Tangled Vines (33 page)

Shuwen waved her hands again. “Go. He’s fine.”

Something told Calli she could trust the old woman, so as
Shuwen led Jet toward the kitchen, Calli let Benfu take her hand. They left for one more walk in which they’d both wonder what sort of woman their daughter had turned out to be. It would be a long night for them both, this she knew. She marveled that in only a few hours, they’d finally get their answer with their own eyes.

L
i Jin tossed and turned in the bed, feeling hot all over. She and Sami had worked just as hard as usual earlier in the day, but still she couldn’t go to sleep. She was too restless and didn’t know why. She sat up and looked over at Sami in the bed next to her. She looked like she was sleeping…but maybe she was still awake and wanted to talk. Lately they’d had many long conversations about the hardships both of them had overcome and the parallels in their lives. Talking with someone about it after years of keeping it all inside was proving to be therapeutic. Tonight she wanted to talk about Jojo. She could not stop thinking of him.

“Sami,” she whispered.

The mound of blankets didn’t move.

Li Jin looked at the other beds. From the complete stillness she could see everyone except her was sleeping. She quietly went to her trunk and unlocked it, took out her clothes and shoes, and got dressed. She’d take a walk to clear her head and, she hoped, tire herself out more. Six in the morning was right around the corner and it was going to be a rough day if she couldn’t get any sleep. She carefully reattached her padlock and tugged on it to make sure it was secure; she didn’t want to come back and realize she’d been robbed—even if it wasn’t really her money, it was her and Jojo’s only way to build a new life.

She reached up to smooth her hair and tiptoed out of the attic and down the stairs. She heard voices in the kitchen and wondered who was awake so late, but didn’t want to talk to anyone but Sami, so she slipped out the front door. The night was cool and she shivered, then crossed her arms over her chest. She probably should have felt more nervous being out so late alone but she didn’t. She’d traveled around much scarier places in her life.

The village was also asleep,
and the quiet sounds of the cicadas and the water were soothing to her restless spirit. Li Jin wished Sami had come with her, as the area surrounding the pond during the day was usually packed with people and tonight it was serene. She’d just sit on the bench for a while, then go back and try again to get some sleep.

As she got closer to the bench, she could make out the form of a couple sitting there. From the back it appeared to be a man and woman, his arm around her shoulders as they stared at the pond. Li Jin didn’t want to intrude, and she also didn’t want company herself. She began to cross behind them to get to the other side. She walked as quietly as possible in the grass, trying not to make any noise.

Now that she was closer, she could see from the moonlight that it was an older couple. She thought they were out fairly late for their age, but she smiled at the obvious closeness they shared. The woman’s head lay on his shoulder and the protective way he held her made Li Jin’s heart ache. She could only hope to feel that kind of love one day.

She stepped on a twig and the man turned to see what was behind them.

“It’s just me,” she said. She didn’t want to scare the elderly people into a heart attack. “Sorry. I was only taking a walk.”

The old woman turned at the sound of her voice and Li Jin found herself under close scrutiny from them both. She supposed a stroll wasn’t in the cards and turned to go.

“Wait,” the woman said. She looked tired but even with the obvious fatigue on her face and in her voice, Li Jin thought she was lovely. The woman looked at her so intensely it made her uncomfortable. Then she called out to her again. “Wait. Please.”

“Excuse me?” Li Jin stopped. Maybe they wanted directions or something. She waited as the woman leaned her head in and whispered to the man. With her words, the man abruptly stood, his wife rising, too. He also looked at her for a few seconds, as if he wanted to ask her something important. Finally he spoke.

“Is your name Li Jin?” the man asked, his voice sort of gravelly and shaky. He was a big man—not in a huge way but in a way that made Li Jin think when he walked into a room he owned it, even if it wasn’t his intention.

Li Jin was confused. Who were these people and how did they know her name?

The woman stepped around the bench and came toward her. “Li Jin, I know it’s you. This is going to come as a shock but we came here to meet you. We’re staying at the Moon Harbor Inn. Lao Shuwen told us we could talk to you in the morning.”

Li Jin squinted in the dark and stepped closer. “Oh. Hello. But who are you?” She moved even closer and was shocked to see tears glistening on both of their faces. What was going on? Had someone found Jojo?

The woman started to answer but seemed to choke on her words. The old man put his arm around her and comforted her for a second, then looked up.

“Li Jin, we are your parents and we’ve been searching for you for a very long time.”

Li Jin felt like the world was swirling around her as she tried to take in the words the old man spoke. She felt someone at her side and then an arm slipped around her back, giving her support. She opened her eyes to find Sami beside her.

“Li Jin? Who are these people? I woke up and you were gone. I came to look for you.”

“They claim they are my parents,” Li Jin said in barely more than a whisper.

The old man stepped up and took control. “Here. Come sit over on this bench. We’ve had a few days to process this and you’ve only had a few seconds. I know it must feel like you’ve been hit over the head with a sledgehammer.”

He moved to Li Jin’s other side and gently guided her to the bench. She sat down and the old woman lowered herself onto the seat beside her. Li Jin looked at them both and saw nothing but sincerity. Whoever they were, they truly believed they were her parents. Sami crouched beside the bench, watching them and giving Li Jin a feeling of security.

“Please, say that again.” She finally pushed the request out of her mouth. Even if it couldn’t be true, she’d waited her entire life to hear those words.

The woman sat down beside her and took her hand, holding it in her lap and patting it comfortingly. It took her a few tries between her sobs but she finally choked out the words again. “I know this is going to sound impossible, but I am your mother.” She nodded at her husband. “And that handsome fellow over there is your father. But best of all, we have some very good news for you. We’ve found Jojo.”

Li Jin could barely believe her ears. Everything else the woman said faded away and only one word remained. Jojo? They’d found him? She stood quickly, feeling the blood rush to her head too fast, and staggered. Sami was right beside her, holding her steady.

“Where? Where’s my son?” She looked around frantically. She could deal with the other stuff later. She wanted her son. Now.

“He’s in bed asleep back at the inn. I promise you this,” the old man answered. “We tracked you from Beijing to Suzhou. From there we found your apartment and Jojo was there with the
waiguoren
. Your neighbor, Lao Jing, heard the commotion and came upstairs. When she found out he had Jojo and who we were, she led us here.”

Li Jin felt dizzy with the range of emotions that ran through her, but the sudden rage she felt at Erik topped them all. He’d pay for taking her son.

The old woman nodded. “And we
are
your parents. It’s true, Li Jin. It took us thirty years, but we’ve found you. I have orphanage photos of you back in the room, I can show you.”

Li Jin shook her head. “Thirty years plus some, you mean.” She didn’t want to sound so angry but she couldn’t help it. She’d fantasized about this day for her entire life but it wasn’t going as she’d planned. Instead of embraces and declarations of love, the bitterness threatened to envelop her if she didn’t spit it out. “What took you so damn long? Wasn’t I important enough to look for earlier?”

She could barely see through the tears that sprang from her eyes, but from the look on the woman’s face, her words had cut like a knife. Even the old man looked astonished at her anger. What did they expect? She’d lived on the streets, begged for money, been beaten and coerced, and almost killed. Was she supposed to be grateful they’d decided to finally claim her?

“Li Jin,” Sami whispered. “I wouldn’t trust them, but if you want to decide for yourself, you’re going to have to let them tell their side of the story.”

The couple stood together, watching her and waiting for her next words. They were hurt, Li Jin could see that, but it was unavoidable and anyway—so was she.

“And how do I even know I’m their long-lost daughter?” She looked from Sami to them and back to Sami for encouragement. The whole idea of her parents’ finding her after three decades sounded far-fetched. And just coincidentally they showed up with her missing son?

Sami held her hands up and shrugged. Li Jin didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what to think! “I’m sorry but I can’t think of anything right now but seeing my son.” She turned and ran down the path, leaving Sami behind with them. As she sprinted, she heard the old woman call out behind her in a strangled voice.

“Li Jin, wait—your real name is Dahlia. And you’ve got the flower tattooed on your heel!”

The woman’s words rang in her ears as she burst through the door of the inn. Shuwen met her in the hallway, her face a fright. The noise had scared her out of bed and she struggled to tie the sash around her gaping robe.

“What are you doing out there, Li Jin? I thought you were upstairs asleep!”

“Where is my Jojo, Shuwen? What room did you put those people in?” Li Jin stomped down the hall, ready to fling every door open to find her son. She’d even tear them off the hinges if she had to.

“The Orchid Room, Li Jin. Hush! You’re going to wake all the customers!” Shuwen led her to the Orchid Room and pushed open the door. “Didn’t
those people
tell you who they were?”

Li Jin ignored her and moved around her into the room. She looked but with the dimness saw only a lump under the covers. She bent down and switched on the lamp, then froze.

There he was. He lay curled up on his side with his hands balled into fists the way he always slept. She dropped to her knees beside the bed, unable to stand any longer. The tears ran down her face as she leaned over and stroked his hair and inhaled his familiar smell. She had her son back. He was alive and well. Her crying turned ragged and his eyelashes fluttered.

“Ma?” He opened his eyes.

Li Jin climbed onto the bed. “It’s me, Jojo.” She sobbed and held her arms out. Jojo bolted up and fell into them and all felt right with the world once again. Li Jin held him tight and he squeezed her back just as hard.

“It was that gang boy, Ma. He got me from the bus and took me to Erik.”

Behind her she heard Shuwen close the door softly. She hugged Jojo tighter and thought he felt a bit skinnier.