White Tiger

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

We sat in the backyard while Dad and Alan handled the cooking. Mark and David ran around the yard screaming something about Ninja Turtles.

Eventually Mark charged up to me and grabbed my leg. ‘Teach me nunchucks!’

‘No,’ I said. ‘Aw, come on.’

‘Maybe Aunty Emma can get you some toy ones,’ Amanda said.

‘Uh, no,’ I said. ‘I don’t really like the idea of kids playing with toy…’ My voice trailed off as I heard what I was saying ‘…weapons.’

‘Good,’ my mother said firmly. ‘We have you for two weeks, Emma. What are we going to do with you?’

‘Take her shopping to buy some clothes,’ Amanda said.

‘These clothes are perfectly fine,’ I huffed. I opened my beer and poured myself a glass. ‘I really missed this.’

My father put a plate of greasy lamb and steak on the table in front of me. ‘You missed this too, didn’t you?’

I hesitated, then took a steak from the plate. ‘Absolutely,’ I said with false enthusiasm.

I piled a huge amount of salad on my plate as well and took a couple of slices of bread. After a year of near total vegetarianism in the Chen household, I knew that the red meat wouldn’t sit well with me.

‘So tell us all about it,’ Amanda said.

I explained about Mr Chen, and described my life in Hong Kong. They were curious about Leo’s role, and I tried to play down the kidnapping angle; I explained that Mr Chen was just being careful. They seemed satisfied with my explanations and didn’t push it.

‘Where’d you buy your nice handbag?’ Amanda said.

‘Boulevard Haussmann,’ I said.

‘Sounds German.’

Uh-oh. ‘French. It’s in Paris.’

Amanda turned and caught my mother’s attention. ‘Hey, Mum, she’s been to Paris!’

My mother came and sat with us. ‘Did you go to England?’

Uh-oh even more. ‘Yes.’

‘And you visited Jennifer? She didn’t mention seeing you.’

I didn’t say anything.

My mother sighed with exasperation. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do with you two. Is there a reason you don’t like each other? Did you have a fight or something a long time ago?’

I shrugged. ‘Nope. Nothing much we can do about it, I suppose.’

‘You should have gone to see her when you were in England.’

I smiled ruefully. ‘I know.’

‘Which airline did you fly on?’ Amanda said, changing the subject.

Thank you, Amanda. ‘It was a private jet.’ Both of them stared at me, wide-eyed.

‘Let me get this straight,’ Amanda said. ‘You have been on a private jet to Paris with this rich man that you work for.’

‘And I just about walked my feet off taking Simone sightseeing. I was working, Amanda.’

She looked away. ‘All that and you’re paid a fortune as well.’

‘And I miss you terribly.’ I embraced her and that made it all better.

My father came and sat with us. ‘Show us the kung fu then.’

‘What would you like to see?’

‘Nunchucks!’ Mark shouted.

I showed them some different styles of kung fu, bare-handed and with weapons. I demonstrated the chucks for the boys, and they were thrilled. I showed my mother some tai chi; some Yang and some Chen style. I pointed out the differences between Northern and Southern styles of kung fu but nobody seemed to be able to tell. Finally Alan passed me my short sword and I performed a low-level kata for them.

‘If you were attacked, Emma, could you really defend yourself?’ Alan asked as he put the weapons back into the bag for me.

I nearly said ‘Humans or demons?’ but managed to stop myself in time. ‘Uh, yeah, I could defend myself.’

‘How many guys could you take down? Without a weapon?’

I hesitated. ‘I have no idea.’

‘Rough guess,’ Amanda said.

‘Trained in martial arts or not?’

‘Not trained,’ Alan said. ‘Just ordinary muggers or something. If a couple of guys tried to mug you, could you stop them?’

I thought about it. Untrained humans were about equivalent to level ten or twelve demons. ‘Yeah.’

‘How many before you’d be worried?’

Last session before we left Hong Kong, I’d taken out nine level five demons barehanded. ‘If they weren’t armed, there’d probably have to be around six of them before I’d be worried.’

‘So you could take down six unarmed guys?’

I shrugged. ‘Probably.’

‘What if they were trained? What if they were black belts in, say, karate?’

‘About the same, to tell the truth. The karate they teach in the West is mostly non-contact. Most practitioners aren’t that good when it comes to serious combat.’

‘What belt are you? Black belt, what dan?’

That stopped me dead. ‘Uh, we don’t have that. You’re either good or you aren’t.’ I studied him carefully; his face was innocent. ‘Why are you asking me all of this, Alan?’

‘Our next-door neighbour, Shane, is a black belt in karate,’ Amanda said. ‘Alan’s probably wondering if you’d be able to take him down. He keeps skiting about how good he is.’

I glared at them. ‘I am not entertainment.’

They shared a look.

‘I mean it,’ I said. ‘What I’m learning isn’t for fun. The Arts are serious, they’re for self-defence, and I won’t use them merely to put your neighbour in his place.’

‘You’ve changed, Emma,’ my mother said softly. I glanced at her. ‘You say that like it’s a bad thing.’

‘I’m not sure that it isn’t.’

‘Elbow him in the ribs,’ I said, demonstrating. ‘Then switch hands, step back, over his back and lift his arm behind him.’ Shane fell to one knee in front of me. ‘If he doesn’t go down, you help him along with your toe behind his knee. If you twist his wrist just so,’ Shane grunted with pain, ‘sorry. If you twist his wrist a little, he can’t move his arm. His other arm can’t reach you, he’s effectively helpless.’

Amanda performed the same move and quickly had Alan on his knees in front of her.

‘Ease up, sweetheart,’ he said.

‘Yeah, don’t lift his arm too high, you’ll break it,’ I said.

She glanced up at me. ‘I could break his arm?’

‘Easily,’ I said. ‘Dislocate it at the least.’

She released him and stepped back.

Alan shook his head and rose. ‘I was completely unable to move.’

‘No, you could have moved,’ I said. ‘You could have fallen on your face on the grass. Apart from that, she had you.’

‘Yeah,’ Alan said. He grinned at Amanda. ‘You’re pretty good.’

Amanda watched him silently for a moment, then smiled up at me. ‘Teach me another one.’ I laughed. ‘Sure.’

Everybody came to see me off at the airport. Amanda noticed that I checked in at the first-class counter, but didn’t say anything.

‘We’re coming to visit you as soon as we’re organised,’ my father said as he hugged me. ‘I want to meet your Mr Chen, this mystery rich man who’s changed you so much.’

I pulled back, held his arms and looked up at him. ‘I haven’t changed that much, have I?’

‘You’re stronger and fitter, you’re doing these martial arts, and you obviously care deeply about them,’ my father said. ‘But I want to hear the whole story when we get there.’

‘Me too,’ my mother said. ‘Just let me sort myself out, and then we’ll come over. I want to buy some more of those pretty things you gave me.’

I smiled at them. ‘I’ll be happy to show you around.’ Inside I desperately willed them not to come. I didn’t want to see them in danger.

‘Keep in touch, sweetheart!’ my mother shouted as I went down the escalator to immigration.

‘Miss Donahoe, yes?’ the flight attendant said, checking the passenger list. ‘Welcome aboard.’ She raised the bottle she was holding. ‘Champagne?’

‘No, thanks.’

‘As soon as we take off, I’ll provide you with the menu. Just order anything you want, any time you like.’

‘Thanks,’ I said, and settled into the large comfortable seat. I looked out the window at the clear blue Brisbane sky and felt a wrench. I’d miss the fresh air and the sunshine.

But I was going home. To Simone, to Leo… and to John.

Something really began to hurt. I’d lost two precious weeks of time with him that I’d never be able to make up.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. He felt the same way too. And there was absolutely nothing we could do about it.

Except enjoy what we had for the little time we had left.