Bride of the Moso Prince

by Lucy Yam

  Soaking in the tub had been the most luxurious moment of her life. She would always forget a day’s stress and fatigue once she was in it. She was sure that after the bath, she would forget all the silly sentiments she was feeling at the moment. Pillowing her head with the water pillow, she stretched her arms and her legs and closed her eyes. The lavender scent soothed her and soon her mind drifted away, out of the bathroom, out of the house, out of San Marino, out of LA, and into the mountains. She no longer smelt the lavender, instead, her nostrils were filled with the scent of fresh pines. She opened her eyes and saw the steams rising from the water. The temperature of the water had reached the point of boiling, and she knew why. Lying next to her was the sizzling male body that had been obsessing her mind. There, he was licking her tummy and made her squirm. There he was stroking her thigh and made her moan… then she somehow got out of the water and ran away. She was swimming in the lake again, and it was cold… Sharon started. She felt asleep in the tub again. The water was turning cold. She turned on the hot water faucet again to warm herself, and then got out of the tub.

  As soon as she pulled the down over her and closed her eyes Sharon saw the lake and the handsome face of Nobul. What was he doing at this moment? It would be noon time over there. He might be having lunch alone, or with Urcher. He was probably working on the costume room. She wished she was there helping him! Oh God! She couldn’t hold her tears any longer. Why did she leave the island? She was the idiot! The way he cared for her after the accident was closer to a lover’s gesture than a merely sexual partner. And the way he made love to her was not merely pleasure seeking. There was love in his tender care and there was care in his love. He was not a playboy and he was not like Jason. She could still see the sincerity in his eyes when he asked her to marry him. She had to be an idiot to not know that he did those things for her out of love. Love was present in every human race. She was an idiot to even think like Dr. Lewis! She wished she had accepted his proposal. She could have stayed in the island. She could work as a freelance programmer… But wait. He did say that he wanted her to cook for him and work by him and… in other words, be his slave. That wasn’t what she wanted. No. Marriage was not for her. She did the right thing to come back. Yes she did. She convinced herself.

  All she needed was a good night’s rest, she thought as she forced the thoughts out of her mind, she would for sure forget everything in the morning.

  Sharon opened her eyes as the sunlight filtered into the room through the blinds. She stared at the ceiling. How boring it was to be greeted by that blank white ceiling every morning of your life? She missed the embroideries on the canopy, the butterflies, the mandarin ducks, and the beautiful bronze face on the pillow next to her. Oh no! She cupped her ears with her palms. This wouldn’t do!

  Sharon got up and went straight to the kitchen. She had not planned to go to work today but she needed to call Jenny and let her know she was back.

  “Hi Sharon! It’s good to hear your voice finally. Mr. Yamada was getting anxious.”

  “What’s wrong? Is he mad about my absence?”

  Jenny giggled, “Mad? Not at all! He was so impressed with your work on Pacific Bank!”

  Sharon sighed with relief. “Oh, that’s unexpected. It was just an upgrading.”

  “No it isn’t just an upgrading. He really likes the double layer sign-in with personal security icon. Also the site recognition device and computer recognition device. The testing went smoothly, very little debugging. Anyway, he was so impressed that he,” Jenny paused and whispered in a somewhat secrete voice, “he said he would give you a promotion when you came back!”

  “Really? He said that?” Sharon was glad to hear it. Her boss was usually hard to please. Even when he was satisfied with her work he seldom let it show.

  Yet she had expected the compliment. She had a sudden surge of inspiration and creative energy when she was working on the island. Sharon’s mind drifted to thousands of miles away and saw herself sitting in the Empress’ bamboo couch in the yard, in front of that magnificent lake view. Nobul was bringing tea and refreshment to her constantly…

  “…Hello? Sharon, are you there?” Jenny’s voice brought her thoughts back.

  “Yes I’m here, sorry, I was, uh, distracted,”

  “So how was China? How was Charlene?”

  “Oh, China was great,” Sharon smiled, “hardly recognizable. Charlene is all right. Thank you for asking.”

  “When are you coming back to work?”

  “Tomorrow.” Sharon said without thinking.

  “See you then!”

  “See you!” Sharon put down the receiver and felt cheerful by the news. A promotion. Great. She was a senior programmer/designer, with a promotion she would become a principal analyst, and that was the highest technical position in the company. It took her ten years to get to the top. That wasn’t bad at all, considering many others who had retired after decades work without moving up a single rung on the ladder. She should celebrate in advance. She would go to dinner at Tasty Garden, her favorite Chinese restaurant in Acadia, and order her favorite stuffed lotus roots for entrée, red bean pancake for dessert, and a creamed red tea. She would bury herself amidst birthday celebrations and family atmosphere, ignore the long line of diners in waiting and eavesdrop the gossips of the next table for an hour …all by herself—forget it.

  She sighed as she opened a carton of Silk and made herself a bowl of cereal. While eating, she played the answering machine. There were quite a few messages, one of them was from her house sitter the day when she left for China, telling her that she was on her way to the house. A bunch of sales calls. A couple of blanks. And then, an old man’s frail voice blabbering. It was her dad. Sharon stopped eating and replayed the message.

  “Sharon,” her father voice came after a long silence. It had taken him a while to think about what to say or whether to leave a message at all, “Where are you? You haven’t called for two weeks. Is everything all right?”

  Before she knew it, Sharon was swallowing cereal seasoned with her own tear. And she thought herself pathetic. What’s the matter with her? She was crying because her callous old man had called her, first time in ... two years? She had been dutifully calling him once a week ever since he moved in Monterey Hills two years ago and she didn’t know it mattered that much to him. She didn’t call him before going to China since she didn’t want him to worry, or worse, to bring up the whole subject of Charlene’s majoring in anthropology. Now he sounded strange, as if he had missed her. What was wrong with him anyway? He wasn’t sick or anything, was he?

  She dialed the number of her father’s house and the housekeeper Nancy picked up the phone.

  “Nancy, it’s Sharon. Is everything all right?”

  “Hi Sharon, good to hear from you,” the housekeeper’s voice was delightful, “Lisa called your office and they said you went to China.”

  “She called my office? What happened?”

  “Your father had a heart attack shortly after you had left,” Nancy added quickly, “he’s fine now. It’s a mild one. But his spirits are down and he’s staying home under doctor’s order…”

  Sharon gasped as the housekeeper went on, heart attack? The muscles of her heart constricted as she interrupted Nancy again, “Is he home now?”

  “Yes, he is getting up. And he’s recovered. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m coming over.”

  Few miles south of San Marino, Monterey Park was an entirely different continent. It would be more accurate to call it China Park, for it was like a city in China. Driving on Garvey, all Sharon could see were Chinese pedestrians and store names written in Chinese. Once a month she would come here to visit the grocery stores, not really to shop but to walk through the isles and see the familiar brands of products and to remember the days when her mom was alive. Sharon stopped by an herbal store and picked up a box of ginseng tea that was her father’s daily drink. Then she went to a market to get sweet egg rolls for Nancy.
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  Her mom had never really liked living in San Marino, and had always wanted to move to Monterey Park. Her dad had built a house on the top of Monterey Hills a few years back, but her mom had lived there for only a couple months. After the death of her mom, her dad had meant to sell it but never put it into the market. Then it became the mansion of his new family instead.

  Nancy, the Shanghai woman, whom Sharon’s mother had hired years ago, opened the gate.

  “Aya, Sharon! It’s good to see you!” Nancy was overjoyed.

  Sharon thrust the box of sweet egg rolls into Nancy’s hands.

  “Bless you, child, still remember what my favorite is!”

  “Where is he?” Sharon asked as she was getting in. Her father was usually home before ten.

  “Yes. Mr. Liao is reading newspaper in the study. I told him you were coming. He’s expecting you.”

  When they were walking Nancy asked, “How is Charlene? You went to see her, didn’t you?”

  “She is fine. Thanks for asking.”

  Nancy led her towards the study. The house was quiet. “Where are the kids?”

  “Oh!” Nancy smiled, “Lisa took them to the office.”

  Her dad was reading his paper in an armchair. He looked at least ten years older than she last saw him in New Year.

  “Oh Sharon,” he said in a voice that belonged to an eighty year old. “When did you come back?”

  “Last night.” She mumbled.

  “How’s Charlene?”

  “She’s doing fine.”

  “Come sit down,” He pointed to the chair next to the bed. “Heart attack isn’t contagious.”

  She smiled. Her dad’s humor was the only thing she had missed.

  Nancy brought her a cup of tea and a plate of cookies, put them on a table and left promptly.

  “So what brought you here?” her father asked.

  “Well, I got your message.”

  “You could’ve called instead.” He sounded nonchalant like he had always been, but he was smiling in an affectionate way. Sharon was not used to it and felt sad. It must have been the heart attack.

  “Are you Ok?” She asked.

  “Yeah, I’m ok.” The old man managed a cheerful smile, “I’m tough as an oxen, like your mom used to say.”

  Mom? Sharon raised her eyebrow. It was the first time he mention her mom after her death. Sharon didn’t know what to say and there was an awkward silence between them.

  Mr. Liao broke the silence. “Well, I’m glad you’re here anyway. I have a favor to ask you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I want you to take my place and manage Double Luck for me.”

  Sharon couldn’t believe it. “Are you serious? I know nothing about real estate business.”

  “But you can learn.”

  “Isn’t Lisa doing it?”

  “She isn’t as good as you’re. She’s good at paperwork but not at the management level. Besides, I want her to spend more time with the babies.”

  “You’re going to recover soon, dad,” Sharon said, “and then she will stay home.”

  “Oh you don’t get it.” Her dad sighed, “and I don’t blame you. I want to retire too.”

  “Why? You are not even sixty.”

  “Well, I’ve been working all my life. And I want to spend some time with my family.”

  Your new family. Sharon thought, and suddenly became bitterly. “I wonder what changed you. You were never a family man.”

  The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, and her father sighed again. “I’m getting old, is why. And I’m sorry, Sharon.”

  “Sorry about what?” Sharon looked away and fixed her eyes on the roses outside the window. She was afraid of the sudden emotion that surged up in her chest. Her eyes felt sore.

  “I know what you’ve been through. Your mother and I were seldom home. You were taking care of the house and your sister ever since you yourself were a child.”

  Sharon couldn’t bear to hear more. Her father had never spoken to her like this. That gentleness and repentance were new to her. What had changed him? Was it the heart attack? Sharon was soon reminded of her mother’s death and she could no longer control her tears.

  “I’m sorry, child,” her father sighed, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and I regret lots of things that I’ve done. If I could go back in time, I would do things differently. I would tell your mother…”

  Sharon snapped at the mention of her mother, “Stop it! I don’t think you’re sorry, Dad. You worked mom to death and now you want me to work for you so that you and your new wife can enjoy your family life that I’ve never really had, and probably never will have!”

  Horrified by what she heard herself saying, she stood up abruptly and went to the window, so her father wouldn’t see her trembling and the tear streaming down her cheeks.

  There was a long silence between them before her spoke, “You don’t have to say yes, Sharon. It was meant to be, to be a favor. I wanted you to inherit my estates.”

  Sharon was stunned. She turned and looked at her father. “What about your sons?”

  “Don’t worry about them.”

  Sharon took a deep breath to calm herself down before she could consider the unexpected news. She had never dreamed of inheriting her dad’s million-dollar business. She had never expected the possibility that her dad would let go of it for it had been his life. And even more impossible was that he should let her, his unloved daughter, to have it. Moreover, she had hated his business over the years and believed that it was what had killed her mom, and inheriting it would be a betrayal.

  “No, Dad, I can’t. I love my job.”

  “Take some time to think about it before you…”

  “I don’t need time to think. I know I don’t want it.” Sharon said firmly.

  Mr. Liao sighed. “All right. Lisa would take care of it for now.”

  “Then let her do it.”

  Silently Sharon gazed at the garden outside the window to pass the long silence that followed. Then she went back to the table and took up her teacup.

  “You think I worked your mother to death?” Her dad asked her softly.

  “Didn’t you?”

  “I guess I did, although it wasn’t my intention at all. In fact, I had often begged her to work less and stay home more, but she wouldn’t listen. She said to me,” her father’s voice choked, “she said to me that that was what a marriage was about. A husband and a wife had to not only enjoy sweetness, but also tolerate bitterness together.”

  “So she was happy to be your slave?” She blurted out.

  Her father was taken aback, “Slave? What gave you that idea? I didn’t force your mother to work, Sharon. In fact I did everything she asked me too. Coming to the U.S. was her idea. I was without ambition. I was happy to say in that mountain town forever if she hadn’t pushed me to get a student visa to go abroad. Opening a restaurant was her idea. So was buying that apartment, going into real estate. I wish I hadn’t listened to her last suggestion, which was to make that huge investment on the Hacienda condominium, that was what really wore her down.”

  Sharon was startled. It sounded like her father was her mother’s slave. Could she have been so wrong about her parents?

  His father continued. “I remember those sleepless nights that I shared with her. She would wake up in the middle of the night, worrying about the property. Toss and turn, toss and turn. And it was about the same time that Charlene decided to major in anthropology. Your mother was so worried. It might sound silly to you but Sharon, that’s how parents are. We wanted to make sure that your and Charlene had a secure future. Of course we wanted you to be happy too. Your mother couldn’t bring herself to talk Charlene out of it. So I threatened to disown her. But then, you messed things up.”

  Her father took off his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t know.” Sharon said with choking eyes.

  “It’s ok. We didn’t expect you to kn
ow. And besides, I’m glad you intervened. Charlene is happy with what she’s doing, right?”

  “Yes, she is.” Sharon wanted to tell him about Charlene’s illness, but decided not to.

  Nancy brought in a tray with a pot of tea and some steamed homemade meat buns.

  Sharon stuffed one into her mouth quickly although it was hot. “Good! I’ve missed these!”

  “You should come over for dinner sometimes.” Nancy said before she left the study.

  “Isn’t it about time you start a family?” Her father said while Sharon was having the second bun. She didn’t respond.

  “Do you like guys?”

  Sharon choked on that. “Yes, I do.”

  “Really?” her father looked at her skeptically. “You can be honest with me. I’m not as conservative as you think. I can take the fact if you are...”

  “I’m not!” Sharon swallowed the food in her mouth and said quickly, “I’m not gay. I’ve just recently met a man in China…” she stopped abruptly. She really didn’t plan to mention it to anyone, especially not her dad.

  “A man in China?” Mr. Liao exclaimed, “You can’t be serious. He is either after your money or your American passport.”

  “No he isn’t!” Sharon was upset, “you think I don’t have any other things that he’s after?”

  Mr. Liao apologized to his daughter. “That’s not what I mean…”

  “Anyway. He is rich, probably richer than you are. He owns an island.”

  “And he’s attractive.” Mr. Liao smiled.

  “How did you know?” Sharon glanced at her dad timidly.

  “Because you don’t care for money. You just turned down my offer.”

  Sharon laughed and said quickly, “I’m not really after looks. He’s a renowned architect. And he does amazing wood carving.”

  “Really? Sounds like you’ve hit the jackpot.” Mr. Liao looked pleased, “but tell me, why are you here without him?”

  Sharon’s voice dropped, “because I have to come back to work.”

  “Work, work, work. It’s the legacy you inherited from me and your mother. But Sharon, you’ve got to weigh it against other things. Life is short. Very short. The clock doesn’t run backwards. You’ve got to grasp it when chances come along.”