The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,125

an end? Did that make Mei Lien herself no better than the slave owner?

But Ah-Peen Oie recovered, and, strangely, Mei Lien was relieved. She had heard reports from the staff members who fed the woman that she was a changed person. Mei Lien had yet to see for herself, and she wondered if that day would ever come—a day when Mei Lien could look upon her former slave owner again and hear her plea for forgiveness.

That day of testing came soon enough. Tien was the one to knock on her door one morning, and when Mei Lien opened it, she found Miss Cameron standing there too. By the looks on their faces, she knew they were there for an important reason.

“Mei Lien.” Miss Cameron’s voice was soft, and Tien translated. “We’ve come to ask if you would consider meeting with Ah-Peen Oie. We know this is a lot to ask, so if you aren’t ready yet, we’ll completely understand.”

Mei Lien waited for the pain to lance through her body, to buckle her knees, to make her heart grow cold. But none of that happened. A bird began its song outside her window; one of the girls laughed in a distant room; someone ran down the stairs, their footsteps thumping along.

Life had moved on. Mei Lien had a baby boy now. She’d gained friends. She’d learned some English. She’d sung hymns and recited scripture. She had come to recognize that every morning and every evening was a gift—a gift of a new life.

She could very well understand another person wanting to change, to grow, and to become like new. Shed the old life. The darkness. The sins.

Just as Mei Lien had.

“I will come,” she whispered, because she didn’t trust her voice. Her eyes were already watering by the time she met Tien’s gaze. “Can you stay here with my baby?”

“Of course,” Tien said.

Then Mei Lien grasped Miss Cameron’s hand, holding on as if she needed the support. “Where is she?”

“She is waiting in my office,” Miss Cameron murmured.

Mei Lien walked along the corridor, her heart thumping louder than her footsteps. By the time they reached Miss Cameron’s office, Mei Lien had changed her mind a dozen times. The only thing keeping her feet moving forward was her grip on Miss Cameron’s steady hand.

Miss Cameron opened the door.

And there she was. Ah-Peen Oie was no longer wearing a silk dress. Her hair was not swept into an elegant style. She wore no makeup. Her hair had been cut short and now framed a face with aging lines. Her clothing was a simple white tunic over white trousers. She could have been anyone on the street, but there was no doubt it was the same slave owner. But the most significant change was that the woman’s eyes had changed. Gone was the hatred from their dark depths.

The light in Ah-Peen Oie’s eyes told Mei Lien that the slave owner’s soul had changed too.

The woman sank to her knees and bowed her head. As Ah-Peen Oie whispered her plea, Mei Lien’s tears dripped down her face. She realized she had wanted to forgive this woman; she wanted to be free of the burden of grief and heartache.

Instead of the sorrow or anger that Mei Lien had expected to feel toward the woman, she felt a strange kinship. And the very air seemed sweet with love.

“Ah-Peen Oie,” Mei Lien whispered, kneeling next to the woman and grasping her trembling hands. “I forgive you, and I only wish you happiness and peace.”

Ah-Peen Oie collapsed against Mei Lien, and the two women held each other, both crying. It was many moments before Mei Lien realized that Miss Cameron had left the room, giving them privacy to talk through their heartaches and hopes for the future.

After meeting with Ah-Peen Oie, Mei Lien hadn’t expected another miracle. But it seemed her act of forgiveness had opened the floodgates. Another early morning, another sketching session, and Miss Cameron knocked on Mei Lien’s door before the sun crested the neighboring eastern buildings. When Mei Lien answered, Miss Cameron whispered, “Come with me and bring your son.”

Mei Lien hesitated, but the director looked like she had been crying. Mei Lien picked up her sleeping son from his bed. His dark head lolled against her shoulder, but as they walked down the corridor, he stirred awake.

Following Miss Cameron, they headed down the back stairs. To the basement? Had Zhang Wei come for her, then? Thankfully, her son was quiet and had laid his