Summer Spice

by Kris Pearson

  She turned to Oliver and murmured, “I’m afraid he isn’t happy. I’ll leave you to talk while I visit upstairs. I hope it goes well down here. Or well enough, anyway.”

  She spoke again with her father. “Lao Ba, how is she now? Is there a change? Is she comfortable?”

  The old man sighed. “It goes badly. She’ll be pleased to see you.”

  “She might also be pleased to know I’m no longer with Kieran.”

  “But now this dog is sniffing around you again?” Zhang Wei Chan’s eyes showed no warmth. “Go through. Don’t make her more tired than she already is.”

  “Will you cook us lunch we can eat on the beach? Please?” After his grudging agreement and some angry banging of wire baskets against the top of the big stainless steel cooking vat, she sent Ollie an apologetic glance and walked through to the living quarters clutching her bunch of red carnations in their crackling wrapping.

  The door to the upstairs bedroom was half closed. “Lao Ma, may I come in?”

  A rustle of bedding. “Meifeng? Is that finally you?”

  She pushed the door further open. “I saw you last time I was home. It hasn’t been so long.”

  “I know, I know. Your work means you can’t visit every day, but with the way things are…?”

  Shadows danced on the walls from the shifting branches of the tough, gray-leaved Karo tree outside the closed window. Mei held the flowers to her nose and breathed in their spicy scent to soften the smells of her mother’s sickness. The stuffy air. The strange medicinal aromas. Hair too long unwashed. “I do my best, Lao Ma. Not a very good best sometimes. Not a very good daughter.”

  Her mother held out a small, unsteady hand.

  Mei sank into the chair beside the bed and clasped her bony fingers. “I bought you flowers. Red for luck.” She held them closer so Yu Yan could enjoy their scent.

  “Nothing brings me luck now,” her mother grumbled. “If my only daughter was married and giving me grandchildren, that would be luck.”

  “Need the right man to be their father,” Mei said, wishing for any other topic. “No more Kieran anyway – that’s over. So no Irish grandchildren. Not that there ever would have been.” She stood again. “I’ll put these in water for you.”

  Yu Yan managed a wheezy laugh. “Good the Irish boy is gone. Not the right one for this family.”

  Mei bit back the reply had had sprung too readily to her lips and left the bedroom to find a vase. The ‘right boy’ might be downstairs right now, but from the insistent rumble of Ollie’s voice and the staccato interruptions from her father, she feared things weren’t going well. She slunk to the kitchen, found an old cut-glass vase that had probably been bought at a charity stall, and filled it with water.

  “No one ever told me that,” she heard Ollie grate. “I’m sure that’s wrong.”

  “It’s true. Every word true!” Zhang Wei snapped in reply. “He thought he would take what’s mine.”

  Mei beat a hasty retreat up the stairs, trying not to spill the water. It was easy to picture her father’s eyes almost popping out of his head, his neck turning red, his lips wet with spittle. She’d seen him like that countless times, objecting to even the tiniest freedoms she’d tried to gain when she’d been growing up. Ollie’s dad had wanted something her father had no intention of parting with, and she feared Zhang Wei would feel exactly the same way about his only daughter.

  She entered her mother’s bedroom again, opened one of the windows a few inches, and began to snap the long carnation stems off until they sat comfortably in the old vase. “I’m moving back to the city now it’s over with Kieran,” she said as though there’d been no break in the conversation. Her mother’s eyes were closed, and she’d been dosing while Mei had gone downstairs.

  Yu Yan took a sudden breath as though jerking awake. “Good to be away from him, but now I’ll see you even less. When do you come home next?”

  “Go back tonight. Buenos Aires again, so early next week.”

  “If I live so long…”

  Mei took her mother’s hand again and they sat together in silence for a few minutes. Yu Yan’s eyes kept drifting closed, and eventually Mei stood. She tried for a gentle, loving smile as she stroked her mother’s hand, but feared she looked more grief-stricken than comforting. “I can see you’re tired, Lao Ma. I’ll let you rest. And in case… things get worse… while I’m gone, I need to say right now you’re the best mother ever.” She swallowed. “The kindest and the most loving. So you remember that. Always remember that.”

  She bent and enclosed her tiny mother in a careful hug, all too conscious it might be for the last time ever. Yu Yan’s eyes slowly opened, then closed again, and her grip on Mei’s hand relaxed as her daughter drew away. The bedcover barely rose with her fitful breaths.

  Mei tiptoed out. Not until she’d pulled the door half closed and was on the stairs, gripping the handrail and bent double with grief, did she allow silent tears to fall. She sagged onto the worn carpet of one of the treads, wrapped her arms around her knees, and rocked slowly backward and forward. Yu Yan had been sick for years but Mei had never seen her so frail, so defeated. It was only a matter of time, and not much time now.

  Her father’s strident voice pierced the peace of the narrow stairwell. “All finished for you. Come now.”

  Mei took a shuddering breath and ran her fingers under her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears without removing her carefully applied makeup. If her father saw her bruises when he was already riled up by Ollie she wouldn’t be able to bear the resulting outrage. It was too easy to imagine his insults. “Cannot trust those other men. Find yourself a dependable Chinese boy.” And on, ad infinitum, until it would almost be easier to give in and obey.

  She walked slowly down the stairs, taking several more deep breaths as she drew nearer to the familiar cooking scents. Pushing through the plastic-strip privacy curtain dividing the shop from the living quarters she cast a quick glance at Ollie who was standing well back from the counter, eyes down, lips pressed together as though to keep further comments to himself.

  “She’s sleeping,” she said to Zhang Wei. “I put her flowers in water and opened the window a little. Perhaps close it up in an hour or so?”

  Her father bristled. “She feels the cold.”

  “Yes, Lao Ba, but some fresh air is good for her.” She reached for their paper-wrapped food and Ollie immediately thrust out his credit card.

  Her father inhaled sharply. “Tell him to put it away. I feed my own daughter.”

  “And her friend?” Mei couldn’t help asking.

  Zhang Wei cleared his throat noisily, and Mei hurriedly thanked him as she motioned Ollie to put the card away. “I’ll be back again as soon as I can. South America tomorrow so I’m gone for a while. You’ll let me know… if…?”

  “I’ll make sure you know.”

  She would have attempted a goodbye hug but the counter was between them and Ollie was already moving toward the door. “Goodbye father. I hope…”

  “No hope now,” Zhang Wei said, turning away.

  Ollie held the door for her, seeing her distress, and wrapping an arm around her as soon as they were out of the shop. “No good?”

  She shrugged. “Horrible. Nothing anyone can do now.” She pressed closer to him. “I’m not hungry after that.”

  Ollie tightened his grip around her shoulders. “He gave you scallops. Made a special point of saying they were for you. Not for the son of the man who tried to steal from him.”

  Mei flinched at the hard words, and at Ollie’s bitter tone. But at least he seemed to have no details. “Surely your father didn’t try to do that? What would he steal? My father had so little anyone would value.”

  “I’ve no idea, but you can bet I’ll be asking Dad for his side of the story. I don’t want things coming between you and me.”

  “Tried to steal from him?” Mei repeated. “Nothing was ever worth stealing.”

  Ollie gave a mirthless grunt. “I
expect there was a language barrier, or a misunderstanding of the terms of the contract if they were both after the same property.”

  “And the Wynn family is half lawyers,” Mei murmured. “That would be hard for poor Lao Ba.”

  Ollie flicked a glance down at her. “What does Lao Ba mean? Is it a respectful title? Something I should have used? I heard you call him that a couple of times.”

  She shook her head and tried to stifle a smile. “No Oliver, you need to be his child to call him that. It’s affectionate. I guess you could translate it as ‘old Dad’. You’d really be asking for trouble if you tried it.”

  He grunted again, still looking distant.

  “I’ll give you one of my scallops?” she teased, nudging his ribs.

  “You’ll give me half your scallops,” he countered, sharpening his gaze. “You want to sit over there?” He angled his chin toward the huge gray tree trunk that had washed ashore in a fierce storm several years ago. The sun and salt had long ago stripped it clean of bark, and it had remained a favorite smooth seat for beach walkers ever since.

  She pressed her lips together and raised a brow. “Half my scallops? You drive a hard bargain.”

  “Half your scallops or no ride home.” His expression was softening now as they walked toward the tree trunk and settled themselves.

  She gave a deep sigh. “What are we going to do, Ollie? I don’t see this being anything more than a few days away from the rest of the world. We can’t have any future together.”

  “No way in hell,” he said, his coffee-brown eyes finding hers and holding her gaze.

  She shrugged and flapped a hand dismissively. “I’ve got away from Kieran, and he won’t find me at Anna’s apartment – at least that’s done.”

  Ollie ripped his paper-wrapped package of fish and chips open with a sudden yank. “Damn right he won’t. Anna’s place has good security anyway. Sadly you won’t be there much, given all the time your job takes you away. Sadly for me, that is.”

  Mei inclined her head as she watched his strong hands peel the layers apart. The delicious smell of deep-fried seafood and salted crispy fries floated up between them. She ripped her own paper aside and started dividing up her scallops. Ollie objected, but she shook her head. “Truly not very hungry after seeing my mother like that. But you eat them while they’re hot.”

  He lifted one from the package and looked at her very directly. “Don’t start thinking this is just a few days between us. I’ve waited fifteen years for you.” He pushed the scallop into his mouth and chewed. After he’d swallowed, he added, “And whatever the damn situation was between our fathers, we can find out the facts and maybe get things a bit more settled between them.”

  Mei sighed, and shuddered inwardly. She didn’t want him knowing the facts – or not all of them, anyway. “Good luck with that. I don’t know the details. I’m only the daughter, of course.”

  She glanced away in case he saw through her lies. The house wasn’t the worst of the problems holding them apart. It seemed Ollie had no idea of the magnitude, the bitterness, the long-standing vitriol that had never died down. Points to his father, she supposed, if he hadn’t poisoned his family with the story.

  Ollie turned his head and stared back to Zhang Wei’s property. “When you look at it from this angle you can see why dad might’ve wanted it. Raised up that little bit, with views around three sides. It’s probably the best piece of land in the Bay.”

  She followed his gaze to her old home. Yes, the land was amazing. Okay, if Ollie was happy to think that was the problem, she’d leave it that way. No point in pouring further gasoline on the bonfire. “When he first bought it I think it was a terrible wreck. No shop in those days. Just a derelict dump. Probably all they could afford.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “But somehow they got enough money together to change the front of the house to a shop, and the business started growing because the food was cheap and tasty.”

  Ollie bit into another scallop and chewed. “And it was the only takeaway store for miles around,” he said once he’d swallowed.

  She managed a smile. “Three children, and we lived so cramped together for years. In about half the original house. It wasn’t the sort of place to bring friends home to. Then they built two more rooms upstairs. One for parents and one for brothers, and I had the downstairs bedroom. Much better.”

  “It’s a good property. Worth a lot more now the area’s going ahead. Your father won’t want it forever. He could sell it and make a bundle. Enough for them to retire on.”

  Mei closed her eyes for a few seconds. “Won’t be ‘them’ for much longer, Oliver. Just be him, and maybe the shop is what will keep him going. I could suggest getting it painted, but he’s so proud and would take that as criticism.” She looked down at her lunch and twisted a couple of the fries from the package. “Still the best in the Bay,” she said, hoping he’d leave the topic alone.

  “Still the ‘only’ in the Bay. But yeah, the taste of childhood, and always good.”

  She glanced at her watch. “We could walk and eat so we don’t hold Anna up?”

  “Plenty of time yet,” he said, moving closer. “Why do I get the feeling you can’t wait to be away from me?”

  She chewed her fries and swallowed. “Just everything is wrong, Oliver. Right now, everything is wrong. I can’t see how it will ever be good.”

  His expression was serious as he said, “So we solve the problems one at a time. That’s how you keep a plane flying. I’m good at making sure planes keep flying.” He pulled more fries from his packet. “We’ve sorted Kieran. We’ve sorted your accommodation for the next few weeks.” He added more softly, “There’s nothing we can do about your mother’s health, but you and your brothers will support your father and each other when the time comes. And I’m sure you’ll find he has a lot of local friends who can rally around.” He burgled another of the scallops and chewed it slowly.

  Mei still felt far from convinced. She shook her head.

  “Essie will have her hip replaced,” Ollie continued. “Anna and Jason will have their baby. Jossy and Cam will get married. And then it’ll be time for you and me to see where we go.”

  “Nowhere,” she said dully. “There are things…”

  He leaned sideways and dropped a kiss on her hair. “And we’ll take on those things one at a time. The plane will fly.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes as the big waves tumbled over and slid up the glittering sand. Hopeful seagulls gathered, screaming for attention and food.

  “I’ll give them the rest of mine,” Mei said, tearing the paper wrapping off her bundle to ensure there were no hidden scallops. A cacophony of triumphant cawing erupted the moment she tossed the first few fries out in front of her. The birds fought and ripped at the spoils.

  The same way Mei felt her heart being ripped in two.

  Chapter 14 – Overnight at Anna’s

  Ollie easily carried three of the big plastic sacks of clothes up the ornate carved staircase of the old timber mansion housing Anna’s apartment. Mei carried the fourth, plus her carefully wrapped erhu and a big Gucci bag. Bought duty free, he assumed. He swung the door open for her. “Welcome home for the next six weeks or so.”

  She walked inside and gazed around the huge, high-ceilinged room. At the rear, a steep, narrow staircase led to a surprisingly roomy sleeping platform. Under that, a door between kitchen cabinets housing a fridge, small cooktop and microwave oven gave access to a compact bathroom. Was she disappointed? He hoped not. “I know it’s not big, but Anna lived here fine,” he said.

  She turned to him and he saw the smile stretching from ear to ear. “Oliver, it’s wonderful. I love it. To have this all for me, and so central in the city. It’s amazing. Can I look?”

  Holding out a hand as though he was offering her a gift, he said, “It’s all yours. Explore. I know Jase said he almost hits his head on the bedroom ceiling, but he and I are a foot taller than you, so you’ll survive.” He cas
t a dubious eye up the staircase. “You might need to hold the rail, especially in the heels you wear.”

  “You’re looking after me again,” she said, but her smile didn’t dim as she lowered the erhu and the Gucci bag onto one of the comfy armchairs and headed for the stairs.

  Ollie crossed to one of the tall windows at the front, unlocked it, and slid the sash upward to bring in some fresh summer air. Somewhere above him he heard Mei pulling drawers open and sliding wardrobe doors aside.

  “Lots of room,” she called down. “None of Anna’s stuff left here at all.”

  He picked up two of the bags of clothes and carried them up. “I’ll go down and get your uniforms from the car.”

  She turned to him and laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you Oliver. You’ve helped me so much more than I expected.”

  “Happy to help,” he said, giving her a quick hug. “I went to Scarlet Bay to unpack furniture, but you were always in the back of my mind. I hoped I might get a lead on where you were these days. I didn’t expect you’d drop into my hands like a precious gift.”

  She looked up at him, narrow-eyed. “I didn’t drop into your hands, Oliver. Or not for more than a few days, anyway.”

  “But I’ll take what I can get,” he said with a grin, turning to retrieve the third big bag of clothes and then heading down to the car.

  *

  Next morning Mei stirred and stretched. The bed was enormous. As luxurious as any she’d ever slept in, and she’d slept in many during her working life. Mostly in anonymous hotels. The fragrance of laundry powder tickled her nose. And faint, familiar cologne.

  Unwillingly, she raised an eyelid. The ceiling seemed… wrong. Too low. She opened the other eye. Stretched again as she inspected it sleepily. And found her toes sliding against a warm leg. It was muscular, hairy, and unmistakably masculine. It took a moment for her to work out where she was, and her shocked flinch brought a husky chuckle from the man lying beside her.

  “Morning, honey.”

  Ollie! Mei slid as far away from him as she could, staring into his amused eyes as she finally woke properly and shreds of memory floated back. He wasn’t supposed to be here. She’d thought they were parting the night before – to go back to their respective jobs.