Great Call of China (S.A.S.S.) (5 page)

Everyone politely clapped.

“I promise I’ll keep this short. The purpose of tonight’s dinner is for everyone to get to know one another. Your hosts are college students attending the Intensive English Program, or IEP, at XU. This means your objective will be to help them with their English courses as much as possible. In exchange, they will assist you with your cultural and language studies. You should meet with them as often as you can; they will be as invaluable to you as you will be to them. Now, orientation begins tomorrow. That’s Sunday, in case anyone has lost track—ten A.M. There will be an exam tomorrow, so talk with your hosts and start sharing.”

“Exam?” Lisa complained. “About what?”

“I have no idea,” Dreyfuss said. “But does anyone want to guess what that is?” A server had just placed a platter of what looked like shredded vegetables on the lazy Susan.

“It’s carrot and turnip,” said Amy, Dreyfuss’s host. “Very good. Try.” She took some of the veggies, then spun the lazy Susan.

When it came to Cece, she used her chopsticks to ease some onto her plate with grace. If there was one thing she
The Great Call of China
did know about being Chinese, it was using chopsticks. She lifted the veggies to her mouth. Not bad for her first dish in China. It was kind of spicy, a little sweet, a little sour. She went for seconds.

Next, a chef in a white hat pushed a cart to the table. As Cece turned to face the cart, her enthusiasm for authentic cuisine fizzled into the atmosphere. A roasted duck with its head still intact stretched across the cart. The chef picked up the fowl and snapped it at the neck and head. Then he ripped the bill off the duck’s face with one quick jerk. Finally, he raised a butcher knife and split the skull into two.

Cece winced.

The chef scooped up the parts, put them on a plate, then set the plate on the lazy Susan.

The duck’s broken face was staring right at her.

While everyone watched the chef slice the remaining carcass, Peter said, “Are you okay? It is only Beijing duck. Think Chinese chicken burrito.”

Cece nodded weakly.

Peter must have sensed she wasn’t okay because he rotated the duck so it was staring at Dreyfuss instead. “Better?”

She nodded again. “Yes, thanks.” But her appetite had just left the building.

From that point on, the food situation only got worse. It was as though the menu planner had purposefully picked the most disgusting things to serve. Cece’s idea of a meal did not include a slimy eel coiled on a platter (it looked ready to attack),
live
shrimp drowning in a bowl of wine, or steamed pregnant crabs with orange eggs.

The odd thing was Cece seemed to be the only person at her table affected by the
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
meal they were having.

“Don’t look sad, Cece.” Amy pushed up her glasses with the tip of her finger. “All this, Chinese delicacy. This very special dinner for special occasion. We don’t eat every day.” She poked at a fish skull with her chopsticks and balanced a glassy eyeball on the tips. She put it to her lips.
Slurp!
“Eyes good for vision.”

Will and Dreyfuss grimaced.

Cece’s stomach churned.

“Amy, I don’t think Cece looks sad,” Jessica said. “Try green.”

It was too much. Cece got up from the table. She didn’t know which way the bathroom was, and her insides were now officially doing the Wave.

“Cece, what’s wrong?” someone said.

She covered her mouth. She couldn’t stop picturing fish eyes, live shrimp trying to climb their way to safety, broken duck faces. . . . She saw the blurry image of a door and bolted for it.

Will grabbed her wrist. “Cece, it’s that way.”

But it was too late.

In her room, Cece lay in bed on her side, a wadded-up tissue in her hand. Even though she’d brushed her teeth a million times, she thought she could still taste carrots and turnips. She wiped at her mouth.

“It wasn’t that bad.” Jessica was sitting across from Cece on her bed, gently smoothing moisturizer onto her face. “I mean, Will’s khakis weren’t all that great. He can pick up another pair here for like five bucks. He said so himself.”

Cece moaned. Throwing up all over someone’s pants—especially a cute boy’s—was not a way to start the program. “I feel like such an idiot.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. That room could have used some more excitement. I mean, did you see who my host was—George? The entire time he only said like two words.
Ni
and
hao
.”

Cece scrunched her forehead, trying to figure out what the words meant.

Jessica looked at her. “That means, ‘How are you ?’ ”

Oh
. Cece lay on her back. This and tonight’s episode only proved how out of her element she really was.

If Jessica and Lisa hadn’t rushed to her side and helped her to the bathroom after she’d hurled, she probably would have crumpled to the floor and cried. But luckily, her new friends proved they weren’t just walking, talking Prada hounds. They cleaned her up as best they could, and Jessica even volunteered to take her back to the dorm in a cab. Cece felt bad for misjudging Jessica earlier.

“I’m really sorry about tonight,” Cece said.

“Stop it.” Jessica switched off a lamp, and the room got dark. “Let’s try to think about today’s good parts.”

“Good parts?”

“You know,
Will
parts?”

Cece sighed. “What about him?”

“What about him?! The guy is like the next best thing since Russell Wong.”

“Who?”

“Russell Wong.
The Joy Luck Club?
”

It didn’t compute. “The joy what club?”

“Ohmigod, Cece,” Jessica said. “You can’t go on like this.
The Joy Luck Club
is only an Asian American movie classic. And Russell’s a really famous Chinese American actor. Maybe I need to get you a book or something.”

“Wait a second,” Cece said. “I thought you didn’t like Asian men.”

“
Please.
Russell doesn’t count. He’s tall, he’s
fine
, and he can act. Besides, Russell is only half Chinese, like Will, so I can make an exception.”

“Will’s half Chinese?” Cece said.

“Yeah,” Jessica said. “And he told me he can speak Chinese, too. Well, baby Chinese, that is. I’m finding that strangely hot. Anyway, let’s get some beauty rest. We want to look good for our men.”

“Our men?” Cece said.

“Yeah, Lisa has her host, Michael—he’s pretty cute. You can have Dreyfuss, who’s not so bad himself. And me, Will. See? It works out perfectly. This is going to be a decent summer yet. ’Night!”

Decent?
Cece thought as the room quieted. How could she expect to have a decent summer in China when she could hardly make it through the first day?

She lay in silence, trying to ignore the headache that was coming on. She waited until she could hear the sound of Jessica’s deep breaths, then quietly reached inside her purse beside her bed. She took out the picture and let the moonlight from the window illuminate its surface. The image of herself in China had always given her hope that she might reconnect with her past. Now? The idea of visiting an orphanage in a city hours away seemed like mission impossible. Anyone else was more fit to complete her plan—Jessica, Lisa, even half-Chinese Will. But her? Could
she
do it?

Maybe Beijing really was the Forbidden City.

Maybe she should forget about this whole thing.

Cece put away the photo.

Maybe some questions just weren’t worth answering.

Cece dreaded the idea of going to breakfast the next morning, but Jessica insisted.

“Do I really have to go down there?” Cece asked as she finished getting ready. “What if they’re serving live crocodiles or something?”

Jessica laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. If I know my Chinese food, it’ll be rice porridge or
saobing youtiao
.”

“
Youtiao?
What’s that?”

“Fried bread dipped in soybean milk.”

“Sounds great,” Cece said dryly.

“Oh, come on,” Jess replied. “It’s not that bad. Get in touch with your heritage!”

Cece was about to respond, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Good morning,” Peter said to Jessica as she opened the door. He was wearing a shirt that read BORN IN THE USA.

Cece smiled.

“I came to get Cece. Is that all right?”

“Me?” Cece went to the door. “What for?”

“It’s a surprise,” Peter replied, a gleam in his eye.

Cece looked at Jessica, who shrugged. “He’s your host.”

“Come on,” Peter said. “I did not spend fifteen minutes begging the front-door person for your room number for nothing. You must say yes.”

Cece smiled again. “All right.” She joined Peter in the hall. Perhaps whatever he had planned would be a step above soybeans in the dining hall. She turned to Jessica. “I’ll see you at orientation?”

“Sure,” Jessica said. “Lisa and I will save you a seat.”

Peter and Cece headed out, leaving the university through the main gate. The city streets bustled with morning activity. Stores were already open, and tons of people were out shopping. Cece walked past a stationery store, a shoe place, and a boutique completely devoted to women’s hair accessories. Street vendors stood along the sidewalk, selling steamed buns and roasted eggs. The energy of Xi’an was invigorating. “Where are we going?” Cece said.

“You will see,” Peter said mysteriously. “Just follow me.”

Before long, they came to a corner and stood in front of the golden arches—McDonald’s! Cece had never seen anything more beautiful in her entire life. Forget Chinese food—she would get in touch with her heritage at lunch.

“Egg McMuffin, anyone?” Peter pushed open the door.

“Excellent.”
Cece promptly went inside and stood in line. The place was packed with locals. “Man, Chinese people must like this place.”

Peter grinned. “A lot of young people here like things from the West. It is a dawn of a new era!” he announced. “I said that right, didn’t I?”

Cece nodded as she studied the menu. A breakfast sandwich was almost the same price as in the States. “But isn’t McDonald’s kinda expensive here?”

“It is. However, Chinese citizens are getting richer. We do not all work in the factories and the fields, you know.” He smiled.

“I see.”

“But do not be mistaken,” Peter went on. “We like our Chinese food, too. I know I will find something local you will like here. However, this morning, I think you need a break, yes?”

Cece let out a breath. “Definitely.” It was their turn to place their order, and as Peter spoke with the boy behind the register, Cece was glad she had Peter for a host. Mark had been right. Peter would be invaluable to her experience here. He made everything feel that much more doable.

After a satisfying breakfast, Cece and Peter walked back to the university.

“So why do you like America so much?” Cece said, pointing to Peter’s T-shirt. “I mean, I know you explained the Chinese are interested in the West, but I get the feeling you’re more enthusiastic than most.”

“This is a good question,” Peter said. “I have always been a big fan of the USA. My cousin, he lives in Los Angeles. He tells me all about Hollywood. Making movies. One day I will save enough money and go there. I want to apply for film school and direct big blockbuster hits.”

“Yeah?” Cece said.

“Maybe you can help me.”

“Me? How?”

“You can help me with my application.”

Cece shook her head. “Oh, Peter, I know nothing about filmmaking.”

“That is not what I mean,” Peter said. “You know a lot about English. I want my essays to be perfect.” He checked his watch as they approached the gates. “But we can talk about this some other time. You are late.”

Cece stopped at the gate. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“You’re welcome,” Peter said. “So maybe I will see you this afternoon? I can show you around. We can see Pizza Hut, KFC, Starbucks. . . . ”

Cece laughed. “How about something I can see only in Xi’an.”

“Oh, right,” Peter said. “I guess we can try that. Let us meet here after orientation. Twelve o’clock?”

“Okay,” Cece said.

Peter turned to walk away and waved.
“Zai jian!”

“Zai jian!”
Cece repeated, certain that meant good-bye.

 

When Cece stepped into the lecture hall, the other program students were already seated. Mark and Jenny were standing in the front along with several members of XU faculty. They welcomed the group. Cece spotted Jessica and Lisa toward the middle, but instead of an empty spot waiting for her, Will and some other guys occupied the seats around them. It was just as well. She’d rather not face Will today after what happened last night. She plopped down by the door and noticed Kallyn was only a couple of seats away.