Without You I Have Nothing (5 page)

_{“Oh god, he’s off again. Stop
looking worried, Jennifer, Peter is absolutely harmless but he sometimes thinks
he is more Chinese than the Chinese.”  Ted’s quiet explanation seemed to remove
Jennifer’s apprehension. “Just go with the flow and we’ll have a Chinese meal
such as you have never experienced and is never on a menu.”}

_{Charmed by Ted’s kindly
explanation Jennifer listened to the cacophony of Chinese voices.}

_{“He may seem strange – bloody
strange at times – but he will never hurt you. Tonight is the first time I’ve
ever seen him with a woman. For the first time since I have known him he
demanded that we introduce him to a woman – you!”  Ted tried to reassure her.}

_{The manager arrived, his face an
inscrutable mask, but catching sight of Peter praying, he waited patiently. As
Peter rose and turned to join his party that mask broke into a wide smile of
pleasure and the manager led the noisy party into a back room furnished with a
long, heavily carved table, and high-backed ornately-carved chairs. Carefully,
he sat Peter at the head of the table. Jennifer he sat at Peter’s right, but
allowed the others to sit where they wished. He clapped his hands and waiters
appeared at Peter’s side.}

_{With no attention to the menu,
Peter began a rattle fire conversation with a waiter, obviously discussing the
order.}

_{Yet, it was impossible for
Jennifer to decide whether Peter’s conversation with the waiters was affable or
impolite. The guttural sibilants and implosive grunts of the language combined
with her inability to read any facial reactions made it impossible to guess the
mood of the conversation.}

_{Jennifer was completely nonplussed.
This strange man with the piercing blue eyes, formerly so attentive and so
considerate, had changed. Now he seemed to be so authoritarian – almost
tyrannical in his supervision of the meal order. Giving his full attention to
the waiter, he even took the order pad to check what he had written. Peter
seemed to correct some items as if he could read the Chinese characters.}

_{He was not boasting of his
prowess, he was not advertising his proficiency in another language he was just
at home, perfectly comfortable in this second culture.}

_{Overhearing a whispered comment by
one of the waiters, “The Little One is here,” Jennifer looked around the table
to try to discover The Little One. Was The Little One either of her two friends
who were far from being giants?  It could not possibly be Bob or Ted who were
not small. It certainly was not the big bear of a man, Peter. She wasn’t sure
who carried this unusual title. Surely, they were not applying that name to
her.}

_{“Please forgive me. I took the
liberty of ordering for all of you.”  The waiters had scurried away and Peter
leant towards Jennifer.}

_{“I really have tried to order a
meal that suits your pallet and says thanks for coming with me tonight. I used
my experience in Chinese Cuisine to order some dishes that normally are not
available. I hope you enjoy the meal.”}

_{Jennifer smiled and nodded.}

_{One waiter placed a petite bowl of
chilies floating in oil, smelling of fish, before Peter.}

_{After filling the bowl with soy
sauce, Peter lifted it to his lips and began shoveling the chilies into his
mouth. Expressionless but alert, the waiter was watching closely. Peter grunted
“Ho” as the final chili vanished into his mouth.}

_{“Hell, Peter I wish you would
forget that party trick.”  Bob looked as if he was about to heave. “I come out
in heat rashes just watching you!  My throat burns and my stomach cramps with
acute agony. Talk about heart-burn!”}

_{Stunned, shuddering and
speechless, Jennifer could only stare at Peter. She felt at a loss because only
chopsticks were evident and she felt self-conscious. Looking at her friends,
she sought some support but they were too engrossed playing up to their dinner
companions.}

_{Karen, much to a waiter’s disgust,
was having a pretend sword fight with Bob using a chopstick while Ruth was
leaning against Ted begging that he help her learn the use of these unfamiliar
instruments.}

_{Jennifer knew that no help would
be forthcoming from that direction.}

_{Noticing her dismay, Peter grinned.
“If you don’t use chopsticks you’ll starve!”  Laughing, he scooped some rice
into her bowl and some into his. Then, holding the bowl to his lips, he
shoveled the rice into his mouth encouraging her to do the same. “Remember to
make three shovels. That’s polite – more than that and you're rude and come
from Hong Kong.”}

_{Laughing at her surprise, he gave
full attention to the food.}

_{Throughout the meal, he selected
tidbits and held them to her lips to taste.}

_{During the dinner, the manager
leant over Jennifer to whisper. “You know he’s one of us,” leaving her even
more perplexed.}

_{The table groaned with food - the
only course that Jennifer declined was the roast duck complete with its head.}

_{The discussion around the table
was light-hearted and flirtatious and she knew her two new friends were intent
on reeling in their dinner companions.}

_{When the meal was nearly finished,
the waiters placed a small bottle of Tiger Beer beside each member of the party
and three huge plates of chili mud crab arrived.}

_{Jennifer was perplexed because no
waiter attempted to give her a beer.}

_{Turning to her, Peter asked, “Will
you do me the honor of sharing my beer, please?”}

_{She nodded with a broad smile of
acceptance.}

_{The waiters filled everyone’s
glass and Peter carefully divided his beer with her. She was surprised that
nobody attempted to touch their glass until a waiter leant across to spin the
duck’s head. When it stopped spinning the beak pointed at Peter.}

_{Jennifer couldn’t believe what was
happening. With her mind reeling she found it difficult to accept this unusual
and unfamiliar situation. Glass in hand, Peter stood. Suddenly the room filled
with waiters and cooks, all smiling broadly, each with a glass in one hand and
a bottle of Tiger Beer in the other.}

_{“Yam Seng!”  Peter roared, and he
seemed to be bursting with pride and happiness as he downed his glass in one
gulp.}

_{“Yam Seng!” came the reply from
everyone in the room and Jennifer was astonished that she joined in. Her
surprise continued when Peter fished a wad of pink envelopes from his pocket
and handed one to each person in the room including each member of the party. He
bowed low to the manager with the words “Kong hee fatt choy,” as he handed him
his own pink envelope.}

_{As he passed Jennifer her
envelope, his words changed to “Happy New Year,” and he smiled broadly.}

_{Feeling this man had to be
Eurasian because of his knowledge of Chinese customs and language, graciously
she accepted the gift.}

_{In the Powder Room before leaving
the restaurant, Karen and Ruth conveyed how excited they were with the events
of the evening. “What about you, Jennifer?  What do you think of Peter?” asked
Karen.}

_{Not wishing to give anything away
Jennifer replied conservatively. “He seems all right.”}

_{“He looks a bit of a dream boat
and not stingy at all. Did you notice he paid for the meal?”  Ruth continued. “But,
he’s a bit too much of a wet blanket for me.”}

_{“Well, he’s all Jennifer’s.” 
Karen tossed her head back and added warningly, “Just as long as you leave Bob
alone. He’s mine.”}

_{“You can have him,” was Jennifer’s
reply. “Besides, Ruth seems completely absorbed by Ted and I would prefer to be
with Peter than either of the other two.”}

_{“Ted’s loaded,” Ruth contributed
blithely, “absolutely loaded.”}

_{“He’s merry but not drunk,” Karen
defended him. “Like Bob – just merry.”}

_{“I mean ‘rich’,” lilted Ruth,
turning circles and chanting gloatingly. “Money, money, money. Filthily,
beautifully rich!  His family has buckets and his grandfather’s already passed
his to Ted.”}

_{“Half your luck.”  Karen was
surprised and thoughtful. “I didn’t know.”  She shrugged. “We’d better not keep
them waiting too long.”}

_{Not a soul opened an envelope and
suddenly it was time to go. No one made a comment about the meal and the
strange surroundings although Jennifer was bursting with questions. The party
boarded the vehicle as if in a trance.}

_{Jennifer’s mind was still in
confusion and her thoughts raced. ‘That Chinese meal was like no other. The
small servings, the ability to eat what I wanted - the meal was just incredible.
Is Peter a dancer?  How can Peter be so fluent in Chinese?  Why was he so
welcome?  Is he Christian or...?  He seemed to worship at that shrine and he
knew what to do. Now what is going to happen?  I am off to the Trots so what
strange plans does he have in mind now?’}

_{Bob had called Jennifer ‘the Ice
Maiden’. She was certainly cool. Not once during the meal was she more than
frostily polite, her laughter no more than cool ripples.}

_{Even more noise but not so
strident met them at the Trotting Track.}

_{Jennifer had seen these races at
what she knew as Gymkhanas when she was growing up, but, back then, the betting
had been absent. Here the fervor of gambling filled the air and ran through the
crowd, building the excitement.}

_{Karen clung to Bob’s arm while
beseechingly raising innocent eyes to Ted to ask his advice on betting. Satisfied
with intermittently diverting his attention from Ruth, she would then wheedle
more funds from Bob to clinch her bets.}

_{Bob was obviously overspending. More
evident was that he expected to recoup any losses at the end of the evening in
bed with Karen.}

_{Ruth was winning. Ted had stuffed
her handbag with notes and was pressing more money on her to double her bets.}

_{Peter hoped the excitement of
horses trotting under the arc lights would interest Jennifer but still she was
unimpressed. Together they leant over a rail watching the gigs flash past.}

_{“I love the sound of the swishing tires
and the thud, thud, thud of the hooves. There’s almost a symphonic poem in the
strange musical sound. No wonder the lure of the track is strong for so many
people. Even the sounds add to the excitement.”  Desperately he tried to break
though Jennifer’s reserve.}

_{With her green eyes even darker
than before, she turned to him.}

_{“You haven’t made a single bet. Don’t
let me spoil your fun.”}

_{“Spoil my fun?”  Peter almost
choked. “I don’t know one end of a trotter from the other. I don’t gamble these
days - I gambled enough in my early life,” and his eyes clouded over until he
shook his head.}

_{The inscrutable mask of the east
slid down across his face before he continued. The pain of his early life had
taught him to conceal his thoughts and feelings. “This really isn’t my idea of
a night out. Like you, I followed the arrangements. Bob and Ted believe I
need...”  He did not attempt to continue.}

_{Jennifer stifled a giggle. “I
thought you would be a gambler like the others.”  Even in the gloom away from
the direct light of the over-head, arc lights Peter could sense her confusion
as she threw him the next question, quickly turning to look back at the track.}

_{“What’s your idea of a good
night?”  As he answered, Jennifer turned to face him again unable to believe
his words.}

_{“I love opera, ballet and symphony
concerts. I have two permanent seats at performances but never have I had any
one in that second seat on my right. I’ve always been alone. However, I’d
prefer that you didn’t tell the others. They think I’m strange enough as it
is.”}

_{Peter found himself opening his
heart to this delicate young woman whose presence so unsettled him. “They think
nothing of carousing into the early hours but I can’t drink - I get so sick. I’d
much prefer a game of chess.”}

_{‘Hmmm, he says he likes chess,
ballet, opera and symphony concerts.’  Her eyes glittered with merriment as she
studied the track before wheeling back to Peter. The lilt of her laughter
softened her words.}

_{“You a chess player - that’s hard
to imagine,” she said aloud. Jennifer, however, didn’t voice her other secret thoughts.
‘I have always wanted to play chess but have no one to teach me.’  Right now,
she found the wicked twinkle in Peter’s eyes intriguing. He just had to be too
good to be true. There had to be a flaw.}

_{Peter had indeed told the truth
about the things that interested him most, but the evening had been so
remarkable that Jennifer couldn’t bring herself to believe him. How could one
man do so many things with such competence?  She couldn’t possibly know his
early years were not involved with family or with stable relationships so he
had thrown himself into academia and sports.}