by Lucy Yam
Sharon looked at her father in disbelief. She didn’t expect hearing such philosophical words from him. In her mind, the old man had always been a money grabbing machine. She had been wrong about him for all those years!
“Well, thanks, dad,” she wanted to say something else but suddenly children’s laughter filled the house. The twins, Tiger and Dragon, were calling their papa as they ran into the study. Both had their mother’s curly hair and their father’s brown eyes. Sharon couldn’t tell one from another. She lifted one up and pecked a kiss on each of his cheeks. While each claimed a lap of their father, Sharon said goodbye to her father.
“Stay for lunch!” Her father said.
“No,” Sharon said, “The buns will sustain me until dinner. Besides, I have things to take care in the house.”
“All right. Come have dinner sometime.” His father’s said as he was heading towards the door.
Sharon turned back. “Oh Dad, I meant to ask you something. Was there anyone in yours or mom’s family who used to be a Kuomindang captain?”
Mr. Liao thought for awhile and said, “Well, my grandfather use to tell people that he had a brother who joined the Kuomindang, but I’ve never met him.”
The unexpected answer excited Sharon. She asked right away, “What else do you know about him? Did he have a daughter who became the wife of Moso chief?”
Mr. Liao shook his head, “I don’t know much about him. In fact I never attempted to find out anything about him, anyone that had something to do with Kuomindang would be treated as a rebel and sent to an unmanned land during the cultural revolution.”
“I see,” Sharon nodded, with a bit of disappointment.
“But why you asked that?” Mr. Liao asked, “Did somebody claim to be your relative in China?”
“No,” Sharon shook her head, “Not really. I’m just curious.”
Lisa was coming into the house with her bags of baby’s stuff.
“Sharon! How have you been? How is Charlene?”
“She’s fine, thank you for asking.”
Lisa was in her early forties. An attractive Eurasian with tall figures and creamy skin, delicate nose and green eyes. She had been working for Double Luck Real Estate since the beginning. Sharon had liked her a lot before she married her father.
“Thank you, Lisa,” Sharon said to her before heading to her car.
“For what?”
For making my dad happy.”
Sharon saw the tears welling up in Lisa’s eyes. “Thanks. Sharon.” Lisa’s voice choked, “it means a lot to me.”
Sharon put her hand on Lisa’s arm.
“Everyone thinks I married your dad for money.”
Sharon was silent. She was still curious about that.
Lisa knew what she was thinking. “You might find it hard to believe but I love Peter.”
“Yes, I find it hard to believe. He isn’t an attractive man.”
“That’s because he’s your dad, and not exactly a loving dad. But to me, he is a hard-working, intelligent and successful man, who had built an empire from practically nothing.”
He couldn’t have done it without my mom. Sharon wanted to say but didn’t. It was good enough to hear Lisa’s declaration that she loved her Dad.
“Come see us more,” Lisa said, “you’re welcome here any time.”
Sharon got into her car. Through the study window she saw a blissful family picture. The twins were still on her father’s laps. And Lisa was waving to her in the rose garden.
The picture stayed in Sharon’s mind as she drove down the hill. She was happy to see her dad’s new image of a family man, even though she wasn’t part of that family. And she was sorry that she had misjudged him over the years. Above all, she felt like a nut as she remembered her fear about marriage. She had thrown away her chance already. She didn’t tell her dad in order not to disappoint him. She had rejected a proposal from a perfect guy. And like her dad said, clocks wouldn’t run back, and chances wouldn’t return… or would they? She pulled her car abruptly to the curb on Atlantic boulevard and thought hard. It didn’t take her long to get back to the road. But instead of going home, she headed for Web Genius.
Chapter 16
A week later, Sharon was back to Lugu Lake.
That day after she had left her father’s house, she went to Web Genius and convinced her boss to let her change her position into an oversea employee. It wasn’t a promotion in title, but she did get a raise. And then she stayed for a few days to ensure that the new system for Pacific Bank was running well, cleared her office while transferring her duties to Jenny, who would be taking over her position.
No one would come pick her up this time as she wanted it to be a surprise. Charlene had gone to Lijiang a few days ago anyway.
At the market square Sharon got on a minivan that would take her to Algae village.
The driver, a man from a village around town, was amused by her two huge suitcases. “Are these all yours?” He asked curiously.
“Yes.” She said, feeling the need to explain, “I plan to live here for a long time.”
“Are you a researcher of culture, or are you here to do business?”
“Neither.”
The weather was fine. But the puddles on the road showed that it had been raining for a few days. The scenery on their way reminded her when she came for the first time. On the bridge the van swayed and she was thrown to the side of the car from time to time. She clutched tightly the handle on the ceiling and closed her eyes, thinking how much safer it would be if she were on Nobul’s motorcycle and had his sturdy waist to hold on to. The thought of Nobul again stirred her emotions. How would he look when he saw her? She had anticipated the moment of their reunion hundreds of times within the last two days. He must have been hurt by her abrupt departure. Would he be angry when he saw her? Or indifferent? Had he changed his mind about her? Had he forgotten her already? Was he a man that would fall in and out of love quickly? Quickly she shut her doubts. No, Nobul wasn’t frivolous. He wasn’t a man that would change his mind easily. She knew it from the way he worked, the way he treated her, and the way he did his business. She could trust him on that.
The village looked busier than she had remembered. There seemed to be more people and motorcycles on the road and more boats in the lake.
“Is it a holiday of some sort?” Sharon asked the driver.
“No but it is a special day. The grand daughter of the late chief is getting married.”
“Uh?” Her heart sank as she processed the information. “You don’t mean Namu?”
“Yes. Namu it is. You know her?”
“Yeah. She’s a beautiful woman.” Sharon mumbled mechanically.
“She is the most beautiful woman in Algae Village. We went to elementary school together…”
Sharon took a deep breath to keep herself from passing out. She couldn’t hear what the driver was saying next and interrupted him impatiently. “Married to whom?”
“To a lucky guy.” The driver sighed and went on. “Such a beautiful woman Namu is. Many of us have sought her out. We would wait in the lake for her to come and have a word or two with her. If we were lucky we would get her to let us help her gather algae.
When she walked married my friend Dazhu we were so jealous of him…”
“But who is this lucky guy she’s marrying this time?” Sharon leant towards the driver and raised her voice.
The driver was a bit surprised at her agitation, “I doubt that you know him. He’s her cousin.”
“Her cousin?” Sharon repeated weakly as she sank back to her seat.
“I know what you’re thinking.” The driver explained hurriedly, “but it isn’t what you think. Cousin marriage is a noble practice, really. Not primitive at all. You don’t get idiots, no. It’s purely a Han myth. I haven’t seen any idiot in our village though I know many cousins being married to each other. In fact their children are better built and healthier.”
Sharon smiled faintly
at his words. Goodness! Wasn’t she the biggest fool in the world? What made her believe that Nobul, the Prince would wait for her? Couldn’t’ she have foreseen the marriage between him and Namu? She might even have been the catalyst of their marriage, considering that she had probably broken his heart…She was a fool to have left him, and a bigger fool to come back. Now what was she supposed to do?
“Here you are, Miss, but I doubt that anyone is home.”
The driver dropped her and her luggage off at the gate of Shangari-la and left.
The gate was closed and bolted from outside. Although it might indicate that no one was home, Sharon opened door and went in the yard, calling Sadama and Urcher. No one answered and no one was in the living room, although the room was full of wine jars and baskets of rice cakes that were obviously packed for the marriage ceremony.
She left her suitcases in the yard and went out to sit on the lakeshore. The solar boat was docking on shore. The sight of it brought back tons of memory in an instant: her first boat ride with Nobul, her impetuous act of swimming to Shangari-la, and her final runaway… Her eyes felt tingle and moist. She blinked and held back the tears that threatened to rush out. She wanted to look away but couldn’t move her eyes from the boat. And she was stunned by what she discovered next: On the front side of the boat painted the Chinese characters for Solar Snow. Sharon stared at them in disbelief. He did it! He really did it! She couldn’t control her tears anymore and they flowed all over her cheeks. But why? How could he name his boat after her while he was marrying Namu? She tried to make sense of it. Perhaps he wasn’t marrying? Perhaps she had mistaken it? No, that was a wistful thinking. She calmed her agitation. It must be that he had named it after her as a memorial to their love affair. Or he had painted it before deciding to marry Namu. He would probably erase it soon, after the wedding… It must have been so.
She gazed at Empress Island. She could see the golden rooftop of Empress Palace above the pine forest. It had been in her dreams for the past few days. And now it seemed to be so unreal. She had pictured herself living there for the rest of her life like a goddess, surrounded by the blue water, topped by the silver clouds. She supposed she could still be there for a few days to set up the rest of the museum…if Namu wouldn’t mind? Oh no. She couldn’t imagine it. The picture of Nobul and Namu together made her jealous. She had to get out of here. She would find a place and give Charlene a call and she should go to Lijiang to meet her…
As she was about to go back to the house she remembered the pictures that she had acquired from the national geographic. What was she supposed to do with them? Leave them in the living room or take them to Lijiang and give them to Charlene? She was not happy with either idea. She wanted to give them to Nobul in person. She knew that he would be happy to see them. Even if she couldn’t give them to him in person, she should at least make sure that he was the first person to see them…
She looked at the solar boat again and got an idea. Wouldn’t it be better if she would drop off the picture at the museum? She wanted to see the progress that had been made.
She went back to the living room and found the keys on the wall, took the pictures from her suitcase and went on the boat.
As Sharon turned on the engine and headed the boat towards the island, emotions flooded her. This boat too had been in her mind all the time. Suppose she didn’t run away last time? Suppose she stayed one more night at the island… would she have changed her mind? Would she have changed everything?
It was too late to think all that. She thought. The boat was in the center of the lake. She was in the miracle world of blueness again. She tried to enjoy the scenery but found it hard. She let the tears flow on her cheeks.
When Sharon got out of the boat she stopped to look at the sign “Moso Cultural Museum” at the dock and remembered making it together with Nobul. It was made out of a piece of pine wood from a tree that grown in a forest just few miles away from the island, and it was carved out the characters in both Chinese and English. They placed it at an angle such that the blueness of the lake would fill the characters. She touched the sign gently before went up the path.
When Sharon was going up she heard the sound of drilling. Her heart beat violently. Someone was here! It could be Nobul! She ran her way up and pushed open the gate that was unlocked. She paused at the gate and listened for the drilling sound. But the yard was absolutely quiet and still. She sighed. It was only her imagination.
As soon as she stepped into the yard Sharon gasped at the sight of the woodcarving panel that was erected in the middle of the yard. It was finally completed! Gemu and Dragon in the picture seemed to be greeting her. The work had been polished and varnished, and she could see the sparkling of the moon. How could he have done so much in a week of time? Obviously he had not sat idly and thought about her, like she had done for him. She bit her lips and turned away.
Sharon walked towards the main building slowly in spite of her excitement. She felt nostalgic while observing the place that she had missed so much. And she was amazed by the changes that had been made. The marble fountain had been installed and the Dahlias were blooming madly.
Her heart was about to leap out of her chest when she got in to the main exhibition room. Seeing each object inside, her nose felt itchy as happy memories once again flashed in her mind. Leaning her head on the phoenix column, she sobbed quietly. Oh, why did she ever go away? How could she have thrown away her happiness just like that?
Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Startled, she turned and looked up. Through the mists of her tears she saw a big man blocking the light behind her. “You’re back.” It was that familiar male voice that had rung often at her ears. Her body shivered at that resonance that it had caused.
She blinked quickly to clear her vision and when his handsome face became apparently her heart turned into a rabit. Her hand automatically clutched his back and felt the silky material. He was wearing a traditional Moso costume. One that unlike the one he had worn at the dance. A gorgeous golden brocade jacket that fit a groom. Her hand froze, remembering his wedding. “Nobul? Why are you here?”
He frowned slightly and smiled. “Shouldn’t I be asking you the question instead?”
“I, uh,” she controlled her emotion. “I’m just, passing by.”
“Oh?”
“I’m going to Lijiang. Charlene is there.”
“I see,” he nodded, “but I must say it’s a very inconvenient way. Going to Lijiang through here.”
“Yes.” She mumbled. His voice was devastatingly husky. His eyes were gleaming and his lips tempting.
“I know,” she said uneasily, “I want to give you these.” She thrust the envelope into his hands.
When he opened the envelope his eyes brightened instantly as they met the contents. “You got more photos! Was it difficult?”
“Not really…just a couple email exchanges and a check.” She watched his face as he went through the pictures one by one.
Nobul was obviously impressed. “Look at this one,” he commented on a picture, “it must have been taken it in the Bridge End Village. I know this guy. He’s the grandfather of someone who works in my factory. That is one showy picture of the pickled pig!”
But Nobul’s excitement didn’t cheer Sharon up. On the contrary, all she wanted was to cry. How could he be so excited over the picture of a pig while she was heartbroken? Of course, he was about to be married. He had forgotten her completely. The brief passion between them had cooled off after just a week. Tears threatened to fill her eyes again.
“Thank you,” He put down the pictures at last, and held her close, “You could’ve mailed them rather than delivered them in person.”
“I,” she trembled in his arms, “I didn’t want them to get lost.”
“Very good reason.” He said in his husky voice and looked into her eyes intently.
She watched his lips as they descended on hers slowly, anticipating the softness and the heat that she had re
membered.
She struggled out of his arms. “Shouldn’t you be in the wedding?”
“Oh, so you know,” he was surprised by the question. “I was about to go. Urcher took my boat earlier and he was supposed to come back to pick me up.”
“I took the boat.”
“I know. I saw you coming up.” He paused and asked softly, “How do you like its new name?”
The tone of his voice and the smile in his eyes made her weak. She trembled and whispered, “I like it very much, but…”
He didn’t let her finish her sentence, but pulled her towards him and dived into her mouth before she had time to think. She groaned. His tongue felt good. And how she had missed it! Let it be the last kiss between us. She thought and let her tongue roam madly in his mouth, searching greedily for the taste that she had missed so much. Their heart beats echoed each other through layers of fabrics.
“I’ve missed you!” Nobul whispered at her ear and pinned her against the wall.
“So did I.” Sharon held him tightly as he kissed her earlobes and her neck. It felt as if she had not left, as if she had been holding him like this since...a week ago. And she would never want to let go of him, ever…But when his tongue moved down to her neck she broke down.
“How could you?” she cried.
“What’s wrong?” He looked surprised and worried.
“You’re going to marry Namu and yet you’re making me feel…” She couldn’t continue but buried her head in his broad chest and cried.
Nobul grinned. He had felt that her expression was somewhat strange the moment he saw her. But he had thought that it was because she was being nostalgic.
“There,” he lifted her face and kissed her tears. “I’m not marrying Namu.”
“What?” she paused, “you can’t change your mind just like that. A marriage is a serious thing.”