by CJ Shane
“Zhou told me that there was a problem in Beijing that he needed to take care of.”
“Yes, he told us that someone in the Ministry in Beijing was tipping off the triad gang. Rest assured, Mademoiselle Valdez. We are on Zhou’s side. We have a high value for him and his efforts. We are working on this every day. I feel confident that we will achieve Zhou’s release.”
Letty told Jade this, and she burst into tears.
“At least you know he’s not dead, and he didn’t abandon you.” Letty said.
“Yes,” said Jade. “Thank you, Letty. At least he’s not dead.”
Weeks passed.
For Jade’s sake, Letty called Monsieur Laurent every couple of weeks. He spoke English well but with a heavy French accent.
“We are making progress,” Laurent told Letty. “We recently acquired surveillance video of a Hong Kong Red Pole giving Yang a packet of money.”
“Was that Chong Ma?”
“Yes, Chong Ma. You know Chong Ma?”
“Yes. He’s not a nice guy.”
“No, not nice.”
Another week passed and Laurent reported that Yang had been arrested. No word on Zhou.
June came to Tucson. This was the hottest and driest time of the year. June turned into July. The monsoon arrived, and afternoon storms, sometimes with heavy rain, became frequent. Then August came.
Zhou arrived in Tucson on an early flight from San Francisco by way of Shanghai. It was a sunny summer morning, but the humidity promised the possibility of a late afternoon monsoon storm.
He wanted to call ahead, but the time never seemed right. Also he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to promise Jade an arrival that might never come. After all, he could be picked up again by the authorities at any time. And he wasn’t one hundred percent sure that the triad gang wouldn’t try something, too, despite his agreement with Ting. He decided to wait until he was sure he would actually be able to arrive in Tucson again. When he was released from prison, he took the bullet train to Shanghai Pudong Airport rather than hang around Beijing even an hour longer. The flight across the Pacific Ocean from Shanghai to San Francisco seemed to last a lifetime. All he could think of was Jade and seeing her again.
Zhou rented a car at the Tucson airport and drove to Jade’s house. The idea of surprising her was both thrilling and a little scary. He didn’t know if she would still feel toward him as he felt toward her. But she wasn’t home.
Then Zhou remembered. Sunday morning. Ladies’ coffee. He found Maggie’s home and knocked on the door.
Maggie answered. When she saw Zhou, her hand touched her heart. “Oh! How wonderful!” she whispered to him conspiratorially. “Leave your bags here and come with me.”
Zhou stowed his luggage near the door and followed her into the dining room. Seated around the table were Seri, Letty, and his beloved Jade.
Letty grinned. “You! It’s about time for you to show up!”
Jade cried out, “Zhou! Zhou!”
She struggled to her feet. Her pregnant belly was prominent at eight, almost nine months.
Zhou looked at her in amazement. His eyebrows went up and his mouth opened. “What happen to you?”
“You are what happened to me! Remember our last night together?” Jade said with a brilliant smile. “Come and meet your child. He – or she – is kicking right this minute.”
Jade moved toward him and fell into his welcoming arms.
“I am going to be a father!” Zhou couldn’t talk after that. He held Jade, his face buried in her red curls. Tears were in his eyes.
Zhou held Jade for a moment, then he pushed her away far enough to look into her eyes.
“You will marry me.” This was a statement, not a question.
“Sí, Jefe!” Jade laughed.
“Yes, I am the Boss. You will marry me.”
Zhou kissed Jade soundly, and the three women at the dining table cheered.
***
Letty went home soon after. Millie greeted her enthusiastically, and they sat together on the couch.
“Millie, I have some news for you. Will and Clarice want to move in with us in a couple of weeks. Her lease is about up. I think they think they are going to take care of me.” She shook her head. “What do you think about that? Do you think I need someone to take care of me?”
Millie cocked her head. Her ears were up. Letty was speaking to her.
“Also I’ve been thinking maybe you need a friend to hang out with. When I’m working, you’re here all by yourself. I bet you get lonely. So maybe a Lab or a Golden Retriever or a retired racing Greyhound? Or another pit bull? What do you think? Maybe we should just go to the animal shelter and bring home one of those Sonoran Purebreds. You know the Sonoran Purebred? Those are the dogs that are a little of this and a little of that – the Heinz 57 kind. Yeah, that’s what we need – a Sonoran Purebred.”
Millie wagged her tail and licked Letty’s hand.
For More Information
To learn more about some of the issues addressed in this story, go to:
Wounded Warrior Project: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Humane Borders: https://humaneborders.org/
Tucson Samaritans: http://www.tucsonsamaritans.org/
Polaris Project: https://polarisproject.org/
Pit Bull Rescue Central: http://www.pbrc.net/
Smiling Dog Rescue: http://www.smilingdogrescue.com/
Pima Animal Care Center: http://webcms.pima.gov/government/pima_animal_care_center/
