The Last Rose of Shanghai(50)

She pulled the hat lower. “No.”

Love was a conundrum. Emily loved Sinmay, yet she decided to leave him; I wanted to see Ernest, yet I had to stay away.

Tears were threatening, so I gave Emily a red-cloth pouch from my purse; inside was a jade leaf, custom made by the best jeweler in Shanghai, a symbol of me, a jade leaf grown on a gold branch.

“Is that your name on the leaf? How precious. I shall cherish this. You know, I have one regret. I wish I had written an article about you, the first woman entrepreneur in China. You’ve done extraordinary things, hiring women and foreigners. Are you still in love with the pianist?”

Still? As if love were a glass of wine that you should empty easily.

“I don’t remember what I told you, Aiyi. I hope I didn’t tell you anything disastrous. You know this better than me: You two won’t work. You’ll end up alone. Like me. Kicked out of Shanghai. Rejected by two sides.” Her voice was sad, hollow.

“But . . .”

“It’s for your own good. Chinese have these suffocating customs and traditions. You’re better off without him. You’re still young. You’ll get over it.” There came a blast of the horn and a shout in Cantonese. The gangplank would be drawn up and the steamer would cast off. Emily picked up her suitcase.

“Emily . . .”

“I’ve grown rather fond of you, Aiyi. I wish we had bonded years ago. You’re a friend I’d love to keep. But don’t cry. I came to Shanghai with a broken heart. I don’t want to leave with tears in my eyes.” She walked up the gangplank and boarded the ship. A moment later, she appeared at the railing at the bow, where she turned to face the city and raised her hand to brush something on her cheek.

The horn blasted and the steamer belched, a cloud of smoke ascending. Then it chugged away from the wharf.

It dawned on me that in the river of life, people came and went like boats. Full of steam and noise, they docked, and all would be blown by a wind that you couldn’t predict. The boat of Emily had sailed away. We never had the tea at Kiessling’s after all, and we might never see each other again. Would Ernest, like Emily, depart from my life as well?



It began to rain, a quiet sprinkle, a mist of whispers, the street slick like peanut oil. The Nash was too slow as it left the wharf—too many rickshaws, too many people in robes and suits. Two more blocks to the intersection, three turns to him.

I went straight to the Jazz Bar. There he was, playing the piano in an empty bar. He had grown stubble, and his hair was longer, reaching his shoulders. The curls bounced around his cheeks as he played. His music was a quiet musing, a hopeful tune, as if he was contemplating embarking on a new journey of his dream.

I held my purse, swept my damp bangs, and sat at a table by the stage. My face was wet, and my heart raced in a joyous rhythm. I had the urge to run to the stage and kiss him like a young schoolgirl. I would confess to him, promise him anything, if I could take back his love.





40


ERNEST


He felt her before he saw her, sitting nearby, wearing a peach-hued dress, beaming so beautifully. He jumped off the stage and strode to her table. All these months without seeing her. How he had missed her. He still loved her, perhaps even more than before. Nothing she had done would change that.

“So you’re not going to play now?” she said. In her hand was a silver purse with studs like diamonds; those gold leaf earrings swung like wind chimes.

“What would you like to hear?”

“I feel like classical music.”

“Do you? Once someone told me she likes jazz.”

“People change.”

He sat next to her. “I’m glad to see you, Aiyi. I have something I need to tell you. There will be a war, Aiyi. War in the Settlement. No one will be safe.” He told her about the machine guns, the departure of the Fourth Marines, and the declining business of the hotel.

She covered her mouth. “I can’t believe it. I only heard the British have left and that there’s been some trouble in the banks.”

He held her hand. “Will you leave Shanghai with me?”

A pearl of rain flowed down her cheek. “I was born and grew up here. My family has been here for generations. This city is my ancestors’ home, my home, Ernest. And I have my club.”

“But when the Japanese attack, you’ll be in danger.”

“We say, Luo Ye Gui Gen, fallen leaves long for the roots, Ernest. We always remember our roots, remember our home.”

He remembered Berlin, too, but Berlin was not his home anymore. His parents, however, were always on his mind, and he would find a home for them, too, once he reunited with them. If he left Shanghai, would they be able to reunite someday? That was his major concern. But he had to leave to protect Miriam. “I want to be with you, Aiyi. We can start fresh in a new city. No one will know who we are. I have savings, and I can find another job. I will protect you, take care of you. We’ll have a new life and leave all the mistakes behind.”

The color on her face changed from pale to pink. She knew what he was talking about.

“I love you, Aiyi. I haven’t changed. Nothing has changed. Come with me.”

She laughed, but he couldn’t tell if she was touched or if she thought he was ridiculous. “I want to tell you something, Ernest. I just saw off a friend at the pier, and I just learned something important. I don’t care about anything else. I want to be with you. Yes, I’ll go with you.”