by Graeme Hall
‘Sorry, hello? Earth to Kwok-wah? Didn’t mean to startle you, but you had a faraway look on your face, you know, the way you sometimes do when you are working on your projects. Have you had an idea about something?’
‘No, sorry … no, nothing like that, it’s just …’
‘What?’
‘Did you see those two guys who just left the building?’
‘I didn’t really notice anybody, there are so many people. What about them?’
‘Well, you’ll think I’m crazy—’
‘No more than usual I expect.’
‘—but I’ve just seen a guy I recognise from Shanghai.’
‘That’s not a big deal, surely?’ asked Liang-bao. ‘These days there are more and more people from the mainland here, I mean, look at me, and especially from Shanghai.’
‘Yes, but this is different. If he’s the man I think he is, I’ve seen him in the labs with Professor Ye. Only back in Shanghai he was always in uniform.’
‘In uniform?’ asked Alice.
‘Yes. Some type of military uniform.’
‘Are you saying he’s PLA?’ Liang-bao laughed. ‘Here in the lobby of Queen’s Building? Next month perhaps, but not just yet.’
‘Are you sure?’ asked Alice.
‘Well, I thought I was, but … I don’t know now …’
‘Look,’ said Alice, ‘here’s Emma.’
By the end of the evening, during which Kwok-wah had enjoyed himself far more than he thought he would, an evening in which wine was drunk, copious amounts of food consumed and songs sung, the question of why a PLA officer was visiting the offices of a Hong Kong law firm was long forgotten.
***
The strength of the sunlight sneaking into Liang-bao’s bedroom through the gap between the curtains showed that it had been morning for a while. Liang-bao turned over in bed and looked at Alice beside him. She was lying face down and he reached over and kissed her on the back of the neck.
‘Mmm …’ Alice’s voice was muffled by the pillow.
He pulled the sheet away from her and ran his fingers down her back, lingering gently on her hips. He traced a circle around the small of her back and then allowed his fingertips to brush the backs of her thighs as softly and delicately as he could, barely touching her body. Alice responded by moving her legs apart, creating room for his hands to explore further as his fingers caressed her.
‘Mmmm …’
‘Wake up, sleepy head.’
‘I am awake,’ said Alice, moving her head so that she could speak more clearly. She turned towards Liang-bao and put her arms around his neck. ‘I’ve been awake for a while.’
‘Good morning, birthday girl,’ he said.
‘That was yesterday. Now I’m just a year older. Still, last night wasn’t bad for an old woman was it?’ Alice smiled at Liang-bao as she remembered the night just gone. ‘Not bad at all.’ She pulled Liang-bao towards her until he was on top.
‘Alice … what are you doing?’
‘You mean you don’t know?’ she giggled.
‘I should be thinking about’ – he kissed her on the mouth – ‘getting’ – he kissed her left breast, his tongue flicking her nipple – ‘a move on’ – and then her right breast.
‘Really?’ Alice felt between his legs. ‘You don’t seem in that much of a rush to get up.’ She rolled Liang-bao onto his back and straddled him, then, leaning forward, her lips found his lips, her tongue met his tongue. Breaking off the kiss, Alice sat upright again and started to move against his erection until she was ready for him and then adjusted her position and took him inside her.
‘Nobody ever told me that Hong Kong girls were so demanding …’ he said.
‘Shut up.’
***
‘Is there any fruit?’ Alice, hair still wet from the shower and decent only by virtue of a towel, was in the tiny kitchen looking for breakfast.
‘There should be some papaya in the fridge,’ Liang-bao answered, still in bed. The flat was so small that they could easily have a conversation from different rooms.
‘Got it.’ Alice found a bowl and filled it with the fruit. At the back of the fridge she also found some yoghurt that was only one day beyond its use-by date. Alice sniffed the yoghurt and then added that to the papaya. She returned to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed while she ate. The bedroom floor was strewn with clothes and the detritus of the night before.
‘How’s your throat?’ he asked.
‘My throat?’
‘You were belting out the karaoke last night.’
‘Sorry. Did I get carried away?’
‘A bit perhaps.’
Alice finished the fruit. She put the bowl on the floor and got back into bed.
‘You seemed to be enjoying yourself as well, but your Cantonese is terrible. You were much better with the English songs.’ They’d ended up in a Causeway Bay karaoke bar at the end of the evening. ‘Your “Love Me Tender” was great. Sing it now … go on …’
Liang-bao ignored the Elvis request. ‘What are you going to tell your parents about where you were last night?’ he asked instead. Spending the night together hadn’t been planned, but when Liang-bao had suggested coming back to his place in Aberdeen it had seemed to Alice the natural thing to do, and much more satisfying than their previous times, which had had to be grabbed when the chance arose. Alice was still downplaying the relationship to her family and before last night she had never been able to stay over without lying about where she was.
‘No need, they’re away visiting family in Vancouver.’
‘You mean we could have gone to your place?’
‘No way!’ Alice was horrified at the thought. ‘Concepcion would tell them.’
‘Concepcion?’
‘The maid. Anyway, you’ve got a great place here.’
‘It’s nothing special, just a one-bed. Four hundred and fifty square feet including my share of the lift.’
‘But with a view.’ The flat looked out over Aberdeen harbour, where the fishing boats were moored and tied together to form a community of their own, and over to Ap Lei Chau, where at night the lights gave the illusion of glamour – buildings that sparkled like diamonds after dark, but which were revealed by daylight to be drab public housing blocks. ‘I’ve never understood how you can afford it. I’d kill for a flat like this. I’ve got a full-time job but I’m stuck with my parents. What’s your secret?’
‘Do you really want to know? I’m a gigolo.’
Alice raised herself up on one arm and looked at Liang-bao. She pretended to be upset. ‘That explains it. I knew you were up to something. When you’re not with me you spend your time seducing rich tai tais. I should have guessed. How much do I owe you for last night?’
‘The rather more boring truth is that I get an allowance from my father.’
‘So I’m not just another notch on your bedpost?’ Alice kissed him on the forehead. ‘What time is it anyway?’
Liang-bao leant over to look at his watch on the bedside table. ‘Just gone eleven.’
‘I’d better get going. I’m meeting Emma for lunch and I need to go home and change. I can’t turn up wearing last night’s outfit.’ Alice got out of bed and started gathering her clothes together. ‘Perhaps I should start leaving a few things here.’ She glanced at Liang-bao to check his reaction before adding: ‘Don’t worry, I’m not moving in, but it would be nice to have some clean underwear.’
‘Emma seems happy with Sam?’ he asked.
‘Yes. She seems much more settled and content these days.’ Alice tried not to be disappointed that Liang-bao had changed the subject. At least he hadn’t said no. ‘Much more settled than last year anyway.’ Alice had found her underwear and was pulling up her knickers.
‘In what way?’
‘Didn’t you notice? I guess you’d only just met her then, but she seemed very preoccupied for a time. Miles away whenever you tried talking to her. And then do you remember the scene that
time at the Fringe Club?’ Alice was fastening her bra. ‘Perhaps it was just her hearing. Whatever. She wants to talk about the group. She says she has some ideas.’ Alice pulled her dress on over her head. ‘Can you zip me up at the back …? Thanks.’ Alice rubbed at a mark on the dress. ‘Damn. I knew I’d spilt something on it.’
‘Emma’s getting quite involved with the group, isn’t she?’
‘She is, yes. I’m a bit surprised to be honest. It took me ages to persuade her to come along, I was on the verge of giving up, but as you say she’s really getting into it now.’ Alice had now located her handbag and she took out a hairbrush and started to work on her rapidly drying hair.
‘How long are you in Beijing for?’ Alice asked. She examined her hair in a mirror and sighed.
‘Just until Tuesday, I don’t want to miss too many classes. My father’s birthday is on Monday.’
‘Well, if he’s paying for this place you’d better keep in with him.’ Alice looked around. ‘Have you seen my shoes? When’s your flight?’
‘Four thirty.’
‘How do I look?’ Alice had discovered her shoes under the bed.
‘Terrific.’
‘Liar. I look like a shameless hussy who didn’t sleep in her own bed last night. The taxi driver will know.’
‘You could take the bus?’
‘God no, that would be even worse. There’ll be some old woman who will give me the eye, or young guys making lewd comments. Oh well.’
‘Next time bring a change of clothes that you can keep here.’
Alice smiled and kissed Liang-bao on the forehead. When she’d left, Liang-bao started to pack for his flight. He opened the drawer in his bedside cabinet and with his fingers felt for the key that he kept taped to the underside of the top of the cabinet. He then went into the kitchen and pulled out a small metal box from behind a pile of plates in a cupboard. He unlocked the box with the key, took out the contents and placed them in a large Manila envelope that he then added to his packing.
Chapter 22
When the telephone rang Alice answered in a brusque business-like manner. She’d only just put the phone down after dealing with an irate customer and wasn’t in the best of moods. Alice had forgotten that Susan was due to call her back.
‘Good morning, this is Susan, Susan Khoo? Do you remember? We spoke on Friday about Kwok-wah. You were going to think about …’
‘Oh yes, sorry … I thought you were a customer.’
There was a silence while they both waited for the other to continue. Finally it was Susan who gave in.
‘Have you thought about it? Do you think it would be okay if I could see Kwok-wah?’
‘He’s very upset, you know? You’ve really hurt him.’
‘I’m sorry. I know it’s a cliché, but I never meant to hurt him. That wasn’t supposed to happen.’
‘Did you know that he was in love with you?’
That was what Susan had feared.
‘No, and I really didn’t mean for that to happen. Please believe me.’
‘I don’t suppose you love him? No, don’t bother to answer. That was a silly question. Of course you don’t, you’ve just been using him for some reason. God knows why. Well, you tell me, what did you think you were doing messing with Kwok-wah’s head like that? Why? What were you after? Oh, and while I’m at it, how the hell did you get those papers about Shu-ming? Who are you, Susan Khoo?’
‘I’m sorry, I …’
‘Can’t tell me, yeah, I get it.’
‘No, I don’t love him, but I am fond of him.’
‘Fond of him? He’s not a pet lapdog, he’s a human being.’ Susan was not encouraged by the angry tone in Alice’s voice. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout at you. But unless there’s anything you can say to him that is going to make him feel better then I just don’t see what good it would do. Is there? Is there anything you can say that will help?’
Susan had spent all weekend asking herself this question and she knew the answer.
‘No. There isn’t.’
‘Then I think you have your answer.’
Again, a silence. Susan knew that there wasn’t much point pressing Alice any further about Kwok-wah. That discussion was over. Instead she was thinking of something else.
‘There’s one other thing I wanted to ask you about,’ said Susan.
‘I thought we were done with this call.’
Susan threw the dice one last time. Who knew how they would fall?
‘Last Friday, when you left work, you met a man outside your office? A Chinese man, looked like a mainlander I think, quite tall?’
‘What?’
Susan could tell that the change in topic had thrown Alice. She pressed on. ‘I was watching from across the road. That’s where I was calling from.’
‘You’ve been watching me? What are you? Police?’
‘I didn’t set out to watch you. Honestly. I just happened to see you meet this guy. Can I ask you who he is?’
‘No!’ Alice was clearly angry now. ‘What business is this of yours?’
‘It’s none of my business, I know. But did you know he’s an agent?’
‘An agent? Don’t be stupid. An estate agent? Insurance agent? He’s a student, for God’s sake. I know him from the university.’
‘Yeah, well, not everyone at a university is who they say they are. You should know that by now. He’s some form of Chinese intelligence agent and, wait, I know you’re itching to slam the phone down on me, he’s your boyfriend, right? Well if he’s interested in you then it can only be because of you and your friends in that human rights group, and yes, I know all about that. I know you’re not going to believe me now, and why should you, but please remember what I’ve said and think about it later. Is there anything surprising about him? Anything that doesn’t seem right for a student?’
Another silence. Susan thought that she had said enough. Probably too much.
‘Just think about it,’ said Susan before she put the phone down.
Alice remained sitting at her desk in the office, a mouthless Hello Kitty toy staring back at her.
Susan, sitting on the bed in her cheap hotel room, looked at her rebooked plane ticket. She had plenty of time left and she was wondering what to do with it when an idea struck her. It was a long shot but she had nothing to lose and she could get directions from the reception desk.
***
Istanbul has its Grand Bazaar. Marrakech, the Medina. Barcelona, La Boqueria. Hong Kong has the Shamshuipo Golden Arcade Computer Centre. A maze of small shops and stalls selling new models of phones, games consoles, computers, joysticks, modems, motherboards, disc drives, graphics cards. The latest software, video discs and, above all, games. Some of them were even genuine. Everything from the computer nerd’s wildest wet dreams. The aisles between the vendors were so narrow that two people could barely pass each other without becoming intimately acquainted. Geeks’ heaven, and where Kwok-wah was happiest.
Kwok-wah never needed much of an excuse to go the Golden Arcade, but when Alice had said that she had lost the charger for her laptop, he had quickly volunteered to find her a replacement. In fact he knew loads of places closer to home where he could have easily bought one, but it was the perfect excuse to go to the Arcade. The place where he felt most at home, where he felt that he belonged. A place he understood. A place where people behaved normally and didn’t just disappear into thin air. A place where people didn’t let you down. That was, of course, the great thing about computers. They behaved rationally. You could understand them, predict what they will do.
He found the charger quickly enough, and once that was done he started to look for things for himself. His computer had been running slow so he wanted to buy some extra RAM, and he was tempted to get a new hard drive at the same time. He had built his first computer with parts bought from shops in the Golden Arcade, but he hadn’t been there since he went to Shanghai. Although he had been away for months, he was so well known that in
a number of his favourite shops the shopkeepers would call out to him: ‘Hey, Kwok-wah! Good to see you, we’ve missed you … How’s Shanghai?’ Kwok-wah would reply with a non-committal neutral answer, and perhaps talk a little about his work before steering the conversation onto the things he was looking for and what did they have that was new and interesting.
In this way the morning passed before Kwok-wah noticed how long he had been there. Thinking he should get something to eat, and with most of his purchases already done, he started towards one of the exits. And there she was. He would have spotted her anyway but there were never that many women in the arcade so she stood out doubly; taller than many of the men in the Arcade, her hair in a ponytail, she stood between him and the exit, watching him.
‘Susan?’
‘Hello, Kwok-wah.’
They stood not saying anything for a moment until they realised that they were getting in the way as people jostled past them and they moved to one side.
‘How are you?’ Susan asked, since Kwok-wah seemed to be lost for words.
‘Um … fine …’
‘Look, if you don’t want to talk to me I’d completely understand. Just say the word and I’ll go, but I wanted to see you one last time.’
‘How did you know I’d be here?’
‘I didn’t for sure, but you told me in Shanghai that coming here would be one of the first things you’d do when you got back to Hong Kong, so I thought I’d give it a try.’
‘But today is the first time I’ve been here in months.’
‘Then I’m lucky today.’ Susan looked to where the heavens would be if they weren’t indoors. ‘The Gods are obviously smiling on me. Can we talk? Are you okay with that?’
‘Sure, I guess. Do you want to go somewhere quieter?’
‘No. Quite the opposite. It’s good being in crowds. Show me around the place while we talk.’ They worked their way between shops, Susan keeping close to Kwok-wah, trying not to lose him among the throngs of people hunting for the latest techie must-have. ‘First of all, I wanted to say sorry. Sorry if I worried you by disappearing. Sorry if you think I was stringing you along.’