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Chapter 8

Posted on Saturday, 22 January 2005

Her nerves on edge, Elaine navigated her way through the tangled maze of roads surrounding the San Francisco International Airport. She ducked her head at the last minute to peer at the sign above, and groaned aloud. She didn't think it could get any more confusing than this. She bypassed the roads leading off to the lots for temporary parking, long-term parking, and short-term parking. Amazingly, she found the one directing her to the pick-up and drop-off areas, but then she had to choose between domestic flights and international flights. By the time she figured out she had to make a right turn, and changed lanes so that she could, she'd missed the pick-up route and had to circle back around the entire airport again to veer off in the appropriate direction. At least the second time around the airport, she knew exactly which lanes she needed to be in to make the right turns.

Suffice to say, by the time she reached the pick-up curb and spotted her friend, Charlotte was already waiting with her luggage and Elaine was ready to scream.

Elaine popped the lid to the trunk and waved Charlotte over by leaning over the front passenger seat and gesturing through the window. Since airport security didn't like people to straggle at the curb for any amount of time that was longer than necessary, picking up passengers was like a mean, competitive game of pick-up sticks. Charlotte scurried over and hefted her suitcase into the trunk, then slid into the front passenger seat of the car.

"Hey!"

There was no time for hugging greetings. Elaine hadn't even bothered getting out of the car; yet, she could already feel the prickles of disapproving eyes of airport security on the back of her neck. "All strapped in?"

Charlotte checked to make sure she had her purse and that her seatbelt was buckled. "All set. Thanks so much for picking me up," she said as Elaine looked over her shoulder while pulling away from the curb, and endeavoring to reenter the traffic circling the airport.

"No problem."

"How was the traffic?"

"Fine, until I hit the airport. These roads are a mess! That's why I was late. I missed a turn off and had to start all over again. At least I had the benefit of experience the second loop around and was able to anticipate all the twists and turns."

"Oh, it's no problem," Charlotte reassured. "I'd just come out of baggage claim anyway. It's so good to see you!"

"I know. How long has it been?"

"Much too long."

"Look at you though; you look great!"

"Thanks. So do you. You've changed your hair."

"Yeah." Elaine laughed and touched one hand to her short crop of black hair. "I felt like after eight years I needed a change."

"A change? You practically had a makeover!"

"That's a nice way of describing it. My mom called it hacking."

If she closed her eyes and thought hard enough she could still hear her mother exclaiming over her newly cut hair. "Ai-ya! What you do? You cut all your pretty hair! Your one true beauty! So long, so shiny, so black, and now so short. Look dull. You look like boy. What boy going to want to marry you now, eh?" Interestingly enough, now that her mother had gotten used to her hair being short - and actually liked it short - she was always the first person to point out when she thought Elaine's hair was getting long again, and then hounded her until she got her hair cut.

"Mothers," Charlotte exhaled gustily.

"You still want me to drop you off at your parents' house?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah, I'd better."

"You're welcome to crash on my couch."

"Thanks, but I think my parents would have a conniption if I came all the way to Frisco and didn't stay with them."

"Probably."

"It's tempting though. Very tempting."

Elaine laughed. "We won't think about it then. I'll just make sure to kidnap you for the rest of the weekend so you won't have to spent all your time with them."

"Hey, now that's an idea!"

"In fact, I'll start now. In honor of your visit, I took the day off. So, we'll have lunch, giggle like schoolgirls, reminisce, and catch-up, and then I'll drop you off at your parents' house later. I have to head in their direction later today anyway."

"Sounds like an excellent plan! Is this the week for your Friday dinner ritual?"

"Yup."

"You and Jane are so good."

Elaine shrugged her shoulders. "It's not so hard to take a few hours of our time every other week and have dinner with our parents. Besides, it's much easier to just concede and have dinner with them rather than putting up with my mother's complains that we never visit and spend time with them. Preemptive measures, you know."

"Still. You've no idea how much I hear about it from my mother. Every time she calls, she laments how far I live from her, asks if I'm ever going to move back to San Francisco, wonders who's going to take care of her when she and my father are old, sick, and crippled - never mind that my sister, Mary, lives half an hour away - and then tells me how wonderful my Auntie and Uncle Bai have it since their two wonderful daughters - that would be you and Jane - spend time with them at least every other week, and wouldn't life be grand if her two daughters had more xiao shun for their parents."

Xiao shun, filial obedience or devotion to one's parents, was no laughing matter in the Chinese culture; it was a way of life.¹ But, having had many conversations just like the one Charlotte described with her own mother, Elaine had to chuckle anyway. She knew exactly how her friend felt.

They were halfway back to Chinatown when Elaine's cell phone rang. "Would you mind seeing who that is?"

"Sure."

The phone book in Elaine's cell phone didn't recognize the incoming number so she had Charlotte read the number out to her. Elaine didn't recognize the number either and so plugged in her headphone and pressed, "talk." She didn't know it then, but she would regret her decision in two seconds.

"Hello? Billy. Hi."

Charlotte sat with barely concealed interest as she listened to the one-sided conversation that ensued.

"How'd you get this number?" Elaine felt compelled to ask; after all, she had avoided giving him her cell phone number for this very reason.

"From my mother?" Of course. She should've thought of her herself. "Oh, great. No I didn't ask her to give it to you. Did she say that I did? Well I didn't. No, of course I didn't. I think I would remember if I had, Billy. I don't know why she gave it to you or said that I had asked her to give it to you. Because I didn't. Yes, I'm positive I didn't. Of course I know what I'm talking about!

"Billy, I already told you. I'm not interested in being anything more than friends. I don't care what my mom says or what your mom keeps suggesting. They're both wrong. My mom and your mom do not know how I feel, only I know how I feel. And I'm telling you, Billy, we're not compatible.

"Furthermore, I'm not available. As I've mentioned to you, I'm already seeing someone else. Yes, I am! No, I'm not just saying that! No, this is not some feminine ploy. But, as I've been trying to get you to understand Billy, even if I weren't seeing someone already, I still wouldn't want to go out with you. Yes, really!

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Billy. I'm not interested in you." Elaine wasn't sure how she could put it anymore plainly than that, but still the logic seemed to fly right over his head. She wanted to scream and bash her head into a brick wall, except she was driving and to do so would put her life in peril as well as Charlotte's. So, instead, she gritted her teeth and gripped the steering wheel in a death lock, imagining it was Billy's neck.

"Billy? Do me a favor. Don't call me anymore! Yes, I know what your mom says, but do me another favor. Stop listening to her! You're only making things worse by continuing to call me when I've already told you how I felt and asked you to stop harassing me with these perpetual phone calls. I'm sorry, Billy. I don't return your feelings."

Elaine started imagining bashing his head into a wall. After their little coffee-turned-ice cream date, she'd thought him boring at worst and lame at best. But now, with his ceaseless phone calls, he was just downright annoying. A part of Elaine felt bad that she was being this blunt, and wasn't trying to do more to soften the blows. But then, it didn't seem to matter as he kept coming back for more, and her pity only extended so far.

Briefly, she wondered what her mother and his mother would have to say if she got a temporary restraining order against him. The idea appealed to her so much that she let herself dream about it for a couple of seconds before saying, "Billy, I've got to go. I can't argue about this with you right now; I'm trying to drive. But if you're smart, you'll take my word for what it is and stop harassing me. No, I'm not trying to be all female and coy nor am I playing games with you! When I say no, I mean no. I never say one thing and then mean the opposite. Yes, I'm serious. I'm sorry too. Good-bye, Billy."

Elaine yanked the earpiece out of her ear with relief. "Argh!" she let herself yell before turning to Charlotte and muttering, "Sorry," with a somewhat amused grin on her mouth. "Billy always brings out the worst in me."

"Was that Billy Chiu?"

"Yes."

"The Billy Chiu that was obsessed with you when we were in school together?"

"And apparently still obsessed with me, even out of school and after all these years."

"Wow. How'd that happen?"

"If I only knew the answer, then I'd be able to un-obsess him. We can only dream and hope," Elaine sighed.

"No," Charlotte laughed. "What I meant was - how did he get in touch with you? I haven't heard from him or heard anything about him in ages. Well, from college I suppose."

"Oh, that. What do you think? The usual circuits." She then explained how her mother had run into his mother at the market, and things had been running amok ever since.

Charlotte felt a little bit of pity stirring in her as she listened to Elaine's story. "Don't you think you were a little harsh with him just now?"

"Was I?" Elaine didn't think so. "You haven't had to put up with him these past several days. He's relentless, Charlotte. He has the thickest skull I've ever seen; it's as if everything I say just bounces right off of him. I swear his skin must be made of Teflon. And it's annoying because I'm not interested and he just can't get it, or won't get it. Who knows."

"Maybe you should give him a chance." Charlotte crossed her legs at the ankles and angled her body so that she could catch a better glimpse of her friend as she drove.

"I have. We went out for ice cream and he was a complete fuddy-duddy. Even if I hadn't been bored out of my mind the entire time, the way he hangs on his mother's words would've put me off. I mean, it's one thing to respect your parents, listen to them, and value their opinions. It's quite another thing to sit in their pocket and just do everything they tell you to do just because they are your parents. It's like have a little independence and think for yourself for once!"

"You have to feel kind of sorry for him though, don't you, Elaine? I mean, you know his mother. It can't be easy standing up to a woman like that."

After the last phone call, Elaine was fresh out of sympathy. "I don't think so. I think that if he really wanted to, he'd find a way - like maybe move out and not live with his parents. That constant exposure to his mom can't be good for him."

"Well, can I have his number then?"

Elaine spared a moment's glance to look astonishingly at her friend. She wanted to ask, "Why?" but figured that would probably be nosy and rude.

Charlotte saw the question on her friend's face anyway. "I just want to say hi, as an old friend. It'd be fun to meet up with some old classmates while I'm in town this weekend," Charlotte filled in the silence. "Don't you think?"

Secretly, Elaine thought her friend was insane. "It's up to you. But don't come crying to me when you're forced into having lunch with Billy and are bored out of your mind," Elaine warned. Then she invited Charlotte to copy Billy's phone number off of her cell phone. Little did she know though, she would regret that in about two days.

Elaine was not looking forward to tonight's dinner or the inevitable confrontation she knew she'd be having with her mother over Will. Having spent her entire day in her friend, Charlotte's company, she'd been able to put it out of her mind for several hours and not think about it. But, she'd just dropped Charlotte off in front of her parents' apartment building and was now about to enter the building where her own parents lived. She took several deep, calming breaths and told herself that everything would be all right.

Ha! That's a lie if I ever heard one.

Still, a person could hope.

She pushed the door open and walked up the two flights of stairs. She could hear loud noises through the door. That could only mean one thing. Jane and Charlie were already there.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Charlie himself answered her knock. "Hey! You're here!"

"Yup. I'm here."

He closed the door behind her. "Your mom and sister are in the kitchen."

"Where's my dad?"

"Your mom sent him to the market for some more dumpling wrappers."

Elaine nodded her head. "Okay."

Well, here goes nothing, she told herself.

"Hi, Ma."

She popped her head around the corner and saw that her mom and sister were sitting at the kitchen table wrapping jiao ze - Chinese dumplings.² There was a large, aluminum mixing bowl in front of her mother, and it was filled to the brim with a mixture of ground pork, finely chopped Chinese cabbage, crushed ginger, diced scallions, and other seasonings. Using her chopsticks, her mother was dabbing a little bit of the meat mixture on the wrappers before putting them on a plate for her sister to fold. Once Jane deftly pleated the edges of the wrappers together, she placed the dumplings on another plate in neat rows. When all the dumplings had been folded, they would be boiled for dinner.

"You're late," Fanny commented, without looking up from her work.

Elaine set down her things, looked at her watch and stifled the retort that bubbled immediately from her throat. She wasn't late. She was right on time. It was just that Jane and Charlie had been early.

Jane tried to defray their mother's censure by smiling at her sister; it didn't work.

"Well don't just stand there," Fanny told her. "Come and help your sister." Again, without looking at her second daughter or even stopping her work, Fanny managed to pull out a chair for her daughter and hand her an empty plate to fill with dumplings.

Her mother was well and truly upset, Elaine reflected. She could always tell when her mother was annoyed because she was abrupt and, even more telling, she was speaking in Chinese. Her mother always spoke Chinese when she needed to eloquently and adequately express exactly how she felt.

Deciding to be smart about picking the battles she fought, Elaine meekly accepted her place at the table and began to fold the dumplings just as her mother had taught her all those years ago when she was just a little girl.

"So," her mother asked after a while, "did you spend your day with Charlotte?"

"Yes."

"How is she?"

"She's doing well."

"I haven't seen her in years, how long is she staying?"

"She has to go back on Sunday. She's just visiting for a long weekend."

"I'd like to see her," Jane butted in.

"We're having lunch tomorrow," Elaine informed her. "You can come with us if you're free."

Fanny sniffed. "Again? You just spent all day with her."

Elaine looked curiously at her mother. "She's only in town for the weekend, and it's been a really long time since I've seen her and spent any time with her. The last time I saw her was almost two years ago when I visited her in L.A."

"Don't you need to work? How on earth do you expect to successfully run a store if you keep gallivanting all over the place?" her mother wanted to know.

"Madeline's covering for me this weekend as a favor, and she has Lydia and Mariah to help her too."

"That was a bit extravagant wasn't it? Hiring on, not one, but two, assistants at the same time? I hope you know what you're doing. Paying all those wages must be such a drain on your income. But, you young people, you never think about these things."

Elaine refused to let her mother's barbs get under her skin. "Madeline and I researched and outlined everything very carefully, especially our budget and expenses, before we considered taking on extra help," she said mildly. "I think we know what we're doing."

"You think."

Elaine was saved from saying something she would probably regret later by the timely arrival of her father. "Here are the extra wrappers," he said, dropping a fluorescent orange, plastic shopping bag on the kitchen table. "I wasn't sure if I was supposed to buy the square-cut wrappers or the circle-cut wrappers, so I got both."

Fanny looked exasperatedly at her husband. "I told you to get dumpling wrappings. Of course those are the circle-cut ones. The square-cut wrappers are for wrapping wontons."

"I forgot," was Tom's absent-minded reply. He seemed unconcerned by his wife's heated censure, probably accustomed to it by now.

"Well, never mind then. Put the wonton wrappers in the freezer for now and bring another plate when you come back around. I guess I'll be making wontons for lunch sometime next week."

Tom did as his wife requested, and then went to join Charlie in front of the television. It was a wise man who stayed out of the kitchen, especially considering his wife's recently elevated temper.

It was another fifteen minutes before they finished wrapping the remainder of the dumplings. Fanny had started the water boiling already and, as soon as the water was ready, she poured a plate of dumplings into the water pot. While the first batch of dumplings cooked, they washed and cleared the table, and set it for dinner.

Fanny mentally calculated how many dumplings she thought they'd consume for dinner, and left enough out to cook. The remainder of the extra dumplings, she placed into an aluminum foil pan and covered it in foil. "You take home and put in the freezer for when you come home from work and are too tired and busy to cook," she told the girls.

When the first batch of dumplings was finished cooking, Jane called the men to dinner. Fanny joined them at the table once she'd put a second batch to boil. Everyone had different preferences as to the type of sauce they liked to dip their dumplings in, so Fanny had put all the seasonings out on the table for everyone to mix themselves rather than trying to make a sauce that everyone would enjoy. Elaine liked hers simple, and poured only a little bit of soy sauce and sesame oil into her bowl. But, around her, everyone else was passing around the chopped ginger, black vinegar, and hot sauce.

All throughout dinner, Elaine waited for her mother to say something to her. To ask questions. But, she didn't. The nervous anticipation had knotted her stomach already though, and it affected her appetite.

Not surprisingly, her lack of appetite did not go unnoticed. "Are you not hungry tonight?" her mother asked. "I thought you loved dumplings. Here, have some more," she said, and then put actions to her words by placing several dumplings into her bowl.

Elaine sucked in a deep breath as she bent over her bowl and tried to tuck into her dinner as best she could. Normally, she tried to eat as many dumplings as her stomach allowed. As her mother had said, she loved dumplings, and always had.

One of her mother's favorite stories to tell was how when she was three-years-old, her mother had wrapped dumplings and left them out on the counter in preparation for lunch. Elaine, unable to tell the difference between a cooked and uncooked dumpling, had scooted a chair over to the counter, climbed atop, and snatched one of the dumplings from the plate. Fortunately, her mother had caught her before she could stuff her mouth with it.

Tonight, however, Elaine simply could not eat.

She was glad when dinner was over, but her relief came too soon. When Charlie offered to help with the dishes, Fanny told him it wasn't necessary. She sent him to the living room with her husband and eldest daughter with promises of dessert soon to follow. Then, she asked Elaine to join her in the kitchen.

It wasn't so much a request as it was an order, Elaine reflected. But, that's how it was with her mother. You always did what she said, or risk her wrath.

When Elaine joined her mother in the kitchen, Fanny was already bustling back and forth between the refrigerator, the cabinets, and the little workspace she'd created at the counter. She'd already set the water boiling and brought out the dessert bowls; she asked Elaine to prepare the teapot and teacups. From the refrigerator she then took out a dish of chilled almond tofu. The almond tofu, which was also known as almond-flavored gelatin, had been prepared earlier that morning and now that it'd had several hours to set up and firm, it was hard and of an almost translucent color.³ It was one of Elaine's favorite desserts.

"Can you get the can of fruit cocktail from the pantry?" Fanny asked of Elaine, still speaking in Chinese.

As her mother lined up the glass dessert bowls, Elaine retrieved the large can of fruit cocktail. Then she dug around for the can opener while her mother sliced the almond tofu into precise cubes and portioned them between the dessert bowls.

"Have you opened the can yet?"

"I can't find the can opener."

With a long-suffering sigh, Fanny opened a drawer, found the can opener almost instantly, and took the can of fruit cocktail from her daughter. "I'll do this. You get five spoons."

"Fine."

There were almond cookies to go with the almond tofu, and Elaine watched as her mother plated them.⁴ Then the water started boiling and Elaine turned around to wash the tea leaves and then pour the hot, aromatic tea into the waiting tea cups.

All the while they worked, Elaine kept waiting for her mother to say something, but except for the few short orders that Fanny gave her, her mother never did. "Bring the tea," her mother called after her, as she proceeded towards the living room with the bowls of almond tofu and plate of almond cookies.

Resigned to spending at least another half our in expectant misery, Elaine lifted the tea tray and followed.

It wasn't until dessert had been consumed, Jane and Charlie had made their early excuses and left, and Tom was having a Friday night doze in front of the television where he'd been watching a variety game show, that Elaine and Fanny finally had their heart to heart.

"Ma, why did you give my cell phone number to Billy?" Elaine asked while washing the dishes. She'd been dying to ask the question all night long and finally blurted it out.

The question didn't even seem to faze Fanny, who was busy putting away the extra food and wiping down her stove. Fanny was a firm believer in keeping her kitchen free of dust and grime on a frequent basis; that way the dust and grime never got a chance to build up, she'd always say sagely.

"Because his mother told me that he'd called you several times, but you were never home, and even though he'd left you several messages, you never call him back. She wanted to know why that was, and how come you were never home. Well, I told Mrs. Chiu that my daughter could never be so rude. I told her that you were a very busy businesswoman, so it must be that you were always at work when her son tried to you. The best way to reach you, I explained, was on your cell phone. She said Billy didn't have your cell phone number, so what could I say? I tell her no problem; I have your number. I mean, what kind of mother would I be if I didn't have your cell phone, eh? And Mrs. Chiu, she knows that. So I have to give it to her. It was the polite thing to do."

"Polite? That's not being polite. That's like . . . invasion of privacy!"

Fanny waved her daughter off dismissively. "You always make the situation sound bigger than it really is."

Elaine wanted to groan, but settled for seething instead. "Ma, it is a big deal. I expressly asked you not to give my cell phone number out to Billy, but you did so anyway. Now he's calling me day and night both at home and on my cell, and I do not appreciate being badgered like that."

"So go out with him. A date is all Billy asking for."

"That wouldn't solve anything. And I have gone out with him. Once. Remember?"

"Exactly. One time. What can you know after only one time? You never even gave him chance. Go out with him again."

With dismay, Elaine realized that their argument had just run full circle. She was ready to climb her parents' apartment walls screaming. Gathering all the patience and mental fortitude she could muster, Elaine clasped her hands in front of her and said, "Ma, that's not possible. And you know it."

"No, I don't know why it's not possible."

"Because I'm already seeing someone else."

There. I've said it.

She'd been waiting the entire night to get that off her chest, but now that she had, she didn't feel any better. Elaine wasn't sure what she'd been expecting - maybe something akin to what she'd always read about or seen in the movies: a literal lifting of the weight from one's chest. But that wasn't how she felt. The uncertainty was still there, and the dread.

Telling her mother that she was dating someone wasn't enough to free her from the awkwardness of the situation, she still had to deal with the aftermath - her mother's reaction. She stared down at her joined hands and waited for Fanny to say something.

She didn't have to wait long.

"Yes, I've been wondering how come I had to hear about it from someone else that my daughter was seeing someone."

Apparently, Elaine wasn't the only person who knew how to cut to the chase. Most likely, she'd inherited that blunt trait from her mother.

Even though she'd anticipated the question, expected it, that didn't make Elaine any more prepared to answer it. She struggled with what to say, and finally answered, "I didn't want to say anything until I knew myself what was going on. Will and I - that's his name, William Darcy - we just met recently, and have only gone out a handful of times."

Fanny latched onto that like it was a lifeline and said, dismissively, "Exactly. So there's no reason for you to be exclusive, and you can go out with Billy. I never could understand why you young people these days are always so driven to settle down with one person, and 'date.' What is this meaning of 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'? These are just titles. You should surround yourself with a lot of friends of the opposite sex and, from there, see what you like and don't like. Then, when you're ready to get married, you pick one and get married. That's what I did when I was your age, and look how well I chose."

"Ma," Elaine sighed.

She'd long since given up on trying to make her mother understand how dating in America worked. She still remembered how it'd been for her growing up. While all her friends from school had started dating, Jane and Elaine hadn't been allowed. "It's all puppy love," their mother had told them, "and you'd be better off spending your time and energy focused on your studies, rather than running around trying to land yourself a boyfriend of the week. A college education will last you forever; a boyfriend in the sixth grade won't."

Even harder had been trying to explain her mother's mentality to her friends. Elaine remembered the distinct embarrassment she'd felt upon trying to explain to her friends while she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend, especially when they hadn't always understood and decried her parents as being old-fashioned.

But things were different now. She was no longer in the sixth grade, and Will was definitely not a boyfriend of the week.

"I'm not going to ask Billy out nor will I accept a date from him if he asks me out. Ever. And you can tell his mother that. You're both just going to have to accept that." Elaine was determined to put her foot down and not budge an inch.

"But more importantly, I want you to understand how I feel about Will. I like him a lot, Ma. I know it's early yet in our relationship, but he means a lot to me already. He's . . . important, and likely to become more so in the future."

Her description of her relationship with Will, she knew, was lukewarm at best. But Elaine didn't know how else to put it. She was out of her depths; she'd never had this sort of conversation with her mother before. A braver person might have been able to lay her whole heart on the line, but Elaine was a tentative person and she chose the more cautious route. She also wanted to put her relationship in terms that her mother would understand. She knew how indifferent her mother could be.

"How did you meet him?"

"We caught each other's eyes, first in the elevator of my apartment building, and later at Starbucks."

"So that's why you always waste your time and money at the coffee shop."

Elaine tried not to roll her eyes. Her mother would comment on that. "No. I go because I like coffee and sometimes it's a comfortable place to read or get work done. Meeting Will, that was purely fate. As it turns out, he's a really good friend of Charlie's. So I would've met him sooner or later. Jane had already met him several times before I met him."

"Jane tells me he's a doctor."

"That's right. He went to college and medical school with Charlie. Will's now a surgical resident at San Francisco General Hospital."

"His parents?"

"His father's also a doctor. His mother's a homemaker. They live on Nob Hill."

"So Will is also from San Francisco?"

"Yes. But he lived in Washington D.C. for a few years after medical school before moving back a month or two ago."

"Does he have any siblings?"

"A younger sister. Her name is Georgina. She's still in college."

"And where does she go to school?"

"She's a sophomore at Stanford."

"I see."

Elaine knew that there was nothing objectionable for her mother to find. Except that Will wasn't Chinese. So, she waited to hear what her mother had to say.

"Well. We'll see. You've only just met this boy and there's no need for you to rush into anything, like marriage, so you might as well take things slow. Don't box yourself in," Fanny advised. "Consider all your options."

It wasn't the reaction she'd been hoping for, but nor was it the reaction she'd feared. In light of that, Elaine figured she'd count it as a positive sign. Still, as she left her parents' apartment and walked to the trolley stop, laden down with shopping bags filled with frozen dumplings and leftover almond tofu and cookies, Elaine also couldn't help but compare and contrast her mother's reaction to her news to the time Jane had come home and announced she'd started dating Charlie.

Her mother had been so ecstatic she'd been ready to rush her daughter to the altar and call in her order for xi bing, happiness cakes, never mind that it was usually the groom's family that ordered the Chinese wedding cake and presented it to the bride's family for them to distribute to their family and friends as a form of wedding announcement. ⁵

But tonight, when she'd told her mother about Will, Fanny had minimized the importance of Will, and warned her away from marriage. This coming from the woman who only last month had called her to remind her that she wasn't getting any younger and that her ovaries were going to shrivel up and become useless if she didn't hurry up, find someone, and marry him, preferably all within the next year.

The contradictions in her mother's rhetoric didn't surprise her though; they'd become her own best friends these past twenty-four years. That didn't mean, however, that they couldn't still hurt her. As much as she'd been expecting her mother to react in this way, a part of her still hoped that her mother could've been more open-minded about the matter. Or, at the very least, be happy for her.

Footnotes:

1. Confucius was a major proponent of xiao shun, filial piety, and it is a central pillar in his teachings. He believed that a virtuous man was one who showed respect for his family and his home. This is because Confucius believed that the makings for a strong society and government began in the home. His teaching was that if a person showed solicitude to his elders, was respectful and mindful of his role in the family, then when he went outside and mingled with society, he would behave similarly outside of the home. This is why, for centuries, Chinese families have taught their children that they must behave with xiao shun.

2. For a Jiao Ze recipe, see http://chinesefood.about.com/library/blrecipe433.htm

3. For an Almond Tofu/Jello Recipe, see http://www.recipecottage.com/asian/almond-jello01.html

For a picture of what it looks like, see also http://derek_ironchefstour.tripod.com/Chinese/dish4.jpg

4. For a Chinese Almond Cookie Recipe, see http://cookie.allrecipes.com/AZ/ChineseAlmondCakes.asp

5. Xi bing, which literally translates into "happiness cakes," are also known as Dragon and Phoenix cakes because the round-shaped cakes are usually stamped with a print of an intertwined dragon and phoenix, symbolizing the union of the male (dragon) and the female (phoenix). Traditionally, it is the groom's family that presents xi bing to the bride's family during their engagement period. The bride's family then offers some of the xi bing to their ancestors, with the remainder going to their relatives and friends. This is how they announce the engagement of their daughter. The number of xi bing given is based upon seniority and intimacy; the more closely related a relative/friend is to the bride's family, the more xi bing that family would receive. (For those who know what Chinese moon cakes are, xi bing, are similar in taste and kind.)

For several examples of what xi bing look like, see http://www.chinabridal.com/etiquette/food.htm

For more information regarding xi bing and traditional Chinese weddings and customs generally, see http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html

Chapter 9

Posted on Wednesday, 9 February 2005

Elaine awoke to the annoying strains of her cell phone ringing painfully close to her head. She lifted the pillow from her head and blindly swatted around with her hand to find her phone. She'd all but found it when her hand knocked it off her night table. She was just about to sit up and reach for the phone, but it stopped ringing.

"Thank goodness," she croaked.

Just as she was about to fall back asleep, it went off again. "Argh!"

This time she did sit up and fetch her phone. "Hello?" she barked harshly into the phone.

She quickly held the phone away from her ears as the overly excited, high-pitched voice of her mother deafened her eardrums. Elaine couldn't understand a single word of the rapid Chinese her mother was speaking, and for a minute there she was afraid her mother was calling to tell her that something was wrong with her father, and that she was rushing him to the hospital. The panic subsided, however, as she recognized more fury and anger than frantic worry in her mother's voice.

Now what? she thought to herself.

"Ma!" she yelled into the phone. "Slow down. I can't understand what you're saying. What's the matter?"

Fanny slowed down just enough for Elaine to process what she was saying. "Now you've done it, Elaine. Look what you've done. You've ruined your one chance! There's no turning back now! Do you know what you've done, Elaine? Oh, how could you? I can't believe you would do this to us, Elaine. You are such a disappointment. Now whom will you marry? I can't believe you did this Elaine. And of all people!"

Elaine couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what her mother was talking about. It obviously wasn't Will, as her mother was now talking about her getting married, and there was no way Fanny would ever mention Will and marriage in the same sentence.

"Ma. What are you talking about? Can you start from the beginning please?"

Not only did she not have a clue as to why her mother was calling her first thing in the morning to yell at her, Elaine was also still fuzzy-brained from having been just woken up. While she was normally awake at this hour, possibly even at work, she'd slept in this morning. She wasn't due in at work until later that afternoon. She'd taken the morning off to have brunch with Charlotte and drive her to the airport, something she wouldn't have missed for the world, especially after Charlotte had canceled on her Saturday afternoon.

Though they'd made plans to spend the day together, Elaine had gotten a phone call from her friend that morning. "Something's come up," Charlotte had told her. "I hope you don't mind if I cancel on you. I didn't know it at the time, but my parents already made plans for me and I can't get out of them now. You know how it goes."

Elaine knew too well how that went, and had sympathized with her friend while telling her not to worry. They'd definitely get together for brunch on Sunday, before Charlotte's flight back to Los Angeles, they'd promised. The side benefit of all that was Elaine got to sleep in. At least, she had until her mother woke her up.

"Ma! You're not doing any good yelling at me without telling me what it is that I've actually done!" Elaine yelled into the phone.

That seemed to do the trick. There was such a long pause that for a second, Elaine was half afraid her mother had hung up on her. But then, all of the sudden, there was her voice, clear as a bell. "Charlotte Liu and Billy Chiu."

"Pardon?" Elaine was sure she'd heard incorrectly. Why was her mother linking her friend's name with an ogre's?

"Charlotte Liu and Billy Chiu."

Elaine shook her ear. Surely she had a build-up of wax or water in the ears, or something. "What was that again?"

Fanny's voice grew colder and sharper, like ice. "Charlotte Liu and Billy Chiu."

"I don't understand."

"You pushed them together!" Fanny accused.

"I did what?" Elaine was aghast.

"They're dating!"

"Charlotte, dating Billy Chiu? Impossible!" Besides, when did they have time to start dating? Charlotte had only been in town for two days.

"We played Mahjong at your Auntie Liu and Uncle Liu's house last night. They invited Billy and his parents too. Do you know how your father and I felt, Elaine, when we walked into their house and were confronted by the news! We couldn't have been more shocked. How could you? Charlotte told us all about how you gave her Billy's phone number. She's crediting you with setting them up."

Elaine found herself speechless. Apparently her friend moved quickly.

Fanny kept on going. "I can't believe you gave Billy to Charlotte Liu, Elaine. Charlotte Liu! Oh, you should've seen how smug her mother was last night. She kept on giving me digs about how she could relax, now that her daughter had found someone so eminently suitable as Billy. Then she'd ask me if you'd found someone yet, and what was I supposed to say?"

Yes! You should've screamed, "Yes!" and told them about how both your daughters had found doctors, was what Elaine would have shouted at her mother if she'd been able to find her voice.

"Oh, it was terrible. So embarrassing. And that was just your Auntie Liu! Billy's mother was there too, and she was beaming proudly at Charlotte and Billy. She kept going on and on about what a wonderful girl Charlotte was, and how one day she'd make someone an even more wonderful daughter-in-law, all the while giving sly, insinuating winks to the Liu's with her eyes.

"She actually said, to my face, that she thought Charlotte was smart, and that she was impressed by the work that Charlotte did, all because Charlotte sits in an office all day long and makes lots of money. She said that Charlotte was the type of girl Billy needed and understood, and though she didn't say it outright, you know she was implying that you were the sort of girl Billy couldn't understand. And this is after all those weeks of her trying to push her son on to you!

"Of course, now she's saying that you just play around in mud all day long, and she's so glad that her son didn't choose you after all. She didn't say that to my face, but I overheard her saying that to Charlotte's mother in the kitchen last night. Can you believe the galls of that woman?

"I can't believe all this has happened, Elaine. And it's your fault. This could all have been prevented if you'd just gone out with Billy Chiu like I'd told you to in the first place. But no, you had to be stubborn. And worse, you told Charlotte to call him!

"Oh, Elaine! You don't know what pains I've been through ever since last night. I had such high hopes for you, but like always you ruined them. What am I going to do with you? When will I finally be able to rest easy, knowing that everything is taken care of in your life? Oh, it is a very difficult thing, being your mother. Why can't you be more like your sister? She never worries me like this."

Elaine and her mother were clearly upset for two different reasons, and Elaine quickly saw the need to set a few matters straight.

"Ma, I did not set Charlotte and Billy up."

"You didn't?"

"No! The only thing I did was give Charlotte Billy's number."

"So, you did!"

"No! I didn't. He called me while Charlotte happened to be sitting next to me and, after I got off the phone, Charlotte asked me for his number. She said she just wanted to call him up as an old friend. I'd no idea they'd get together just because they both happened to be in town at the same time."

"What do you mean you had no idea?" Fanny threw back at her. "This is Charlotte Liu we're talking about! Her mother has been lamenting the fate of her daughter for years now. Not everyone is like you, Elaine. Most women want to get married, have babies, and a family."

"Well it's not that I don't want that either, Ma. I just trust that it'll all happen when it's supposed to happen."

"It's not going to happen, Elaine, unless you start looking for it. And believe you me, that Charlotte Liu has been looking for a long time now. And here you go and practically throw Billy Chiu in her lap. Such a nice, decent boy, and you throw him away. Your one good chance! And now there's no going back!"

"Ma, it doesn't really matter whether we can 'go back' or not anyway. I never wanted Billy in the first place; remember? I already have a boyfriend. His name is Will."

If Fanny heard Elaine, she made no mention of it. She just kept talking. "Well, maybe it's not such a bad thing that things didn't work out between you and Billy. Between you and me, that boy is practically tied to his mother's apron strings. Did you know that, Elaine? I don't know why you didn't mention that to me beforehand. And Mrs. Chiu will always be nosing around in Charlotte's business. Good-luck to her having a mother-in-law like that.

"It's such a good thing I'm never like that, isn't it, Elaine?"

Elaine just plopped herself back against her pillows. She and her mother had been talking at each other for the past half hour, not hearing a single word the other was saying. Now, after her mother had yelled at her for losing Billy, she was telling her that it was a good thing she'd avoided his matrimonial snares. Trust her mother to console herself by bringing out all the bad habits of both Billy and Charlotte, and their families, as if she'd just discovered this on her own even though Elaine had been trying to tell her how unsuitable Billy was for weeks.

For the rest of her conversation with her mother, Elaine resigned herself to making the occasional grunting sounds of agreement.

"Can you believe it? Charlotte and me! Who would have ever thunk it?" Billy put his arms around Charlotte's shoulders and squeezed her tightly. Across the table, Elaine couldn't be sure, but she thought she'd caught a wince flit across her friend's face.

"Serves you right," Elaine wanted to say. Instead, with a pasted smile on her face, Elaine shook her shoulders in question and laughed a false, tinny laugh. "Who knew, indeed?"

Elaine wasn't sure if she was capable of saying anything more than that. She thought about that for a second and mentally readjusted her thought: she wasn't sure she could let herself say anything more than that. She was afraid that if she let her mouth run unchecked, she'd say a whole lot more than the pithy comments she kept spouting, things that would hurt her friend and their friendship.

The best way to prevent herself from speaking her mind, Elaine decided, was to stuff her mouth with food. Elaine took another bite of her banana-stuffed French toast, drizzled with honey. She closed her eyes and smiled in ecstasy. When she opened her eyes, she saw Billy smiling back at her.

Oh no, he thinks I'm smiling at him.

"It's great, isn't it?" he asked again for the thousandth time that morning. Then he turned serious and grave. "As happy as we are, I can't stop thinking about how this must also be affecting you. Poor, Elaine. I hope you don't mind. I know our parents were hoping that things would work out between us, but it just wasn't going to happen, was it?"

Elaine sat stunned, her mouth open and poised over her fork. Do not speak, do not speak, do not speak, she kept repeating to herself. Finishing the bite and swallowing, Elaine smiled broadly as if in agreement.

"It's just that once I saw Charlotte here, I knew she was the woman for me." He took Charlotte's hand and squeezed it. "We seem to have been made for one another. It's like we have one mind and one way of thinking. This weekend has been pure heaven, to be able to share it with each other. I'm really going to miss Charlotte this week, but I'm already making plans to visit her next weekend. We're already looking forward to it, aren't we dearest?"

Charlotte smiled faintly.

"I'm sorry we weren't able to spend more time together, Charlotte," Elaine said honestly.

From his end of the table, Billy tut-tutted. "Never fear, Elaine. Now that we're together, I'm sure Charlotte will return to San Francisco frequently, and you'll have ample opportunities to see one another. I only hope that it won't be too awkward for you," he said in a sly tone.

She pretended to misunderstand him. "Why would that be awkward?"

"Well, you know. But, perhaps on this point it might be best to say nothing."

Elaine couldn't believe Billy was now acting as if he was the one who was backed out of a relationship that never existed in the first place. Stifling the urge to roll her eyes, she said, "I think things worked out much better this way."

"I'm so glad you don't harbor any resentment, Elaine. Charlotte and I would be distraught to learn that we caused you any discomfort."

"No need to fear that," Elaine replied graciously. "I hope you'll be very happy together."

Finally, Charlotte rejoined the conversation. "Billy, would you mind taking care of the check while Elaine and I chatted for a bit?"

"Of course not, dear. I'd be happy to take care of it. Don't you worry your pretty little head over a thing. I'll be back in a jiff. I'll miss you. In fact, I think I already do. Just the thought of having to be away from you for more than a nanosecond is difficult for me to bear."

"Here, don't forget to take your wallet with you."

Elaine clamped a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't snort as she watched Charlotte dismiss him with an airy gesture.

"You're not really happy about this, are you?" Charlotte asked.

"Are you?"

"I can see it in your eyes. You don't think I should date Billy."

"Charlotte . . ." Elaine tried to find a way to hedge, and failed. "No, I don't."

"Why not?"

"Charlotte, just look at him! I mean, not two days ago he was literally sleeping on my doorstop and now he's halfway towards the jeweler's ready to buy you an engagement ring."

"And you think it's wrong, surprising somehow that someone would be that interested in me? That someone would want to marry me?"

"No, of course not, Charlotte! That's not what I meant."

"Or do you think it incredible that I might be interested in Billy just because you weren't interested in him?"

Elaine bit her lip. This was precisely what she'd been afraid of. She should never have said anything in the first place, just as she'd warned herself.

"Charlotte, if Billy has been fortunate enough to secure your affections, and you're truly happy with his, then I wish you both all the joy in the world. Truly. You know I never want to see you unhappy, that's all."

"I can see what you're thinking, Elaine. I've never been like you; you know that. I'm not a romantic. I'm practical. All I want is a steady job, a comfortable home, a husband I can get along with, and children at some point. And, considering Billy's character and his situation in life, I think I'd be as happy with him as I would be with any other man.

"We're in our mid-twenties, Elaine. The clock is ticking and I feel like if I don't do something now, I'll miss my chance. I work all the time and don't have very many opportunities to meet men, and even if I did it wouldn't do much good probably. I'm not pretty like you, Elaine. I've never had men knocking down my doors. Billy's the first man to have shown any interest in me in years. I have to give him a chance. Plus, he's Chinese, he has a steady job with a good income, and it probably won't be so bad right now what with him being in San Francisco and me in Los Angeles."

"And you'll just encourage him to never visit?" Elaine asked sarcastically.

"Of course. Even though his position is the same and he is working for the same company, he's still in a new office and working with new people. He'll have to put in as many hours as he can at his new job so that his supervisors will know he's committed to the company and a hard-worker if he ever expects a raise. He won't have time to fly to Los Angeles every weekend."

"And you'll be too busy to fly back to San Francisco every weekend too, I suppose."

"Well, you know I've been working very hard for a promotion these past few years. It'd be a shame to let things go when I've come so far and it's so close at hand. Billy will understand once he realizes that this is for the good of our future."

And, in the meantime, you'll never have to see him. Even if you are dating. What a relationship! Elaine thought to herself.

"Our parents know each other, and everyone's happy with the situation. I wish you would be too."

Elaine sighed. "If this is what you want, Charlotte, then I wish you all the best."

Jane came home to the clanging, crashing sound of slamming pots and pans. Alarmed by the racket and also by the fact that she knew her sister rarely ventured into the kitchen, she dropped her purse and keys and ran towards the noise. "What's the matter? What's going on?"

"Charlotte!" Elaine threw a burnt-looking skillet into the sink and Jane tried not to wince at the clatter.

"What's the matter with Charlotte? And have you been trying to cook?"

"Yes! I tried to make myself an omelet, but the eggs burned and so did everything else I tried to put in it. Just one more thing to ruin my day," Elaine complained, chucking her fork into the sink.

"Here, let me do it." Jane shoved her sister aside and reached into the fridge for more eggs and other fixings. "Want to tell me about it?" she asked, as she began to chop the tomatoes and green peppers.

"It's Charlotte."

"Oh yeah, how did brunch go? Did you see her off on her flight? I really wanted to go with you, but I can't believe I got called into work this morning. Another stupid motion! These people need to get a life and stop filing motions. If they did, I wouldn't have to keep going into work on the weekends to write replies. I hope you got the note I left you."

"Yeah, I did. And I saw Charlotte off and had brunch with her before she left. Along with Billy Chiu."

Jane almost cut her finger as the knife slipped along the ham's edge. "Excuse me?"

"That was my reaction. Here, don't forget the mushrooms." She chucked the carton of mushrooms at her sister as Jane finished slicing the ham.

"Charlotte's dating Billy Chiu now? How'd that happen?"

"A weekend of passionate love? I don't know. All I know is I got woken up by Ma this morning and got an earful about how I failed in my duty to captivate Billy Chiu, and instead pushed him towards Charlotte and now they're on the path to eternal love and I'm destined to live the life of a spinster."

"But you're dating Will now."

"And you know how that thrills Ma right down to her very toes."

Jane shrugged. "Better Will than Billy Chiu."

"That's what I say! In any event, they're definitely dating. I met Charlotte for brunch and she had Billy attached to her hip. Literally. He's a hard one to shake."

"You would know all about that."

Elaine flicked a piece of green pepper at her sister. Jane ducked.

"You know what the worst part about this whole thing is? She knows she's dating one of the stupidest men on the face of this universe! I never believed her capable of that."

"Well, you're not making allowances for differences in situations and in temper," Jane said.

"Oh no." Elaine started to groan. She hated whenever her sister showed her super nice side. She really was too nice.

"Oh yes. Seriously." She brought out another pan and coated its bottom in olive oil, and said, "Billy may not be the cleverest of men, perhaps . . ."

"Or interesting?"

Jane glared at her younger sister before continuing and stating firmly, "But he's respectable and not vicious."

"Now you sound like you're describing a dog. A dog you're trying to pawn off to someone else."

It was Jane's turn to throw a green pepper at Elaine who ducked.

"I guess, once you think about it, it's an eligible match. Billy makes good money and he's not so bad," she added vaguely.

"Yeah, very eligible for him! Charlotte's ten times better than him. But she's got this stupid idea that she's undesirable and is going to end up an old maid unless she snatches up Billy now. That's what's most annoying. She's not dating him because she's actually interested in him. She's just scared of being single for the rest of her life and has this deluded belief that she has to be married now. You wouldn't choose to date or marry someone just to secure your comfort, would you?"

"No, but not everyone is the same, Elaine. This is Charlotte Liu we're talking about, after all. This really shouldn't surprise you."

"I suppose not."

Jane flipped the perfectly cooked omelet onto a plate and presented it to her sister. "Here, this should make you feel better. I'll be back to chat in a minute, but I told Charlie I'd call him as soon as I got home to let him know I was back from work. You scared me when I walked in the door though, so I totally forgot."

"Thanks." Elaine watched her sister cross into her bedroom before settling down at the counter and biting into her piping hot omelet. "Yum."

It was true, what her sister had said, Elaine mused. Even when they were little girls, Charlotte had been the girl that lived according to her parents' edicts while Elaine had seemed a rebel in comparison. It wasn't that Elaine was a wild child, she just craved independence and the ability to think for herself. Charlotte, on the other hand, was of the thought that whatever her parents said must be the voice of reason. She never questioned anything they said and always assumed that her parents were right. After all, they were older than her, were more worldly and experienced, and clearly only wanted the best for her welfare. Therefore, who was she to argue with them?

There were times when Elaine had wanted to shout and rave at her friend out of frustration. But it never did any good. The Liu's had dug their claws deeply into Charlotte. She wasn't their daughter; she was their minion.

Maybe Charlotte and Billy weren't so different after all. Even their last names rhymed, Elaine realized with a chuckle.

When Jane returned to the kitchen, Elaine's plate was polished clean.

"You didn't save me a bite."

"You didn't say you wanted one."

"After all the trouble I went through for you?"

"You're a good sister, Jie."

"Just so long as you clean the dishes."

"Okay."

"So you feeling better now?"

Elaine wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Much."

It was almost four o'clock in the afternoon by the time Will finally made it home. He let himself into his apartment, deposited his bags on the hallway floor, threw Saturday's mail onto the coffee table, and immediately collapsed onto the couch. It'd been a long night. Sometimes, when he was lucky, he still managed to catch a couple of minutes of sleep here and there, even when he was on call at the hospital and had to stay the entire night. This hadn't been one of those nights.

He wasn't sure what had gone on in San Francisco while he'd been cooped up in the hospital all night long, but it seemed like there'd been one accident after another thus requiring his attention every time a patient was wheeled into the emergency room. Added to that, he'd still had to monitor the patients who were already admitted into the hospital.

"Man, I'm bushed," he said to no one.

Usually, after a night of being on call, Will was able to get off work pretty early so that he could go home and crawl into bed. Today, the paperwork and an intern calling in sick at the last moment had kept him at work longer than he liked. That's why he didn't have the energy to crawl into bed. The sofa was much closer.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and drift off to the land of dreams, the glossy cover of a brochure caught his attention. His foot grabbed the corner of the blue and green brochure and dragged it closer until it was within his hand's reach.

It was a brochure for the 68th season of the Stern Grove Festival along with its summer schedule. Will tapped the brochure against his nose and considered it. He loved the musical festival that ran all summer long, providing free performances for the entire Bay Area community to enjoy. His parents had taken him and his sister as children, and he still attended whenever he was in town and his scheduled allowed. Now that he was back in the area, he would be able to attend as often as he liked this summer.

He remembered that Elaine had mentioned her love of music and the arts in one of their many phone conversations. While the piano had not been her forte, and in fact had been her nemesis as a child, she still adored listening to classical music, she'd said. It was something that always soothed her and she often did her best work while listening to the soft strains of the melodic music.

Will looked at the brochure again. Perhaps he'd take Elaine to a concert the next time they both had a free afternoon.

He'd done a lot of thinking last night, in between patients and when he should have been working on his patients' charts. He realized he'd been an idiot over the whole dinner affair. So Elaine had dinner at her parents' house and so she hadn't told him about it. What did that mean, he'd wondered. Absolutely nothing, he decided.

They were still feeling their way around one another, after all. She didn't have to rush home and introduce him to her parents; he hadn't invited her home to meet his parents either, though he had told them about her. So, all in all, they were pretty even.

He admitted now, he'd been feeling insecure and his anxiety had gotten the best of him. But that was silly. Elaine had never given him any sort of hint that she was unhappy with their burgeoning relationship, or wanted out. In fact, she'd been the opposite. He needed to stop playing the part of the fool, Will decided. It was making him appear unattractive.

With that thought, he told himself he'd call Elaine in an hour, just as he'd promised earlier in the week. But first, he really needed a nap.

Jane came out of the bathroom, dressed in her pajamas, and rubbed at her damp hair with a towel. She held her head at an angle and rubbed vigorously. "Have you moved at all in the past hour?" she asked her sister.

Elaine sat at the end of the couch, closest to the phone, with her legs tucked neatly behind her. She'd also placed her cell phone next to their portable phone. "No."

Jane sat herself across from her sister and forced Elaine to look at her. "That's sad."

"Shut up," Elaine replied without heat. "Like you never sat by the phone and waited for Charlie to call."

She had her there. Twerp. "It's almost nine. He might not call." Though she knew Elaine didn't want to consider the possibility, Jane felt that someone had to say it. Just in case.

"He said he'd call me after he got off work."

"Which was hours ago, Elaine. Maybe something came up and he forgot. I'm sure it's no big deal, but I wouldn't keep sitting there by the phone, Elaine. If he hasn't called all day yet, he's not going to call now."

"Nuh-uh. Charlie said Will didn't get off work until early this evening. Charlie said Will got stuck at work and didn't go home this morning."

"When did you talk to Charlie?"

"Oh, he called while you were in the shower."

"And you're just telling me now?"

Elaine shrugged. "I forgot."

Jane rolled her eyes and reached for the portable. Elaine's hand came down like a meat cleaver. "I don't think so."

"What do you mean, 'I don't think so?'"

"Hello! Can't you see? I'm waiting for a phone call!"

Jane rolled her eyes again and shrugged her sister aside. "We have call waiting, dear."

"Oh yeah."

Snickering, Jane dialed her boyfriend. Elaine shot daggers at her with her eyes. Jane responded by shifting her body around so that her back faced Elaine. At that, Elaine started humming. Loudly.

"You're being a pest," Jane swiveled around to whisper.

"Have you heard a beep yet?"

"No!"

"Hm."

Jane went back to her phone call while Elaine started to hum again. She started out soft, but grew louder by the second.

"Still no beep!" Jane felt compelled to interrupt Charlie and say.

"Elaine's waiting for Will to call," she then explained to Charlie.

Elaine grew tired of waiting for Will to call. She was sure there was a better reason for why he'd reneged on his promise to call, something better than Jane's speculation of "something came up." She got up abruptly and stalked to the kitchen where she routed through the freezer for a couple of minutes.

Jane watched her warily, and when Elaine stopped in front of her with an aluminum-foiled pan in her hand, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Can I borrow your car?"

"Sure." She reached for her keys and handed them over. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to take Will some dumplings."

Continued in Next Section