Dear Gentle Readers,
Chapter 22 winds up today with Faye's recollection of what Dr. Wong and her mother were saying to each other at the end of a very long day.
We circle back to references of avian biologist Laura Ehrenbock whom we heard from earlier in this chapter. Don't pay her too much mind. She may surface one more time in reference, but that's it. For those of you who wonder why parts get into stories (she may get written out), she's there to give a little window into how Clete used to be and that you see he does not treat his age peers on The Island (the First Princesses) any differently than he treats his professional peers.
To get a little into Qi's head here, in her middle age she has come to question her raison d'etre, not just for remaining on that island but for her very existence. She was raised in a culture of prophecy and expectation, a culture that told her she was something special and worthy to be sought out--and yet nobody has sought her out, her good looks are fading and she's about to become an old woman. So, she has retreated deeply into an extreme version of her culture's religion. She's been trying really hard to get into the belief where she can deny her self-existence.
And then Clete shows up. And he gets to be her private experiment on how one puts one's esoteric and ethical principles into practice against a real, live case. So, whether she knows it or not, she's pretty happy right now. Plus, it's nice to have a male slave dressed in a loincloth doing things for you, (it would be nice if he were younger) even though he seems so stupid that he can't follow directions.
ANYWAY, she's used up her time with him and we need to get him out of jail and on to the next scene.
So picture Clete and Qi bedecked in formal court garb (he looking like a master of the Tea Ceremony, and she in black gown and cloak with gold combs and ornaments in her braids, piled high and elegantly on her head), returning to Qi and Faye's home, the Hall of Justice as night has finally fallen ...
as the story continues ...
At last, Mother took his hand and pulled him along on the
short walk back to our house. I tried very hard to eavesdrop on their
conversation.
“Judge Qi,” said the Professor, “that was quite
a well-balanced, reasoned, humane judgment you rendered back there.”
“Thank you Dr. Wong.”
“Quite frankly, I’m confused.”
“I’m very harsh on foreigners if you’re comparing your own treatment to theirs. I still don’t know your motives. They are
royals, they are family, and they are still children in my eyes while YOU are a
stranger.”
“Ah!”
“By the way your testimony really said
nothing. It was totally useless.”
“As you said, they’re just a bunch of
children yet. I count it all as the indiscretions of youth. Nothing more needs
to be said about them. I am sure there are things you did at their age that you
prefer your mother not hearing about.”
“You spent a lot of time today with my
cousin Ting Ting.”
“We finally had an extended conversation.”
“And?”
“She is a very athletic person. I take
that back. Extremely athletic. And cool under pressure.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“For the time being, yes. You can ask Ting
Ting about our time together. You two talk don’t you?”
“My relationships are none of your affair.
And you encountered the Sea Witch?”
“We did.”
“And she just gave you her late father’s
vestments of high office that she happened to be carrying around?”
“She was embarrassed for me that I was
undressed. Which I appreciated. She said she would retrieve them later.”
“So you’re saying she is more cultured and
refined than I am.”
“Jump to all the conclusions you want.
You’re only revealing your own insecurities.”
“Speaking of the Witch, I just realized you
smell like herbs from The Grove. I think I am not the only one who had a bath
today.”
“Ting Ting’s route of escape took us
through deep water in The Grove. You should ask her about it. Too much has happened
to me today to remember all details. My mind is a blur.”
“You’re lying.”
“You’re a judge. So you’re probably right.
Tell you what, after I’ve had some time to journal this, I’ll let you read it.
But may I suggest that you need to buy a stronger set of prison doors. Your Gateless
Gates are worth less than what you paid for them.”
“And I would say being able to install
Gateless Gates about one’s home is one of the costliest things one can attain
this life, or in any number of past or future lives.”
Our bowls of mush were exactly where we left them. Wen did
not come back with us. I suspect her mother was lecturing her on end at this
very moment.
“Untouched. Not even a fly drowning in the
center,” said the Professor.
“So, how do you like karma-free living?” asked
Mother.
“It definitely has its perks.”
“Dr. Ehrenbock … whom you were talking to
... ?”
“Which one? Biology or chemical engineering?”
“The woman, Laura. You knew her from
before you were teachers.”
“That’s right. How did you know?”
“It’s obvious.”
“How so?”
“It just is. You think of me as cruel
don’t you?”
“If you define cruelty as meting out
disproportionate corporal punishment for minor offenses, and your seeming to take
delight in my suffering, then yes.”
“I have my reasons for what I do. I think
you were very cruel to Dr. Ehrenbock. But I find myself wondering what your
reasons are for your offenses against her.”
“Are you talking about my sarcasm and verbal
sparring? I’m like that with all of my friends. They know me and how I joke
around.”
“Do you have a picture of her?”
“As a matter of fact I have something on
this phone. This is Ron and her and me at a retirement reception for a
colleague.”
“Don’t
tell me. That must be her, next to you? Hand on your shoulder?”
“Yes. The photographer told us all to get
close.”
“Ron is on the other side of her?”
“No. He’s on the other side of the group.
Bowling shirt on.”
“What kind of shirt?”
“Green with wide tan stripes.”
“My, he’s very tall. Why is he over
there?”
“I don’t know. The picture was impromptu.
He was at the other table. It just sorted out that way.”
“Different tables? So you were talking
business?”
“No.
It was a social affair. What are you getting at?”
“I am just asking questions. It is very
interesting the way that couples distribute themselves at parties, don’t you
think?”
“I suppose. I know ‘power couples’ who
strategically divide up a room and compare notes later.”
“Ron does not look that type of man.”
“Maybe so. How are you so socially savvy?
So when was the last political event you had on Dog Island? There are no
spouses for anyone to observe anything here.”
“Even with these women, we have our
intrigues. AND if a person is conscious of her past lives, as I am, some wisdom
is never forgotten.”
“The only past lives I think are
understandable are those that authors write down in books.”
“And that’s what I would expect of you
Professor. Laura is younger than you. By how much?”
“Eight years.”
“Horse. How NOT surprising. Was she a student of yours?”
“When we first met, I was a graduate
assistant supervising her work and leading her undergrad study section. I
wasn’t responsible for her grades. So no I can’t say I was her prof. But later
on, during the breakup of the Cold War with Russia, we got better acquainted. They
opened up a forest in a Central Asian soviet to a yearlong science delegation to
study an area no Western scientist had ever set foot in. We were both in that
delegation. She was working on her doctorate, but she could spare a year.”
“You were there as a geologist?”
“Yeah, but they wanted me as a two-fer.
They also wanted some consultation on possible oil and gas deposits they
thought were there. I had a pretty good history of calling wet holes. They were
right to call me in. They’ve got tons of oil. If they could only get a
reasonable government in power, they could be quite prosperous.”
“So you spent a year together in this
foreign land then?”
“There were others. It wasn’t just us.”
“Was it cold there?”
“One of the harshest winters of my life.
What is all of this?”
“Humor
me. This is very much fun for me. I am probing the depth of your cruelty.
That’s all.”
“I, am NOT a cruel person.”
“She was very fond of you. Wasn’t she?”
“I don’t know … maybe. If so, it was only
one-way.”
“So she met this other doctor Ron then?”
“I actually introduced them.”
“So you are the one who arranged their
marriage?”
“To put in your cultural terms, I suppose
I made the initial match. They decided themselves whether to progress or not.”
“You went out of your way to find a man
with very similar temperament to you, that Ron. From what little I heard him
speak he is quite like you.”
“Qi. You’re reading a lot more into this
than I think you should. Laura did not need to be wasting her time on me. I am fully
aware that women have a limited time horizon if they want to raise a family. OK?
Jeez.”
“Do they have children?”
“They had a son. He did not survive into
adulthood.”
“He died? An accident?”
“He made it just past 13. I was his
godfather. He had an autoimmune disorder. Jared was a smart kid. Ron and him
and I would go fishing.”
“That is tragic that he died so young?"
"By some yardsticks yes. But Jared mastered and understood more higher mathematics most college-educated adults that I know. He could play the Bach cello etudes. And while he was with us he gave his parents great joy and stimulation."
"Is it not sad to you that he did not reach adulthood?"
"People leave this life at all ages. My brothers were not that much older than him."
"May I see the picture you
sent her? With the Soul Birds?”
“Sure. There are two, frontal view and rear.”
Mother took a long look at both and sighed.
“The gods of fate can be quite evil. She
would have had such a different life if she had never met you. Do not call me
cruel, Clete. You are more cruel than I am by far.”
“How do you figure?”
“What do 150 phone call messages to you
say about her?”
“She really, REALLY wants to study a Soul
Bird?”
“You sent her a picture of something she
really loves but cannot have.”
“Yeah, advancement in her profession—misguided by the prospect of Dodo bird look-alikes. I’m just trying
to protect the privacy of you Islanders.”
“I appreciate that Clete. Thank you. But
it’s not the birds.”
“That’s all she was talking about. What
then?”
“The man. You. Dressed in the
undergarments of her ancestral tradition that she reveres. Seeing what you
would look like if she were your spouse. I am not stupid. Just because I prefer
not to wear clothes does not mean that I do NOT understand what it means to be
unclothed to others. In fact, I am acutely aware of it. That picture of you
meant a lot to her. And then she tells you she wants to be where you are, to
rescue you if need be. She offers her body to you, I heard it, spoken from the
bed she shares with her husband, who is present and listening, and you rebuff
her and insult her. You said ‘You have nothing I want.’”
“Hold on, that’s EXACTLY what you told me
a couple of days ago. It’s a really good line! I’m gonna use that one.”
“You will not. I FORBID IT. A man must NEVER say that to a woman.”
“What kind of double standard is that?”
“Are you so stupid that you don’t know men
are different than women? Are you so unfiltered? That was so cruel. I don’t
know her and my heart hurts for her. She even married the man you chose for
her. That’s how much she regards you. At least that’s what I think. By the way,
I don’t think she likes Ron all that much, but she has settled and made peace,
… until you sent her those pictures.”
“Do you think I should apologize?”
“No. You cannot help how she feels. You
are who you are and she should be reminded of that now. Let her view of you
diminish. The more attention to pay to her the harder it will be on her.”
“Why did you want to talk to her in Old
Japanese?”
“I was just curious about her. I didn’t
want to make it easy though. The Sea Witch uses that language for spells and
imprecations. It is highly mannered speech and it is good to speak it to the
Sea Witch because it draws the lines between our ranks quite keenly. Your
friend surprised me though.”
“Fuck yeah! Me too! But why Old Japanese?”
“The way she says certain words in English
reminded me of the Sea Witch. I thought she might be a Japanese history
scholar. Just a hunch. So why were you not interested in her? As a woman. She’s
very pretty. AND very respectful and polite, I might add. Obviously highly
educated. She’s a lot like Feng. I enjoyed our short conversation. I would
enjoy talking to her some more. I think she would enjoy hearing the words we have come up with for modern things in that ancient language.”
“You didn’t say much to each other.”
“Much of what I am telling you I merely
heard in the sound of her voice. Tell me, what was objectionable about her to
you back when you spent that year together in the Soviet Union?”
“Nothing at all. I could have … started to court her, except that someone else was in line before her.”
“‘Someone in line’ … I don’t understand.”
I could not help
except to butt in.
“American idiom Mother, he told Auntie
Feng all about it. He was probably still searching for his wife Rico then.”
“Thank you for that Faye," said the Professor, "Couldn’t have
said it better myself. Maybe I am cruel. However, you’ve known me long enough
now that it should not surprise you that I am not good with the opposite sex,
or even my own sex. Let’s wash dishes.”
“In my house, we really don’t need to
clean. I have just been making you work. All of my little helpers clean away
any food left on a plate or bowl or pot.”
“I’m impressed and disgusted at the same
time.”
“It's hard being a complex person like me.
And tiring. I’m sure you’re tired too. Let’s just retire for the night and get
into the hammock, shall we? You can tell me all about what really happened
after we settle in.”
“Aren’t you going to discharge me?”
“I pronounced you free back in The
Classroom. You’ve been free to go any time since. I just assumed when you came
back home with me you were planning to stay another night. That IS why you
bathed me, isn’t it? To make me acceptable to you?”
“I thought you would enjoy a hot bath
after a day of hard labor. Wouldn’t it be against your principles to consort with
a criminal?”
“On Dog Island, there is no shame in
having been a criminal. There have been so many. I’m absolutely done with these
clothes. Undress me. That is something men like to do correct?”
“They like to undress women whom they have
not seen undressed previously. Love of novelty. By the way, you wear this outfit quite
well. It’s very impressive and good looking on you.”
“I know how to use a dress to make a
point. Let me start with you by removing your coat.
“Leave it on. I’m not going to be spending the night.”
“Clete! Stop giving a girl mixed messages.
Why? You make such a good mattress, truthfully! I’ve never rested better than
when you are beside me.”
“You mean on top of me. Didn’t all that
closeness make you hot? And claustrophobic? I thought we were like a box of
puppies, all on top of each other. Your face was next to mine all night.”
“You don’t know the meaning of hot. You
are just a big baby. Besides it rained. Didn’t that keep you cool? Please stay.
I haven’t slept through a night like that in over 10 years.”
“I don’t think the Security Council will
approve.”
“I don’t care. I’m a dissenter. And we’re
not under a roof. So no laws have been broken.”
“How do I put this? If I stay another
night, you will not be sleeping through it. OK? I prefer not to break my vows.
If I’m with you, it’ll be … it will be … hard.”
“A vow to whom? Your EX wife? Certainly
NOT that Laura …”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“How is tonight different than the last
three? And it’s a long walk back to the guest cottage.”
“Tonight I have a choice. And tonight, to
use your words, you are acceptable to me.”
“Because I am clean?”
“That and, dammit, you look and smell great.”
“So a clothed woman is more attractive to you than a naked one?”
“You’re a fuckin’ raincloud of pheromones or Viagra. I’m as deeply in rut as
a 50-year-old man can get! All right? You want me to spell it out any more for
you? Jesus!”
“That’s not a very artful seduction, Clete,
in fact it’s terrible. But I take your point. Fei dear?"
"Mother? Did you say something?" I asked. "I haven't been listening."
“Go get me my sewing kit please.”
I was of course lying about not listening. I hurried not
wanting to miss a word, but they had gone on to some other topic by the time I
came back. I asked what they said to
each other while I was gone, but Mother would not say. “Just grown-up things.” She
had me cut off 10 centimeters of string. They were still deep in conversation.
“… broke perimeter today.”
“You can’t hold me responsible for that.
It was not my doing.”
“Your intent does not matter. It is an absolute
liability.”
“You are not cutting off my finger! I will
NOT comply.”
“You are lucky I am a merciful woman. The
well-balanced, reasonable, and … what was that third word you used to describe
me earlier?”
“Humane.”
“I like it. Magistrate Qi the Humane will
only take a proxy. Hold up your right hand and extend the pinky. Fei dear, the
string?”
I saw Dr. Wong cringe as he held out his hand and mother
removed her knife. But she pierced her own pinky to let some blood with which
she stained the string red. She tied it onto his pinky.
“I realize you regard me as your adversary
and tormentor. I don’t think that’s unfair. But I am starting understand you. You
are interesting and can be useful. But hear this, as long as you remain on Dog
Island, you will wear this string on your pinky to remind you of your crimes.
Even though that finger is yet on your hand, it belongs to me. And when I want
it, for whatever reason, you will bring it to me. Understood?”
“If you don’t like jungle-girl-as-cannibal
stereotypes about yourself, this kind of stunt does not help. Man, you are one
sick, twisted sister. If you want me on call for you, why don’t you just ask me
to be a friend? Like Na or Lum or Feng? If they ask me to do something, I’d do
it because I like them. Why must you back up everything you do with threat of
force?”
“I like to feel … secure and in charge.”
“I’ll get you a fuckin' walkie-talkie. Faye, whatever
you do, do NOT grow up to be pretty like your mother. It will ONLY make you
hopelessly neurotic--like ALL pretty women I know.”
Later that night when I told Wen about that conversation,
she said:
“I’m surprised he did not borrow her knife
and cut off his own finger to end the obligation right there.”
“Wen! That is so mean. You apologize for
that right now.”
“I’m sorry. But your mother can be …
demanding?”
“More than yours?”
“Let’s call them even. Do you think the
Professor understands what tying a red string to his pinky means?”
“I don’t think so. And I’m surprised
Mother went that far herself. She said to me, ‘He is so dense in things of
common sense, so to get mad at him is like getting mad at a child. He is a curious
mix of sacred and profane. Of stupidity and wisdom. If the chance happens to come about, direct him to The Rookery at any of the times that I do my regular
visits.’”
“The Rookery?" said Wen, "Nobody is allowed there,
it’s so dangerous. Why doesn’t she just invite him there herself?”
“She said she wanted him to have no
preparatory thoughts. That that was the only way she could honestly assess him.”
“So he walked all the way to his cottage?”
“He didn’t have to. Auntie Lee showed up
with the jeep just as he was leaving.”
© Copyright 2012 by Vincent Way, all rights reserved.