The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,79

Yuen Qui, and she rose from her chair and hurried to embrace Dolly. Soon Dolly was embracing each of the staff members in turn.

“I’ve no doubt the board will approve.” Yuen Qui wiped the tears from her face. “The girls will be delighted.”

The scuff of footsteps coming from the far side of the dining room drew Dolly’s attention, and she looked over to see Tien in the doorway. When their gazes connected, Tien gave her a hard stare, then turned away. Perhaps not everyone would be happy about her new commitment.

Dolly could hardly believe she was willing to take this step herself. She had been at the mission home almost six years, and each year, her feet became more firmly planted on this corner of 920 Sacramento Street. And each year, she forgot bit by bit whatever dreams she might have had before arriving on that foggy morning in 1895. At the mission home, she’d found a new path and a different family—both unexpected and lovely.

Yuen Qui broke up the circle. “Come, let’s tell the girls in the kitchen. They will be over the moon.”

Dolly touched Yuen Qui’s arm. “I need to speak to the board first before we can make an announcement, but today, let’s skip classes. I’ll take a few of the girls on an outing so we can enjoy the weather.”

Yuen Qui smiled. “Which girls?”

“Whoever is on kitchen duty today.” Dolly knew that would include Tien, but who knew if the girl would agree to the outing if Yuen Qui wasn’t involved?

When they reached the kitchen, several girls were working to prepare breakfast for all the residents, but Tien was nowhere to be found.

Yuen Qui clapped her hands together, and the girls in the kitchen turned to look. “Miss Cameron has an announcement, everyone.”

Dolly met the gazes of the girls, her eyes landing on Lonnie, who was peeling fruit at the far table. “Today after breakfast, we’ll take an excursion. Perhaps a ride on the ferry to Oakland. Who would like to go?”

Every hand shot up, and a couple of the girls giggled.

Lonnie rushed to Dolly, never one to hold back her emotions, and wrapped her arms about Dolly’s waist. “Thank you, Mama.”

As soon as breakfast preparations had been completed and the meal served, Dolly left the mission home with eight little girls in tow, including Leung, Jiao, and Dong Ho. Lonnie insisted on being one who held her hand as they headed for the ferry. Wispy white clouds meandered across the sky, and the sun provided the perfect amount of warmth.

The ferry was nearly full by the time Dolly embarked with her group, and there wasn’t room for everyone to sit. She was happy to stand at the railing with a few of the girls, Lonnie among them. As they pulled away from the shore, Dolly watched the happenings of the busy city—the sea vessels coming and going, the dock workers, the tourists, the horses and buggies.

The breeze tugged at Dolly’s hair beneath her hat as she inhaled the scent of salt and brine. Seagulls screeched nearby, and one of the girls giggled at a brave seagull that landed within a couple of feet of her. Dolly scanned the landscape as they passed it, thinking of her next steps in life. Was she truly prepared to become the director? Would she rise to the occasion and be able to keep everything in balance? Her sisters already told her she worked too hard, and at times Dolly agreed. But when one had a passion, it was hard to not delve in. And the work of the mission home had become a passion.

She thought of the director assignment from all angles, but it came down to two things: Miss Culbertson’s belief in her before she died, and the warm assurance that kept pricking her skin. Yes, it said. You are prepared.

That assurance didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous or intimidated. It meant that she could put one step forward, followed by another. She could only do her best. And if the Lord wanted her to be an instrument in this work, then she would rely on Him to make up for her weaknesses.

She didn’t know the exact number of girls who had been rescued by the mission home so far, but she knew in her heart that there were many more out there. Perhaps some were inside the very buildings she could see from the ferry. Those girls needed to be her focus, not money or other distracting things