The tram swayed as it rounded a corner. Their shoulders touched. A breeze blew through the open doorway, smelling of the sea.
‘I never thanked you for saving me that night,’ she said. ‘How did you learn to fight like that?’
‘We learn gong-fu in our army training. It was nothing special.’
‘I thought it was very brave.’
‘And I thought you were very foolish.’ He shook his head. ‘What were you doing, walking the city streets alone at night? Anyone would think that you were a …’ he stopped, and pressed his lips together.
Mirabel felt her face turning red. ‘A what?’ she demanded. ‘A prostitute?!’ She could not believe it; he sounded like her father. ‘Okay, I know you come from a village. But this is the big city! Times have changed. Women are doing men’s jobs; we do not need a man’s permission to go where we want …’ She faltered, too angry to continue. How could this man bring out such passion in so short a time?
‘Yes, I do come from a village, and I think tradition is a good thing.’ He was sitting up straight now, but his voice was earnest, not angry. ‘Everyone knows their place, and what they should do. This is what makes society run smoothly. And if you think this is a big city, you need your eyes opened. Shanghai is a city with more people than you have on this whole continent. And the terrible, evil things that I have seen there …’ He sighed, reached over and touched her hand, the briefest touch. ‘It’s because of what I have seen in a big city that I am afraid for you, Mirabel. It is a dangerous world and if you do not take care of yourself, you die.’
Mirabel sat stewing in a welter of emotion. She bit her lip. He was staring out of the window at the mansions lining the wide road.
She placed her hand over the spot where he had touched her, calming her breathing, wondering what he was thinking.
Chrill Ride
Screams from the Big Dipper at Luna Park greeted them as they hopped off the tram in St Kilda. Some of the riders, US soldiers in uniform, raised their arms in the air to demonstrate their bravado. The carriages slowly crested the track, then plunged almost vertically down into a tunnel, only to emerge from the other side to repeat the thrill ride all over again.
JJ shook his head, a smile on his face. ‘What some people do for fun.’
‘As you will soon see for yourself,’ Mirabel said, ‘because Luna Park is the number one item on our program for today!’
‘No,’ he said. ‘Let’s go some place else, any place, how about …’
‘You have a short memory,’ she laughed. ‘What happened to, “I will follow you anywhere”?’
Mirabel led him through the gates, buying their tickets with the money her father had provided. JJ was still humorously protesting as they walked through the giant mouth that formed the entranceway into the grounds.
‘You should have let me buy the tickets.’
‘My father said Chinese soldiers don’t make much money, so he gave me some. But if you want, you can buy me an ice-cream cone.’
They strolled past the booths and the sideshows. The place was packed with American soldiers and their girlfriends. At the shooting gallery, they competed at shooting small plastic ducks with air rifles. JJ won, of course, as she knew he would. They drove the dodgem cars, visited the river caves and rode the merry-go-round. Then he suggested they go on the Ghost Train and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. The Ghost Train was the ride she dreaded the most. But she couldn’t refuse. How would she look in his eyes? And Luna Park had been her idea after all.
As their carriage pushed through the double doors into the darkness of the tunnel, Mirabel sat rigid, waiting for a ghost to appear suddenly in the wall beside them or a skeleton to drop down from the roof. JJ didn’t notice, and was laughing at first, but he stopped after a moment, and put his arm around her shoulders. She tensed up, then gradually relaxed and leaned into him. She could barely breathe. As the ride lurched its way back out into the sunlight, he lifted his arm away, but her head was spinning.
Finally, before leaving, they lined up with other couples to have their photo taken. They sat together on a wooden crescent moon with paper stars behind them. The man in the moon looked down at them with raised eyebrows as if to say, ‘Who do you think you’re kidding?’
Mirabel ignored him. She was too happy.
The smell of seaweed pickled the air as they neared the beach. JJ took off his shoes and socks and Mirabel slipped off her sandals.
The feel of tiny granules under bare feet, the sparkle of sunlight off the water, the gentle lapping of waves, the shape of the clouds like meringues floating on the horizon – it all seemed like a dream.
JJ pointed to a seabird hovering over the water. The bird folded its wings and dived as if there was a hole in the sea.
They waited for it to surface.
‘There it is!’ Mirabel cried, as a snake-like head poked out of the water.
‘In China, fishermen use those birds to catch fish,’ JJ said. ‘They tie a rope around their necks so they won’t swallow their catch.’
‘Doesn’t it hurt them?’
‘It’s in the bird’s nature to catch fish and they get rewarded in the end.’
Mirabel sat down on the warm sand. ‘Do you think we should do things according to our nature?’ she asked.
JJ raised his eyebrows, a bemused expression on his face. ‘I believe that you should take control of your own life.’
‘But what if…’ Mirabel was about to mention the oracle bone and the soothsayer’s predictions but stopped.
Instead she said, ‘What if the path you choose is the wrong one, a dead end?’
‘There is always something you can learn along the way. I only went to school until I was thirteen, then the Japanese occupied my village and the surrounding area so all the schools were closed.’
‘What happened then? What did you do?’
‘I read as much as I could. I knew that education was the only way out. I helped my father on the farm. Then, when I was old enough, I enrolled in the Shanghai Radio School. It looked impossible; there was just no money for tuition, we were so poor. But my father worked extra jobs to support my studies. If I had remained complacent, waiting for destiny to take me, I would still be in that tiny village, a peasant farmer for the rest of my life.’
For a person who only went to school until grade seven, JJ seemed to know so much. He was so sure of himself, Mirabel thought. ‘How did you get to come to Australia?’ she asked.
‘When I graduated from Radio School, the government, the Kuomintang, wanted to recruit me to go work in the wartime capital at Chungking.’ He hesitated. ‘The Chinese Communist Party also wanted me to go to their headquarters in Yenan.’
‘Of course you would choose to work for the Kuomintang. They are the government,’ Mirabel said.
‘I’m not political. I just needed to earn a salary so I could repay my father. That’s why I joined them and not the Communists. They could pay; the Communists could only give you food and some clothing.’
‘So why would anyone want to join the Communists then?’ Mirabel was puzzled.
‘Well, they are honest, sincere, and not corrupt, for one thing. They have hope and a vision for a better China.’ He paused. ‘At least, that is what my little brother Jin Yu tells me.’
‘Your brother is a Communist?’ Mirabel stared at him.
JJ nodded and closed his eyes.
She was shocked. Whenever her father took her to Kuomintang meetings, that’s all they talked about – the glory of Chiang Kai-shek, the President of China, and the threat of Mao Tse-tung and the Communists who wanted to overthrow him. And here were two brothers on completely different sides of the political fence. Shouldn’t they be enemies? Yet she only detected affection in JJ’s voice.
JJ clenched his fists. ‘If I was in China I would never have revealed that fact, not even to my closest friend. I could put my brother’s life in grave danger.’
‘I won’t tell anyone, JJ. I prom
ise.’
He turned to Mirabel, his eyes searching and intense. The look scared her.
Picking up a handful of sand, he let it sift through his fingers. ‘You live here. Life is easy. You don’t know what war is like. Many of my classmates from the radio school were sent behind enemy lines to act as spies …’ He paused, looking towards the horizon. ‘And many of them have been killed by the Japanese. I was one of the lucky ones. I was sent here.’
She sensed bitterness behind each phrase, guilt wrapped around each word. She wanted to reach across and touch his hand but he stood up.
‘I’m going down to the water.’
Mirabel watched as small waves broke around his ankles. Bending down to pick up something, he inspected it closely, then skipped it across the calm surface. The stone bounced on the water four times then disappeared.
He was different from other men. He was sensitive, he appreciated the beauty in small things and yet, that night in Chinatown, he had protected her from those drunks.
Mirabel was falling fast.
June, 1944
Dearest Eva,
I have met the kindest, most handsome, most gentle man ever. He’s a soldier from China and has been sent here by his government. It’s top secret what he does. He won’t say anything about his mission, so I don’t ask. But we have plenty of other things to talk about. The only problem is we have to keep our relationship a secret. Not because of the government but because if Father finds out he will definitely stop me seeing him. He always says that soldiers are here only to have a good time. But that’s not true. I know JJ (that’s short for Jin Jing) feels the same way about me as I do about him.
I’m rambling on but as you can see he is all I think about these days. I wish you could meet him. Maybe one day …
Enclosed is a photograph taken at Luna Park on our first date. I’m so happy.
Write back soon. I’m dying to hear all your news.
Love Mirabel
Tangled Thoughts
Jock scanned the crowd as Murray took a sip of coffee.
‘Relax, mate, she’ll be here soon.’
‘Who?’ Jock said. ‘I’m just having a look around.’
Mirabel smiled to herself. Jock’s crush on Rose had been obvious ever since she’d introduced them.
She turned and saw Rose push past a couple of strolling nuns in their black habits and enter the shop.
‘Sorry I’m late.’ Rose was breathless as she slid into a seat beside Mirabel. ‘I had this huge assignment. God … do I need a coffee.’ While she took off her blazer, she looked around for a waiter.
‘I’ll get you one,’ Jock said.
‘You are such a sweetie, Jock. But make sure it’s real coffee. I can’t stand that awful coffee essence.’
Jock’s face reddened. ‘At your service, Madame.’
Rose smiled and watched as he went up to the counter.
‘You’ve made his day, Rose,’ Murray said, winking at her.
‘If I wasn’t already with Dave, Jock would be my man in an instant. But don’t tell Jock that. Or Dave, for that matter. I wouldn’t want them duelling over me.’
‘Who are you kidding? You’d love it,’ Murray chortled.
She grinned. ‘I guess I would. Gone are the days of gallant chivalry …’
As the two bantered, Mirabel’s thoughts turned to JJ. She didn’t agree. JJ was her knight in shining armour.
‘I’m going to see what they’ve got to eat. Want anything?’ Murray grabbed his wallet and stood up.
Mirabel and Rose shook their heads.
Rose rummaged around in her school bag and pulled out an aerogram. ‘I’ve got some fantastic news.’
Mirabel was intrigued.
‘Remember I told you about my aunt and uncle from Vienna, you know the ones we were afraid something terrible had happened to? Well, they’re in Shanghai.’
Mirabel sat up in her seat. ‘You mean Shanghai, China?’
‘Apparently you don’t need a visa or passport to get in so thousands of Jews have fled there from all over Europe. I was worried sick about my little cousins, Frieda and Lottie. This is the first letter we’ve had from them in years.’ Rose hugged the aerogram to her breast.
‘That’s wonderful news, Rose. What a relief it must be for your family.’
Rose nodded. Then she looked at Mirabel as if seeing her for the first time that day.
‘Hey, is that a new dress?’
Mirabel brushed some crumbs off her lap and nodded.
‘It’s gorgeous. I love the neckline and red really suits you. I tell you, Belle, you’re positively glowing today. Oh, to be in love.’ Rose pretended to clutch at her heart.
‘Stop it, Rose,’ Mirabel blushed. ‘And if you dare breathe a word to Jock or Murray about him I’ll never speak to you again.’
‘Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Hey, but when am I going to meet him? You’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months now.’
‘It’s too early, I haven’t even told my parents about him yet.’
‘But your father was the one who introduced the two of you. JJ’s Chinese, so what’s the problem?’
‘He’s a soldier. They know he’ll go back to China one day.’
‘That doesn’t matter, it adds to the romance. You can write beautiful poetry to each other and when the war’s over he can come back and marry you. Imagine the first time you see each other again. It’ll be just like in the movies.’
Mirabel sighed. ‘I wish it were that simple. Here come Jock and Murray. Don’t mention anything about JJ, please.’
Jock and Murray brought over the coffees and a large slice of chocolate cake to share. Mirabel noticed how they had exchanged chairs so that now Jock was sitting next to Rose. She grinned to herself. Murray must have said something.
Rose stirred in two lumps of sugar and took a sip. ‘Ahh … that’s better.’ She looked at Mirabel with a strange glint in her eyes then turned to the boys.
‘Mirabel doesn’t want me to talk about her boyfriend …’ she began.
Jock and Murray looked at Mirabel in surprise. Mirabel, furious, kicked Rose under the table.
‘It’s too bad you can’t meet him,’ Rose continued. She leant forward, grimacing and laughing as she rubbed her leg. ‘His tattoos are amazing, and he would tell you all about them, except his Russian accent is rather hard to understand …’
Murray and Jock began to look doubtful.
‘… and seeing little Mirabel with a seven-foot Russian sailor from Vladivostok is truly a vision to behold.’
‘A vision in your own mind, Rose,’ said Jock, and they all laughed.
‘Seriously, though,’ Rose said, ‘don’t you think Belle needs a boyfriend? Any volunteers?’ Both young men raised their hands enthusiastically while Mirabel screwed up her face.
As the time passed, the jokes grew raunchier and louder. Mirabel glanced at the Town Hall clock and snatched up her handbag.
‘Sorry, everyone, I have to run.’
‘Wait, Belle, we can take the tram together.’ Rose skolled her coffee, scooping out the undissolved sugar with a teaspoon.
They left the boys in the cafe and walked out into the evening air. It was already dark as they stood in Swanston Street.
‘Rose, you are incorrigible!’ Mirabel said.
‘So in future don’t make me beg to meet your boyfriends. You’re going to see him now, aren’t you?’
Mirabel was silent as she glanced towards Princes Bridge then back at Rose.
Rose smiled knowingly. ‘Tell your mystery man that Rose says hi.’ She stepped forward and gave Mirabel a hug. ‘And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’
Ink black sky. Stars scattered like silver dust. The river rolled by beneath her, dark water glinting with the reflection of the bridge lamps above.
Mirabel breathed in deeply, feeling the magic all around.
She saw couples embracing, kissing, immersed in each other. She smiled, remembe
ring one night under the portico of the Town Hall when she and JJ had almost kissed. He had leant forward and she had tilted her head in anticipation, but at the last moment they had been disturbed by a night watchman locking up and coming down the steps.
A pretty girl, dressed in a grey skirt with white bobbysocks, flat shoes and a yellow scarf tied around her head, stood on tiptoe looking anxiously into the crowd. She broke into a smile and waved at a soldier coming towards her. The young man put his arm around the girl’s waist and they walked off, the girl’s head resting on his shoulder.
Then Mirabel saw JJ’s shape approaching through the dark, and she prepared to throw herself into his arms. But the man passed, a stranger.
The first signs of panic settled in Mirabel’s stomach as she looked at her watch, then again five minutes later. JJ was never late.
It was a long time before her mind admitted what her heart already knew. The couples were gone from the bridge, leaving her standing alone. Passers-by looked at her curiously. She didn’t care.
JJ was not coming.
Mirabel walked through the front door of her home. All she wanted was to go to bed, but Father’s urgent voice called her from the top of the stairs. ‘Lei An, where have you been?’
‘I was with Rose, Father. Is something wrong?’
‘Come upstairs to the bedroom.’
As she entered the room, Mama pushed past her, face wet with tears. Mirabel looked in. She saw a man sitting on Jimmy’s bed, a brown leather bag by his side. She could see Jimmy’s feet, but not the rest of him.
‘What’s wrong, Father?’ she asked in a panic.
The man sat back, took the ends of the stethoscope out of his ears and said, ‘Did he have a sore throat recently?’
Father looked at Mirabel.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But that was two weeks ago. He was fine.’ Then she thought. ‘Wait, Jimmy did say his legs were aching yesterday. I told him he’d been running around too much. He looked tired.’
The doctor frowned. ‘That fits.’
Mirabel shifted to see around him. She was shocked. Jimmy’s face was contorted with pain, twitching and spasming. Red blotches had appeared on his body and his eyes were dull with fever.
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