Paper Wife: A Novel by Laila Ibrahim

Author:Laila Ibrahim [Ibrahim, Laila]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503904576
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2018-10-30T06:00:00+00:00

Mei Ling and Bo explored Chinatown for several days. She looked for an open field or empty lot with children playing but didn’t find any space where Bo could run freely. All of the ground in Chinatown was covered with pavement and buildings. In China, even a big city like Guangzhou had such a place.

Mei Ling found clay pots for the three living stalks from Mah-ma. One of the peonies had died during the journey, but the other three plants were holding on to life. She considered using one of her own coins for the purchase, but she didn’t want Kai Li to know she had her own money. Instead she asked Kai Li’s permission to use some of the grocery funds. He agreed that it would be a good use of their food funds, since the plants would bring them soothing and healthy tea when they took root and flourished.

Mei Ling kept a constant watch for Siew. Each time she spied a girl with dark hair in a bob, her heart pounded in hope it might be her, but every face was a disappointment.

One day Mei Ling wandered the other direction on Stockton Street and found great entertainment for Bo. The street ended with a wide tunnel that electric cars and the occasional auto drove through. Pedestrians would walk on the sides or go to the top of the tunnel to an elegant balcony that was curiously out of place. Just a block past the staircase was the cable line on California Street. Mei Ling found a curb to sit on and they watched the cars drive by. Bo waved at the conductors and was occasionally rewarded with the sound of a bell.

They explored farther down the steep hill until they came to Union Square, a fancy shopping district with a public plaza in the middle. She hoped this might be a nice place for Bo to run freely; the looks and comments they received let her know that they were out of place. They would return to California Street to watch the cable cars go by, but that would be their boundary.

Mei Ling had never been so companionless. She had no one to speak with besides the young boy. There were no school friends, no villagers, no family to share her life with.

Kai Li was tender and kind—to the point that her heart and mind started to believe he might be a faithful husband despite his initial deception. Each night he returned home exhausted, but he always asked about her satisfaction with the day. She found herself looking forward to his companionship, but she reminded herself to remain cautious and watchful.

Mei Ling wrote faithfully to her family but didn’t share the full truth of her living situation. There was no need to cause them concern or regret. Each day she looked in the basket in the entryway, hoping for a letter in return, but she had yet to hear from them. Her greatest comfort came each morning and night when she kowtowed to her altar, asking the ancestors and Quan Yin for strength and guidance.

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