The Two Sisters of Borneo by Ian Hamilton

Author:Ian Hamilton [Hamilton, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: tpl, rt
Publisher: House of Anansi Press Inc.
Published: 2014-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

( 19 )

The plane was only half full, and only Ava and what looked like a family of five occupied business class. She pushed back her seat as soon as they reached cruising altitude and closed her eyes to try to catch up on the sleep she had lost on the flight to Hong Kong. May’s news about Amanda had lifted a weight from her, and the thought of having to construct a deal with the man named Wan wasn’t any cause for worry. How many deals had she done? How many men had she outmanoeuvred? She was just drifting off when she heard the family begin to talk excitedly about Borneo.

They were on a two-week vacation from Australia. The first week had been spent in Bali — a more traditional Australian vacation choice. Now they were looking forward to a less crowded, more tranquil destination. Sabah was evidently ecotourist friendly. They had planned trips into the rainforest to see orangutans and proboscis monkeys, and to go whitewater rafting. The mother was less enthusiastic about climbing Mount Kinabalu. It was a two-day venture, with a stopover at a lodge during the ascent. The mountain was evidently the tallest in Southeast Asia, more than four thousand metres, but it was a relatively easy trek and didn’t require any mountain-climbing experience or equipment. The father was trying to convince his wife that the view of the sunset and sunrise from the peak would be worth the effort. Back and forth they went, the conversation penetrating Ava’s earplugs. By the time the plane landed, Ava had gotten no sleep but now knew more about the tourist attractions of Sabah than those of Toronto.

She glided through Immigration and walked into an arrivals hall that was virtually deserted. May Ling was standing directly in front of the exit door. Ava hadn’t taken more than five steps when she found herself wrapped in her friend’s arms. She could feel the tension in May’s body. When they separated, Ava looked into her face and saw that it was drawn, her skin almost translucent, with tiny blue veins visible below her eyes.

“You look exhausted,” Ava said.

“This is my third trip to the airport today. My two people from Wuhan arrived early this morning and I had to take them to the offices and get them settled. Then I met your brother and Jack at the hospital, followed them here, and waited until Amanda was transferred from the ambulance to the plane. Then I went back to the hospital to sit with Chi-Tze for a while. It’s been a brutal twenty-four hours.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here any faster. That’s one thing I’ve always hated about the trip from Toronto to anywhere in Asia. Your entire world could collapse while you’re in mid-air and there wouldn’t be a damn thing you could do about it.”

“Well, you’re here now, thank God.”

They began to walk side by side towards the exit, May Ling’s arm hooked tightly through Ava’s. The instant they left the terminal, Ava felt the heat.

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