Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Author:Lisa See [See, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8547-4
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2013-08-27T00:00:00+00:00

Joy

TWO SHADOWS LENGTHENING

A young woman answers the door. She wears loose black trousers and a light blue tunic with woven frogs that button at her neck, across her breast, and under her armpit.

“May I help you?” she asks.

Is she Z.G.’s daughter? My half sister?

“I’m here to see Li Zhi-ge.”

“What is this about?” Her melodious voice tightens into something like irritation or maybe fear.

“I’ve come a long way.” I give a little lift to my suitcase. Quite apart from that, she must be able to tell I’m not from around here. “It’s a private matter, and it’s very important that I speak with him.”

The girl steps aside, and I walk into the house. The foyer is large. Polished mahogany floors stretch down a long hallway. To my right is a living room filled with Ming dynasty furniture. To my left, the dining room is decorated similarly. Having grown up in Chinatown, I know the real from the fake, and this is real and of fine quality. But what’s on the walls shakes me. I see my mother and aunt in poster after poster. They are young and radiant, clad in pretty outfits, and doing all kinds of activities—getting ready to dive into a pool, stepping off airplanes and waving, and drinking champagne at a tea dance. My mother and aunt often reminisced about being “beautiful girls.” Now, here they are, framed and displayed as if in a private museum. I’m conflicted because I’m still upset with them, but seeing their faces gives me courage.

“Please sit,” the young woman says. I obey, and she pads quietly out of the room. A few moments later, another young woman, dressed in identical trousers and tunic, enters. Without a word, she pours me a cup of tea and then backs out of the room.

My father has servants! This isn’t at all how I envisioned his life.

“What do you want?” a man asks.

It’s him. Suddenly I’m shaking so hard, I’m afraid to stand up. I’ve come so far and ruptured so many ties …

“May I speak to you?” I ask, aware of the tremulous quality to my voice. “Are you busy?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” he answers curtly. “I’m getting ready to go to the countryside. You must know that. So please leave me to my packing. I have many things to do—”

“Are you Li Zhi-ge?”

“Of course, I am!”

“A long time ago, you used to go by a different name. People called you Z.G. Li—”

“Many people had different names in those days. Back then, I followed the wind by adopting Western customs. I understood my mistake. I changed with the times and I continue to change.”

“Are you the same artist who used to paint beautiful girls?”

He stares down at me impatiently. He gestures to the walls. “You can see that I am. I regret those days too …”

“Did you ever paint Pearl and May Chin?”

He doesn’t respond—again, the answer is on the walls—but his face goes gray and his posture deflates. “If you’re here to punish me further, don’t bother,” he says stiffly.

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