Passports and Plum Blossoms

by Barbara Oliverio

  “What is the song about?” I asked.

  “The lyrics are from an old poem. Loosely translated it means that the plum is beautiful and blossoms earliest, but she does not want to have her beauty compete with the spring and the other flowers. What she wants is just to be the herald of the spring. When all of the flowers have blossomed already, she will return among the flowers with a big smile.”

  I was mesmerized.

  “That’s beautiful! Did you grow up listening to this?”

  He smiled a faraway smile. His face was relaxed, not anything like the tense businessman in Singapore.

  “My mother’s name is Plum Blossom, Mei Hua. My father found every recording of that song and bought them for her.”

  “How romantic! Does he like the music as well?”

  “He was more of a blues fan, but more often than not, my mother got to pick what was on the stereo.”

  I thought about my own parents. I could imagine the same thing happening at my house. My father was definitely the head of the house, but he treated my mother like a queen. Very sweet.

  “I take it your mother was from China?”

  “What makes you sure of that?” he gave me a sidewise glance.

  “Well, you speak the language so fluently, and her name ... I ... I didn’t mean anything else.” Rats. I hope I hadn’t offended him.

  “Yes. She was. Oh, don’t worry, I’m not offended that you can tell I have Asian blood. Annalise, I can look in a mirror. I know that I don’t exactly look like I was born in Sweden.” He gave me that beautiful smile that I had first seen in the airport.

  I decided to press my luck.

  “But your name. Eli Chamberlain doesn’t exactly scream out China.”

  “True. My father is not Chinese. He’s of British heritage. And my real name is Yi Lai, which got mispronounced or messed up on those standardized forms, even though I was really careful in writing it.”

  I nodded. “I always ran out of blocks on the standardized forms at school and ended up being Annalis, with no ‘e,’ so people thought my name rhymed with analyst or something.”

  “Could have been worse,” he observed wisely.

  “Oh, trust me, sometimes it was.”

  “In any case, Yi Lai means ‘justice cometh.’”

  “That’s awesome!” I turned toward him and accidentally brushed my knee against his. Oops. Pull back.

  He looked at me quizzically.

  “I won’t bite, Annalise.”

  “What? Oh, I know. I just didn’t want to take up too much room in the seat.” Wow. That sounded mature.

  “I don’t see how you could. You’re tiny.”

  I shot him a look. Seriously. I hadn’t been called “tiny” since first grade.

  “So. How did your parents meet?” I hoped I covered my gaffe.

  “They met here in Beijing. He was a government attaché, and she was the pretty translator with the shy smile. After his tour of duty was over, he found that he couldn’t go home and leave that smile. They married and moved back to San Francisco. He became a university professor, and she started working in a language school.”

  “Their story is romantic all the way around!” I exclaimed.

  “Well. Yes, I guess so.” I could tell that there was more to the story.

  We rode in silence for a while.

  “My father died when I was a boy,” he said.

  “I’m so sorry. And your mother?” The question was out of my mouth before I had the opportunity to pull the words back in.

  His voice became quieter. “I had mom for a while longer. Through college and while I developed my business.”

  He straightened up, remembering his surroundings.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong. I generally do not burden people I barely know with this much information.”

  “It’s okay. You don’t need to say more. I was being too nosy.”

  I tried to move further toward my side of the seat.

  He replaced his headphones, cleared his throat, and leaned back and closed his eyes.

  We rode the rest of the way in an uncomfortable stillness, accompanied only by the chattering in the seats surrounding us and the swirling thoughts in my own head.

  The minute we reached the hotel, I dashed from the bus and managed to avoid him as everyone collected their baggage and went through the check-in process at the hotel. We were on our own for breakfast, according to Lee, and with luck I wouldn’t have to encounter Eli Chamberlain from now until we boarded the bus tomorrow for the next segment of our tour. I didn’t even wait for Auntie Lil while I ducked around our group and scampered to the elevators to find our room.

  When she arrived minutes later, she was more than a little curious.

  “Well, for someone who is supposed to be my companion, you certainly are falling down on the job,” she said as she entered our hotel room and found me banging away at my keyboard.

  “What? Sorry, Auntie Lil. I have to upload this information to my blog since I have the hotel WiFi.”

  I felt her unspoken questions but managed to keep my head down. She began to unpack but made a comment.

  “You’ll have to finish eventually, dear. And I’m not going anywhere.”

  She was right, but with any luck I would be a bit calmer before the inquisition began.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I was so focused on uploading the information to my blog that when I spun around in the chair, I was a bit startled to see my aunt sitting on the edge of her bed. She had already unpacked, washed for bed, and slipped into her pajamas, but she was patiently waiting for me to finish.

  “Another beautiful room,” I sidestepped, and it was. The decor was in sumptuous shades of red and gold and perfectly set up the modern, dark-wood fixtures.

  “Gorgeous,” she said, then added, “I unpacked for you.”

  “Do I owe you a tip?” Lame.

  “No, but you can tell me why you left the bus and scooted up here faster than the Road Runner escaping Wile E. Coyote.”

  “Are we going to communicate using cartoon metaphors? Because I could ask you why you are hovering behind me like Elmer Fudd tracking the Wascally Wabbit.”

  She tapped her foot and stared at me in silence.

  “Fine,” I caved. “I know what you want to know. I was avoiding Eli.”

  “But why? I would have thought that with the two of you sitting together, you would’ve had the opportunity to work out that silliness in Singapore.”

  “We did! We both apologized and that was all cleared up.” I hopped up and began to pace.

  “Well?”

  “Well, nothing.”

  She caught my arm on one of my passes and pulled me down beside her. I recounted my brief conversation with Mr. Chamberlain.

  “So ... what is the problem?” Auntie Lil’s tone was so practical.

  I dropped my head in my hands. When I did, I caught the barest whiff of his cologne from when I held his headphones. I groaned and jumped up.

  “Oh, Auntie. I just can’t do anything right.”

  She pulled me down again, this time wrapping me in her arms.

  “Sweetheart! You can’t overthink this. I’m sure everything is fine. You apologized for your earlier behavior, so that’s out of the way. And I’m sure he sees your conversation as nothing more than ordinary—probably the same as if Father John were sitting there or if one of the Flynn sisters were sitting there.”

  My head popped up, and we both burst into laughter.

  “Oh, no. Can you imagine if it were Katherine Flynn sitting with him instead of me? Her brand of investigative questioning could wear anyone down!” I shook my head.

  “There you go.” Auntie Lil lifted my chin with her finger. “See? It could have been worse.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Dearest, nothing looks good in the middle of the night. Now, get ready for bed. We have a long day tomorrow!”

  She turned and crawled between her own co
vers, and we chatted about the next day’s itinerary as I finished my bedtime preparations. Eventually, we both fell asleep, and before we knew it, morning had arrived!

  This hotel had a breakfast buffet that was similar to the one we had in Xi’an, but Auntie Lil and I wanted to explore the neighborhood. So we ventured to a small coffee shop on the next street for our morning meal and strolled around the area before having to meet our group. It seemed that though we were comfortably settled in a four-star hotel, we were in an area that included five- six- and even seven-star accommodations.

  “Wow! I can’t imagine what the shampoo and soap are like in those rooms!” Auntie Lil commented. “Do you suppose you have your own butler in there?”

  “I actually think you do have your own concierge,” I said.

  “Well, look at our hotel. We have a Lamborghini dealership on the first floor.”

  “Maybe in the seven-star hotel, you actually GET a Lamborghini when you check in,” she giggled.

  “What are you two ladies so amused about?” Genio Cusamano greeted us as we made our way through the revolving doors to the lobby to wait with our group for the bus.

  “Oh, Auntie Lil and I were selecting our Lamborghinis.” I pointed to the dealership across the lobby.

  He played along.

  “Hmm. I think the red one for you, Lilliana, and the jet-black one for you, Annalise.”

  “Done and done, Genio,” laughed Auntie Lil. “And for you?”

  “I’m more of a Ferrari man myself. You should ask your friend Eli Chamberlain for advice on choosing a fast car.”

  “What?” Why oh why was I jittery at the mention of his name in such a casual way.

  “He has a sports car collection. Didn’t you know that?” Genio looked puzzled.

  “No, I wasn’t aware.” So the seemingly unassuming nerd had a flashy side. Who knew?

  “It was in the article featuring him in Business Today magazine. I just thought ...” Genio looked from me to Auntie Lil.

  “Did you know that the Ferrari and the Fiat are manufactured by the same organization?” Auntie Lil switched subjects only slightly.

  “Are you implying that I should tone my tastes down?” Genio caught her tone and dropped the subject of Eli Chamberlain and his taste in cars.

  “Not at all,” Auntie Lil shook her head. “Just pointing out a bit of trivia.”

  I left them to their automotive chitchat and pulled out my iPad. Since we were still in the hotel, I thought I could take advantage of WiFi and search for the Business Today article that Genio had mentioned, but I was unable to go beyond a certain point on the firewall. My technical guru Breck was able to give me a direct line to post my own blog, but I didn’t have the unlimited access I was used to in the U.S. I pondered who I could ask to search for the article who would not bombard me with dozens of questions.

  Sighing, I bypassed my normal partner in crime Rory and started typing.

  Hey Breck,

  Thanks again for all the work on my blog. Just checking to see if you have been following it and how it is showing up.

  Say, are you familiar with Eli Chamberlain from Graviton Gaming? By chance have you read an article that may have appeared in Business Today? Is there a way you can send me a link or a way I can find it on this side of the firewall?

  Hope all goes well. Don’t eat too many hot fudge sundaes!

  Annalise

  I read and reread it. Just the right casual tone I hoped to achieve. I clicked the button to send and prepared to close my iPad. I was sure that he would be able to give me a few nuggets of info.

  But just like that, I received a response. Was he sitting around waiting for an email on this topic?

  Hey Gypsy Girl,

  Your blog looks great. You are doing a fantastic job with it.

  You’re kidding about whether I am “familiar” with Eli Chamberlain, right?? Who DOESN’T own the Nuon gaming system? The article you are talking about isn’t just in BT, it has been reprinted all over the web. I can’t attach and copy it, but I’ve copied and pasted the words for you here. Pictures of Chamberlain that go with it are very James Bond. He is a multibillionaire. Just did a buyout of a rival company that manufactured their systems overseas and brought all manufacturing to US and creating tons of jobs in the Bay Area. Is there a feature on him in the airline magazine or something?

  Give my best to Auntie.

  B

  I responded quickly:

  Breck,

  Thanks for info. Are you always awake and ready to answer my questions? We ran into Eli C., and I was just curious.

  A

  He shot back:

  A,

  You “ran into him”? Eli C. is a very valuable contact to have! If not for you, then for a certain web designer you know—hint hint. And, you know I keep odd hours, so email, call, text anytime.

  B

  B,

  I’ll keep that in mind.

  Hugs,

  A

  I glanced around to see if we were ready to go, but since we weren’t, I settled in to read the clip of the article he sent me.

  Boy Wonder Saves Floundering Tech Company

  Graviton Gaming Guru Does It Again

  Eli Chamberlain, entrepreneur and technological whiz, is adding another building block to his tech kingdom with the purchase of Crispchip Games, developers of the popular Five Feifdoms gaming system. Chamberlain says he plans to keep the FF system separate from the popular Nuon Gaming system.

  “We feel that the FF is a perfect complement to the Nuon and adds an entry-level option for the beginning gamer,” said Chamberlain.

  Crispchip manufacturing will be moved to the Graviton manufacturing headquarters in the San Francisco area, adding approximately 2,000 design and manufacturing jobs to the area.

  “Our goal is always to keep our manufacturing in the U.S.,” said Chamberlain.

  A native of the Bay Area, Chamberlain attended CalTech and began Graviton Gaming while still in college with the popular downloadable RealRespond game. From that game, Graviton developed others prior to the release of the dedicated Nuon system.

  Chamberlain, a visible bachelor on the social scene, was most likely found with his mother on his arm as his escort to social events prior to her recent death from pancreatic cancer. He is a collector of Asian antiques and mid-century muscle cars. He is also a patron of the arts in the San Francisco area, sponsoring the popular SanFranBand (San Francisco Youth Band), which draws from schools around the area.

  Wow. What a lot of information. When Jasper told us that Eli developed the Graviton system, I didn’t put it together that he was so continental and well-rounded. I wonder if the reason he was so standoffish in Singapore was that he was in the middle of the negotiations for that deal? And having just lost his mother?

  No wonder he was listening to her favorite music!

  I closed my tablet and replaced it in my backpack. I only wished that I could have seen the photos with that article!

  Leaning back in the comfy seat in the lobby, I knew I couldn’t mull this information. I had to get myself back into tourist mode for Auntie Lil and the rest of the merry oldsters.

  Our bus pulled up outside, and our spry tour guide Lee hopped off, entering the lobby with a wide grin and carrying a cardboard box.

  “So, are we all here?” He glanced around to note that more of our group was joining us in various states of readiness, pulling on jackets, tying scarves, and settling bags for the trip.

  “Looks like it.” A voice that now had the ability to send a shiver down my neck neared me. Eli stood next to me, practically shoulder to shoulder.

  “Good, good,” said Lee. “I have gifts for you.”

  He opened the box and started distributing bright-green cotton bucket caps. What on earth?

  “Please wear these so that we can keep track of one another on our journey.” He plopped one on his own head.

  The group laughed as they donned the hats, each person making hi
s or her own fashion statement with a twist of the brim or a tilt of the cap.

  “Wait,” Eli said, turning me toward him. He had folded the brim of his hat around the sides and back, tilting it jauntily to resemble a fedora.

  “You can’t just plop your hat on your forehead like that. We won’t see your eyes.” He took my hat and folded the brim around, replacing it on the crown of my head, sailor fashion. Then he spun me to face the large mirror in the lobby.

  Side by side, we looked like a pair from some bizarre musical on a cruise ship. I tilted my head and sported a cheesy grin.

  “What? You don’t like my fashion sense?” He grinned back and bumped my hips.

  “Love it.” I bumped back.

  “Come on, let’s find our seat.” He took my arm to lead me to the bus, as naturally as if it were decided all along that we would be sitting together.

  If Rory could only see me now!

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Lee kept us occupied and amused with historical facts and stories as we wound our way through the city. I was preoccupied with him and the sights, so I barely had time to talk much to my attractive seatmate. Soon we reached our destination, and we all craned our necks to see the giant Tiananmen Square on one side and the entrance to the most iconic symbol of Beijing, the Forbidden City, on the other.

  We unloaded the bus and clustered around Lee as he gave us directions for our day. We would be walking through the series of gates, starting with the Imperial Gate, and proceeding to the inner sanctum of the city.

  As we entered the large area through the first gate, I was amused to see many groups of tourists in brightly colored caps similar to ours! They were all shades of the rainbow, some including patterns.

  “This would be so funny from a sky view, wouldn’t it?” Auntie Lil said, her own bright-green cap covering her forehead down low.

  “Everyone, move over here to wait for Lee.” The efficient Colette Ehlers rounded us up while Lee made final preparations.

  “She is very businesslike,” said Eli. “Is she always like this?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Isn’t she a friend of yours and your aunt’s?”