Tangled Vines (4 page)

L
i Jin swallowed to rid herself of the nausea as she maneuvered her moped into the littered lot. She parked it in the middle of a long row of others, some shiny and new, some just as battered as hers. She put the kickstand down, switched off the motor, and glanced at the knockoff Gucci watch Erik had given her and tried to pass off as real. He didn’t understand she could tell a fake from a mile away. China had the market on copying name-brand jewelry, clothing, and even shoes. She’d even taken her turn at selling counterfeit watches on the street for a while back before Jojo was born when she had to find creative ways to make money. She’d let Erik believe she thought it the genuine thing, for she appreciated his good intentions back then—but that was before everything had changed.

She was eight minutes early, having allowed extra time to try to calm her nerves. She got off her bike, lifted the seat, and retrieved the padlock and chain. Carefully she looped the chain around the pole and front tire of her bike, then pulled on it a couple times to be sure the lock would stay in place. It would be just her luck to come out and find her moped stolen. Even with the lock it could happen and the thought scared her. She suddenly remembered to check the moped’s remaining charge and breathed a sigh of relief that it showed she still had enough juice to get home. She had money for a taxi but didn’t want to have to depend on fate to have one ready and waiting if she should need it in a hurry.

She got back on her bike and did her best to keep her head down as she waited three more minutes. She didn’t want to attract any attention. She didn’t know why she’d been instructed to go into the post office at a specific time, but she knew enough to follow his directions to the letter. At the other side of the area a few men squatted against the wall of the building, smoking and laughing amongst themselves. She didn’t look their way, hoping she blended in with the other pedestrians.

When the three minutes had passed, she headed for the door with her head bent as she rustled through her bag to look for the parcel-pickup ticket.

She climbed the stairs and patted the head of the lion statue for luck. This was her last chance to turn around and return the way she had come. Erik would already be back from having coffee with his foreign friends and would be waiting for her. But if she came in empty-handed, there would be trouble. She hesitated, but then she pictured Jojo as he had looked that morning when she dropped him at school. He had walked away grinning, so happy to be a student like the others. Almost the entire term had passed and his glee had not faded a bit. She’d watched his Spider-Man backpack bounce up and down as he’d disappeared through the huge gates, his hand still in the air as he waved good-bye. She was trapped. If she didn’t fulfill Erik’s commands, he’d make her pull Jojo from school. He knew where to inflict the most hurt to her.

Li Jin took a deep breath and entered through the doors. Inside she was met with no less than what she was expecting—total chaos. All around, people pushed and shoved to get to the counter, all but a few disregarding the tiny uniformed lady as she called out, “
Pai dui!
Get in a line. You must queue up!”

Some people held packages or letters they wanted to mail, while others waved their papers in the air to show they were waiting to pick up something. Despite the pounding in her chest, Li Jin needed to blend in, so she joined the others and began working her way to the front while waving her own orange slip. She coughed and quickly stifled it. The heavy stench of cigarette smoke only made the room more claustrophobic.

To the side, a woman knelt on the floor, packing clothing into a small carton. From what Li Jin could see, the woman needed a bigger box. But a bigger box meant more postage, so she watched as the woman instead used all her upper-body strength to hold down the top of the flaps, while a man beside her taped them closed. It was probably clothing going to her children back home, Li Jin thought. She was lucky; unlike children in migrant families, Jojo got to stay with her. Here it was common for parents to work in one city while their children stayed behind with grandparents in another. But then, her son didn’t have any grandparents to stay with. She and her son were alone in the world—except for Erik.

Finally she made it to the counter and slapped her paper down. The woman picked it up and looked at it, then yelled to the parcel picker standing in the doorway leading to the back room. With her orders, the man immediately disappeared and the woman waved at her to step aside for the next person to come forward.

So far so good,
Li Jin thought.
I can do this. I can do this.
She concentrated on looking calm on the outside as she quaked inside.

Soon the parcel picker returned with a huge box and Li Jin caught her breath. It had never been that large before. That big a box could get her put away for a long time if she was caught—possibly even executed. She suddenly felt nauseated. The man carried it over and dropped it on the floor next to the clerk at the counter. They said a few quick words to each other, and Li Jin thought she would faint when she heard the woman pronounce the dreaded words.

“Customs check this one.”

Li Jin froze. They were going to open it! She’d always known there was a chance this could happen, and so did Erik—which was why he always sent her and had her named as the recipient. Erik had messed up labeling such a large box as office documents, and now his slip was causing a spot check.

Li Jin couldn’t help it. She put both her palms down on the counter to support her weak knees. As the parcel picker opened a drawer and pulled out a box knife, she looked around to judge whether she could make it outside before he opened it. She felt sick. It was too crowded and a security guard stood just inside the door. She’d never get by him if she ran now.

The man bent down with his scissors. Li Jin wanted to run. Hide. Anything. What was he going to pull out?

As the man cut through the tape, opened the flaps, and reached in, Li Jin couldn’t contain herself any longer. “That’s not mine!”

The man pulled out a set of red men’s long underwear.

Li Jin froze
. Underwear?
Where was the dope?

With evident irritation, the female clerk beside him grabbed the slip and bent down over the box. She looked from the box to the paper and back to the box. Then she stood, putting her hands on her hips.

“Name?” she asked.

Li Jin looked at the door, wishing she could make a run for it. “Dang Li Jin.”

The woman didn’t even blink at Li Jin’s surname. Most people had something to say or at least snorted in sympathy at the name that branded her as an orphan. But this woman ignored it other than to study the ticket again. “
Aiya!
Wrong number! Take this one back. I said HUW0657, not 0659.”

Li Jin breathed a sigh of relief as the sweat ran down the back of her neck. She stood to the side and waited as the woman assisted a few more customers. Finally the squatty man returned with a much smaller box. He carried it in one hand and, with a look of indignation, tossed it on the counter in front of Li Jin, and grabbed the next slip.

This time Li Jin could see the characters of her name on the label but waited as the woman matched the box slip to the paper slip. Once satisfied, she shoved the paper back toward Li Jin.

“Sign for it.”

Li Jin hesitated. It didn’t look like they were going to open it but she’d never had to sign before. Why was it different this time? She didn’t want her signature on file. She looked up at the woman, a question ready on her lips.

“Hurry up, sign. More people are waiting,” the woman belted out, slapping a pen next to the paper. Behind her she heard a grunt of impatience from the next customer.

Li Jin was sure everyone around her could hear the thumping of her heart as she bent over the counter and signed her name. But at least the parcel picker had been sent after another package and was ignoring hers. She pushed the paper back.

The woman stabbed the slip over the metal prong beside her register, shoved the package toward her, and turned her attention to the next customer. Li Jin picked up the package and turned to go.

Putting one foot in front of the other without hurrying, Li Jin forced herself to walk out of the post office nonchalantly. She slowly went down the steps and returned to her bike. She put the small box in the wire basket on her handlebars, pulled the keys from her pocket, and with still-shaking hands, unlocked the padlock. Discreetly she looked around to see if anyone had followed her out of the building. When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, she put her lock back under the seat and climbed on. Relieved to be off her wobbly legs, she quickly drove out of the parking lot and headed back to the apartment with only the thought of freedom on her mind.

Six hours later Li Jin straddled her moped as she waited outside the school gates. She adjusted her sunglasses and looked around to see if anyone was watching her. She was still shaky and paranoid from her morning errand and the subsequent fight with Erik. When she’d returned to the apartment she’d thrown his precious package at him and told him it was the last time she’d be his mule. She’d screamed at him that one of these days she was going to be unlucky when the postmaster decided to open and check her package. Then what? She’d be caught and her son would be an orphan.

She reached up and felt the bridge of her nose. The first blow she took that morning was after she told him she knew he was a drug dealer. For months she had pretended ignorance at what was in the packages but how stupid did he think she was? Now that he knew that
she
knew his secret, he’d never let her go. He’d even threatened to implicate her, and with her signature on file at the post office now, they could link the packages to her! She felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. She should’ve known she was messing with fire by arguing with him. It would have been smarter to just keep her mouth shut and disappear.

Now she’d have to use more of the little bit of money she had stashed away to buy makeup. She wished she’d had time to get it before picking up Jojo but she’d just have to make do with the sunglasses. Now that he was getting older, he was starting to act protective of her and she didn’t want him asking questions.

She looked at her watch again. The bell should have rung two minutes ago. She couldn’t wait to feel the relief that Jojo brought her with his quick smile and total acceptance. Around her other mothers, fathers, and even grandparents waited for the children, all chattering amongst themselves. As usual, Li Jin stayed to herself. She didn’t want anyone asking her questions or looking too closely through the lens of her glasses to see the dark bruise already forming under her eye. She sure didn’t want their pity if they should ferret out the truth of who she had become.