by Lucy Yam
“You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?” he caught her smile in the mirror.
Sharon blushed, “Um, not really. But you’re certainly enjoying it. Perhaps you should become a hairdresser.”
“Yes I enjoy doing your hair. But it doesn’t mean I enjoy doing anyone’s hair, darling.” He was whispering that last word into her ear.
Her heartbeat accelerated. Charlene had been only one person in her life who had called her ‘darling.”
Sharon took a quick breath for oxygen, aware that her cheeks were flaming. As Nobul’s finger brushed her cheek whether intentionally or not, she shifted to fight back the overwhelming sensation that was burning inside her.
“Will be done in a second,” he said as if feeling her tension.
She inhaled deeply and concentrated on his work in order not to be stirred by his presence. He was very much like a professional. After he was done he looked at her in the mirror to check the effect after each step, just like a saloon artist. Perhaps he was right: it was the same artistic talent underneath all artists, be it painter, architect, web-designer, or hairdresser. Yet he was more than professional. There was a tinge of excitement in his eyes when he brushed her hair with care. Seeing that and feeling the gentle stroke on her scalp, she almost moaned with pleasure.
“Are we done?” She asked quickly to distract herself.
“Yes.” He looked at her eyes from the mirror, “there isn’t a single stray thread. All silky and smooth.” He carefully brushed a kiss on her head, as if afraid to mess up her hair. “Now let me take you downstairs to eat.”
Before she knew what he meant by “take,” he had lifted her and cradled her in his muscular arms. Sharon kicked her legs in protest but was only reminded of the wound on her right leg by a shooting pain.
“Stop being a restless rabbit and you’ll be rewarded.” His voice was teasing and indulgent.
“With what?”
“You’ll see in a minute.”
He took her across the courtyard where a table and two chairs were placed in the center. On the table there were a pot of tea, freshly steamed potatoes, fried eggs and sausages, and a bowl of rice gruel. Her mouth watered in the sight of the food and the smoky aroma of the sausages. “That’s a feast!” She exclaimed as he set her into the chair facing the lake view.
He poured tea in her cup and peeled the skin off a potato before placing it into her plate. Following it was a lump of sausage.
“Um!” she said as she swallowed in half of the potato. These small, home-grown potatoes were so much tastier than the gigantic potatoes from supermarkets in the States. She finished the whole potato before taking a sip of tea.
“Try the sausages,” he urged her, “I made these with extra Sichuan pepper.”
“No wonder it smells so good. May I have a knife?” she asked.
“A knife?” he waited for more explanation.
His puzzled look reminded him that she was in a Chinese village, where table knives were not part of eating utensils.
“Never mind,” she said. Improvising, she took the sausage between her thump and index finger, and stuck it into her mouth. All the while she was aware of the wicked smile on his face. The skin was harder than she had expected and her attempt to take a bite failed miserable. He had stopped eating and looked at her with a look of commiseration, either for her or for the object in her hand. Frustrated, she pulled the sausage hard but was of no use.
“Stop it,” he finally said, “I’d go crazy if I watched you doing it longer.”
He took the sausage from her hand, put it on her plate and went back to the kitchen with it. Moments later he came back with it all sliced.
“Thank you!” She said embarrassedly, hoping he didn’t have what she thought he had in mind.
The sausage was delicious. Sharon savored it in her mouth as long as she could before swallowing. Charlene had told her that the Moso would slaughter pigs in winters and make bacon and sausages. The main ingredients were salt and Sichuan-berries, a kind of pepper with pungent aroma and gave your tongue a numbing sensation if you chewed it too long. Yet with such a simple recipe, the sausage was irresistibly good. It must have been the quality of the pork, she concluded. And of course, the smoky flavor was due to the pine branches fresh from the mountains.
Nobul had finished his portion while Sharon was still slowly chewing her second piece of sausage.
“No wonder you’re so small.” He watched her eating with amusement, “They say the best way to lose weight is to eat slowly.”
“Then you must have always gobbled up your meals?” she asked after swallowing her food. Although big in his case simply meant tall, for as far as she could see, there wasn’t any unwanted fat around his waist, and neither did he have a protruding belly.
“It is indeed the reason. I learned how to eat fast during the time of communal kitchen. The whole village had meals together and the faster you ate the more food you would get.”
And as Sharon had been told by her parents, that time period was followed by years of starvation as food was depleted and fields were deserted in favor of political movements.
She stopped chewing and looked at him with sympathy. There was not a trace of sadness or self-pity that people had while recalling hard times. Instead he simply smiled while shaking his head, and then he said with self-mockery, “And even after the communal kitchen had closed out, I couldn’t change my eating habits.”
He cleared the table and left her sitting idly in the yard.
She felt warm bathing in the sun. Hearing the clinking of dishes in the kitchen she felt even warmer. It was the first time in her life a man had cooked for her, served her a meal, and cleaned up afterwards. In fact, being a first born daughter she had never had the luxury of being served before and after dinner. She enjoyed the indulgence, especially coming from such a gorgeous and talented man. What had she done to deserve all these? Of course she had nearly drowned because of that man. So she supposed she deserved it. Whether he was doing it out of guilt or love didn’t bother her. Leaning comfortably on the back of the chair, she smiled contently and enjoyed the lake view framed in the gate.
While she was waiting alone she saw Urcher walking towards the house carrying her suitcase in one hand and a wet bundle in another.
“How are you feeling?” The young man asked as soon as he got into the yard.
“Great! Enjoying the sun and the view.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“My leg. I had a snakebite.” She showed him her swollen leg.
“Ouch,” he grimaced, “did the herb help?”
“Probably. Thank you for bringing it.”
“No problem.” He nodded, “And also, the hot spring will help.”
“The hot spring?” Sharon remembered seeing it the first time she was here.
“Yeah, it helps to heal all sorts of pain and wounds. Nobul should know.”
“Oh I would love to try it.” There were hot springs in California but she could seldom find time to go.
“So you see. Don’t worry. In two days you’ll be able to walk again.” Urcher said smiling.
“Two days?” She said, “I was hoping I could walk tonight.”
She wasn’t delighted by the prospect of being carried around for two days. Besides, would she really get well in two days? It was about time for her to go back to the States.
Urcher saw her distress and tried to cheer her up, “Well, be patient. I brought you your stuff. Your sister packed for you. Here is your computer and your sister’s books. You won’t be bored.”
“Thanks. How is my sister? When did she come back?”
“She came back with a couple girls this morning and was going to take them to the village and to the lamasery. She might come see you tomorrow. I haven’t told her what happened yet because she was with people all the time.”
“Oh, thank you!”
“By the way, is this your dress?” He shook open the wet bundle.
“Ye
s!” Sharon asked embarrassedly, “where did you find it?”
“In the lake near the shore. I’ll wash it for you.”
“Thank you but I can do it myself.” Sharon reached out her hand for the bundle, but Nobul wouldn’t let go of it.
“Where is my brother?”
“In the kitchen.”
Urcher left promptly to speak to his brother while Sharon wondered whether she should read or work. Finally she chose to sit and stare at the scenery instead.
For the rest of the morning she sat in the yard to read while Nobul and Urcher worked on the house. Nobul told her that his grandmother had been an avid reader, and Sharon believed him simply from lying in the Empress’ bamboo recliner. It was custom made for comfort reading. Because of the elasticity of woven bamboo, the curvature of the back could be molded to fit snuggly into anyone, while providing firm support, plus, it had an elbow supporter on each side. Nothing could tempt her to move away from it once she was in it, even though sometimes her attention would drift from her book to the mesmerizing scenery framed peacefully in front of her.
In spite of Sharon’s protests, after lunch Nobul carried her back to the bedroom and ordered her to nap. Sharon tried, but napping was never her habit. She got up after ten minutes and was going to work on her project when she saw the suitcase. Remembering that she was still wearing Nobul’s T-shirt and pants, she opened the suitcase, hoping to find some casual clothes to put on. But all she saw were dresses that she had sent to Charlene. “Silly girl,” she mumbled, “you think your sister’s on a date? If only you know what really happened…” She stopped, how was she going to explain the incident to Charlene? That she and Nobul had a misunderstanding and she jumped into the water to run away? It would sound preposterous and suspicious. Charlene would think that there was something going on between the two of them. It would be misleading…She had to think of a different story.
Picking a dress to wear had always been challenging, especially without anyone’s help. That was why in recent years she had developed a habit of wearing jeans. But she used to like wearing dresses. She had spent a fortune on these dresses years ago, when she was still in her early twenties, still expecting piously for some miracle romance. She laughed at her naive younger self as she was fumbling in the suitcase. She tried on a silky black one that was too formal, a lacy burgundy that was too sexy, and a couple others. Then her hand lingered on a sleeveless teal cotton dress with patterns of amoeba. It had a mocked Mandarin collar and a V slit that opened to the middle front. The skirt was A-line and knee length. It was simple in style but extremely feminine. She slipped it and checked herself in the mirror. Not flaunting, nor conservative, the dress was simply becoming. Before closing the suitcase she found her bottle of jasmine perfume and smiled. That was what she really needed. Although she had been bathed, she still fancied that she smelt like a fish. She sprayed generously on her hair and her neck. Feeling refresh, she sank into the couch and turned on her laptop computer.
When she heard stomping on the stairs her heart pounded. Nobul appeared momentarily at the door. He halted at the door and was sunned by the beautiful woman he saw. It took him awhile to come up with something to say.
“You don’t obey doctor’s orders, do you?”
“Not when he isn’t a real doctor.” She looked up from the screen.
He came to her, and stroked her hair. “You look like Goodness herself…and you smell better!”
His rasping voice elicited turbulence under her skin. She forced a smile. “I thought I looked like the Empress.”
He laughed. “Now let me carry you downstairs. You’re too pretty a sight to be kept from me.”
“In that case,” Sharon requested quickly, “take me to the hot spring. Urcher said it had healing power.”
“Sure, you want to bathe?” His eyes flickered.
That was indeed what she had in mind. But suddenly she felt shy in admitting it. “Um, I’m only going to soak my legs.”
“OK.”
Nobul carried her to the hot spring. He held her to sit on a rock and soak her legs. The water felt so good that she wished she could immerse her whole body in it.
“Maybe I should just bathe.” she said, “would you mind leaving me alone for a while?”
Nobul’s eyes twinkled at the suggestion. “No, I wouldn’t be able to resist bathing with you.”
Sharon trembled at the thought of that. “You had to get away first, of course.”
“I can’t do that.” He said huskily.
But a moment later he did turn away. “I’ll wait. Let me know when you’re ready. But don’t stay too long, you might get a chill.”
When he was out of sight Sharon took off her dress and slid into the water carefully. It felt so good. The trees formed a natural canopy…
She almost fell asleep when she heard Nobul’s voice. “Are you ready?”
“Just a moment longer.” She answered.
Nobul was pacing restlessly behind the pine trees. Every once in a while he heard the gentle splashing of water and it stirred him. The steam that seeped through the pines carried her intoxicating fragrance. He closed his eyes and remembered how beautiful her body was, even when it was cold and unresponsive. He imagined that in that hot spring water, her skin would be pink with heat, she would be soft and warm. He could almost feel it. Damn it, what was he doing here? He should jump in the water and feel her! He unbuttoned his shirt and then stopped…but no, he would only hurt her… she had that injury because of him…He decided to wait, wait until his sanity abandoned him.
“I’m ready.” He almost leapt towards the water when he heard her.
She was sitting gracefully on the rock in her green-blue dress, surrounded by steams rising above the water, like a water nymph. Her hands pressed lightly onto the rock to straighten her back, and her legs dangled girlishly above water. The skins of her cheeks, her neck and her arms were glowing with vitality, just as he had imagined. Her hair was put up and twisted into a bun and her smile so feminine and sexy that he wanted her right there. It was her clumsy gesture when she put her hand in his as she was trying to stand up that reminded him of her injury and he controlled himself. He sighed, took her in his arms and headed towards the house.
Chapter 10
Sharon was being carried around by Nobul for the next two days as well and she had learned to enjoy it so much that even though she could limp a short distance without pain, she would demand the service from her valet. She let Nobul carry her up and down the stairs over trivial tasks, such as looking for her hair band. She also enjoyed seeing the desire in his eyes when she wrapped her arms around his neck for a more comfortable position. When he put her down into her chair or into the bed, he would lean over in attempt to kiss her, but she would giggle and turn away. She wouldn’t risk for more even though she secretly craved for his lips. Thankfully, aside from harmless flirting, there was nothing more. Nobul was very much a gentleman. She knew he wanted her but he also didn’t want to hurt her and wouldn’t force her. Yet God only knew how much self-control it took to wrestle with her wanton self! Nobul slept in the couch, few feet away from her bed. For two nights she had lain awaken listing to his breaths and longed for him. If he had come to her she probably wouldn’t resist…
Aside from these moments’ turbulence Sharon did her best to take advantage of the peaceful environment and work diligently. By the noon of the third day of her stay Sharon not only finished her project but also written out a program to double-secure the sign-in procedure for Pacific Bank’s website. She couldn’t believe her productivity. She felt that she had finished her work almost too easily, without any rewriting, and without having to bang her head against the wall as she often did in her office. After she had closed her notebook computer, Sharon stood up from the couch, stretched and gazed out of the bedroom window. The lake was a gorgeous blue satin embroidered with gold. Wouldn’t it be nice to have such a view for her office for the rest of her life?
Nobul ha
d left in the morning to oversee the production in the woodcarving factory and wouldn’t’ return until dinner. He had made extra portions for breakfast so she could have the remaining for lunch. That was very thoughtful of him, she thought while eating the sausages and potatoes. Having nothing to do after lunch, she decided to go take a bath in the hot spring.
Feeling relaxed, Sharon inhaled deeply the moisture blended with the flavor of mineral and pine and closed her eyes. This was a life fit for gods and she wished she could live here forever…But she couldn’t. She sighed. In fact she had to leave soon. The longer she stayed the longer she wanted to stay. Her feelings for Nobul had become uncontrollable. She couldn’t deny that she enjoyed flirting with him, but her self-control wouldn’t last long, facing such a dangerously attractive male. The way he looked at her always made her forget herself… She would leave in a day or two. Tomorrow she should ask Nobul or Urcher to take her back to Shangri-la. The thought that she would leave this paradise soon saddened her. Like Charlene, she had come to love this place. But unlike Charlene she didn’t have the luxury to stay here for a year. She let out a heavy sigh and brooded. And then her optimistic nature took over and she considered herself lucky to have the chance to be here at all and to live in the Empress’ island, sleep in the same bed that the Empress herself had, even for a few nights. She smiled at the heavenly surroundings and decided to enjoy the precious moment. Unknowingly she began to hum the tune that she had learned from the dance the other night.