Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen

Author:Da Chen [Chen, Da]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7594-2
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 1999-02-23T16:00:00+00:00

AS THE SUMMER vacation drew near, Dad came back one day with the good news that Professor Wei would be willing to help tutor me in English, but she would be away in Fuzhou for a couple of months, accompanying her sister who would be in rehabilitation under the care of some famous doctors. She would see me when she returned.

I was happy and nervous at the same time. It gave me the whole summer to prepare, so maybe I wouldn’t look too stupid. I drew up a study plan, leaving very little time for music or anything else.

I didn’t care how badly I did in the finals. I just walked out of the English test, to I-Fei’s surprise. He already had a good student waiting outside the window to guide us through the exams: the price, just two packs of Flying Horse.

“What’s the matter with you?” I-Fei asked, running after me. “Don’t you want to pass?”

“Yeah.”

“So? I got a helper out there. He knows everything. You know he found the crumpled carbon copy of the test in the teacher’s garbage can. It’s a sure thing.”

“I don’t want to copy anymore. It means nothing.”

“You’ll get zero.”

“But I’ll do better next semester.”

“How?”

“I’m taking lessons from Professor Wei next semester.”

“You can’t even say the ABC well, how can you take lessons from an English professor? That’s a joke. Have a smoke.” He threw me the whole pack of cigarettes, after lighting one for himself. I threw the pack back.

“I’m not a good student because I haven’t been studying. I skipped classes with you. I’ve been doing those stupid rehearsals and drama productions. I’m sure I could do well with the Weis’ help.”

“Gee, are you blaming me for all this now?”

“I’m not blaming you. I’m blaming myself.”

“Blaming yourself is blaming me, because we did things together. Maybe I shouldn’t be hanging around you anymore, let you be a good student again.” He picked up his cigarettes and left.

“Hey, you stupid dog,” I yelled at him. “Come back here.”

I ran after him. “You’re still my best friend in school.”

“Best friend?” He stopped and looked back at me for a few seconds. “You’re different. I don’t like the change. You don’t want to smoke, you don’t want to skip classes. Don’t this and don’t that. I have to go home early every day and stare at my mosquito net. It’s getting so boring here in this tiny town.”

“I have to change, I’m sorry. I can’t afford to goof off like you. Your mom and dad can give you a future, mine can’t. Give me another smoke.”

He fished one out for me. I lit it with his lighter. “I was hoping we could study together like we did with your accordion. You did a great job.”

We sat down again. “It was all because of your help.”

“Well let’s do it again, this time with our work in school.”

He shook his head, blowing smoke rings.

“I’m not interested in studies. If I were, Dad could get ten teachers to coach me every day.

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