The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,66
as the Lord left the ninety-nine sheep to rescue the one, I too will go after the one.”
Mrs. Field waved a hand in dismissal. “Now look who’s comparing the Chinese to sheep. The residents here are in the middle of their education, and you cannot leave me to cover both my job and your job.”
So this was what it had come to. “Ah Cheng and Yuen Qui are able to help out anytime.”
Mrs. Field scoffed. “I can barely communicate with them.”
Now Mrs. Field was being ridiculous. The interpreters spoke fine English.
Dolly was exhausted, and arguing in the middle of the night with Mrs. Field wasn’t doing either of them any good. If Mrs. Field wanted to recommend to the board that Dolly be let go, then so be it. “I will continue to work toward Kum Quai’s freedom with all of the resources I can muster. If you need more help, I can talk to one of the staff members for you.”
Mrs. Field lifted her chin. “Don’t overstep your authority, Miss Cameron.” Then, without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked away, leaving behind only the echo of her brisk footsteps.
Dolly looked down at the lotus blossom in her hand, then brought it to her nose and inhaled the soft, sweet fragrance. She would count whatever blessings came her way, and the rest . . . well, the rest, she would turn over to the Lord. Somewhere out there, Kum Quai was trapped and desperate. And Dolly would not abandon her.
Over the next few days, Dolly continued reaching out to all her sources, trying to find a solution, although Mrs. Field refused to even speak of Kum Quai.
“Jun Ling says he is keeping his ears open,” Ah Cheng told Dolly one morning over breakfast. Thankfully, Mrs. Field had already left the breakfast table, since she disapproved of using resources to continue their search.
Dolly reached across the table and clasped Ah Cheng’s hand. “Jun Ling is a good man and a good friend to the mission home.”
When Ah Cheng’s face flushed a pretty red, Dolly tightened her hold. “What is this? Do you think of Jun Ling as more than a friend?”
Ah Cheng’s blush deepened, but her smile was genuine.
“Tell me,” Dolly said. “I want to hear everything.”
Ah Cheng looked down at the table, then released a slow breath. When she next looked at Dolly, her dark eyes were beautiful with love and excitement. “He’s asked me to marry him.”
Dolly yelped. “Oh, my goodness. How wonderful!”
“I know,” Ah Cheng whispered. “I never thought I’d . . . find so much happiness.”
When she hesitated, Dolly guessed what would come next. “We will miss you,” she said, speaking with more courage than she felt. She couldn’t let Ah Cheng feel guilty about leaving to marry. It was something that Dolly supposed she might do herself one day if the right man came along. “But you can come visit anytime, my friend.”
Ah Cheng nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “I know. It will be hard to leave, though. But I love him.”
Tears stung Dolly’s eyes, too. She rose and crossed to Ah Cheng, pulling the woman into a hug. “I am happy for you.” And she was. Truly. Ah Cheng would be dearly missed, but Dolly’s mind was already moving ahead. Yuen Qui had interpreted plenty of times, and she was the natural choice to fill Ah Cheng’s shoes.
“Yuen Qui has agreed to help,” Ah Cheng said.
“She already knows?”
Ah Cheng smiled. “You’ve been very busy lately. I didn’t want to take away from your focus. Our marriage won’t be for many months yet.”
Dolly pulled Ah Cheng into another embrace. “How did I get so blessed in life?”
The women drew apart at the sound of someone knocking at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Ah Cheng offered.
“No, you finish your breakfast,” Dolly insisted. She left the dining room and walked to the front door. The few moments to herself were much needed, because new tears burned her eyes now—ones born of the realization of how lonely she sometimes felt. Loneliness was an interesting animal of its own accord. Days and weeks would pass when Dolly hardly gave a thought to how a well of loneliness had taken up residence next to her heart. But then the quiet moments would come, the exhaustion would take over, and she would feel like she was missing something, or someone, she couldn’t quite name.
The knock sounded again at the door. Dolly had delayed too long with her own thoughts. There