Sex and Vanity(59)

“It’s your world, Lucie.”

“And it isn’t yours? How many eating clubs do you belong to at Princeton again?”

“Stop it, you two! Freddie’s just being a provocateur as usual. Freddie, I know you don’t care about the right crowd, but there is a right way to behave,” Marian said as she dished a couple pieces of stinky tofu onto Freddie’s plate.

“What the …” Freddie paused, holding his fork and knife in midair. He breathed in the pungent aroma of the tofu and tried to stifle a grimace.

“Just try it, Freddie. You’ll love it,” Marian said.

“I’m not sure about that,” Freddie replied, scrunching up his nose.

Marian cast Rosemary a shamed look. “I’m sorry, I raised my children too white. They don’t know how to appreciate authentic Chinese food.”

“Hiyah, you’re telling me! George refuses to eat chicken feet. Don’t worry, Freddie, you don’t have to eat my cooking. But if you want to be adventurous, try dipping the tofu in this sweet chili sauce.”

Freddie gamely dipped a piece in the sauce and put it in his mouth, his dubious expression transforming into one of delight. “For something that smells like stinky feet, it sure tastes good.”

Marian flashed him a triumphant look. “See, what did I tell you? Now, back to Lucie. Lucie’s also become an amazing artist in her own right, Rosemary. She should be selling her own work.”

“Not really,” Lucie said, a bit mortified that her mother was morphing into a braggy Asian mother right before her eyes.

Marian let out a little squeal. “Lucie, you’re forgetting the most important news. She’s engaged!”

Rosemary beamed at Lucie. “Yes, we heard. Congratulations! But where’s your ring?”

“Oh, I don’t have it on at the moment,” Lucie said a little sheepishly.

“How could she possibly wear it? It’s the size of a rhino’s testicle,” Freddie said.

“Freddie, stop!” Marian scolded, before turning to Rosemary. “It’s a beautiful ring.”

Rosemary cleared her throat. “I’m sure. I would expect nothing less from Cecil. Such a nice man. You know he helped us rent Shittinghurst.”

Lucie, Freddie, and Marian burst out laughing.

Rosemary frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Cissinghurst, Mom, Cissing,” George said patiently.

“Oh, sorry. You know English isn’t my mother tongue,” Rosemary said sheepishly.

“Don’t apologize, Rosemary. Your English is perfectly good. It’s absolutely charming,” Marian said.

“Mrs. Churchill, this flounder in spicy garlic sauce is amazing. I haven’t tasted anything this good since moving to New York,” George said.

Marian beamed at the compliment. “Thank you, George. It’s so easy to make, I’ll give you the recipe. It’s actually one of the few things I know how to cook, but I’m inspired to try my hand at more Chinese dishes now.”

Rosemary had brought an incredible array of fruits specially flown in for her from Asia for dessert, and as they began cutting up the Thai mangoes, Japanese white strawberries, Korean pears, and honeydew melons, Marian looked around the table happily. “It’s been years since I hosted a real Chinese lunch like this. I feel like I’m in the midst of a Wong Kar-wai film.”

Rosemary’s jaw dropped. “Waaah! You know Wong Kar-wai? I love his movies!”

“Who is this?” Freddie inquired.

“He’s a Hong Kong director, one of the great auteurs of Asian cinema,” George informed Freddie.

“Oh my goodness, I watched every one of his movies in the cinema the moment they came out in Hong Kong. I was obsessed. I wanted to be Faye Wong.” Rosemary sighed as she popped a strawberry into her mouth.

“Me too!” Marian said. “I discovered his work when I moved here to do my residency at Saint Vincent’s. I was always on call at the oddest hours, and I lived way up in Morningside Heights, so instead of trying to go home during my breaks, I would relax by going to the movies at Film Forum.”

Rosemary nodded in approval. “Days of Being Wild. I could have watched that movie a million times. Leslie Cheung was so amazing, how I miss him.fn2 Which one is your favorite?”

Marian paused in the middle of sucking on a mango seed. “Oh, come on, you can’t make me choose! Chungking Express I can watch every night of the week. In the Mood for Love is an absolute masterpiece. But I have a soft spot for Fallen Angels because of Takeshi.”

Rosemary banged her hand on the table dramatically. “Oh! My! God! Takeshi! I wanted to have his babies!”

“Get in line, sister, you would have to fight me over him!” Marian cackled.

“Who is this?” Freddie asked again.

“Takeshi Kaneshiro! He was the star in a few of Wong Kar-wai’s movies, the dreamiest of all dreamboats.fn3 Actually, don’t you think George looks quite a bit like him?” Marian raised an eyebrow.

“My George? No way! George is handsome, but not that kind of handsome!”

“Hmm … I don’t know about that,” Marian retorted.

“But Takeshi was a bad boy, a sex god! Are you saying my son looks like a sex god?” Rosemary demanded.