled with their own priest? Well, I guess it would come in handy if anyone needed the last rites. Stop it, Annalise! That was a snarky thing to say. The real reason he was with them was so that they could celebrate Mass anywhere, since being in a country where churches were few and far between could cause a problem for a group of practicing Catholics. Father John stood to greet me, and I took in the fact that he was not wearing a clerical collar.
“Your aunt has told us all about you and your travel blog. What a wonderful idea!” Father John’s green eyes twinkled, and his smile was friendly.
“She has? I just set it up!” I shot a look to my talkative aunt as he encourage me to sit.
“Well, we think it’s a great idea,” nodded Katherine. “Lil has given us all the link to share with our families back home. They’ll love being able to have a minute-by-minute account of the trip.”
Oh, great. No pressure, Auntie Lil.
“But you don’t have any food! Come, walk with me to the buffet, dear.” Auntie Lil stood and took my arm.
“Auntie Lil—” I began.
She cut me off. “Now I know what you’re thinking.”
“I bet you do! You just told a group of strangers about my project, and now they’ll all be critiquing me in real time.”
“Oh don’t be ridiculous, Annalise. Think about it. You’re doing them a favor by helping them send reports about their trip to their families. They won’t be nearly as hard on you as you’l
l be on yourself, you know.”
“Well, that’s hard enough.” I grabbed a plate and looked at the buffet. Wow. What a spread. A mix of American, European, and Asian dishes.
“I don’t know where to start here! What did you have, Auntie?”
“I let Yan Mei make recommendations.” She pointed to an attractive young Asian woman with black hair that fell straight down to the middle of her back. She was dressed in a stylishly cut, forest-green trouser outfit with some sort of badge draped around her neck.
“She’s our tour guide,” Auntie Lil continued, and she took my plate and filled it with the same items that she’d had.
As we returned to the table with my tantalizing breakfast, I heard Yan Mei speaking rapid-fire into her phone in what I assumed was Mandarin since that was the language of choice here. She snapped her phone shut and turned to us, and when she spoke, her English was impeccable. She sounded as if she’d studied abroad or come from the upper crust of England, as a matter of fact.
“Good morning, all!” Her smile was as perky as the rest of her demeanor. “Please enjoy your breakfasts. Remember that we will be leaving the hotel at 9:30 sharp to begin our day. Meet in front of the hotel where our bus will be parked. Ours is the only bus there, so you won’t be confused. Later in the day, that won’t be the case, so when you board, take note of what ours looks like.”
With a smile, she gave us instructions on how to distinguish our bus from others.
“Do we have any questions?”
Several of the group asked about weather, footgear, and other typical concerns for a tour group. After sorting those out, Yan Mei smiled, checked her watch, and excused herself to finish morning preparations.
“She’s really good, isn’t she,” I said to Auntie Lil.
“She’s bright, personable, and seems knowledgeable. I think she’ll be perfect,” she answered, then headed back to our room to retrieve her travel bag for the day.
I resolved to get a few minutes with Yan Mei to interview her for my blog. Goodness! I had only been at this blog project for a nanosecond and I was already making plans for it. I chuckled to myself. My marketing background had kicked in full force, I guess.
“Are you going to be warm enough in what you’re wearing?” That was our intrepid tour organizer Colette, taking in my outfit of matching charcoal tunic, leggings, and stylish black lace-up ankle boots.
“I have a couple of layers and scarves and my jacket ready to put on,” I answered, patting my backpack. “Although the switch from dressing for 100 degrees in Singapore to 50 degrees here made for interesting packing.”
“You’ll want to have a hat and gloves as well,” Katherine Flynn said, nodding briskly, as the sisters joined us.
“Kat,” Vivienne broke in, “I’m sure Annalise was smart enough to pack for the weather.”
“It never hurts to check, Viv,” said Katherine.
They moved to the door, chattering back and forth in the same animated fashion. Traveling with those two for the next few days was going to be like being in my own episode of I Love Lucy.
Auntie Lil returned from her trip back to our room, and we were ready to go to the bus. As we crossed the lobby, the Perinis joined us.
“Oh there you are!” said Georgiann, wrapping her scarf tightly around her neck. “I wanted you to meet my brother last night, but you didn’t have the opportunity. Genio! Genio, come meet the Fontanas.”
Anyone else would have missed the sharp intake of breath from Auntie Lil, but I caught it. What was up with her? Was she getting ill? If she was, how would I be able to explain it to my father? I was supposed to be taking care of her, for goodness’ sake!
But as Georgiann Perini’s brother came forward, I realized that I didn’t have to worry about Auntie Lil having another heart attack. Well, not the kind that put her in the hospital last month, anyway. Her reaction to the introduction to this handsome stranger was indeed a twinge of the heart, a romantic twinge!
“Pleased to meet you ladies,” he said in a pleasing baritone voice, his snowy hair shining and his eyes flashing.
For perhaps the only time in my life, I saw my Auntie Lil speechless!
“We’re pleased to meet you,” I stepped in. “And pleased that you were able to convince your sister and her husband to take this trip. It’s so nice to have them with us.”
For the second time in as many days, I watched as Auntie Lil managed to pull herself together.
“Yes. Pleased to meet you. We’re looking forward to the journey. Annalise, shall we board the bus?” She hooked her arm through mine, and we exited the giant revolving door to make our way to the tour bus. When we boarded, she hustled me into two available seats toward the middle of the bus.
“All right, lady, spill it.” I turned to her.
“Spill what?”
“Look, you can fool strangers, but you can’t fool me. What is the deal with you and the Silver Fox?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“C’mon Auntie Lil, you reacted to him like a preteen girl reacts to meeting a member of One Direction.”
She didn’t respond.
“Seriously, Auntie Lil. You have to tell me. Who is he? Former lover? Did you two smuggle drugs together?”
“Annalise!” she drew back, horrified.
“Well, if you don’t tell me, I’m left with only my imagination.”
“Well, nothing that dramatic, I can assure you,” she shook her head and continued. “I just feel like I’ve seen a ghost, that’s all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Annalise, he’s the exact image of Antonio, or what Antonio would have looked like if he had survived that fire and were alive today,” she said quietly.
Auntie Lil’s girlhood sweetheart! I took her hand, and we sat quietly for a moment.
“You don’t think it is—” I began, but she cut me off.
“No, dear, we know he didn’t survive, because, well—”
“You don’t have to finish that sentence, Auntie Lil.”
I looked up to see the Perinis and Genio enter the bus and take a seat toward the front. Good, I thought, because my formidable Auntie Lil needed time to compose herself. How difficult this would be for her.
She reached into her bag to find her hankie and dabbed her eyes.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, this has to be difficult. We’re together on this trip. You’ll see him for the next week.”
“So?”
“So? Auntie Lil you have to confront this and work through these feelings.”
“What is it with the younger generation and confrontation? All I have to do is keep myself together. And I certainly don’t need to involve anyone else.”
“You can’t be serious, Auntie Lil. This will ruin your trip.”
“Do you think I need to ruin his as well? And perhaps his family’s? I don’t know anything about him. What exactly do you propose that I do? Tell him he reminds me of a dead boyfriend? THAT is certainly not polite conversation over lunch.”
“True, I guess it’s not.”
“There’s nothing to be done. I’m sorry that I’ve had to involve you and cause you any discomfort.”
“What? Now you sound like a stiff, unfeeling aunt out of a 19th-century novel. I’m your niece. You can tell me anything without worrying about my ‘discomfort’.”
She smiled and patted my cheek.
“Well, maybe I didn’t mean it in such a Jane Austen way, but I just don’t want you worrying about me. How about this. How about we drop this conversation at least until, oh, we visit the Flying Goose Pagoda, hmm? Give us enough time to listen to that delightful Yan Mei do her duty as tour director for a while before we drag down the entire tone of the trip?”
She pointed to the front of the bus, where our guide had indicated to the driver to take off and was starting to distribute the itinerary for the day.
“
Fine,” I said warily, “but this discussion is not over.”
“Oh, Annalise, you are so much like me. I have no doubt that you mean it.”
Chapter Twenty-One
I kept one eye trained on Yan Mei and another on Genio and another on Auntie Lil. Okay, that sounds like three eyes, but you know what I mean.
As we drove, Yan Mei gave us a cursory lesson in Mandarin, teaching us to say hello (ni hao), thank you (xie xie), and a few other very clipped phrases. Around the bus, I heard many variations of the phrases being practiced. She also gave us an excellent account of the history of Xi’an—once the capital city and home to emperors—and the entire Shaanxi Province.
We parked near the city center and walked through the gates. Yan Mei explained that the surrounding wall was the most complete city wall to have survived in China. We climbed to the top and prepared to walk around a portion of its eight-mile perimeter.
“This is amazing, isn’t it?” said Frida Willems as she and Bear joined Auntie Lil and me. We paused at one of the ramparts to take a photo.
“Just a bit larger than the wall around my house,” said Auntie Lil, who by this time was her usual sassy self.
We laughed with her.
“I can’t imagine the time that went into constructing this,” said Bear, leaning over the rampart.
“It is indeed a feat of architecture,” said Genio as he and the Perinis joined us.
I could tell that Auntie Lil wanted to bolt, but I clutched her sleeve.
“Genio is a history buff,” said his sister, “especially architecture in history.”
“Really?” I said. “Auntie Lil is quite interested in history.”
He turned to her.
“Any particular period in history, Miss Fontana?”
“You can call me Lilliana, and my niece exaggerates my knowledge I think.”
“I think you’ll find she knows quite a bit about any historical period,” I said. “She would be my Lifeline if I were ever on a game show and needed to phone a friend for a history question.”
Passports and Plum Blossoms Page 13