Stargirl of the Edge

Ch 62 - Where Has My Father Gone?

Olivia has tried to escape the stress and uncertainty caused by the kidnapping of her father by going on a day trip to Liverpool with Ben, the local lad who is very keen on her. Despite what happened in the past, when his attempts to win her over ended in a series of disasters, she has finally accepted his invitation to go out with him, and his dream has come true. After taking the Mersey Ferry across the river they visit the Spaceport museum and enter the Planetarium.

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Olivia and Ben sat next to each other in the darkened planetarium, staring upwards at the curved screen. Ben inched his hand closer to Olivia’s hand, but then she moved in her seat and pulled her hand away. They continued to watch the show, Olivia concentrating on the facts being presented, Ben just enjoying the fact that Olivia was sitting next to him.
Was there something between them or wasn’t there? Ben felt confused. He was drawn to her and couldn’t explain why. Her beauty, of course, her intelligence, her intriguing nature but there was something else. Was she attracted to him? There was no way of telling. And yet she had accepted to come out with him that day. Perhaps things would become clearer as they spent more time together.
Soon the lights came on and they got up from their seats. Olivia had been transported by the show, imagining herself there among the stars and wishing she could be a part of it.  Ben had not really been very interested in it.
They walked to the exit and back out into the afternoon light.
“That was great,” said Olivia. “Where next?”
“Shall we go to the Museum of Liverpool over on the other side?”
“Sure!”
Ben didn’t mind where they went, as long as he could be with her. They walked the few steps back into the ferry terminal and waited for the ferry.
Now the sun had gone in and there were grey clouds. The ferry arrived, they walked onto it and it headed further up the river to another terminal, and then back across to the Pier Head on the Liverpool side.
They walked back into the terminal and onto the open square in front of the three magnificent buildings.
“Ben,” she said, turning to him for the first time. “Thanks for taking me out today.”
Ben smiled and shrugged his shoulders, still not quite believing how lucky he was.
“Yeah, no problem. Better than just staying at home watching the telly, eh?”
It was just a short walk to the Museum of Liverpool, a futuristic silver building with flat sloping roofs and a big window at one end. They entered by the side and went into the lobby.
“Oh, look Ben,” said Olivia, “there’s a section on Chinese history. Can we take a look?”
Ben nodded and followed her to the room over to the left. They entered, and Olivia was captivated by all the displays about the history of the Chinese community in Liverpool. Old photos of Chinese people on streets, a temple and then, above on the sides of the balcony, a large photo of the Liverpool waterfront on one side and Shanghai on the other. She recognised many of the buildings. Then she was surprised to learn that Liverpool and Shanghai were twin cities.
She stood for a long time in front of every cabinet, studying every exhibit. Meanwhile Ben glanced around, checking his phone, looking at the time and then back to Olivia.
He stood still, pretending to look in a cabinet but followed Olivia’s reflection in the glass.
One section was about the sad story of Chinese men who had served Britain in the Second World War but had not been allowed to stay by the British authorities. They had been sent back to China, leaving their families behind. The section was called ‘Where has my father gone?’ Olivia looked for a long time at every item.
Ben walked up next to her, casting a quick glance over the display.
“The museum will be closing soon. Don’t you want to look at anything else?” he asked.
“I just want to finish looking at this,” Olivia replied, with just a hint of impatience.
Ben stood nearby, wondering how the day was going to progress.
And then Olivia saw something she’d not noticed before. It was a model of a Chinese sailing ship inside a large glass cabinet. Underneath was an old photo of a Chinese junk and a smiling man dressed in a traditional sailor’s costume. She studied the junk carefully, and noticed it had three masts rather than one or two, as she had always visualised and drawn in her illustrations. She walked round it and studied it from all angles, already making mental notes as to how she could draw it.
Ben stood close by, just watching her, lost in his thoughts.
There was an announcement to say the Museum was closing in ten minutes and they walked back to the main entrance and out into the open air. Now the sky was grey. Darker rain clouds were approaching from across the river.
“Would you like an ice cream?” said Ben.
“Yeah, sure!” said Olivia.
They walked together towards the waterfront area next to the river. There was an old-fashioned ice cream van parked next to the ferry terminal. Ben bought two ice cream cones, and they went and sat down on one of the benches. Olivia tasted the ice cream. It was good, she said, but not as good as the ice cream from the van in the car park on Alderley Edge. They both agreed.
They were now starting to feel a little more relaxed in each other’s company. Ben began to chat about people he knew and their funnier side. He began to imitate peoples’ accents and jumped up, pretending to walk like them. She laughed and giggled, remarking to herself that he actually had a quite a good sense of humour.
She realised that for the first time in a long time she was just relaxing and enjoying herself. The situation was still there at the back of her mind, it was impossible to get away from it fully. But just spending some time in Liverpool watching the seagulls, eating an ice cream, and looking out over the river, was a escape, a welcome change from the life she had come to know.
Ben turned around to look at a seagull that had landed nearby, with the back of his head towards her, his dark, shoulder-length hair falling over his collar. For a moment she imagined what he might look like if he were Oriental. What sort of face would he have? She visualised a drawing of him in Manga style. And then he turned to face her again and the Oriental face merged back into a Caucasian one. He smiled at her with his blue eyes. She realised he knew very little of her Chinese culture. Perhaps she could educate him a little.  Looking at the thick clouds passing overhead, it seemed as if it would rain soon.
“I’m starving,” said Ben. “Shall we get something to eat? I know, why don’t we go to Chinatown? Would you like that?”
“Oh yes, Ben, I’d like that very much.”

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I love Liverpool and its attractions and it has strong connections with China. I was surprised to discover the 'Where has my father gone?' exhibit in the Chinese section of the Museum of Liverpool and how much it resonated with my story. I had no idea that Chinese men were sent back after WW2. I hope that when people read the story they will want to come and visit Liverpool, as well as Manchester, Cheshire and Alderley Edge!