《On The Same Days》橄榄树

32、28th January Tuesday 2003 Shenyang

　　Komen die tijden, dan komen die plagen (Don’t worry before it is time)

　　Dialed the home number, Ling’s hand got almost sweaty, god almighty, why she’s always the one who had to do the heal up? Before anyone picked up the phone, Ling hung it up.

　　Her father had exploded on the phone at Tiffany and Bamboo in the morning, both of them won’t be able to go home to their parents for the New Year’s Eve dinner, first time in the history ever, her father was so angry and depressed, he prepared tons of fireworks and dumplings for the whole family, but Tiffany had to go to Roc’s parents this time as Roc had been to Tiffany’s parents last time, moreover his promotion at work helped him a promotion at home as well, it seemed Tiffany got her ears back again, she began to listen instead of only talk. Bamboo had another fight with Deng and then helplessly went with him to his parents. Who knows it might while be the last New Year of his, Deng had said.

　　Lee had asked Ling a few days ago if she’d like to go to his house for the New Year’s Eve with him and Jane, the babysitter would be home in the countryside today. Ling said she had to wait and see. She just knew this wouldn’t be as smooth as any other year, too many things had happened. Obviously the going home task rested on her shoulders now, if none of the 3 daughters would be home on New Year’s Eve, not only her father would go mad, her mother would get really depressed too. The older they get, the more they became like children again, very dependent on attention. They’d die of loneliness out there with no children around. Ling wanted badly to bring Jane home, but then Lee would be left alone, if only she could just bring him home too, to introduce him to her parents, to have a big happy family meal, but, how?

　　She dialed home number already twice, yet she didn’t dare to wait till her parents pick the phone up, she just wasn’t ready yet how to formulate her idea that would bring her father the least doubt and not too loud screams. She had to come up with some tricks.

　　The 3rd time, she dialed the phone, and waited.
　　“What the hell is going on with the phone here?” her father’s angry voice,
　　“Father, it is me, Ling, anything wrong with the phone?”
　　“Might be some old enemies from work or young hoodlums who want to blackmail me,” her father sounded serious, “but, who the hell cares, why aren’t you not on the bus back home yet?”
　　“Father, I am wondering, you know the poor girl Jane?”
　　“Of course, what happened with her?” her father got concerned,
　　“No, nothing happened with her. It is just that she is very lonely at home lately as she had no mother, and her babysitter went back home for New Year, she had asked me to spend New Year’s Eve with her together at her home.”
　　“Why hadn’t you asked her to come back here with you? Just what can you two do out there?”
　　“Sure I have asked, but she still has a father, and she’d feel guilty if she leaves her father behind in the city…”
　　“What a lovely little thing, you see, that’s the attitude!”
　　“She said if her father would also be allowed to come over for dinner, she’d love to spend New Year’s Eve with you and mother, she said she missed you a lot.”
　　“Of course her father may come also, the other two beasts aren’t coming back anyway, we have got a whole empty house for nobody, just bring Jane and his father back home then.”
　　“Okay, thanks a lot, father! And mother!” Ling was so delighted; she hadn’t expected it would be so easy.

　　Hung up the phone, she dialed Lee’s mobile, “My parents had invited Jane and you for dinner tonight, how do you like the idea?”
　　“Perfect, but have you told them about us?”
　　“Sort of, I told them you are the director of Sunshine Construction, and you are the father of Jane.”
　　“They just invited me for dinner because of that?”
　　“Of course not, they invited you for dinner because of me; I told my father I was considering a job change.”
　　“Basically, this is a business meeting then?” Lee laughed, Ling could see him shook his head at the other end of the line.
　　“Basically, this will be the foundation for any further construction, it’d be up to you if your Sun will still Shine or not, Mr. Lee.”
　　“I always thought business meeting would be the scariest, I might be totally wrong, because my hairs all standing up right now, what if they’d think I am too old?” Lee half joked.
　　“How dare you say that? My parents were both above 55; they’d be really crossed if you say you are already old.”
　　“Ok, shall we meet up at the Time Square for some gifts?”
　　“That won’t really be necessary.”
　　“Don’t be afraid, I wouldn’t spend a penny of Sunshine Construction’s money, it is me, a private Lee who wants to bribe your parents for a good foundation.”
　　“I didn’t know you also had a sense for humor, ok, time square, or shall we first meet up at McDonalds for some lunch for Jane?”
　　“Just for Jane or is there someone else who’s very anti-American yet very keen on its junk food?”
　　“For that you get the punishment, only allowed to watch us eating junk. See you both over an hour.”

　　After that Ling started to dress up and make up, she had borrowed half of Bamboo’s wardrobe; maybe she should really check out and buy some new cloths for herself. Before Lee’s time she had never felt the need to dress up or make up, she had laughed at Bamboo and May for their squander in loads cloths and cosmetics. It was really so weird that she might just turn into another one, superficial girl!!! Ling made a face to her own image in the mirror then raced downstairs to the bus station.

　　* * *
　　Time square was the biggest and most expensive shopping mall in Shenyang. It was still crowded like hell in the afternoon just prior to Chinese New Year’s eve. Everyone was pushing around searching the last minute sales for their families.

　　Jane held Ling with one hand; the other hand with the plush lion she got from McDonalds, Lee fought their way forward among the crowds.

　　“God, let’s forget about cloths items, let’s go up to fifth floor where they sell electrical appliances.” Lee made the way to the elevator.
　　Ling tried to follow him dragging Jane with her, Jane wasn’t moving. Ling looked down at Jane; Jane was looking to her right side, suddenly pulled Ling’s arm with both hands and pointing her chain to the right said “Look!”

　　Ling then saw it. The hand, carefully taking a wallet out of a bag, the bag was on a mid-aged woman’s shoulder, it was too crowded that she hadn’t notice her bag was cut through. The hand was from a short guy in black with long hair, he must have heard Jane, suddenly turned and gave Jane a sharp stare, a knife point quickly appeared and disappeared from his right hand while putting the wallet with the left hand in his own pocket, Jane and Ling were the only ones who saw the theft and the flash of the knife, Lee was lost in the crowds, maybe at the end by the elevator. Jane’s hands held Ling’s arm even tighter, “Ling, it is…”

　　“No, Jane, stop talking, let’s look for your father first.” Ling carried Jane off from the ground into her arms, pushed her way towards the elevator. From the corner of her eyes, Ling saw the thief made his way to the other direction in a flash. God, if Jane shouted out, either that lady or Jane might be hurt.
　　“But you did see it too, did you?” Jane still wanted to try,

　　“But we have to find your father first and think about a way to deal with what you saw later on, just don’t speak up yet.”

　　“By then he’d be gone.” Jane was confused, she even stopped her tricks with her babysitter, everyone told her to be honest, to be a good child and brave to the bad people and alike; why shouldn’t she shout if she saw theft under her nose? The □□ world was really something beyond her understanding.

　　“Better than you being cut into pieces,” Ling felt nauseas under sweat, both out of fear and out of irritation of herself, for god’s sake, she doesn’t feel any better than Jane, if it was 10 years back, Ling would have shouted also, but now she lost that courage, she was afraid, afraid of Jane or herself would be hurt, you never know those walking sins rarely work alone, they might be members of any mafia groups, but if the mid-aged lady was her mother or her aunt, what would she have done? god, Ling was about to faint.

　　Lee took Jane over from Ling, concerned at the troubled face of Jane and the sweaty pale face of Ling, “Just what could happen in the past few seconds?”

　　“Someone…” Jane opened her mouth, remembered Ling wasn’t happy when she wanted to tell; closed her mouth again.

　　Ling lean to Lee, spoke to his ears in a low voice, “We saw a thief. He cut a lady’s bag and stole a wallet.”

　　Right at the moment, a female scream came out; some people went over to the scene. Lee understand immediately what had happened, tapped Jane at her shoulder, “You were right that you wanted to help, but the security guards and police would be very sad and ashamed if you or anyone else get hurt, it is better that Ling stopped you so that the police will catch him without getting anyone hurt.”

　　“But he must be gone already?” Jane wasn’t fully convinced,
　　“There are videos made by the shopping mall, they will check them and find him out.” Lee reassured,

　　“Ooh, how nice, have we been the whole time on the video?” Jane smiled as brightly as she could, as if she was playing Cinderella on stage again.

　　Ling gave a relieved sigh, wiped her forehead with a tissue. Thank god, she didn’t know there were videos.
　　Lee put Jane down, tapped Ling on her shoulder too, and held the two little women onto the elevator up to the fifth floor. He had no idea if there were any videos being made.

　　* * *

　　Ling’s parents were so delighted to see people back home to them; her mother was running in and out of the kitchen the whole evening as if the whole army had to be feed.

　　They were a bit shocked to receive a video camera as a gift, too expensive a gift from a normal friend. After Jane told the story of the theft, they became very happy with it. Ling’s father started to try it out with Jane pushing all different buttons around all the time, Lee read the instructions out loud in the meantime.

　　It was hours later, Ling’s mother managed a huge table with dozens of different dishes and dumplings piled up into a pyramid, dinner was ready. Ling went to the yard to call the 3 back in house, they were busying on setting up an open fire for fireworks later on.
　　Ling’s father opened two bottles of liquor for Lee and himself, two bottles of wine for Ling and her mother, even Jane was allowed to taste the wine with a small mouthful.

　　Ling’s father inquired Lee about his parents, how did they passed away, how did Lee also spend time in countryside with his father during the cultural revolution time when he was young, they had sighed a lot and laughed a lot. Ling never knew Lee could have that much memories in common with her father, he was right about his age, she felt she was completely born late to really understand those stories of his parents, Lee was something in-between. They drank a lot. Somewhere after half bottles of liquor went down their stomach, the two men already became good friends totally forgot their age difference. Then they talked about working for the government, no matter as an officer or as a director of a state owned company, neither were easy task.

　　“You know there is such a joke,” Lee had said, filling Ling’s father’s glass another time,
　　“There were 3 business men asked to tell what would be the happiest moment of their lives. The British man said after a long business trip, going back home, a pretty wife with a delicious meal ready waiting for him made him the happiest man in the world. The French man said after a hard negotiation, woke up the other day in bed with the pretty long leggy secretary of his business partner would be his happiest moment. You know what did the Chinese man say?” Lee asked, drank his glass empty, and continued without waiting anyone’s answer, “He said the happiest moment would be woke up in the middle of the night in a vacation resort, after a night of nice message from his own secretary, by those anti-corruption officers accusing him of corruption, then found out the officers meant to break the next door.”

　　Ling’s father and Lee laughed into tears.

　　Ling exchanged a concerned glance with her mother, it seemed in no way would Lee be able to drive back to the city any more, they’d have to stay for the night.
　　12 o’clock, they all went out by the open fire. Jane got a fancy firework also with a long rope to hold in hand, she was so excited and laughed like crazy. Though there was no moon, the whole dark sky was shinning in all colors.