The following morning, a loud shriek woke Han up. He hastily scrambled from the bed and met An Ning"s shocked eyes."You"re naked," she said accusingly.
"I always sleep in the nude," he explained matter of factly. "What"s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
"What the h.e.l.l are you doing sleeping in here with me? Go back to your own bed and never, ever let me see your naked a.s.s again."
"Well, since you"ll be seeing my a.s.s for a very long time in the future better enjoy the view now. Hey, what do you mean go back to my own bed? You and I have always slept in the same bed since we got together."
"That was before," An Ning protested.
"Don"t give me that bulls.h.i.t about being sick plus all that c.r.a.p. This bed is big enough to fit ten people and since I don"t intend to sleep apart from you ever, better grin and bear it," Han harrumphed, falling back on his pillow and closing his eyes.
"At least wear something to bed," An Ning whispered feebly. "A pajama bottom would be nice."
"No."
An Ning muttered irritably for several minutes then there was silence. Han opened his eyes and took a peek at her. He smiled when he saw her pouting lips then moved closer to enclose her tightly in his arms, ignoring her grumbles and protests.
"Shut up. Go back to sleep," he ordered sternly. An Ning grumbled but obediently closed her eyes. Her breathing eased after a while as she soon fell asleep. She was still sleeping curled sweetly around Han when he got up a few hours later. He kissed her lips, went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and showered. Then he went to find his mother.
"Are we expecting a wedding soon?" was her greeting when she saw him.
"You look disgustingly cheery this morning, Ma," he grumbled. "Where"s dad?"
"He"s found a new hobby. Archery. He and a friend of his are probably out somewhere in the woods shooting arrows."
"That sounds terrifying."
"I sent Erning with them. He"ll keep your father in line. You know how he is with a new toy."
"I remember," Han shuddered at a memory. "He almost burned that tree down if memory serves."
"He did burn it down to its roots. I"ve never seen like it before. A grown man playing with a blow torch. I"ve been married to that man nearly forty years but he still keeps me on my toes. It"s exhausting."
Han chuckled. "By the way, Ma. Thank you for not telling An Ning about that...I don"t know how to explain it to her if she were to ask me."
"That"s why I kept quiet about it." His mother seemed to hesitate. "Richard, I know there"s something you and your father are not telling me about Han"s death. I only have one question. Was it deliberate?"
"Yes."
The old lady nodded, her lips trembling with silent anguish. "Your brother had always been different from you and Alex, you know. My grandfather was the same. Totally ferocious and unafraid. I once saw him whip a man who tried to hurt grandmama. The man was bigger than grandpapa and much younger but it didn"t matter to him. It was a matter of honor, you see. Your brother was the same. Made from the same cloth."
Han wanted to say something, anything to ease his mother"s pain but he maintained his silence and kept his mouth shut. He realized that it was like a play, that he occupied the front row seat watching people exhort his life and death while totally ignorant of the corpless coffin in the middle of the room. It was a bit disconcerting.
He may have Richard"s memories from his previous life but he also had to live that life while relinquishing his own. He was like An Ning in that sense. He was waking up to a new ident.i.ty that still felt quite alien to him. He also felt guilty intruding into his brother"s inner thoughts and struggles. He didn"t want to be a part of any of it but he"s walking around inside his brother"s body so there"s really no out for him.
"To answer your previous question, An Ning decided she won"t marry me until after she"s had the baby," he said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended between them.
His mother was shocked.
"What about her parents? How will I explain this to them? They already hate your guts, you know. Thank G.o.d they didn"t know about that woman or they might hire a hitman to kill you."
"Let me worry about it, Ma. I"ll go there later and explain to them."
"You better. An Ma wanted to forcibly remove An Ning from the house if not for An Ning insisting that she didn"t want to leave. He became so angry he and your father nearly came to blows. I don"t blame them. I mean, you took a long time deciding to marry An Ning and when you did, you divorced her a month after the wedding. It"s a f.u.c.king record!"
"Language, Ma."
"You make me mad sometimes. What about that shameless woman? Did you tell An Ning about her?"
"She guessed. But it"s moot now since that woman and I are no longer together."
"It better stay that way," his mom threatened. "You"re going to be a father soon. Stop already with this cheating nonsense. You"re not a child anymore. It"s time to face up to your responsibilities."
"That"s what I told An Ning."
"Anyway, go and do whatever it is you have to do. I"m taking An Ning shopping this afternoon. We have to buy more baby clothes and other stuff. Then there"s the baby room. I already told my decorator. She"s as excited as I am."
Han left his mother happily choosing colors and went back to the bedroom he shared with An Ning. The room was empty. He looked in the washroom but she wasn"t there either. Alarmed, he went outside and checked in the garden. Empty. He was slowly going crazy with worry when he suddenly saw a smoke coming out of the woods some distance away.
Fear gave impetuous to his feet as he sprinted and entered the woods in minutes. Under a cl.u.s.ter of trees was a hut, which he and his brothers had used as a playground when they were kids. He climbed the stairs still running and kicked the door open.
An Ning was sitting on a futon laid out on the floor. She looked dazed and scared, her long black hair falling about her shoulders like a pair of black wings. She looked up at him, her eyes rounded with confusion and fear.
"I woke up and I was here. I don"t remember how I got here, Richard. All I remember is that I was flying and there was someone holding my hand. I thought it was a dream. What"s happening to me, Richard? You"re not playing games with me, are you?"
"You probably just sleepwalked without you realizing it," Han said, taking her in his arms and burying his head on her neck. He inhaled her sweet and familiar scent and the worry and fear that gripped him dissipated.
"You scared me, baby. Don"t ever do that again."
"I didn"t mean to," she softly said close to his ear.
"I"ll call the doctor and tell him to get here asap. It must be stress. You have to take care of yourself and the baby, okay? Don"t worry about anything. That"s my job. Come on, I"ll take you back. I"m sure you"re as hungry as I am."
"You haven"t eaten yet?"
"I was waiting for you to wake up. I wanted you to cook for me again. Will you?"
She took his hand and let him lead her outside. "I want to eat waffles. With mayonnaise."
He stopped and looked at her aghast.
"I"m kidding," she said, laughing out loud.
Han turned over his hand and gripped her palm.
"Come on then. You cook for me, woman. Your man is hungry and need his food."
They walked away chattering companionably. They didn"t notice a shadow emerged and converged like a whisper of mist on the window of the hut. The shadow watched them leave. It never took its eyes from them even when their figures disappeared amongst the shrubs that lined the lane leading to the courtyard.
There was rumble and a groan and the shadow vanished. The small hut resumed its peaceful silence. The mist, however, pooled and hovered on the futon that was still laid out on the ground.