Great Call of China (S.A.S.S.) (10 page)

Cece and Dreyfuss looked at each other. They shrugged, then went inside.

The place was at least a few stories high, judging by the escalators. Chinese pop music piped through the large lobby area, where some teens were talking to each other and laughing. Cece took the escalators with the rest of her group to the second floor, where a few clerks waited behind a counter. Jess walked up to a clerk and, after a few minutes, turned to the group.

“Come on, guys,” Jess said. Everyone followed her down a hall, and she stopped in front of a door and opened it. “After you, Cece.”

Hesitantly, Cece stepped inside a dimly lit room that was about the size of her bedroom at home. But instead of a bed, there was a long U-shaped couch along the wall, a touch screen at one end of the couch, a coffee table, and a big flat-screen TV.

After everyone was inside, Cece said, “So now can you tell us what we’re doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jess sat near the touch screen, and everyone took a seat. “Tonight we’re partaking in the fine art of
karaoke.
” She tapped at the screen and pulled up a song list.

“Karaoke?” Dreyfuss and Cece said.

“Here?” Dreyfuss glanced around the room. “Like where’s the piano bar and the cheesy singers?”

“That’s the States,” Jess said. “The Chinese are way classier. We can let loose in the privacy of our very own room.”

“Wait,” Cece said. “I thought karaoke was Japanese.”

“It is.” Jess reached behind the console and grabbed two microphones. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not popular here.”

Cece stared at the mikes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to embarrass herself in front of everyone. Especially Will.

“Don’t worry,” Lisa said. “This’ll be great.” She grabbed one of the mikes from Jess. “Jess, why don’t you order some drinks, and I’ll start us off.”

“Good idea.” She pressed a button in the console, and when someone answered, she spoke Chinese.

Cece leaned back on the couch as Lisa selected her song. Cece gave a sideways glance at Will, who looked amused by her discomfort. “The point isn’t to sing well, Cece,” he assured her. “It’s to have fun singing badly.”

“Have fun singing badly, huh?” Cece tried to relax and embrace the concept. She took in a breath and smiled. “I guess I can give it a try.”

An attendant arrived with a bucket of drinks and a sack loaded with snacks. Dreyfuss reached into the drink bucket, pushed past the bottled water and Coke, and grabbed a beer. “I’m definitely going to need one of these if I’m doing this tonight.” He offered one to Cece, who merely shook her head. The last thing she needed was to accidentally overdo it and wind up on the table, dancing and singing bad show tunes.

Jess and Lisa both cracked open their own drinks while Cece peeked into the sack of snacks. She pulled out a bag.

“Shrimp chips,” Jess said. “My personal favorite.”

Cece cautiously opened the bag and the odor of seafood wafted out. She almost put the bag down, but she told herself she wouldn’t let something as innocent as a Chinese snack get the best of her. She popped one into her mouth and crunched the chip. She was surprised to find that she liked it. The taste wasn’t nearly as heavy as she thought it would be.

Lisa picked a song. “The trick is to choose songs most people know or it’s not nearly as interesting.” When the music for Britney Spears’s “. . . Baby One More Time” came on, the TV played a video while lyrics scrolled across the screen. Everyone groaned, but it was funny to hear Lisa sing it. She wasn’t going to win a talent contest anytime soon, yet it was still amusing to see her try to hit the high notes with such a serious expression on her face. Michael was cute, too, attempting to sing along and stumbling over most of the words. Soon Jess was at the mike with Lisa, singing a Madonna song. As the night wore on, everyone got sillier and sillier. Will would sometimes join in with Jess and Lisa, and Cece had to admit, the whole experience was pretty entertaining to watch.

Finally, Lisa thrust the mike into Cece’s hand. “Okay, I think it’s your turn.”

Cece swallowed. “I don’t know about this,” she said hesitantly. She glanced at Dreyfuss. “Here. Why don’t you go.”

“Oh, no,” he said. “I’m definitely not warmed up enough yet.” He held up his beer. “This is only my second one.”

“Here, Will,” Jess said, holding out the mike. “My throat is getting sore. Show Cece how it’s done.”

Will took the mike from Jess and sat next to Cece. “Okay, Cece. What do you want to sing?”

“Um. . . ” How was she supposed to sing with Will?!

“Come on, pick a favorite.”

“A favorite?” There were so many to choose from. Then suddenly a song popped into her head and she blurted it out. “‘You’re the One That I Want.’ From
Grease
.” The min ute she said it, she wished she could take it back. Maybe that was too much?

“It’s perfect!” Lisa said. “I love that duet.”

Will stood and grabbed the mike. “Not to brag, but I’d make an excellent Danny.”

“Of course you would, Will.” Jess made the selection on the console.

The intro started playing, and Will gripped the mike tighter. Getting into character, he flipped up his collar. Cece, her stomach in knots with nervousness, couldn’t help but laugh. She started to feel more comfortable. Will began belting out the lyrics.
“I got chills.
. . .
They’re multiplyin’
. . .
”

Cece giggled. He was so adorable.

Soon it was Cece’s turn, and she got into the spirit of things and unleashed her inner Sandy. Jess and Lisa were so surprised, they went into hysterics.

By the end of the song, Dreyfuss was finishing his second beer, Michael looked perplexed but was laughing, and Cece and Will were breathless from hamming it up in front of everyone.

“You were great, Danny,” Cece said, returning to the sofa.

He sank down beside her. “No,
Sandy
, ” he said in his best Danny Zuko voice.
“You were.”

Will held her gaze, and Cece laughed again, and after a couple of seconds, she thought she saw something genuine flicker in his eyes. “All right,
Sandy and Danny,
” Jess said. “Break it up.” She took the mike from Cece. “Michael, it’s your turn.”

Will cleared his throat and Cece straightened, wondering if she might have imagined the moment.

She looked at Will, and he smiled at her. Maybe not.

 

The next morning, Cece sent a quick e-mail to Alison.

Smiling, she closed her laptop.
The Great Call of China

Quickly gathering her things, Cece headed out to the tour bus for the program’s excursion to some of Xi’an’s most popular landmarks—the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, and the City Walls.

“So, did you have a good time last night?” Kallyn said as Cece sat down next to her.

Cece nodded, thinking of Will. “It was nice. A bunch of us sang karaoke.”

“Oh?” Kallyn lowered her voice. “Was Will there?”

“Uh, Kallyn... ” Cece glanced over her shoulder toward the back, where Jess and Will usually sat. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this now.”

“But they’re way back there,” Kallyn said.

“Well, there’s not much to say. We sang, we laughed, I did an impersonation of a blonde desperately in love... that’s it.”

Kallyn giggled. “I’m sorry I missed it,” she said as the bus pulled out of the lot.

Half an hour later, Cece could see the familiar site of the Bell Tower through the window. After everyone got off the bus, they descended underground and walked below the street to get to the tower. When they reemerged, they climbed another staircase to reach the platform where they had a close-up view of the tower. Cece was overwhelmed by the amazing building. The three-story structure looked imposing, with a sloped tiled roof, its four corners curving upward toward the sky. It was nothing less than spectacular, from the ornate timber beams running across the eaves, to the brightly colored painted columns running upward.

The group gathered outside the building, and Jenny and Mark led the tour. “As many of you know, the Bell Tower is the symbol of Xi’an,” Jenny began. “It was built in 1384 during the Ming dynasty. The bronze bell that hung in the tower is now resting over there.”

Cece glanced at an enormous bell in one corner of the platform. It was at least twice her height and was suspended above the ground by a wooden frame. A long wooden log was tethered to the frame and hung horizontally beside it, no doubt to ring the bell.

“For over four hundred years, this bell rang every morning to give Xi’an’s citizens the time. The bell in the Drum Tower, the building lying to the west, sounded at dusk to signify the end of the day.”

“If you want,” Mark said, “you can pay ten yuan and ring the bell yourself. Inside the tower, you can have a look at more bells that were used in practice as musical instruments during the same dynasty, and if you go upstairs, you can see the view from the surrounding balcony. This shouldn’t take you long, so return here in thirty minutes, and we’ll move on to the Drum Tower.”

Already some of the students were lining up to ring the bell. “You want to give it a try with me?” Kallyn said.

“Sure. It looks like a great photo op.”

They got in line.

“Actually,” Cece said, “the view behind us is pretty good, with the City Walls in the background.” She dug out her camera from her purse. “Could you get a shot of me while we wait in line?” The giant bell rang as students took their turns.

“No problem.” Kallyn took Cece’s picture.

“Hey, Cece!”

Cece saw Jessica approaching. Will, Lisa, and Dreyfuss were standing behind her, waiting by the tower entrance. “Let me get one of you and Kallyn,” Jess said.

Cece and Kallyn stood together, and Jess snapped the photo.

“Now if you could get one of me and Will. . . ” Jess said, giving her camera to Cece. “Will! Let’s take a picture!” Jess turned to Cece. “I don’t really care what’s in the background. Just make sure you don’t chop off my head or anything.”

“Uh, sure,” Cece said, taking the camera. As Jess and Will stood by the platform’s wall, Cece stepped out of line to get the shot. “Okay, guys. . . ”

Jess put an arm around Will.

Cece could barely look at the screen. “On one... two. . . ”

Jess stuck out her leg and held up her arms. Will laughed and grabbed her to keep her balance.
Ugh.

“Three.” Cece snapped the photo, then tried to erase the image from her mind.

“Thanks, C,” Jessica said, smiling—or was that a smirk?

“Cece!” Kallyn called. “It’s your turn to ring the bell.”

Cece returned the camera to Jess. “Hope you like it,” she said with as much cheer as she could muster. Then she headed for the bell and stepped up to the timber, chastising herself for getting excited about her tiny non-moment with Will during karaoke. Why did she spend any energy thinking about it when it was clear Jess and Will had a
million
moments together?

Cece paid the attendant ten yuan. She gripped the timber, then swung it as hard as she could. She almost went deaf from the sound.

“You all right?” Kallyn said as Cece stepped down. “You seemed kinda angry up there.”

Cece dusted off her hands. “I’m better now.”

“It’s about Jess and Will, isn’t it?” Kallyn said in a low voice as they headed toward the tower entrance. “I saw how Jess was clinging to him for that photo.”

“Sort of.”

They climbed the steps to the entrance.

“Don’t let them get to you,” Kallyn said.

“Easier said than done.” Cece pushed back her hair. “Anyway, I didn’t come to China to obsess over other people’s love lives.” She changed the subject. “Let’s check out the tower.”

Kallyn opened the door, and they stepped inside. Instantly Cece’s mood improved when she saw three long rows of rectangular-shaped bells, ordered by size, in front of her. She gladly let her mind take her to another place, imagining what it would have been like to live at that time. She could already picture someone, standing before the bells, ringing them to play a song.

Next, Kallyn and Cece went up a narrow staircase to the second floor. There, they found a gift shop selling post-cards and touristy knickknacks.

“Perfect!” Kallyn said. “I have to get a postcard for Ryan.”

Cece noticed other visitors wandering out to the balcony. “But what about the view?”

Kallyn browsed through a rack. “I’ll catch up with you in just one sec.”