Tiger's Quest (7 page)

“Well, he’s in India. And we aren’t
together
because . . .” I whispered, “Because . . . I left him.”

“Was he
mean
to you?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. He was . . .
perfect
.”

“So he didn’t want you to leave?”

“No.”

“Didn’t he want to come with you?”

The corner of my mouth quirked up in a small smile. “I had to beg him to stay behind.”

“Then I don’t understand. Why did you leave him?”

“He was too . . . I was too . . .” I sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Did you love him?”

I set down the platter that I’d been wiping dry for five minutes and twisted the towel in my hands. Quietly, I answered, “Yes.”

“And now?”

“And now . . . when I’m alone . . . I feel like I can’t breathe sometimes.”

She nodded and washed a few more dishes. The silverware clinked softly in the bubbly water. Angling her head slightly, she asked, “What’s his name?”

I stared dully at the kitchen window. It was dark outside, and I could see myself reflected with my slumped shoulders and dead eyes.

“Ren. His name is Ren.”

Saying his name bruised my already broken heart. I felt a tear slip down my cheek and looked up at the window again, just in time to see Li in the reflection standing behind me. He turned and walked out of the room, but not before I saw his expression. I’d hurt his feelings.

Jennifer reached over and squeezed my arm. “Go talk to him. It’s better to discuss things quickly. Otherwise, mountains are made of molehills.”

This situation already felt like a mountain to me, but she was right. I needed to talk to Li.

He had left the house already. As I gathered up my things and said thanks, Jennifer strolled out of the kitchen and waved me on.

I headed out the door and found him leaning up against his car with his arms folded across his chest. “Li?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

He sighed deeply. “It’s okay. You warned me before we started this that it was going to be hard. I guess I only have one question.”

“Okay.”

He turned to face me and looked deeply into my eyes. “Are you still in love with him?”

“I . . . I think so.”

He visibly deflated.

“But, Li, it doesn’t matter. He’s gone. He’s on another continent. If he wanted to be with me that badly, he could be, and he’s not. He’s not here. He hasn’t even called me, in fact. I just need . . . time. A little bit more time to . . . to put aside these feelings. I want to be able to.” I reached out and took his hand. “It’s not fair to you, I know. You deserve to date someone who doesn’t have this kind of baggage.”

“Kelsey, everyone has baggage of some kind.” He kicked the tire of his car. “I like you and I want you to like me. Maybe it will work out if we just take it slow. Learn to be friends for a while first.”

“Is that enough for you?”

“It’ll have to be. I don’t have any other options except not seeing you, and that’s not a good option for me.”

“Okay, then, we’ll take it slow.”

Li smiled and leaned down to kiss my cheek. “You’re worth waiting for, Kelsey. And just for the record, the guy was crazy to let you leave.”

Though I had borrowed stacks of books from the library and spent countless hours online, I still hadn’t found any useful information about the test of the four houses. I hoped the winged creatures on this part of the quest were going to be harmless butterflies, but somehow I doubted it would be that easy.
At least we now had a clue as to how the air theme was going to fit in,
I thought.

With my head tucked in books most of the time, Thanksgiving led quickly into the Christmas season. Bright Christmas displays could be seen in all the neighborhoods and all the store windows. I continued to date both Li and Jason, and in the middle of December, Li took me to his cousin’s wedding.

During the last two weeks, I’d been telling myself repeatedly that I really wanted things to work out with Li, that it would be alright if I opened my heart to him. He looked very handsome when he picked me up. He wore a dark suit, and my heart stirred when I saw him. Maybe not with love, but at least with happiness to be with him.

“Wow, Kelsey. You look great!”

I had dipped into my forbidden closet and come out with a peach princess dress made of satin and organza. The top had a fitted corset that flowed into a peach calf-length petal skirt.

The wedding was held at a country club. When the ceremony was over, lion dancers and musicians appeared, and we followed them parade-style to the reception area. One of the musicians played a mandolin. It looked similar to the guitar that had been hanging on the wall in Mr. Kadam’s music room.

Red parasols, golden Chinese fans, and fancy origami decorated the dining room, which Li explained were traditional at Chinese weddings. The bride wore a red dress, and instead of boxed gifts, guests gave the couple red envelopes full of money.

Li gestured toward a group of boys all wearing black suits with sunglasses. My eyes widened, and I had to stifle a giggle when I realized it was our game group. They grinned and waved to me. One of them had a large briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.

“Why are they dressed like that?” I asked. “And what’s in the briefcase?”

He laughed. “One thousand dollars in crisp, one dollar bills. They’re going to handcuff the case to the groom. It’s a joke. My cousin used to be a part of our game group until he got too busy at his job. He’s the first to get married so he gets the briefcase.”

We made our way through the receiving line, and Li introduced me to his cousin and his new bride. She was petite and very beautiful and seemed a little shy. After that, we found our seats at the dinner table, where we were soon joined by all of Li’s friends. They teased him about not wearing his shades too.

The bride and groom performed a candle-lighting ceremony to honor their ancestors, and then dinner was served: fish to symbolize abundance, a whole lobster to represent completeness, Peking duck for joy and happiness, shark fin soup to grant wealth, noodles for long life, and sea cucumber salad for marital harmony. Li tried to get me to taste sweet lotus seed buns that symbolized fertility.

“Umm . . . thanks,” I said uncertainly, “but I’ll pass for now.”

After good wishes from both sides of the family, the couple danced their first dance.

Li squeezed my hand and stood. “Kelsey, may I?”

“Sure.”

He spun me around the dance floor once before his friends started to cut in. I never got more than one full dance with Li. A handful of dances later, a three-tiered cake was brought out. The inside was orange, and the outside was decorated with pearly almond-flavored icing and beautiful sugar orchids.

When Li dropped me off that night, I felt happy. I’d really enjoyed being a part of his world. I hugged him and pecked him goodnight on the cheek, and he smiled at me like he’d just won a worldwide martial arts title.

I spent Christmas Day with my foster family. Sipping hot chocolate, I watched the kids open their presents. Sarah and Mike had given me a jogging outfit. They were always trying to get me to embrace the highs of running. The kids gave me gloves and a scarf, which I told them I desperately needed. I planned to hang out with them that morning and then spend the rest of the day with Li who would pick me up for an afternoon date at 2:00 p.m.

His present, a martial arts movie collection, was sitting on my coffee table in the living room. I’d already made up my mind that if he didn’t try to kiss me by the end of the date, I would kiss him. I had even hung mistletoe outside my door. An irrational part of my mind said that maybe kissing him was the key to breaking the bond I still felt with the man I left. I knew it probably wouldn’t be that easy, but it was the first step.

My thoughts drifted to my date. The kids were playing with their new toys, and the adults were sitting by the Christmas tree, listening to carols, and talking quietly when the doorbell rang.

“Are you expecting anyone, Sarah?” I asked as I got up to answer it.

“It’s probably a package from Mr. Kadam. He said to expect a surprise.”

I twisted the deadbolt and opened the door.

Standing on the front stoop was the most beautiful man on the planet. My heart stopped and then galloped thunderously in my chest. Anxious cobalt blue eyes explored every feature of my face. Lines of tension and stress faded from his expression, and he breathed deeply like a man who had been underwater too long.

Now content, the warrior-angel smiled softly, sweetly, and reached out tentatively to touch my cheek. I felt the link between us wrap its fingers solidly around my heart and tighten, drawing us closer. Circling his arms around me hesitantly at first, he touched his forehead to mine and then crushed my body to his. He rocked me back and forth gently and stroked my hair. Sighing, he whispered only one word, “
Kelsey.
”

W
rapped in his arms, I listened to the beat of my heart, which swelled and pounded in my chest. Like the Grinch, my heart had shrunk until it was two sizes too small. When Ren touched me, all the emotions I’d been holding back spilled out and flooded through my body, slowly filling the emptiness.

I felt myself blossom and grow with new vigor. Ren was the sun, and the tenderness he showed me was life-giving water. A dormant part of me burst into pulsing life, stretched deep rooty fingers, opened thick green leaves, and shot curling tendrils outward drawing us closer together.

Sarah called out from the kitchen, reminding me that a world existed outside the two of us. “Kelsey? Kelsey? Who is it?”

Snapping back to reality, I stepped away. He let me go, but slid his hand down my arm and laced his fingers through mine. I was mute. My mouth opened to answer, but I couldn’t form a single word.

Ren sensed my plight and announced his arrival. “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Neilson?”

Mike and Sarah both stopped mid-stride when they saw him. Ren smiled in his devastating way and extended his hand.

“Hello. I’m Mr. Kadam’s grandson, Ren.”

He shook hands warmly with Mike and then extended a hand to Sarah. When Ren turned his smile on her, she flushed, nervous as a schoolgirl. It made me feel better to know that I wasn’t the only female to lose all sense of reason around him. He had a mesmerizing effect on women of all ages.

Mike said, “Huh, Ren. That’s a coincidence. Hey, Kelsey, wasn’t that tiger—”

I rushed forward. “Uh, yeah. Funny thing, huh?” I looked up at Ren and hooked my thumb at him.

“But,
Ren
is actually just his nickname. His given name is . . . Al.” I punched him on the arm, “Right, Al?”

His eyebrows drew together in amused puzzlement. “Right, Kelsey.” He turned to Mike and Sarah again. “It’s actually Alagan, but you can call me Ren. Everyone does.”

By this time, Sarah had regained her composure. “Well, Ren. Please come inside and meet the children.”

He smiled at her again and said, “I would love to.”

Sarah responded by stifling a girlish giggle and patting her hair. Ren stooped to pick up several large packages that he’d stacked by the door while I made a beeline for the family room.

While Mike helped Ren, Sarah found me and whispered, “
Kelsey
, when did you two meet? For a minute there, I thought I was finally meeting Li. What’s going on?”

I stared straight at the Christmas tree as I mumbled, “That’s what I’d like to know.”

The men entered the living room, where Ren removed his charcoal herringbone trench coat and draped it over a chair. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved gray zip polo shirt that clung to his chest and arms.

“Who’s Li?” Ren asked.

My mouth dropped open. “How did you—” I snapped my mouth shut quickly. I’d forgotten about his tiger hearing. “Li is . . . umm . . . a guy . . . that I know.”

Sarah raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything.

Ren watched me closely, politely waited for me to sit, and then sat down on the couch next to me. The minute he sat, the kids were all over him.

“I have presents for the two of you,” he said conspiratorially to Rebecca and Sammy. “Can you open them together?”

The kids nodded their heads seriously, and he laughed and shoved a large box over to them. They frantically opened it and pulled out a set of Dr. Seuss books. The books looked strange to me at first. I took one out of the set and figured out why.

I whispered to him, “You got first editions!
For kids
? Those are worth probably thousands of dollars
each
!”

He tucked some hair behind my ear and leaned over to whisper, “I got you a set just like it at home. Don’t be jealous.”

My face turned bright red. “That’s not what I meant.”

He laughed and picked up the next gift. Mike kept stealing glances out the window at Ren’s car.

“So, Ren, I see you have a Hummer out there.”

Ren looked up at Mike. “Yes, I do.”

“Do you think you could take me for a ride some time? I mean, I’ve always wanted to ride in one of those.”

Ren rubbed his jaw. “Sure, but I can’t do it today. I have to get settled in at my new residence.”

“Oh . . . you’ll be staying here for a while?”

“That’s the plan, at least for the term. I’ve signed up to take a few classes at Western Oregon University.”

“Well, that’s great. You’ll be going to school with Kelsey.”

Ren grinned. “Yes, that’s right. Perhaps we’ll bump into each other there.”

Mike turned his attention to the car again with a big smile on his face. Sarah was watching me closely. I tried to maintain a neutral expression, but, inside, I was a mass of questions.

What is he thinking? Staying here? Where? Going to school with me? What am I going to do? Why is he here?

Ren slid a large gift over to Sarah and Mike. “This is for you two.”

Mike helped Sarah open it, and they pulled out a brand new red mixer with every attachment known to mankind. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could create an ice sculpture with the thing. Sarah began talking excitedly about all the organic wheat-free baked goods she would now be making.