Chasing China; A Daughter's Quest for Truth by Kay Bratt

Author:Kay Bratt [Bratt, Kay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: A Daughter's Quest For Truth
Published: 2011-11-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Mia had been in China for two weeks, and she couldn’t believe how fast the time had gone by. Even so, she had visited the orphanage a few more times but still hadn’t been able to secure a meeting with the director. Xiao Jo seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth and wasn’t even answering e-mails. To stay busy, she and Jax spent most every afternoon together, exploring Suzhou and getting to know each other.

A few days before, he had introduced her to the famous Tiger Hill—a site with over twenty-five hundred years of history that Jax insisted she had to see before leaving China. He told her that a famous king was buried there along with thousands of swords from his collection, and legend had it that a few days after his burial, a white tiger appeared to guard his tomb, hence the name Tiger Hill. Mia was glad they went, as the park was stunning. The area around the famous hill was groomed close to perfection and contained some of the most beautiful designs of rock gardens and horticulture she had ever seen. Like everyone around them, Jax insisted they take their pictures in front of the leaning pagoda, a seven-story tower that leaned north at a precarious angle.

Later they traveled to Jin Ji Hu, the lake on the east side of the city. It was a great day, and after devouring a picnic lunch, Jax even taught Mia how to fly a kite—something Mia judged to be a passion of the Chinese, from the competitiveness of those around them trying to get their kite to the highest elevation.

Finally Jax and Mia had enough, and they stopped to relax on their blanket in the grass, staring up at the sky dotted with hundreds of colorful kites of every shape and size. It was the best moment of the day, quiet and peaceful, just enjoying the increasing camaraderie they had discovered between them.

“Mia, you didn’t tell me how it went at the hospital. I wasn’t going to ask until you offered, but how was it?” Jax reached over and grabbed her hand.

“Well, it was sad. I didn’t want to bring it up because I am always giving you depressing reports. I felt so bad leaving Xinxin there with a woman who she obviously didn’t know, to face God only knows what in the operating room. I could only wonder where her mother was, and how awful it had to be for her to abandon such a sweet baby girl. I know she must have done it out of love—she probably thought it was the only way to get Xinxin the help she needs for her survival. But it was terrible to walk away from her. Jax, when I turned around in the doorway, she was waving bye-bye with a confused look on her face.”

“Man, that’s heartbreaking. You have to wonder how many babies in the orphanage are there because their parents can’t afford the medical care they need.

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