The First Excellence: Fa-Ling's Map by Donna Carrick Read Free Book Online Page B

bell.
    Tang went back to the closet where his pants were hanging and found the half-used book of matches in his pocket. One corner of the matchbook cover had already been folded back and torn off. He tore the other corner from the book and used the tiny cardboard wedge to pry a bit of food from between his teeth.
    After dropping the makeshift cardboard toothpick into the trashcan, Tang removed his passkey from the slot to turn off the lamps, used a match to light the yellow candle and sat cross-legged on the floor beside the battery operated tape deck.
    When the music started to play, he closed his eyes and began his chant, occasionally shaking the little bell to announce his spirit to the cosmos. In no time, he was absorbed in meditation, his chi lost in the joy of limitless freedom.
    He continued for several hours, so deep within himself he did not hear the door to his room open — did not hear the earthbound intruder enter until it was too late.
    **
    It was past ten o’clock by the time the adoptive parents finished filling out the forms required by the Chinese government. Initially they had made good time, completing the documents within thirty minutes. When they were finished, though, Cynthia realised she had neglected to advise them properly. As it turned out, all forms completed for use by the government needed to be filled in black ink rather than in blue.
    On top of that, Cynthia had not thought to bring extra forms or extra black pens. Only one couple, Ting-lo and Adrian, had foreseen this administrative requirement, so after they completed their forms they had to wait while the other four couples took turns using Adrian’s pen to painstakingly trace over each word in black ink.
    It was unclear why black ink was necessary, but Cynthia assured them it was the required method. Finally the last couple, Paula and Guy Kader, returned the black pen to Adrian. Grumbling, the group turned in their forms and everyone left the room.
    “ That was fun,” Guy joked when he and Paula were back in their room.
    “ Spare me,” Paula said. Her words were sarcastic, but Guy was relieved to see she was smiling for the first time since they’d left Toronto.
    “ Tomorrow’s likely to be another long day. We should try to get some sleep.”
    “ You go ahead,” she said. “I slept on the plane. I’m going to answer a few emails.” She pulled her ultra-thin laptop from her carry-on bag.
    “ Do you have to do that tonight?”
    “ Don’t worry, I won’t keep you awake. The bathroom is huge. I’ll drag a chair in there and set the computer up on the counter-top.”
    “ You don’t have to do that.” Guy couldn’t help wondering whether her offer to work in the bathroom had more to do with her desire for privacy than for any consideration towards him. “The lights won’t bother me.”
    “ Really,” she said, “I’ll be ok in the bathroom.”
    The mattress was comfortable, but Guy couldn’t sleep. He imagined he could hear Paula’s fingers pounding the keyboard. She was up to her old tricks, he was sure of it, despite her protests to the contrary.
    Lately there was something different in the air between them. At first he put it down to nerves. As they got closer to the adoption date, they both felt the strain. There were so many forms to fill out, so many steps to follow to the letter. One mistake could throw a wrench into their plans of parenthood.
    Paula’s mood swings were understandable — to a degree ― but something else was going on. Guy sensed the emergence of a familiar pattern. Paula withdrew. When he tried to talk to her about it, she compensated by being overly considerate.
    She complained that her days at home were long and boring. When he suggested she find another kind of job, her mood spiralled. Trading was her life. No mere ‘job’ could equal the thrill of playing with other people’s money.
    The adoption was supposed to give Paula a sense of purpose. When they first initiated the process it