“She
made a far bigger mistake chasing you back up the hill,” said Tom.
Nat
waited for the laughter to die down, before he said, “I fell in love with Su
Ling the moment I saw her, a feeling that was clearly not reciprocated, but
then, as I’ve already explained, I’m blessed with my father’s looks. And so let
me end by inviting you all to our golden wedding anniversary on July 11, 2024.”
He paused. “Only wimps and those who dare to die in between will be excused
attendance.” He raised his glass.
“To my wife, Su Ling.”
When
Su Ling disappeared upstairs to change, Tom finally asked Nat where they were going
on their honeymoon.
“Korea,”
whispered Nat. “We’re planning to find the village where Su Ling was born, and
see if we can trace any other mem-203 hers of her family. But don’t tell Su
Ling’s mother-we want to surprise her when we return.”
Three
hundred guests surged out to join them in the driveway, and applauded as the
car carrying the bride and groom disappeared on its journey to the airport.
“I
wonder where they’re spending their honeymoon,” said Su Ling’s mother.
“I
have no idea,” Tom replied.
Fletcher
held Annie in his arms. A month had passed since the funeral of Harry Robert,
and she was still blaming herself.
“But
that’s just not fair,” said Fletcher. “If anyone’s to blame, it must be me.
Look at the pressure Joanna was under when she gave birth, and it made
absolutely no difference to her.” But Annie couldn’t be consoled. The doctor
told him the quickest way to solve the problem, and Fletcher happily
acquiesced.
As
each day passed, Annie grew a little stronger, but her first interest remained
supporting her husband in his determination to be top of his year. “You owe it
to Karl Abrahams,” she reminded him.
“He’s
invested a lot in you, and there is only one way you can repay him.”
Annie
inspired her husband to work night and day during his summer vacation before he
returned for his final year. She became his assistant and researcher while
remaining his lover and friend. And she only ignored his advice when he pressed
her to consider going on to graduate school herself.
“No,”
said Annie, “I want to be your wife and God willing in time
.
.”
Once
he’d returned to Yale, Fletcher accepted it would not be too long before he
would have to start the meat run. Although several firms had already invited
him for an interview, and one or two had even offered him jobs, Fletcher didn’t
want to work out of Dallas or Denver, Phoenix or Pittsburgh. But as the weeks
passed, and he heard nothing from Alexander
Dupont
Bell, his hopes began to fade and he concluded that if he still hoped to be
invited to join one of the big firms it would require a full round of
interviews.
Jimmy
had already sent out over fifty letters and to date had only received three
replies; not one of them had offered him a job. He would have settled for
Dallas or Denver, Phoenix or Pittsburgh if it hadn’t been for Joanna. Annie and
Fletcher agreed on the cities they would be happy to live in, and then she
carried out some research on the leading firms in those states. Together they
composed a letter that was duplicated fifty-four times, and then dispatched on
the first day of the term.
When
Fletcher returned to college later that morning, he found a letter in his
mailbox.
“That
was quick,” said Annie, “we only posted them an hour ago.”
Fletcher
laughed until he saw the postmark on the letter. He tore it open. The simple
black-embossed heading announced Alexander
Dupont
and
Bell. Of course, the distinguished New York firm always began interviewing
candidates during March, so why should it be any different for Fletcher
Davenport?
Fletcher
didn’t stop working during those long winter months leading up to the
interview, but he still had every reason to feel apprehensive when he finally
set out on the journey to New York. As soon as he stepped off the train at
Grand Central Station, Fletcher was intoxicated by the babble of a hundred
tongues, and feet that moved more swiftly than he’d experienced in any other
city. He spent the cab ride to 54th Street peering out of an open window,
taking in a smell that no other city produces.
The
cab drew up outside a seventy-two-floor glass skyscraper, and Fletcher knew
right away that he didn’t want to work anywhere else. He hung around on the
ground floor for a few minutes, not wishing to be stuck in a waiting room with
several other candidates. When he finally stepped out of the elevator on the
thirty-sixth floor, the receptionist ticked off his name. She then handed him a
sheet of paper, which listed a schedule of interviews that would take the rest
of the day.
His
first meeting was with the senior partner, Bill Alexander, which Fletcher felt
went well, although Alexander didn’t exude the same warmth as he had at Karl
Abrahams’s party. However, he did ask after Annie, expressing the hope that she
had fully recovered from the sad loss of Harry. It also became clear during the
meeting that Fletcher was not the only person who was being interviewed-six
upside-down names appeared on a list facing Mr. Alexander.
Fletcher
then spent an hour with three other partners who specialized in his chosen
field, criminal law. When the last interview ended, he was invited to join the
rest of the board for lunch. It was the first time he came into contact with
the other five applicants, and the lunch conversation left him in no doubt what
he was up against. He could only wonder how many days the firm had put aside
for interviews with other would-be applicants.
What
he couldn’t know was that Alexander
Dupont
and Bell
had carried out a rigorous sifting process months before any of the candidates had
been invited for interview, and he had made the final six, on recommendation
and reputation. He also didn’t realize that only one, perhaps two, would be
offered a position with the firm. As with a good wine, there were even years
when no one was selected, simply because it just wasn’t a vintage crop.
More
interviews followed in the afternoon, by which time Fletcher was convinced
he
wouldn’t make it, and would soon have to begin the long
trek around to those firms who had replied to his letter and offered him an
interview.
“They’ll
let me know by the end of the month if I’ve made it to the next round,” he told
Annie, who was waiting for him at the station, “but don’t stop sending the
letters, although I confess I no longer want to work anywhere but New York.”
Annie
continued to question Fletcher on the way home, wanting to know every detail of
what had taken place. She was touched that Bill Alexander had remembered her;
more so that he had even taken the trouble to find out the name of their son.
“Perhaps
you should have told him,” said Annie as she brought the car to a halt outside
their home.
“Told
him what?” asked Fletcher.
“That
I’m pregnant again.”
Nat
loved the hustle and bustle of Seoul, a city determined to put all memories of
war behind it.
Skyscrapers
loomed on every corner, as the old and new tried to live in harmony. Nat was
impressed by the potential of such a well-educated, intelligent workforce who
survived on wages a quarter of what would be acceptable back home. Su Ling
couldn’t help noticing the subservient role women still played in Korean
society and silently thanked her mother for having the courage and foresight to
set out for America.
Nat
rented a car so that they could move from village to village as and when it
suited them.
Once
they’d driven a few miles out of the capital, the first thing that struck them
both was how quickly the way of life changed. By the time they had traveled a
hundred miles, they had also traveled back a hundred years. The modern
skyscrapers were quickly replaced by little wooden
shacks,
and the hustle and bustle by a slower, more considered pace.
Although
Su Ling’s mother had rarely talked about her upbringing in Korea, Su Ling knew
the village where she had been born, and her family name. She also knew that
two of her uncles had been killed in the war, so that when they arrived in
Kaping
with its population of 7,303-13 to the guide
book-she wasn’t all that hopeful of being able to find anyone who would
remember her mother.
Su
Ling Cartwright began her quest at the town hall, where a register was kept of
all the local citizens. It didn’t help that, of the 7,000 inhabitants, over a
thousand shared Su Ling’s mother’s maiden name of
Peng
.
However, the lady at reception also exhibited that name on the plaque on her
desk. She told Su Ling that her great-aunt, who was now over ninety, claimed to
know every branch of the family, and if she would like to meet her, that could
be arranged. Su Ling nodded her agreement, and was asked to return later that
day.
She
called back in the afternoon, to be told that Ku
Sei
Peng
would be happy to take tea with her the following day.
The receptionist apologized before politely explaining that Su Ling’s American
husband would not be welcome.
Su
Ling returned to their little hotel the following night, bearing a piece of
paper and a happy smile. “We’ve traveled all this way out here, only to be told
to go back to Seoul,” she said.
“How
come?” asked Nat.
“It’s
simple. Ku
Sei
Peng
remembers my mother leaving the village to seek work in the capital, but she
never returned. But her younger sister, Kai
Pai
Peng
, still lives in Seoul and Ku
Sei
has given me her last known address.”
“So
it’s back to the capital,” said Nat, who phoned down to reception to warn them
they
would be checking out immediately. They arrived back in
Seoul just before midnight.
“I
think it might be wise if I were to visit her on my own,” said Su Ling over
breakfast the following morning, “as she may not be willing to say a great deal
once she discovers I’m married to an American.”
“Suits
me,” said Nat. “I was hoping to visit the market on the other side of the city
as I’m searching for something in particular.”
“What?”
asked Su Ling, “Wait and see,” teased
Nat.
Nat
took a taxi to the
Kiray
district, and spent the day
roaming around one of the biggest open markets in the world-row upon row of
laden stalls crammed with everything from Rolex watches to cultured pearls,
from Gucci bags to Chanel perfume, from Cartier bracelets to Tiffany hearts. He
avoided the cries of “Over here, American, please to look at my goods, much
cheaper,” as he could never be sure what, if anything, was the real thing.
By
the time he arrived back at the hotel that evening, Nat was exhausted and laden
down with six shopping bags, mostly full of presents for his wife. He took the
elevator to the third floor, and as he pushed open the door to their room, he
hoped to find that Su Ling had returned from visiting her great aunt. As he
closed the door, he thought he heard sobbing. He stood still. The unmistakable sound
was coming from the bedroom.
Nat
dropped the bags on the floor, walked across the room and pushed open the
bedroom door. Su Ling was curled up on the bed, like an
unsprung
coil, weeping. He slipped off his shoes and jacket and climbed onto the bed beside
her and took her in his arms.
“What
is it, little flower?” he said, caressing her gently.
She
didn’t reply. Nat held her close, aware that she would tell him in her own
time.
When
it grew dark and the neon streetlights began to flicker on, Nat drew the
curtains. He then sat beside her and took her hand.
“I
will always love you,” said Su Ling, not looking directly at him.
“And
I’ll always love you,” said Nat, taking her back into his arms.
“Do
you remember the night of our marriage, we agreed on no secrets, so I must now
tell you what I discovered this afternoon.”
Nat
had never seen a face so sad. “Nothing you found out could make me love you
less,” he said, trying to reassure her.
Su
Ling pulled her husband toward her while lowering her head on to his chest, as
if she didn’t want their eyes to meet. “I kept my appointment with my great
aunt this morning,” she began. “She remembered my mother well, and explained to
me why she had left the village to join her in Seoul.” As she clung on to Nat,
Su Ling repeated everything Kai
Pai
had told her.
When she had finished her story, she eased away and looked up at her husband
for the first time.
“Can
you still love me now you know the truth?” she asked.
“I
didn’t believe it was possible to love you
any more
,
and I can only imagine what courage it must have taken to share this news with
me.” He paused.
“It
will only strengthen a bond that now no one will ever be able to break.”