In the Orient (12 page)

“Jockabeb and I have been through this kind of thing before,” he began. Then he corrected himself saying, “Well, maybe not exactly this kind of thing, but close. Anyway, I think we should just stick with our previous story and say we met Jockabeb and Robert when they were waiting to board the ferry. We all decided to have lunch on Lantau Island before heading back to Central. And, as far as we’re all concerned, that ends that. What do you say?”

Robert Liu initially had a problem with not telling Mrs. Chen the truth. However, as he thought through how difficult it would be to explain how he’d let the situation get so out of hand, and after Archibald pointed out that no one would believe what had happened anyway, he agreed to go along with the story. That was when Archibald gave Robert back his car keys and said, “I expect you’ll need these.”

At about the halfway point between Lantau Island and Hong Kong Island, Willow did something she hated to do, but knew was necessary all the same. As she tossed her crossbow and last arrow overboard, she turned to Archibald and said, “Has anyone ever told you that hanging around with you can be hazardous to one’s health?”

“You’ll get used to it,” he replied, putting his arm around her shoulders.

“I hope so,” she answered, leaning her head against his chest.

After watching his brother and Willow, Jockabeb walked over to May and said, “Hey, I haven’t thanked you for what you did back there. If it wasn’t for you and Willow, I’d be a goner.”

“It was nothing,” May replied quietly.

“Anyway, I’d like to do something to pay you back,” Jockabeb said. “How about we go out to dinner one night? That is, if it’s okay with your mother. Maybe we could go on a double-date with Archibald and Willow.”

“I’d like that,” May answered with a smile. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

When the taxi pulled through the gates at Jade Place, Mrs. Chen was standing at the front window waiting patiently for her daughter and guests to return home. As she said hello, Mrs. Chen was more than a little bit surprised as she watched the four hungry teenagers walk through the front hallway on their way to the kitchen to get something to eat. Following them into the kitchen, she looked at Jockabeb and remarked in a questioning tone of voice, “You’re not even limping.”

Jockabeb, not looking at anyone else, stared Mrs. Chen straight in the eye and answered truthfully, “You know, I’m a really quick healer.”

“By the way,” she added, patting him on the shoulder, “William called to find out how you and Willow
enjoyed your hike up Lantau Peak and whether it had helped your jet lag. He was very sorry to hear of your mishap and hoped that such a bad start wouldn’t ruin the rest of your holiday.”

Jockabeb did his best to suppress a laugh when he said, “The next time he calls, please thank him for the Lantau Peak suggestion, and tell him that Willow and I can’t wait for his next recommendation.”

The next five days flew by quickly. In addition to visiting the top tourist attractions, May planned several out of the way stops so that Willow and Jockabeb could experience the real Hong Kong. Robert Liu drove them each day except for one afternoon. That was when Wu Feng took May, Willow, and the boys back to Ming Wei’s home.

After Ming listened to May’s account of what had taken place on Sunday in the Monkey Clone’s dungeon, he stroked his beard and then gave his opinion as to what had really happened.

“Some powerful spirit help you,” Ming began. “Not sure which one, but very powerful. So happy that flying dart and arrow work well. Also happy that elixir trick fool Monkey Clone.”

Before they departed Ming’s home, he handed a pen and piece of paper to May. Then he said something to her in Cantonese. She wrote while he spoke. When
he’d finished speaking, she repeated the English translation she’d just written down.

“Ming said he wants us to remember something Confucius said around 520 BC. He didn’t want to be rude to you when he spoke to me in Cantonese. He just wanted to make sure I translated the exact words Confucius used almost twenty-five hundred years ago. Anyway, here’s what Confucius said: ‘He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.’

“We studied Confucius in one of my classes at St. Paul’s, and I’ve read that quote before. Even so, it takes on a whole new meaning after what we went through last weekend.”

Jockabeb couldn’t have agreed more when he said, “You can say that again.” Then he asked, “If you wrote that saying down in English, can I keep the piece of paper?”

“I did, and you can,” May answered, handing over the piece of old rice paper.

The highlight of the week in Jockabeb’s mind was Friday evening. It was their last night in Hong Kong, and Mrs. Chen had agreed to let the four teenagers go out to dinner by themselves. However, when May told her mother that Jockabeb wanted to pay for her meal, Mrs. Chen wouldn’t hear of it, saying, “He is our guest. Tell him that if you ever visit the States, he can buy you dinner then.”

While Jockabeb felt badly about not being able to pay for May’s dinner, he knew it was an argument he
would never win with Mrs. Chen, so he reluctantly agreed. It did, however, give him an opening to say, “Okay, May, you’ll just have to visit me so I can buy you the biggest steak you’ve ever seen.”

“You may be sorry if you get what you ask for,” she answered with a big smile on her face.

“No way!” he said emphatically, smiling back.

Both May and Archibald suggested that they return to Fook Lam Moon for their final dinner together. It didn’t take Willow and Jockabeb very long to agree after Archibald described the meal he’d previously eaten there.

From the moment that Robert Liu dropped them off in front of Fook Lam Moon’s front door at half past seven that evening, Willow and Jockabeb knew they were in for a special treat. Mrs. Chen must have been very specific when she made the reservation because the hostess led them to the same table Archibald and May had sat at before.

As soon as they were seated, Willow leaned over to Archibald and whispered, “You know who would have loved this?”

“No, who?” he asked.

“Meatloaf,” she answered.

“I never knew he liked Chinese food,” he said.

Thinking just how much she missed the one-armed man who helped save her life, she replied, “Next to meatloaf and gravy, Chow Mein was one of his favorites, and it didn’t matter which kind.”

She went on to explain that Jimmy Lee, one of the Moonlight Clan’s oldest members, had been a cook in a Chinese restaurant before he was fired for pilfering supplies to support his own catering business. Jimmy’s specialty was Chow Mein, and he made it every Wednesday evening.

When May asked if she should order the same dishes her father had when they’d eaten there last, Archibald said, “That would be perfect.” He then looked over at Willow and winked, adding, “I know they don’t serve meatloaf here, but can you add some steamed minced meatballs in honor of a friend of ours?”

“Sure,” May answered. “Who is the friend we are honoring tonight?”

Archibald’s answer led to a recap of not only what had happened the night they killed the Ratweil, but of all the other fantastic adventures that had taken place over the past four years. The more the two brothers talked, the more May was amazed that both brothers were still alive.

After the last spoonful of fresh mango pudding was eaten, May paid the bill. Robert Liu was standing by the Mercedes when the four laughing teens walked out of the restaurant. Ten minutes later, they were back at Jade Place.

Mrs. Chen was reading when they walked into the living room to thank her for such a wonderful dinner. “The pleasure was all mine,” she said. Then she got up from her chair, saying, “I’m going upstairs now, and I
suggest you do the same. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for the three of you heading back to the States. Good night.”

Everyone took Mrs. Chen’s advice and retired early. Jockabeb had been in his room for about ten minutes thinking about his first dim sum dinner, together with everything else he’d experienced for the first time while in Hong Kong. Summoning up all his courage, he decided it was time for another first.

After taking off his shoes, he quietly opened his door and checked the long hallway. Seeing that the coast was clear, he slowly tiptoed all the way to May’s bedroom door. After taking a deep breath, he gently knocked.

Moments later, May opened the door. Her initial look of surprise quickly changed as she smiled and whispered, “Hi, Jockabeb. Is there anything wrong?”

“Wrong?” he whispered back, “No, no, no. Tomorrow we’ll be rushed and we won’t have any time alone and, well . . .”

“Jockabeb, is there anything you want to say or do?” May asked in a hushed voice, well aware that the nervous young man in front of her was really struggling.

Jockabeb knew it was now or never, so he whispered back, “Yes.” Then he awkwardly leaned forward, puckered his own lips, and slightly brushed May’s.

Jerking backward as if he’d just received a hundred volt shock, Jockabeb gasped, “Good night.” Then, without waiting for any reply, he abruptly turned and tiptoed as fast as he could back to his room.

Closing the door quietly behind him, he leaned up against it, put his head back, and said out loud, “Jockabeb, you are the biggest dork ever! Your first big kiss and what do you do? You blow it!”

At the same time, May was back in her room, sitting at her writing desk. When she reached for the pen, she knew exactly what she wanted to say.

When Jockabeb woke up the next morning and got out of bed, he noticed a pink envelope on the floor next to the door. When he walked over and picked it up, he saw his name neatly written in meticulously precise cursive handwriting.

There was no doubt in his mind about who had slipped the envelope under his door. Even so, it took him several minutes to work up the courage to open it. During that time, he thought of all the things May might have written—from, “Why would you ever think I wanted to kiss you?” to, “I told my mother, and she is really, really upset with you.” However, the most mortifying potential message he thought of was, “You’re a terrible kisser, and I don’t ever want to ever see you again.”

When he finally opened the envelope and read what was written on the sheet of pink paper inside, he sighed. As a big grin spread across his face, he read and re-read the single line—“Thank you for knocking on my door!” Shaking his head in disbelief, he thought it was just about the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him.

May and Jockabeb exchanged polite conversation at the breakfast table that morning, but never once did either of them mention his clandestine visit the night before, or the letter that followed. Nor did they discuss “the kiss” when Robert Liu drove the four of them to Kai Tak.

Since Mrs. Chen wouldn’t be accompanying them to the airport, Willow and the boys had said good-bye to her before they left Jade Place. When Mrs. Chen bid her young houseguests safe travels, she told them to all come back and visit her at some point in the future.

When it came time to say good-bye to May right before entering passport control, Jockabeb was standing in a crowded terminal with Robert Liu, Archibald, and Willow looking on. Being the suave and debonair Don Juan that he was, he simply hugged her and said, “I hope we’ll see each other again sometime.”

Archibald’s and Willow’s eyes widened when May took Jockabeb’s hand and replied, “You don’t get off that easily.” What happened next caused Robert Liu to politely look the other way, but brought smiles to the faces of two old Chinese women standing nearby.

Taking his other hand, May got up on her tiptoes and kissed Jockabeb softly on the lips. Then she relaxed
her ballerina pose and rocked back on her heels, saying, “Yes, Jockabeb, we will meet again.”

As soon as the boys’ parents had known that their sons and Willow would be flying most of the way home together, they booked three seats that were adjacent to each other for all of their joint flights. Willow had the window seat, Archibald sat in the middle, and Jockabeb was assigned the aisle seat.

The first leg of the trip home from Hong Kong to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport left right on time. Somewhere over the East China Sea, Willow turned away from the window out of which she was looking and asked Archibald and Jockabeb if they knew how lucky they were.

“What do you mean?” Jockabeb responded.

“Well, for starters, you have a great family who loves you both very much,” she answered. “You’ve already travelled to the Amazon, the Caribbean, the Arctic Circle, and Hong Kong, let alone all the neat places you’ve visited in the United States. Me, I had never left the subway system under Manhattan until I met you.”

“Yeah, but wait a minute,” Archibald protested before he was cut short in mid-sentence.

“Hey,” Willow interrupted, holding up her hand, “I’m just getting started, so let me finish.”

When Archibald, sat back, saying, “Okay, I give,” she continued telling both brothers why they should thank their lucky stars they were who they were, lived where they lived, and had done what they’d done by their mid-teens.