The Scavenger's Daughters (Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters, Book One) (33 page)

His heart swelled with love.

Jasmine pointed over at the fishpond, making sure he’d seen it.

“Yes, your fish brought me home, Jasmine. And guess what? Who do you think is getting a new bedtime story tonight?”

At his touch on her cheek, Jasmine looked up at him and sniffled. With the amazing gift of childlike trust, and the promise of a new story, his lengthy absence was forgiven.

Benfu felt something at his side and found Lily there, holding the violin.

“Ye Ye. It is time. The music is waiting.” She laid the violin in his lap, handed him the bow, and moved back. Jasmine scooted off his lap and sat between him and Calli, waiting impatiently.

Benfu shook his head and tried to push the violin back into Lily’s hands. “Oh no. My time has passed.”

Lily shook her head, stubbornly refusing to take the violin back. Benfu looked around at the girls and then at Calli. He didn’t think he could do it. It had been years since he’d allowed himself to feel the cool comfort of the wood against his chin. He’d been forced to keep the violin and his gift secret for so long that he’d told himself he would never play again, and he had meant it. But now, with the unexpected blessings this day had brought, his heart rebelled against that oath.

Calli gave him a reassuring nod and Benfu put the violin against his shoulder. He found that it still fit there comfortably, as if it had never left. He picked up the bow and laid it against the strings. With one tiny movement he felt first a pang of regret; then another movement brought him a stirring of relief. Memories flooded him and though some were painful, the glimpse into his past allowed him to see how precious his life now was. He played the first chords of a once-forbidden classic and felt a rush of energy. Beside him he heard the laughter bubbling up from Calli, making her sound seventeen again. The sound took him back to those long-ago stolen moments with her, moments full of hope and plans for their future—plans to marry and have a big family. But fate had only given them one child and she had been taken from them. Then those government monsters had taken away their opportunity to ever have another.

With that thought he paused, then began to play a slow, soulful song. It was one that he had loved for many years and the dramatic chords came to him quickly. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears and his little Dahlia’s round face suddenly showed itself to him again. In his mind he could see her pressed against Calli’s breast and saw again the look of content they had both carried. It had been years since he’d allowed himself to remember those treasured moments.

With hot tears escaping from his closed eyes, he began to release the sorrows he’d carried for so long. His bow seemed to take on a life of its own; then he couldn’t believe it but from his own hands he heard the sweetest and purest music he had ever before made.

He looked around and saw respect mirrored in the eyes of his friends and neighbors, and he felt a flash of pride that finally he was able to show them he was more than they had perhaps thought. Then he searched the faces of the girls all gathered round and was filled with a sense of inexplicable joy. These
were
his children! Fate had not stripped him of fatherhood—just because they didn’t come from his loins didn’t mean a thing. He felt the smile spreading across his face, and he closed his eyes and inhaled the music and the feeling of love that settled over him like a warm cloak.

All around the courtyard the only sound to be heard over the song was the sound of muffled crying as they all shared in the special and unexpected miracle. Even Gong stood with his head cocked to one side, listening as the sun reflected off his wide forehead.

When Benfu finished playing the piece and rested the bow, he looked over Jasmine’s head and locked eyes with his Calla Lily. Deep within her dark brown eyes he saw the girl who’d accepted and trusted in him so many years before—the same girl who had given him reason to live when she’d promised him forever.

He couldn’t believe the life they’d built together. He reached over and rubbed at the tear moving slowly through a deep line on her lovely face. He shook his head in amazement—he wasn’t such an old fool that he didn’t realize the gods had surely smiled down on him. Why they’d want to bestow such a life to just a wretched old man he didn’t understand. But in that instant he also knew there was no other place in the world he’d rather be than in his garden with his beautiful flowers, known as the Scavenger’s Daughters.

Enjoy a Sneak Peek of Book II of The Scavenger’s Daughters series. Coming soon from Amazon Publishing.

Suzhou, China, 2011

L
i Jin ducked to the left as the familiar but dreaded fist flew toward her face and hit the concrete wall behind her. It was getting easier to predict his actions and sometimes her quick moves helped her avoid the pain. But not always.

“You’ll do what you’re told and if you don’t, Jojo will pay the price.”

Li Jin was glad Jojo was at school and not there to witness her shame. The man she’d once considered her rescuer cradled his bleeding knuckles against his chest and glared at her as if his pain were her fault. She huddled in the corner of the room, transfixed by the dots of spittle on his upper lip. Erik knew how to get her to do what he wanted. Her son meant the world to her, and she’d do anything to protect him, even if it meant jeopardizing her freedom. She’d already lost a lot to keep the façade of normalcy in place for him but mostly it was her dignity that was irreplaceable.

“Okay. I’ll do it,” she answered, careful to keep her eyes downcast. If she looked straight at him when he was angry, he’d take it as a challenge.

Erik snorted in disgust and pushed the piece of paper into her face, crushing it against her nose. She took it and slapped his hand away. He turned to leave, throwing out one last warning.

“Be there by noon. Don’t make me come find you, Li Jin. You’re an old woman, now. You can’t hide from me.”

The bitter sound of her name rolling off his foreign tongue made her glad once again that she hadn’t shared her secret with him.
Dahlia
—just a name but it was the only clue about her birth that she’d been able to ferret out from the director at the orphanage. The nontraditional name had been given to her by parents who didn’t want her, but it at least made her wonder if they may have loved her even a little. She’d almost told Erik about it when he’d asked about the tattoo on her foot, but now she never would. He didn’t deserve to know and she didn’t want to hear something so special come from such an angry person.

Surprisingly, Erik spoke good Chinese and his South African accent made it sound almost poetic. When he had swept her off her feet a year ago, he’d told her she was lovely and didn’t look all of her thirty years. Now that he’d been in China long enough to understand much of the culture, he knew being an unmarried mother at her age was a social stigma. In the eyes of her people, she was a disappointment to society.

He’d used that weakness and longing for respectability against her. He was younger than her, though not a lot, but his muscular body had immediately attracted her attention. She hadn’t encountered too many foreigners and his golden boy looks, blond hair, and blue eyes had startled her at first. He’d approached her as she sat watching Jojo play in the park. At first she was wary but he won her over with his smooth way of talking. After some flirting, he’d told her he was an investor. They’d hit it off and she couldn’t believe such a worldly man would choose her. He had smothered her with attention and for the first time in her life, she had felt what it meant to be romanced. They’d moved fast—too fast, she now knew. Within weeks she had helped him secure an apartment for a great local price and he’d begged her to move in with him. At the time she and Jojo had been staying in a hostel and barely making it. With the new living arrangements, she’d felt like finally fate had sent her a reprieve.

Unfortunately, Erik’s behavior had changed quickly once she was securely ensnared in his web. Those blue eyes that had captivated her now turned icy when he was having one of his fits. And these days he constantly
made remarks that he could easily get a younger, more beautiful girl to do his bidding.

Now that she knew who—or what—he really was, Li Jin wished he
would
find someone else. But then who would pay for Jojo to go to school? Without an education he’d just be another kid on the street, forced to hustle to make a living like the migrant workers’ children. The support from Erik had allowed her to put Jojo in school for the first time and he had flourished ever since. To Jojo, school was a constant adventure and source of entertainment. And she loved her son more than life itself. He was her only spot of light in what before him had been a world of darkness. This was her only chance to provide for his future. She’d suffer the abuse as long as it didn’t touch her son. There was no limit to what a mother would do for her child and she was determined Jojo would never have a childhood like hers. He would have a family and feel protected and wanted.

When she heard the front door slam, she stood. She released a ragged sigh of relief. He’d be gone for the rest of the morning. She rubbed her hands down her clothes to wipe away the invisible feeling of filth from Erik’s latest demand. She didn’t approve of what she had to do, even if she’d done it several times already. The truth was that it never got easier. She resolved herself to just get it over with and not think about it. She’d focus on the face of her son and pretend she was just a normal mother out to finish her daily errands. She’d done it before and she could do it again. But only for Jojo. And just maybe before the next round she’d find a way to stop the madness.