Bride of the Moso Prince (35 page)

             
“I don’t need to know what you don’t want to tell. And I know a lot about you, believe it or not.”

             
“What do you mean?”

             
“You sister told me about you.”

             
“When?”

             
“As soon as she arrived a year ago,” he smiled, “we saw her down blanket and asked her why on earth did she pack that for. We had plenty of wool blankets in our hotel. She said that her sister had forced her to take it.”

             
Sharon chuckled embarrassedly. She had imagined that her sister would be living in caves or an abandoned cottage. “I didn’t expect such development in the mountain areas.”

             
“Even if she had arrived a century ago,” he said, “there would be blankets. Otherwise how had we survived for thousands of years? Did you think we had furs like dogs?”

             
“No!” Sharon cried, “I’m sorry. It must have been an insult.”

             
“Not at all,” He laughed. Turned her to face him and kissed her flaming cheek. “I was impressed by such a motherly sister. Later on I found out that you had packed medicines enough for a whole village to use for a decade.”

             
“Stop making fun of me,” Sharon hid her face in his chest.

             
But he cupped her head and moved it to face him. “I became curious about you, Sister Sharon. And my curiosity grew to admiration during the year, every time Charlene got a package from town I wondered what was in it, what her sister’s worry was. I savored those butter cookies Charlene shared with us, although they tasted no different from those we got from here, because you had sent them. When she showed us the dresses you sent her, I imagined you in them…”

             
He stopped abruptly. Goddess! He had fallen in love with her long before he saw her! The realization shocked him. Should he tell her? No, she wouldn’t believe him.

             
Sharon was speechless. Emotion in her stirred and her eyes became watered.

             
“What’s wrong?” he asked, “did I say something stupid?”

             
“No,” she smiled as he gently wiped her tears with his thump. “Now I know why you’re a walk-marry prince. You know how to win the body and heart of a woman.”

             
“Why doesn’t it sound like a compliment?” his smiling eyes questioned her.

             
“Because I’m being sarcastic,” she said.

             
“You’re jealous, my goddess,” he murmured, “but let me assure you. I haven’t won over that many women.”

             
“You’re lying.”

             
“It’s true.” He looked sincere, “No Moso woman would give her body or heart to a man unless she gets babies from him. And I always make it clear I don’t want to be a sperm donor.”

             
“Sperm donor? Won’t you have fun?”

             
“Not when I know that I’m making a potential baby that won’t be raised by me.”

             
“You’re rare,” Sharon said, “Most men, Han or Moso, would like a walking-marriage. You’re free from marital duties while you’re entitled to pleasure seeking.”

             
He frowned, “But some of us want marital duties.”

             
“You do?”

             
He nodded solemnly, “I long for having my wife and kids under the same roof. I want to hold my children any time I want, not just an hour or two at night. I want to see my wife in the kitchen making meals when I return home. I want her to wash my clothes, to set my bed, to ….”

             
Sharon imagined herself being the woman making his bed, cooking meals and doing laundry. She felt warm for a moment but soon cooled off. That blissful picture was deceptive. A woman can’t be happy doing it everyday. She would become an appendix to the man. A slave. Like her mother. Her heart sank at the thought of her mother. No, she would not make the same mistake that her mother, and millions of other women made. She would not fall into the snare of marriage.

             
“So have I convinced you?” he asked softly, nipping her earlobe.

             
She looked away. It was difficult to refuse him but it was unfair to give him hope.

             
“Not yet,” she whispered, “you have many choices, being successful and rich…why me?”

             
Nobul’s heart pounded madly. It was time to tell her that he loved her! He opened his mouth to speak. “Because I…I…believe that you will be an excellent mother.”

             
Sharon’s heart sank. You fool! She cursed herself. What did you expect? That he would say he loved you?

             
“I’ll come back to see you.” She said, staring blankly at the orchid and the butterfly
on the canopy
to hold back tears that threaten to flood.

             
He sighed and loomed over to look at her. The faint smile at the corners of his lips gradually faded. “I was wrong. A hearty sister could be a stony lover.” 

             
They lay side by side silently for a moment, keeping a gap between them. Then as if the silence became unbearable he stood up and went to stand by the window, clearing the mist with his palm and gazing out silently. As soon as he left Sharon turned herself on the side and wept silently. She had hurt him she felt dreadful about it. She hated it when she saw the lights in his eyes extinguish just like
that. He was right, she was stony
. But she couldn’t do otherwise. She wouldn’t lose her head like that. Marriage wasn’t for her. She had chosen to be single and she would stick to her principle. She had been through it before. She had ended relationships like this. She had broken hearts, including her own. It was difficult at first but they would heal. Or would they? Nobul wasn’t a common guy. She had a feeling that it was the first time, or even the last time that he proposed to anyone. And herself, she couldn’t deny that she had felt special about him…

Shouts and cries were heard in the midst of the storm.

“Good heavens!” Nobul exclaimed and she turned to look at him. He was dressing up quickly.

“What happened?” She jumped to the window. In the grey mist of rain, a boat was rocking violently in the lake. From the passenger’s orange floatation suits she knew they were tourists.

“Boat ride in such weather?” she cried, “Nuts!”

“Must be some adventure-seeking city youth.” He said.

“What’re you going to do?” she felt smothered by fear. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I can’t stand and watch,” he said calmly, “besides, there might be a bride waiting for me in that boat.” 

She knew he was trying to hurt her but she was too consumed by worrie
s
to respond to that sarcastic comment.  She bit her lip.

Not until he had left the room she made her resolution. Quickly dressed up she dashed out of the room.

He was starting the engine of the motorboat when she went to the shore.

“What’re you doing? You’re not coming with me.”

“I am.” She jumped on the boat before it pulled away.

He shook his head and sighed heavily, “Goddess sent you to punish me.”

Chapter 14

             
Sharon couldn’t believe it was the same lake that she had fallen in love with for the past month. The
piece of serene sapphire was no
where in sight. I
nstead, surrounding them was a herd
of furious animals made of water, they
roared
and churned, and jumped with unpredictable might. Perhaps the rain and the wind had aroused the water spirits lying dormant on sunny days.

             
The motorboat swayed in turbulence. Water splashed on to the boat and onto their bodies. Before long both of them were drenched. But they had greater worries. The sight-seeing boat was hit badly by the waves. While they were approaching, the wave snatched one of the oars from a rower and the one oar left could barely keep the boat in balance, no mention moving forward. The caprice of the waves made it hard for the motorboat to get to them. The closing up distance between them was soon widened by a whip of wave. Nobul, standing at the edge of the boat, threw a rope towards the tourists again and again, but they couldn’t catch it. The desperate shouts and hysteric screams of the boaters were swallowed by the roaring of the lake. Sharon saw hands waving and body rocking frantically but all she could do was to watch. There were times the motorboat was swallowed by water. Sharon was drenched
before long and thought they would drown before saving others
. It was cold and she could hear her teeth grinding. The fog had blocked the view of mountains and the lake at that moment appeared to be the whole space, with unfathomable end.

She must have passed out during the endless chase, which must have lasted for over an hour. Suddenly when Sharon opened her eyes they were inches away from the wooden boat. The sightseers extended their arms frantically. There were four of them on board, two young men and two young women, and none of them were Moso. Nobul got hold of the oar and used it to pull the wooden boat closer. Sharon
caught the
hand of a young woman and pulled her to the motorboat. They pulled the other woman and a man on board and were going for the last guy when another wave hit them. They lost their grip and the guy was swept into the lake. In an instant he was meters away. Without a word Nobul dived into the lake and swam after him.

             
The moment he jumped into the lake Sharon’s heart sank to her toe. Shivering, she stared into the curtains of rain that blocked her from
following
him further. The couple huddled each other while the other young woman went to Sharon and held her hand. No one spoke a word while waiting for signs of human to come into sight.

             
Sharon understood suddenly how Nobul must have felt the night of her attempted escape. The two situations were frighteningly similar. Last time Nobul had hurt her before the event, and this time, she had hurt him. She clenched her fist tightly. What a cold hearted bitch she had been to refuse his proposal like that! Why didn’t she say something like “I’ll think about it?” How bad would it be to lie in order not to hurt? Now, what if something happened to him? What if he died?

             
Sharon closed her eyes and whispered in the sound of the rain, “Please Goddess Gemu, Don’t let Nobul die. I’ll do anything if you let him live. I’ll, I’ll marry him.”

             
The goddess must have heard her. For as soon as her prayer ended there emerged two human heads from the water. When they got close one was pushed high up by the other. And the four of them went ahead to grab the body, which was the last guy on the boat.

             
When they were placing him on the boat Nobul climbed up, before Sharon could give him a hand, he had swung himself heavily on board.

             
“Are you ok?” She ran to him. He was pale and his arm was bleeding.

             
“I’m ok. Some insidious rock got me.” He cursed and went to the cabin.

             
Sharon went after him. He had taken off his shirt and was tearing up a strip.

             
“Let me help you.” She said and took the strip. Her stomach cramped in the sight of the wound. The gush was deep and long, it ran from his elbow to his shoulder. He must have free-stroked right on it. She wound the strip tightly around his arm. Holding tears back.

             
When she was done she said softly, “I know how to steer. Why don’t you rest?”

             
“I’m ok.”

             
“No you’re not!” She pushed him away and got hold of the steering wheel. Nobul laid down on the floor next to her.

             
Nobul was right about the group of sightseers. They were reckless young men from the city. They thought it would be romantic to take have a boat ride in the rain, not expecting the turbulent mood of the lake. They were now like guilty children, hanging their heads to reflect on the horrible experience as they sat in the kitchen next to the fire, and drinking hot tea that Sharon had made them.

             
While the group was drinking tea silently, Sharon went upstairs to see Nobul, who had refused to speak to her after they had returned. He was asleep in the couch, in his wet clothes. He must have been exhausted, Sharon thought with heartache as she gazed at his weary but still handsome face.  She was about to remove his shirt when he groaned, “I’ll do it myself.”

             
“Why? Let me do it for you.”