This Is a Bust by Ed Lin Read Free Book Online

who didn’t have a notepad and lingered only a moment. You didn’t have to order here. Everyone got the regular. Then Yip said to me, “Have you heard any more information?”
    â€œI’m sorry, I haven’t. But you know it’s not something I handle. It belongs to the detective squad.”
    â€œBut you’r e Chinese. Shouldn’t you be the one in charge
of this?”
    â€œIt’s not like that, Yip. I can’t talk about the case. Actually, I shouldn’t even be talking to you.”
    â€œThey don’t give you a high enough position. They keep you at a low-level job because you’re Chinese.”
    â€œI don’t like to think about it that way.”
    Yip sighed. “First time I came to this country, I got a job with this contracting company mopping office floors. I was the only Chinese. I was lucky to get such a high-paying job. I was working with Italians, Irish, Spanish, and some blacks. We all worked really hard. Overtime with no overtime pay. Then I voted for having a union. We won, but the bosses closed the cleaning company and started a new one. We all lost our jobs.”
    A waiter dropped off two coffees, two plates of steamed rice noodles with ground pork, and two small dishes of pork spare ribs with black-bean sauce.
    â€œSo that was when I started with the restaurant in Chinatown. I got paid less, but it was in cash and food was free.” He paused to pick his teeth, then indicated he wanted to be close friends by asking, “Where is your father from?”
    â€œMy father’s dead.”
    â€œI’m sorry.”
    â€œI’m still mad at him.”
    â€œWhat did he do to you?”
    â€œHe gambled away a lot of our money. My mother’s the only reason we pulled through.”
    â€œI’m glad your mother was good to you.”
    â€œShe was tough.”
    â€œYour parents came from a different time, a different place. But I’m sure they’re proud that you became a policeman.”
    â€œThat was when my father stopped talking to me. He wanted me to do something better.”
    â€œWhen I came here there were no Chinese policemen. The white ones all had bad tempers and hated the people here.” Yip paused to finish his coffee. “I want you to know that I’m so proud to know that a Chinese can be a policeman. I’m so proud to know you,” he said, patting my cuff.
    â€œThank you.”
    â€œSo you married?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œYou’re too picky. There are a lot of nice girls.”
    â€œAnd they all know a policeman doesn’t make much money.”
    â€œMost of the girls don’t think like that.”
    â€œJust the Chinese ones,” I said.
    Yip l aughed and I bit my lip. What’s so fucking funny, old man, I thought. His mouth opened wider and I saw black splotches on his molars. After he calmed down a bit, he asked, “How old are you and you’re not married?”
    â€œI’m 25.”
    â€œYou have to think about your children.”
    â€œI’m not sure I want to have children. I’m not even sure I want to find someone to love to have children with.”
    â€œSomeday you will.” I nodded and didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to keep talking along these lines. I became aware of an older Chinese woman standing near our booth. She was clutching a small beaded purse.
    I leaned into Yip and said, “I think you got a friend here.”
    â€œShe’s Wah’s shift supervisor. She wanted to talk to you.”
    â€œI told you before, it’s not my case. I’m not handling it,” I said. That cued the woman to approach us directly.
    â€œHello, Yip,” she said. “How are you doing?”
    â€œOfficer Chow, this is Lily.”
    â€œHello, Lily,” I said. She took a seat and squeezed Yip over to face me directly.
    â€œI wasn’t just Wah’s supervisor,” she said. “I