A Thread Unbroken (30 page)
Authors: Kay Bratt
Throughout the negotiations, Chai could see her father pulling on every reserve of self-control he could muster to keep himself from beating Lao Chan to a pulp. He finally calmed when Tao’s mother broke down and admitted that she had been a stolen child bride, too. It was a sad moment when she admitted to submitting to her husband’s decision to buy a bride for Bo to marry—and even worse, for letting him force her to get rid of the children she bore that he did not want.
For her penance, Mother promised to help other stolen girls find their families. She said it was too late for her, but she hoped others in the fishing village would still remember details that could locate their homes. Chai told her when she graduated from university she would lead the charge to help her fulfill her promise. Chai couldn’t deny that she felt something for the woman—maybe not love, but a certain sense of pity and affection. After all, Chai told the others, Mother did not get to choose her life, either, and the woman had done her best to keep Lao Chan from abusing them.
Tao’s newfound courage surprised everyone. As the day unraveled and plans were laid, he couldn’t hide his relief that Josi would remain close—but Chai had known he would feel that way. Things turned out better for him, too. After he explained to his father what had really happened with Bo, the old man
stormed out of the building, refusing to believe what they said about his favorite son.
Mother let him go, but she promised Tao that she’d stand up to Lao Chan and get him to agree to let Tao pursue his art. She said she had some leverage to use, and this time, she wouldn’t let him take control. She and Tao agreed that if he would stay and help his father fish for the next few years, all the profits after raising enough for a new boat would be saved for his education. She even suggested they look for someone to give Tao art lessons on the mainland.
Together they all decided that Zee would stay in the nursery, being cared for by Josi, until after her surgery, and then she would return home. Tao smiled and said he thought that soon Zee would have their father and every boy in the house wrapped around her tiny fingers. He also declared that as soon as they were old enough, he planned to ask Josi for her hand in marriage. The thought of her leaving forever had terrified Tao; he admitted he was in love with her beautiful, quiet spirit and then said he was ready to show everyone his collection of sketches dedicated to drawings of her face.
“Josi,” Tao started as he shifted nervously from foot to foot, “we have
yuanfen
. The connection between us is destiny.”
As usual, Josi stood there listening and blushing—unable to say a word—so Chai decided she’d speak for her best friend one last time. She put her hands on her hips and with her eyes shining with unshed tears, asked, “Tao, what took you so long?”
Having lived in China and made friends from several different levels of their society, the subject of child trafficking is not a new one to me. Though this story is fictional, I have read many reports of girls like Chai and Josi who are taken every day and trafficked across China, most never seen or heard from again by their families.
A report from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said police rescued 8,660 abducted children and 15,458 women in 2011 as nearly 3,200 human trafficking gangs were broken up. [Source: AP, Op Cit]
Statistics reported show that the Chinese government has made attempts to break apart trafficking rings by using strong police force and harsher penalties, but other sources from anti-trafficking organizations in China have reported little to no cooperation from local authorities. In some cases it has been rumored that police have even profited from partnering with traffickers.
There are organizations in and around China working to reunite families with their abducted children. The general lower classes of China already have so much to endure, even without the added heartbreak of their children being stolen. Using
A Thread Unbroken
, I want the world to know more about this specific tragedy and how it affects the human spirit.
If you have enjoyed this book, I encourage you to post a short review on Amazon and I appreciate each and every one. Reviews help increase circulation and the more exposure this subject gets, the bigger the chance those with resources to help will become aware of the situation. Thank you for taking time from your life to read
A Thread Unbroken
.
~
Kay Bratt
My thanks to...
Terry Goodman, the wizard behind the curtain. Your belief in my ability to spin a tale is a compliment like no other. I’m so glad you picked
Silent Tears
to read so many years ago, and that you decided to take another chance on yet another title. I took to heart your initial review and suggestions to make
A Thread Unbroken
a better story, and once again you were right.
My editor, Charlotte Herscher, your valuable insight and coaching kept me digging deeper to give my characters more depth and emotion. From you I learned more about how to develop a story than I ever have from any writing course, or from the stack of how-to books I’ve devoured over the years.
To Denise Grover Swank, my critique partner, thank you for your candid comments that kept me cringing, laughing, and striving to write better. Lou Hsu and Lucy Cai, once again you were invaluable as my fact-checkers and go-to panel for questions about China’s history, culture, and vernacular.
To my husband and daughter, I can’t see how you put up with me when I am having a creative flash and disregarding all my
mom duties, but I’m glad you do. You both make my life worth living because you help me to believe in myself.
And lastly, my utmost gratitude goes to my readers. How could I have known what your acceptance and friendship would mean? I cherish every message, e-mail, and letter I’ve ever received from you. I also thank you for the many online reviews you’ve written for my books. Your kind words inspire me to write more of my own words.
It is my hope my stories will bring more awareness to the world about the plight of disadvantaged women and children in China.
Kay Bratt is a child advocate and the author of several books, including
Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage
and
Chasing China: A Daughter’s Quest for Truth
. Kay and her family lived in China for more than four years, where she volunteered at local orphanages. In 2006, she was honored with the Pride of the City award for her humanitarian work in China, which she continued by founding the Mifan Mommy Club, an online organization that provides rice for children in China’s orphanages. In addition to coordinating advocacy and awareness projects for the children of China, Kay is also an active volunteer for An Orphan’s Wish. Originally from Kansas, Kay currently resides in the rolling hills of Georgia with her husband and daughter.
