The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,116

that Charles was completely loyal and devoted to her. Given her age, her childbearing years would be at an end soon. This moment was perhaps the first time Dolly truly realized she would not bear her own children.

Charles already had a piece of her heart, yet it would never come back to her, not in the form of marriage, at least. I have dozens of daughters, Dolly thought, all of whom need me. And I need them.

“I cannot leave them, Charles.” Dolly did not need to explain who “they” were. “They are my daughters. I never want to leave California. I want to be close to those I’ve worked for, served, loved, and rescued for the past nine years.”

Charles’s smile faded at the serious tone in her voice. He didn’t answer right away. Finally he said, “I will come to California, then.”

But she had seen and heard the hesitation. She placed a hand on his beloved cheek. His skin pulsed warm beneath her fingers. Oh, how she would miss him. “You would not be happy,” she said. “Your work is here. The light in your eyes when you speak of it cannot be denied.”

Except now Charles’s eyes had filled with tears. “I will find something. I could help the mission home. I could—”

“Charles.” She rested her hand on his chest. “You’ve told me multiple times that God has called you to this place. You’ve felt confirmations more than once that you’re here for a reason.”

He clasped her hand. “Yes, but I can work anywhere.”

It was a concession, and they both knew it. They had just spent several hours together, and most of the discussion had been about his work in Philadelphia and his future plans.

“I love you, Charles Bazatas.” Her own tears burned now. “But God has called us to different missions. You belong here. I belong with my daughters in California.”

Charles rubbed his face with one hand, then looked past her, staring at something unseen for several moments. His jaw tightened, and when he again met her gaze, she saw the resolve and determination there, edged with sorrow.

“If you ever change your mind, my darling, you know where to find me,” he said in a fierce whisper.

She nodded, tears making a trail along her cheeks.

Then he cradled her face with his hands and kissed her one last time.

“We must pass now . . . to the no less important . . . stories of the young Japanese women who have been helped and protected during the year, fourteen in number. The three under our care at present are Yorki, Roe and Asa, all bright, interesting girls, helpful and willing about the house work and their studies. Asa . . . only fifteen . . . was brought to San Francisco by an agent of the notorious ring of Japanese men, who make a business of importing these young girls.”

—Donaldina Cameron, mission home report

July 1905

The moment Dolly caught sight of the shores of California was the completion of healing her heart that had been broken nearly a year before in Philadelphia. She gripped the rail as the steamship journeyed toward land. The sights, the smells, and the sounds enveloped her; even the fog was like its own welcoming committee. And Dolly relished every bit of it.

Yes, she’d loved her year-long furlough, but only weeks into it, she had dearly missed her Chinese daughters and her devoted staff. Yet she knew that her soul needed this journey. After her tearful good-bye to Charles, she spent the next ten days on a steamer across the Atlantic. The high seas were thankfully mostly calm, and she spent a lot of time on deck basking in the fresh air and sunshine. She was met in Liverpool by a friend of her family who guided her to the train that took her to Inverness, Scotland.

There she finally met her oldest sister, Isabella, along with Aunt Catherine, her mother’s sister. In Scotland, Dolly was no longer Miss Cameron, but a sister and a niece. She couldn’t believe how instantly she and Isabella connected. They spent their days together exploring the glens and walking the moors. Dolly’s heart sang as she visited the land of her ancestors. Bit by bit, the healing from leaving Charles began to take hold, although he was never far from her thoughts.

Dolly enjoyed visiting castles and cathedrals alike. The best part was meeting cousins and family friends and hearing the old family stories. The memories she made in Scotland would be cherished