Hainan Dao

Book I Chapter 05

“Come on!” Once more, Wei waved his hand and pointed to the locked latch on my door. “Open it!” He rapped his knuckles on the window.

At the loud noise of his hand, something inside my head finally snapped and I seemed to wake up just a little. I sighed. You’re being silly! I chided myself.

After taking a few more big breaths in and out, I straightened up, unlocked the door and edged it open for myself.

Easing my toes out from the vehicle, I placed them on the ground but just that one foot. When nothing sudden happened, I edged my other foot out and then the rest of my body as well.

Standing up straight, I shielded my eyes against the sun and glanced around.

Wall-to-wall people. I couldn’t see past the populace. It was like the Pope had come to Harlem.

A splitting crack.

I jumped. I ducked my head.

Then another. And another. I turned toward the racket. Over to my left, the fumes and noise of firecrackers were rising into the air in a bluish black cloud. I whipped my head around as another chain was lit off to my right. The men and women around me began to applaud.

“Come.” Wei tugged on my sleeve and began trudging off. I was quick to follow. Glancing around, I noticed that Tangshu had been way ahead of us. I couldn’t even see him anymore.

The crowd parted before us. We sailed through their midst. Keeping my eyes straight ahead of me, I tried not to appear bothered by their scrutiny. I didn’t smile at anyone. I concentrated on Wei’s back, shuffling along in front of me and I trailed it like a hound. I wiped away at the sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand and the bottom of my T-shirt. As we made our way past them, the people there, especially the children, oozed in and closed up the space behind us, and made me feel like Moses on the edge of the Red Sea.

We weaved through a series of corridors between buildings set close on either side, with walls that were chipped and mouldy at the corners from the moisture. I didn’t know where we were headed. I assumed that they were probably taking me to my room first.

As we made our way along, we passed by a clearing over a hundred feet square set up among the trees. Pausing here for a moment, I glanced up and took in the massive top that had been stretched out over it. Beneath its shade, chairs and tables, all laid out with bowls and chopsticks, had been packed in with not an inch to spare. Wei told me that’s where we’ll be eating tonight. It was going to be a special dinner given in my honour to welcome me to the Island. There was a stage on the far side with a podium placed right up in front. Children were standing there now, all lined up and rehearsing some kind of a rhyme. Wei said they had written out several speeches and poems as soon as they had learned that I was coming.

Over to the left of the tents, a group of people were just now squatting over a long line of woks set on the ground. I counted twenty. Even as we spoke, these men and women were setting up their makeshift stoves, fanning the flames, starting up the charcoal that had been loaded into them.

I turned to Wei. “You know, I do remember telling Tangshu that this was going to be a small visit.”

“This is small.”

“This,” I indicated the reception party, the tents, the woks, “is not small!”

Wei laughed. “Yes, yes. This is not very small. So what? We had nothing special to do. We are simple people. We are always looking for excuse to celebrate, to eat. So, please, allow us to have a good time!” He turned away and began walking off. “Come on.”