China Dog (17 page)

“Now your family spirits will be fooled. They will think someone has taken his own life and won’t look any more for somebody to fulfil the curse.”

“Are we finished?” asked Ming. She looked at the shards of china floating in the water. The neck was still attached to the head and the rope was around it.

“We need to bury this. We can do it in my backyard,” answered the
sung pu
. “Then you can go.”

Before Ming and Mrs. Wong left, the
sung pu
gave them each a coconut candy. It was as if they had been at a funeral. The sugar would sweeten their future after a bitter experience. Ming gave the
sung pu
a white envelope. Inside were two lucky red-coloured fifty-dollar bills.

After the ceremony, Ming took Mrs. Wong for
dim sum
. They left each other at the streetcar stop.

Ming sat down beside an open window on the Queen streetcar. The breeze through the window felt soothing on her face. She was exhausted, coated in a thin film of oily perspiration. She had expected to feel an enormous rush of relief. She remembered Mrs. Wong’s words of reassurance. “Now Ming, you can relax. Go on with life.” But she still had nagging doubts. She had wanted a concrete statement, a sign that said, “The curse is finished. It’s been defeated.”

Ming didn’t know when she became aware of the sound of sirens. As the streetcar approached her stop, the sirens grew louder. Through her window, she saw a group of people gathered around a police car and an ambulance. Traffic was at a standstill. Ming stepped out of the car through the middle doors, feeling a rush of heat from the asphalt road. She walked towards the crowd.

Was that Dan talking to the police? His mouth was trembling and his eyes were filled with fear. Ming quickened her steps and started to run. She pushed her way through the
crowd, her voice rising in a panic shrill, “Dan! Dan!” A pair of strong arms abruptly stopped her.

Then Dan called out. “My wife, my wife!” And the policeman released her. Dan put his arms around her and held tightly as Ming looked at the body lying on the road. The head was at a strange angle to the body. There was blood all over. But Ming stared at a line of blood that travelled down the earlobe and around the neck. The body belonged to her son. Ming held her hands over her mouth in horror. She loosened Dan’s grip and together they knelt down beside their son. Ming started to sob, her body shaking uncontrollably. Then she turned to Dan. “What happened?”

“A dog dashed out in front of a car. Peter ran out to push the dog out of the way. I don’t know why he did that. He didn’t even know the dog.”

Ming gently stroked Peter’s blood-soaked hair. Dan put his arms around her again and she pressed her face into his shoulder. Again she turned and looked at her son. His body was frozen into an ugly, contorted position. The muscles in her abdomen twisted and tightened, forming a hard, heavy knot in the pit of her stomach. She knew that this weight would be with her for the rest of her life, that her life would never again be the same. She now knew with certainty that she had deflected the curse from her husband, but the scorpion’s tail had stung.

I am indebted to many people for helping me with this book,

In particular I wish to thank Makeda Silvera for giving me a chance and deciding to publish my stories. Nadia Halim for guiding me through the rewrites with care, patience, and insight. Helen Porter, who saw my stories in their embryonic form and encouraged me to continue. Wayson Choy for his wisdom, generosity, and for somehow always asking the right questions. And last but not least, Michael, Alison, and Katherine.

Judy Fong Bates came to Canada from China as a young girl and grew up in several small Ontario towns. She is the author of a collection of short stories,
China Dog and Other Stories
, and a novel,
Midnight at the Dragon Café
. Her stories have been broadcast on CBC Radio and published in literary journals and anthologies.

Judy Fong Bates lives in Toronto.