Chapter 3
“I bet she is going to tell her sob story tonight,” Mei grunted.
“Why, I thought you were sleeping.” I jumped. The “sob story” intrigued me.
“I was. But I’ve heard enough. She has, more than twice, told me the same stories. She is too lonely.”
Mei shrugged. The noon sun climaxed with the fullest energy. After a simple brunch, we went shopping downtown from store to store, street to street. Later, we strolled in a mall aimlessly. With a new phone and a new number, I was more or less released from my anxiety. Further to my encouragement, Mei’s insistence and generosity in buying me a new practical shoulder bag, pleased me. When there was no more interest in window shopping and our energy was drained, around three-thirty, we chose to rest for a drink and a talk. As we’d barely talked, heart to heart, and Mei was going back to work at fi ve, the plan for dining out was confi rmed. After the darkest night, a drought followed. We agreed not to bother Guo or Nan. Besides, neither of us was fit enough to fret about anyone or anything further. Most especially, it was time to hear Mei’s own story with Mei’s own perspective. Particularly, the years of her toiling in massage parlors and the diff erence between her present and her past were still a blank that not only beguiled me but enslaved me.