“Hey, Michael, I’m ready to go.” Wang Yang took a pair of sneakers out of the shoe cabinet and put them on as he spoke. Bending down to tie the shoelaces, he looked back at Michael Pitt, who was standing not far away from him. He said with a smile, “Have some instant noodles. Haha!”
Leaning against the wall, Michael Pitt took a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket with a smile. He was going to light one cigarette.
“Watch out. Don’t catch my apartment on fire.” Wang Yang warned him. He took two steps ahead after tying the shoelaces. He opened the door and was leaving. At this moment, his cellphone rang. He took it out and looked at the screen. The cheerful look faded from his face slowly. He answered it. “Hi, Rachel.” There, Michael Pitt, with a cigarette between his lips and holding the lighter close to it, paused. He looked at Wang Yang.
“Oh, hey, Yang. What are you up to tonight?” Rachel’s gentle voice came through the phone.
Wang Yang could totally imagine her smiling face from that voice. Her question made him feel awkward. Scratching his head, he said, “I’m going to Jessica’s home for dinner.”
No response came. Then, he heard Rachel say, “Okay.” She went on calmly, “So I’m not keeping you on the phone.”
Knowing she would hang up, Wang Yang called her involuntarily, “Rachel!”
Rachel answered quietly, “Yes?”
Wang Yang said, after a moment of silence, “Rachel, I want to say thank you to you.”
Rachel said, “All right.” Then, she added, “Yang, that is also what I want to say to you. Thank you.”
Wang Yang put the cellphone back into his pocket silently after hanging up. Michael Pitt pressed the lighter and lit the cigarette. Looking at Wang Yang, he said, “Yang, I want to say thank you to you, too.”
“Stop it.” Shaking his head, Wang Yang smiled. He said, “I’m leaving,” and then walked out of the door.
Some festival parade was taking place on the afternoon street. People in Indian costumes were doing all kinds of performances. Many tourists were standing by the street, watching. Everyone was smiling. The merry festival atmosphere was everywhere.
Wang Yang did not head for Jessica’s home until he had watched the performance for a long time on the street. Since many road sections had been closed, along with the traffic jam, he did not drive his own car. He chose to take the metro and walk. Wang Yang arrived at the neighborhood Jessica was living in, passed by that small fountain, and then went on walking for some time. Gazing at the beautiful, two-story house in front of him, he took his phone out to call Jessica. He told her with a smile, “I am here.”
He put the phone back and then walked onto the lawn in front of Jessica’s house. A white Labrador retriever ran toward him. It was Danny. He had not seen Wang Yang for a long time. At the moment, smelling his familiar smell, Danny was so excited that he intended to jump on Wang Yang. Wang Yang screamed. Grasping Danny’s paws, he said with a smile, “Hey, Danny. How have you been?”
Standing on his rear legs, Danny stuck his tongue out, panting. He was making an effort to get rid of the control of Wang Yang’s hands so that he could jump onto them.
“Danny, stop it!” Jessica shouted at him, walking out of the house. She was wearing some very colorful clothes, with a cloth tied around her wrist. Her brown hair was down, and she was wearing a headband with some colorful feathers on it. She looked just like an Indian—a very pretty one. She walked over. Patting Danny on his head, she said with a smile, “Danny, go there. Give Yang a break.”
“Hi!” Wang Yang greeted her. He let go of Danny. Then, he said, “It’s okay, Jessica. You know I love dogs.” Danny, free again, jumped up right away around Wang Yang. He crouched down to pet Danny’s neck. Smiling, he said, “Hey, buddy, you are so passionate… oh!” He suddenly had a hot, damp feeling on his cheek. It was Danny. He had just licked Wang Yang with his tongue. Gnashing his teeth, he said with a smile, “You ambushed me. I’m going to kick your a*s!” Then, he rubbed Danny’s head hard, as if the Labrador retriever was a Chow-Chow.
Watching him and Danny having so much fun together, Jessica smiled. She felt sweet. She bent down with hands on her knees. Tilting forward, she said, “Yang, you should attack his ears. Blow some air into them. That’s his weakness!”
“Copy that, madam!” Smiling, Wang Yang opened his mouth like a roaring lion. He blew some air into Danny’s ear. Danny was instantly shocked. He pointed his ears up. Then, he jumped on Wang Yang even more madly. Wang Yang lost his balance and fell down on the lawn.
Next to them, Jessica was laughing and giggling happily. She shouted, “Watch out. He is going to lick your face again! Oh, watch for the left side!”
After playing with Danny for a while, Wang Yang followed Jessica into the house. Joshua went out and had not come back yet, so there was only Mark Alba in the living room. Jessica smiled at Wang Yang. “Yang, make yourself at home. I’m preparing dinner.” She looked at Mark Alba and smiled. “Dad, help me host Yang, please.” Then, she walked out of the living room toward the kitchen, which was at the back of the house.
Looking at Mark Alba, in a white shirt, Wang Yang said with a smile, “Hey, Mark.”
Mark Alba’s masculine face looked emotionless. He sized up Wang Yang seriously as if this was their first meeting. He put out a hand for Wang Yang, and Wang Yang took it. Mark Alba pulled his hand with effort and patted him on the shoulder with his other hand. He said in a neither warm nor cold tone, “Young man, welcome to my home…”
“Mark, thanks…” Wang Yang smiled. His shoulder ached a little from Mark’s pat. He could not help but murmur to himself that Mark was a really strong man.
The two sat down on the sofa after greeting. Mark Alba was sitting very straight and always kept a poker face. If it were one year or half a year ago, Wang Yang might have been feeling awkward, but after going through so much and dealing with so many middle-aged men in the past year, he had grown accustomed to it and was even good at hanging with men of this age. Besides, it was much worse in the meeting room. At least it was cozy here.
Wang Yang looked at Mark since the latter was very silent. He took the initiative to speak. “Mark, I think I owe you a thank you. Mr. Hebel Carl is a really good lawyer. He has helped me a lot with legal affairs.” It was Jessica who had introduced Hebel Carl to him. He supposed Jessica must have gotten the information from Mark.
“No problem. It’s nothing.” Mark Alba finally spoke. He suddenly asked, “Yang, the shooting of your High School Musical movie will start very soon, won’t it?”
Wang Yang said, “Yes.” He went on, “Everything is ready. We will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, to shoot High School Musical after Thanksgiving.”
“Utah.” Mark Alba repeated. An unexpected smile showed up on his face. He said, “That’s a good place. Wendover Air Force Base was located there. The pilots there were all elites.” Looking at Wang Yang, he said, “You know what? They once trained some excellent B-29 bomber pilots there. Paul Tibbets was one of them. It was he who dropped the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The atomic bomb totally ruined the city.”
Wang Yang nodded silently. He said, “Yeah, I know. His bomber was called Enola Gay, and the atomic bomb was called Little Boy. They ended the war.”
Mark Alba seemed to be piqued with interest. He said, “Everyone knows about the bombing of Hiroshima and Little Boy, but few people know the bomber that dropped the atomic bomb was Enola Gay.”
“I might have a good memory.” Wang Yang shrugged his shoulders. Then, he added seriously, “I don’t like wars, but I would like to understand them better, especially the Second World War. It was the world war closest to us. I want to figure out why those wars happened, as well as how they ended, and what they brought us. We need to know this so that those died in wars could rest in peace.”
Mark Alba nodded his agreement. Smiling, he said, “You’ve made a good point.”
“Hi, Dad, Yang.” Jessica popped her head into the living room from the corridor. Seeing the two getting along well, she felt happy and relieved. With a sweet smile, she said, “I’m just checking in, in case you need anything. You keep doing what you are doing…” Then, she walked back into the kitchen, humming some tune.
Wang Yang and Mark exchanged a look, smiling at each other. Mark even joked, “What is my daughter worrying about? Does she think you and I will fight?”
Wang Yang kept smiling. He did not speak. He felt there was a wonderful vibe at the moment as if he was in “Meet the Parents”. Mark had already regarded him as Jessica’s boyfriend, but since he had come this day to take part in the Albas’ dinner party, it was almost a tacit understanding that he was Jessica’s boyfriend.
“Jessica told me you took care of her back in San Francisco, didn’t you?” Looking at Wang Yang, Mark Alba turned stern again, as if he wanted to talk about serious things.
“Yeah?” Wang Yang was dumbstruck. He was kind of embarrassed and broke into a smile. Spreading his hands, he said with a smile, “I guess so. You know, teachers told me to take care of her. I was a good student, so I did what I was told.”
Mark looked at Wang Yang silently for a long time. Then, suddenly, he patted the latter on the shoulder. He said earnestly, “So, keep taking good care of her. Remember, don’t let anyone hurt her.”
Wang Yang looked into Mark Alba’s eyes calmly, not trying to avoid them. Nodding seriously, he answered, “I will.”
“Great!” Mark laughed. Looking at the young but mature, handsome man before him, he felt rather delighted, and he was happy for his daughter. As to those worries, he decided to leave them behind for the moment. It was useless to worry about the things that you only imagined. Getting to his feet, Mark said with a smile, “You wanna see some of my photos from when I was serving in the air force?”
“Wow!” Wang Yang stood up. He said with a smile, “Of course. I’m honored.”
Night had fallen. On the long, wide table in the living room, there were all kinds of inviting foods—puffed bread, pumpkin pie, hams, and so on. And of course, there was also a crispy-skinned roasted turkey, which smelled wonderful. The oil on it was glimmering.
The Albas and Wang Yang had all been seated. Mark was sitting at the head of the table—the seat of the head of the family. On his left side were his wife Cathy and his son Joshua. On his right side were Jessica and Wang Yang. Looking at them, Mark said the prayer with a sincere face. “On this special day, we would like to thank many people for many things. We thank those who sacrificed their lives for freedom. We thank those who helped us… Thank you, my Lord, for the great food and the great life you have given us. That is how we are breathing the air of freedom here. Thank you for everything! Amen.”
Cathy, Joshua, and Jessica all closed their eyes. They prayed with sincere faces as well, “Thank you for everything! Amen.” Thinking of how happy he was at the moment with this great vibe, Wang Yang also said quietly, “Thank you for everything! Amen.”
As soon as they were done with the prayer, Joshua took a piece of bread. With a big piece of bread in his mouth, he gabbled, “Oh, it is delicious! My God, I am starving.”
Seeing their son wolfing down, Mark and Cathy both laughed, shaking their heads. Jessica turned to Wang Yang with an expectant look. She asked, “Yang, you want to try some pumpkin pie?” Wang Yang nodded. “Sure. Thanks.” Jessica took a knife to cut a piece of the pie. Then, smiling, she put that piece onto Wang Yang’s plate.
Seeing her so expectant, Wang Yang guessed it must have been her who had made the pie. So, he savored the full flavor of the food. It was very puffy, soft, and sweet. Looking at Jessica, he thumbed up at her. He complimented, “Wow, this pumpkin pie is really great. It feels good in the mouth, and this sweetness…” Thinking it over, he said with a smile, “I guess you have put a lot of honey into it. Am I right?”
Seeing him enjoy the food and pay her compliment, Jessica felt happy and sweet. Why did she like cooking? That was the reason. She loved to see people whom she cared about enjoying the food cooked by her. She just loved that feeling. But Wang Yang’s last remark really surprised her. She asked involuntarily, “Yang, how did you know?”
They all looked at Wang Yang with curiosity. Shrugging his shoulders, Wang Yang ate some more pie. Then, he said with a smile, “Don’t forget that I grew up in a restaurant. I know the tricks.”
They tumbled over to that fact. Biting the bread, Joshua asked him out of curiosity, “Yang, you have pumpkin pie in Chinese food, too?”
“There are too many Chinese dishes. I’m not sure whether there is pumpkin pie or not, but you can find it in my family’s restaurant.” Wang Yang burst out laughing. When he recalled Wang’s Restaurant that belonged to his family at the moment, he was not feeling impatient anymore. Instead, a familiar feeling arose in him. He explained, “You know, if an average restaurant without any fame wants to get by, you have to satisfy many demands of the customers and provide extra services. That’s why we accept reservations at our restaurant. If anyone wants a pumpkin pie, we will make a pumpkin pie for them without any problem.”
His explanation gave them an idea of how his family’s restaurant operated. Cathy suddenly asked, “Yang, I tried to make a Chinese dish once, but it just didn’t taste like what I had in restaurants. I don’t know what the problem was.”
Wang Yang said while eating the pie, “Yeah? What dish was that? Tell me how you cooked it.”
Jessica did not speak much. Seeing her family and Wang Yang having such a nice conversation, she showed a smile on her face. She felt so sweet. The sweet feeling even outdid the pumpkin pie.
During the big, pleasant dinner, Wang Yang answered many questions about Chinese food. He also talked about things regarding movies and his daily life. Certainly, he also heard a lot of things about the Albas and learned many fun stories of Jessica. He felt like he had blended in with the family well and was already a member of the family. He felt very warm. He also felt the love this family had for Jessica. Don’t let anyone hurt her!
Under the starry sky, Wang Yang and Jessica were walking together in the neighborhood. That small fountain was not far away. Wang Yang stopped as soon as they came to the fountain. He said, “Well, let’s say goodbye here.” He was gazing at Jessica’s face. Lit by bright street lamps, she appeared to be so pretty and so charming. He said to her, “Thank you for inviting me. I had a very great dinner.” Smiling, he added, “That roasted turkey was amazing.” However, it was not small at all. There was a lot left.
“I’m glad that you liked it.” Jessica was also gazing at him. She did not avoid his look.
“Thank you, Mary.” Wang Yang grinned. Mary was what her family called her. He knew that from Cathy just now. Mary was actually Jessica’s middle name, but he had never noticed that before.
Jessica broke into a smile. She suddenly said, “Call me Jessica.” She took a deep breath. Her heart suddenly beat extremely fast. Plucking up her courage, she said, “Yang, I like how you pronounce my name!”
Wang Yang knew what she was talking about. His heart started to beat fast as well. Nodding, he said, “Okay, Jessica…” Looking at her eyes as clear as crystals and that hot, expectant look of hers, he could not help but breathe out hard. Taking a step closer to her, his heart beating fast, he lowered his head toward Jessica’s lips slowly.
Opening her eyes wide, Jessica felt her lips were trembling. Seeing him closer and closer, she felt she suddenly could not breathe. She felt suffocated. Was what she had been dreaming for so long finally happening?
Touching those two soft and warm lips, Wang Yang felt he could relate to her. He gave her a gentle kiss. Then, he lifted his head to look at her. Grasping her hands, he asked gently and sincerely, “Jessica, would you be my girlfriend?”
Jessica smiled. That was an extremely happy smile. She held her breath and kept nodding. She wanted to say something, but there was nothing she could say. She threw herself into Wang Yang’s arms and held him tightly. She said, “Of course. Of course!” She felt so happy and so lucky. Closing her eyes, she kept telling herself, “Thank you, my Lord. Thank you…”
Wang Yang held her tightly as well. His chin rubbed against her hair lightly. A warm feeling arose in his heart; it was that feeling of sweet love that he had forgotten for such a long time. He felt he had found part of his soul again. He was so happy that he trembled. Jessica had always been giving him support and encouraging him since their reunion. She had been helping him realize his dreams. That was what his sweetheart should be like, wasn’t it?
Thinking of this, Wang Yang kissed her on the forehead. He said with a smile, “Thank you, sweetheart!” Then, he kissed her on the lips again.
Jessica was so happy. She opened her mouth slightly and moved toward Wang Yang’s mouth.
Thank you for everything.