Hainan Dao

Book I Chapter 12

HAINAN DAO BOOK I

CHAPTER 12

Two days later, I sat in the front seat of a car that was just pulling up to the biggest restaurant in Wenjiau. It screeched as it pulled to a stop at the front doors. Frowning, I went to adjust my tie in the mirror. I turned to look out the window. I sighed.

Tonight, I was going to have dinner with the mayor.

I know, I know what you’re thinking. Well, I had to. I really couldn’t get out of it this time. Wei practically got down on his knees and begged me. He said he would sic Tangshu on me. Well, not really, not in those words. He had hinted in a notoriously sideways fashion that under some pretence, he would let me and Tangshu spend a whole day together. Alone. A quick vision of a wad of jet-black, greased-up hair, and a perfectly bleached white pair of Spandex pants whizzed through my mind like a scuttling scorpion. I shuddered.

So, I figured that I might as well go along with it and meet the mayor, since I knew it had to be done eventually. After all, if I let him and his people get it out of their systems now, maybe then they’d stop bothering me and leave me alone. Oh, that and Dr. Croft was going to be there too. And his daughter.

Fuguang had driven me. Wei was busy elsewhere. He was going to be late, he said.

I got to sit right next to the mayor. Hooray for me. The short, rotund individual with the golden front teeth shook my hand in both of his when we were introduced, and didn’t let go for a long time. He had a large laugh. And not only his laugh. By the size of his middle, anyone could tell that the man was no stranger to expensive dinners in fancy restaurants.

He finally released my hand. One by one, he introduced me to the rest of them, the others in the circle sitting at my table. I smiled. I greeted them.

Cece was sitting two tables down to my right. And I found that out without even looking.

Keeping my eyes on the last guest in front of me, I took a big breath in, and then let it out again with nonchalance.

Twirling slightly, I happened to glance in the doctor’s direction, and acted mildly surprised. With just the right amount of smile on my face, I began to mosey on over, wearing my most debonair of facades—but only to shake hands with her father, of course. Really, I was just showing some common courtesy. Just being polite, you know? The doctor shook hands with me, and then sat down again.

Slowly, I pivoted around to face my resident angel-goddess. I worked hard and kept the swoon thing to a minimum.

And there she was, my princess, sitting upright, perched in her throne, stately, wise, and resplendent in her cerulean chemise, offset by the sparkling of a tiny, glowing pendant, suggestive only in where it lay. Up until that evening, I hadn’t even known what cerulean was. Now, suddenly, it had become my favourite colour.

We…talked. She smiled at me.

Just when I thought I was getting on a roll, I had to go back and sit down. The meal was starting.

Though my heart had not been in it at first, I must be honest now and say that I had never had, nor will likely ever have, another meal quite like that one. Every dish that came was gigantic, all the food was fresh, and by about the tenth dish, I had completely lost count of the actual number of courses that we had eaten. Though it has become hazy now, I can still remember some of the delicacies that we had been served. Of course, there had been the Hainan chicken rice, but also steamed shrimps, sautéed eel, crab, bass, clams in a black bean sauce, and wiggly snails. Yes. Wiggly.

Throughout the meal, the mayor kept rambling on directly into my ear. I was beginning to wonder if he was getting to eat at all, until a piece of garlic got spat into my auricle. He apologized and went on.