Chapter 3 third chapter
"Please fasten your seat belts and prepare to land." The announcement of the flight attendant came from the loudspeaker, and Ellie returned to reality.
How is that beautiful, beautiful girl doing now?Ellie wondered.For the past nineteen years, Ellie has always thought of Mei Hagi whenever she saw fashion magazines. "She is not as pretty as May Hagi." Ellie said so many times, her ex-husband once said: "Let me guess, no matter who this person is, what occupation he is, whether he is a man or a woman, he is not as beautiful as May Hagi. .” After hearing his sarcasm, Ellie has since stopped mentioning Mei Ha’s name, but she still thinks of Mei Ha from time to time.Did she ever go back to her hometown in Montana to attend nursing school?Perhaps she married a doctor and had half a dozen children?
Thinking of the baby, Ellie pushed up the visor and looked out the window.She'd better not think about the baby.In fact, the children were what brought her marriage to the rocks.The day after Christmas, Ellie looked at her ex-husband and thought, I gave up my kids for this selfish guy.She didn't know it at the time, but that's when she left him — psychologically.The physical departure and the divorce lawsuit took her almost a year, but her mind left him at that moment.
When the plane landed, Ellie regained her nervousness.It seemed silly to meet two women who hadn't seen each other for so many years.Like that dreaded high school reunion.You go to a meeting with the old image of your old schoolmates, and you're bound to be taken aback when you see the wrinkles on their faces and the flab around their waists.Then you go to the bathroom, see your reflection in the mirror, and realize you have the same wrinkles and flab.
When the plane stopped, she picked up her travel bag and stood up.While waiting to get off the plane, her thoughts went back to the situation at the New York prison that day.Mei Hagi was hiding something about herself that day, she thought.At that time, Ellie was so confident, so sure that she would conquer the world with her paintings, and she firmly believed that Lacey and Meigi would also succeed.Anyone who has met Mei Hagi thinks that she can guess her life.She'll be the prom queen and the most popular girl in school.Of course she will marry the football captain at the school.
Mei Hagi fits some of those images, but apparently things have changed since then.Why didn't she make a breakthrough on the catwalk?Ellie wondered.Why hasn't she seen Mei Hagi's photo in the past nineteen years?According to Airi, Meiqi only needs to walk on the streets of New York, and there will be photographers begging to take pictures for her.Doesn't that kind of thing happen often?Isn't the entertainment industry still finding their new stars at restaurants or grocery stores or something?
As she waited for the travelers to file to move, she thought of Lacey.Dancers are harder to track down, especially since Ellie doesn't see Broadway shows very often.Lacey danced on Broadway and married some charming rich guy after meeting him?Or maybe it's just Ellie's fantasy after watching too many old black and white movies.
Ellie took a deep breath.The answer is about to be revealed, she thought.When she made the offer to the two women, she asked them to let them know when they accepted their flight.It was Jenny's idea.When there was a flight time, Ellie arranged a car to pick them up at the airport, and then sent them to Jenny's house in the northeast of Baige Town.
Perhaps out of cowardice, Ellie arranged for a flight to arrive last.Maybe it meant she had to sleep on the couch instead of a separate room, but she'd rather pay that price.When she got to Jenny's house, Lacey and Meigi should already be there.
Ellie walked into the airport hall, and a man in a black uniform was waiting there holding a sign with the name "Airie Luo".She handed him the travel bag and luggage tags, and followed him to the luggage claim turntable.
Finally got into the car, and he also drove the car away from the airport, but Ellie wanted to tell him to turn around and go back.How could she tell them about her past?She's been successful before, but now it's all in the past.She let a man beat her, let justice bully her.People who've known Ellie all her life say she's a fighting dog, that she never lets go, that when it's something she wants, she goes all out for it. "And God help those who stand in her way," her mother once said.But now Ellie has given up.Ellie didn't persevere, and in the end, she failed completely.
Ellie didn't tell the driver to turn around after all.After living in constant fear for the past three years, it was time for her to fight back.
Some kind of counterattack, she thought, looking out the window at Maine.The leaves of the road trees have been dyed golden red by the autumn sun.Isn't everyone's favorite month the month of her birthday?October, with its cool air and colorful leaves, was indeed Ellie's favorite.After a hot and drowsy summer, autumn seems to be more refreshing.
It's okay, Ellie comforted herself.I am nineteen years older, and so are they.Even Mei Hagi would be older.Maybe if I didn't tell them what happened to them, they wouldn't feel sorry for me.if…
"Have you ever been to Maine?" the driver asked, grabbing Ellie back to reality.
"No. Do you live here?"
"Live for a lifetime."
"Then let me introduce you," she said, wanting to forget about the upcoming meeting by external force, and a talkative driver can do that.
Ellie sees them before they see her.As soon as I saw them, the heavy burden hanging on my heart disappeared.With great relief, she took the first step forward, but she paused again, to give herself a moment to observe and think.
After the driver drove her to the destination, he took out her luggage from the luggage compartment, and Ellie took the opportunity to look at the house in front of her.Jenny had said the house was quite old, built by a carpenter in the early eighteenth century, but she hadn't told Ellie that it was full of flavor.The house occupies a small area and is a two-story building with a deep porch from the front.What makes this house special is its beautiful gingerbread trim that adorns the perimeter of the house.Overall, the house looks like what a travel magazine would call "the most photographed house in Maine."Just seeing its appearance made Ellie smile slightly.
After tipping the driver, Ellie picked up her travel bag and quietly opened the front door.There were three unopened suitcases lying on the floor of the small living room, so it looked like no one had chosen her bedroom.
The living room is furnished with style, a few colonial antiques mixed with various local crafts and two authentic works of art.A model ship sits above the entrance, while a large stone fireplace dominates one of the interior walls.The rest of the furniture has a slightly colonial feel to it, and what's more, it all looks very comfortable.The main colors of dark green and dark brown, mixed with a little light yellow, perfectly match the autumn colors outside the window.
"No wonder you are willing to lend this place." Ellie muttered in a low voice, thinking of her psychiatrist's show-off mentality.
Straight ahead was a wide foyer, from which Ellie could see a kitchen with bright yellow cabinets, and beyond it she could see the backyard.The two women were sitting under a tree full of red leaves in the courtyard.Facing the main house, they talked quietly around a small wooden table.On the wooden table was what looked like a glass jug of lemonade.
Ellie walked across the living room into the kitchen, where she stood by the sink and looked out.She had expected the two women to see her right away, but they couldn't see into the house because the sunlight reflected from behind them on the kitchen window.When she realized that she could see out and they couldn't see in, she couldn't help standing there seductively watching.
Lacey is no longer so outstanding, she looks like a middle-aged woman from an ordinary middle-class family.Her figure is still slender, but she no longer has the taste of being willing to die.Her hair seemed to have lost its dark gold luster, and looked just plain brown, and judging from the strands of silver emerging from it, she hadn't dyed her hair.Her skin was well maintained, but fine lines had begun to show around her eyes, and there were two deep grooves under her nose leading to the corners of her mouth.
She's very unhappy, Ellie thought.
Ellie looked at Lacey, and a picture of her girlhood appeared in her mind.Now, the only thing left of the Lacey she had known so long ago was her body.Lacey still sat upright, her back as straight as a stick.
If it wasn't here, I might not recognize her, Ellie thought with a frown.
She knew that sooner or later she would have to turn her head and look at Mayhagi.But Ellie didn't want to do that.When she first glanced at the woman who was once so beautiful, she no longer had the courage to look down.
For a while, Ellie closed her eyes and prayed silently to God for her strength; then she opened her eyes and turned her gaze to Mei Hagi.
Seeing Meihag is like seeing a Monet painting that has been weathered and soaked in frost and snow for nineteen years.An impossibly beautiful woman ravaged by time and neglect.
Mei Hagi is still tall, but her back has been slightly bent, as if she had buried her head at a desk for a long time.And she was smoking.In the few minutes Ellie stood there, Mei Hagi had smoked one and lit another.In front of her was a large glass ashtray already filled with a pile of cigarette butts.
If you look carefully, Ellie can still see the demeanor of the former beauty in Meiqi.But now she has dark circles under her eyes; the skin that once radiated youthful health is now gray.She still had long hair, but Ellie could still tell it had lost its luster.
Ume Hagihara's already slender figure is now even thinner.She was wearing a thin long-sleeved sweater that covered her too thin, muscular arms.The legs in the straight-leg trousers didn't even fill the narrow leg.
From Ellie's point of view, Lacey looked very unhappy, and Meiqi seemed to have been run over mercilessly by the truck of life.
What Jenny had said about the other two women might have had a worse life than hers came to Ellie's mind.Thinking of this, Ellie was relieved.She will not be judged by these two people, she will not be accused by them of gaining eighteen kilograms.And she can no longer write, and she will not make them laugh if she loses her direction in life.
She didn't think they would sympathize with her, nor did she feel sorry for her--which was a real relief.
For a moment, Ellie turned her eyes away from the two women sitting under the tree waiting for her.How should she play this scene?Pile up a happy expression and say that they haven't changed at all?Lying about being fine, happy and prosperous, and writing a new book that will be a bestseller?
Ellie thinks back to the day they met at the New York Superintendent's Office.At that time, she was full of sarcasm and arrogance.Yes, a self-confident arrogance, convinced that he is going to conquer the world.In other words, that's her true nature.And then they liked her.Now, what she should do is also show her true self.
After taking a deep breath, she reached for the handle of the rear door and pushed it forward.
She came out of the kitchen, and the two women stopped talking and looked up at Ellie.She could see the shock on their faces when they saw her size.She was much heavier than the last time they had seen her.
Lacey tried to regain her composure and speak, but Ellie beat her. "It's a pity we didn't plan to give out an award for who looked the worst of the three," Ellie said briskly.
"Then I will definitely win the prize." Mei Hagi said.Sitting in a chair, a cigarette between her fingers, her long thin legs stretched forward, she smiled at Ellie.It was at that time that Ellie vaguely saw the former Umegi, the young and beautiful girl whose smile could eclipse the sunshine.
"That's hard to say," Ellie said as she sat down next to Lacey.There was an empty glass on the table, and she poured lemon juice herself. "I think the shock of being fat is pretty amazing, it shows a lack of self-discipline in the person."
"At least your life worked out," Meigi said. "You are a great writer, and the whole world buys your work. I am a little assistant in the veterinary hospital. When a dog is sick, I clean it. No husband, no children. Nothing."
Her confession was bleak, but Ellie couldn't help but smile a little at the cheerful tone of her voice.It feels good to know that other people have problems too.The people she's met in the past three years seem to be living flawless lives.They might all be lying, but even thinking that didn't ease Ellie's pain.
Now she could smile at her life. "Do you think that's bad? I'm in the past tense. I'm exhausted. I can't write a single word in three years. A divorce lawsuit took away all the money I earned from writing for ten years, and awarded it to me for a day." An ex-husband who doesn't give birth."
"At least you have something for them to take," Meigi said lightly. "I've never made a lot of money. Never had anything good enough to take away."
"Wouldn't that be better?" Ellie asked. "There won't be people everywhere asking about your past."
"No," Mei Hagi said seriously. "Better ever than never. I think Nietzsche said so."
"Plato," Ellie said firmly. "That's what Plato said. But I agree more with Socrates when he said—"
I like this, Ellie thought, as she babbled.I like this kind of back and forth, funny conversation.These are joys in my life that I have missed for so long.And it's so, so comforting to not have to see empathy in someone's eyes.Mei Hagi's eyes did not reveal the slightest bit of aggrieved look from the Ellie she knew in the past—the petite Ellie with confident eyes.In fact, what Ellie sees in Maygi's eyes almost leads her to believe that she is still the girl ready to spread her wings and fly.
"Sorry." Lacey finally inserted.
Ellie and Maycho stop discussing who has the worst life and turn to Lacey.
Lacey gave them both a sweet smile. "I married the boy next door and had two kids. Now most of the townspeople are saying he was having an affair with his secretary named Bambi. The house I lived in was a huge Victorian building, The inside of the house is filled by my husband with untouchable antiques. Last year he tore down my kitchen and redecorated it into a work of art. My mother wants me to divorce him. My daughter wants me to 'fight back', whatever that means ...and my son runs away at the first sign of conflict - which means I rarely see him. And as for what I'm doing, I've given my life to the three of them, and leaving that home, I don't Don't know how to get a job, let alone how to do it. And..." She paused, as if waiting for the drumbeat to pause. "I'm on three fundraisers."
For a moment Meigi and Ellie just sat there blinking at Lacey.Then Ellie turned to Maycho, and back to Lacey.
"You won." Meigi said.
"Or lose. Depends on how you look at it," Ellie said.
"Okay, what's for dinner?" Umehagi said. "I'm starving."
Ellie squinted at her. "If you tell me that you are the kind of woman who can eat anything without gaining weight, I will kill you."
"Get your guns out, sweetheart," Mei Hagi said with a smile.
Lacey stood up before they could speak any more. "Come on, you two, stop trying to compare yourself to each other. I'm having a charity ball at my club next month and I need a theme. You two can give me some ideas."
Airi stood up and looked at Meihagi. "Sure you're one of us having the worst time," Ellie said.
"Indeed, absolutely." Meigi looked at Lacey. "Clubs? Please tell me you at least teach kids how to dance. Anything to do with dancing!"
Lacey smiled. “I have a beautiful, romantic summer house in my huge Victorian house. It’s falling down now, but I used to put it in order many years ago. I was pregnant. But my husband moved the TV in, Then he-"
"Stop it! Stop it!" Ellie said, covering her face with her hands as if blocking sharp arrows flying in the air. "I can't stand it. You say we go out and get drunk? Unless one of you is already a drunk."
Mei Hagi picked up her cigarette. "It's my only vice."
Ellie slapped her butt with one hand. "chocolate."
The two of them turned to Lacey. "No vices. Nothing," she said, smiling.
Umegi and Airi groaned. "She's always going to win, isn't she?" Ellie said.
Lacey spread her arms, elbows slightly bent. "Shall we go find a place to paint the city red?"
Ellie and Maygi took Lacey's arm, and the three of them walked towards the small door next to the house and onto the street.
They are having dinner in a restaurant.
"Tell me about your child!" Meigi told Lacey in a formal tone.
The familiarity before the meal was gone, and they were just three strangers with very different life experiences.Lacey, whose days are filled with churches, schools, and committees, and Maygi, who is still dating and looking for Prince Charming, have lived two completely different lives.And Ellie's life is nothing like the two of them.
"Shall we get out of here?" Ellie asked shortly after.
After leaving the restaurant, the pressure is still not relieved.They wandered the street, looking at the merchandise in the window, and Ellie and Meigi remained silent.
It was Lacey who jumped out first to act as a peacemaker and relieve the tense atmosphere. "I thought we agreed to get drunk," Lacey said.
Meiqiu and Ellie didn't answer, just smiled slightly, still looking at the window on the street.
"Ellie, you're a celebrity, so you pay for the drinks," Lacey said, finally making Ellie laugh.
"Maybe she can exchange autographed photos." Mei Qiu said, with a hint of teasing hidden in his tone.
"Unless that photo is attached to the credit card." Ellie responded immediately, giving Mei Hagi a challenging look.
"If the two of you quarreled over this, who do you think I should bet on?" Lacey asked, with one word to relieve the tension in the air.Then Lacey smiled and pointed to a small grocery store that was still open and a liquor dealer across the street.Thirty minutes later, the three women walked back to the gingerbread house laughing with arms full of food and a bottle of wine.
Back in the house, their good mood returned.When in contact with the outside world, they are sensitive to each other's strangeness, and each has a different way of life and ending.Once inside the gingerbread cottage, however, they were exactly what they had been—Eli's girls—and they were equal friends.Their future is still to be created by themselves.
Ellie opened two bags of sauces in plastic containers and three packs of snacks, while Lacie scoured the kitchen for corkscrews.Meihagi spread cushions on the floor in front of the sofa, took out two packs of cigarettes, and sat down with her body tilted.
Ellie glanced at the two packs of cigarettes, then walked over and opened the window near Mayhagi.Lacey came out of the kitchen with the cup and the opened liquor.
"Okay, who goes first?" Lacey asked, throwing a few cushions on the floor as well and sitting down.Airi reclined on the sofa behind Mei Hagi.
"Who goes first?" Ellie asked.
Lacey's eyes lit up. "It seems like you're in no rush to know everything."
Ellie smiled slightly and scooped up a large cheese biscuit. "How did you stop dancing?"
Lacey couldn't answer, because Mei Qiu looked at the smoke in front of her and said quietly: "Why don't we just jump over there and talk about our man first?"
"I don't have much to say about that," Ellie said, eating another cheese cracker.
"Me too," Lacey said. "I married Aaron, that's all. Been faithful to him all these years."
The announcement seemed to interrupt the conversation.
Ellie rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. "Have you ever thought about the men who missed out? The men who might have been dating but missed out?"
Unable to hear an answer, Ellie rolled onto her side and looked at the other two women.Lacey and Meiqi both looked down at their hands and didn't meet anyone's eyes.
"Am I really that good?" Ellie said, smiling as she picked up her glass. "I've only been here a few hours, and I've found a story. So, who's first?"
"Why not start with you?" Meigi stared at Ellie with half-closed eyes.
Ellie was about to answer, when she seemed to have a better idea.She turned to Lacey. "What about you? Do you have many regrets?"
Lacey smiled smugly. "Not really. I'm happy with my life. Yes, my husband and kids don't even notice me, and sometimes I wonder if they'd still step over like this if I lay dead in the kitchen, but—" She paused and smiled at the two women who were throwing horrified looks at her. "Okay, I admit I'm a stepping mat, but I really love them."
"You don't have anything you want to change?" Ellie asked, obviously not convinced by Lacey's story.
"It's not a change..." Lacey said.
"but?"
"Aaron is the only man I ever slept with."
"I will not comment on this point." Mei Hagi put out the cigarette butt in his hand.
"There was a boy in college who was interested in me, but... well, he was rich."
"What's wrong with being rich?" Mei Hagi asked.
"His wealth is not the upstart type of computer, but the descendants of the aristocratic family, the richness of the Kennedy family." Lacey said. "Honestly, his family intimidated me, so I turned down an invitation to come to his house for spring break."
"What happened to him after that?"
"Now he's a member of Congress. Some people think he could be president."
"My God. Well, Mrs. President..." May Hagi said, lighting another cigarette.
Ellie stared closely at Lacey. "What's next?" she asked.
Lacey took a swig of her wine. "That's it, nothing happened. After I turned him down, he lost interest in me and I didn't think about him again. Except... last year, every time Aaron brought up Bambi, I was I wonder how things would have turned out if I had accepted that young man’s offer. At least, I think it would be a good thing to give Aaron some competition.”
"He has no rivals? Never?" Mei Hagi asked.
"Not one," Lacey said; then her eyes stopped wandering, and she smiled again. "Okay, how many men have you two had?"
"Thousands," Ellie replied immediately. "Yes, at least thousands. You know, celebrities always have a way."
Lacey laughed and turned to Mei Hagi. "how about you?"
"Like her. Thousands."
"That's right! You know what? You two are really bad at lying."
Airi and Meigi laughed out loud.
"Well, maybe just two," Ellie said. "My ex-husband and a high school classmate."
"Three." Mei Hagi said. "I've been married for a few years, and I've had two more."
"We're not preaching a sexual revolution, are we?" Lacie said.
"What about you?" Meigi asked Ellie. "Are there any men in your life who have missed you?"
"not a single one."
Both listeners scoffed at the answer. "Impossible. You just don't want to talk about it," Meigi said.
"No, really, I'm still waiting for my Jesse," Ellie said.
"Who is this Jesse?"
"He's nobody. In 'Emerald,' Katherine Turner plays the writer who names all the male leads in her love stories Jesse. She says she's waiting for him. I Too."
"Except for the one you married, you've never had..." Meigi raised an eyebrow at Ellie.
"No really." Ellie replied, and they all heard the sincerity in her words. "The men in my life are in my head, and I write them and sell them. I share my dreams with people all over America. If I'm lucky, with people all over the world."
"Why do I think you're hiding something?" Lacey said, staring back the way Ellie had just stared at her.
Ellie picked up her glass and pursed her lips into a straight line. "Actually, there was once a man who was interested in me. I liked him a lot and adored him. He was married and had two daughters. When he asked his wife for a divorce, everyone blamed him. They didn't I can't believe he would do such a poor thing to his dear wife, and I'm the only one to defend him. I told him I understood his plight. I think I was imagining what a fine woman I was, And in turn saved me from an unhappy marriage. But..."
Ellie puts down her glass and shrugs. "The fantasy didn't come true. He married someone else and moved out of state."
Lacey looked at Mayhag. "You must have rejected a million men."
"That's fine." Mei Hagi said, as if they were joking.
Ellie and Lacey weren't smiling.Instead, they just stared at her.
"Well, I've had many marriage proposals, most of them asking me to be a concubine, and I'm not interested in any of them." Mei Hagi looked down at her cigarette, and then back at the two women.They looked at her face without the slightest expression of belief.
"Well, there is one," Meigi said, lighting another cigarette. "But that was a long, long time ago, and I think it was just circumstances. If we hadn't happened to be together that summer, I don't think he would have noticed a woman like me."
Ellie rebounded at her words. "What do you mean? A woman like me? You mean a woman who is beautiful enough to make the stars jealous?"
Mei Hagi laughed. "I can see your skills for a living. No, I didn't mean that. I mean, an uneducated guy. He was just finishing his third year of medical school, and I... well, anyway, it was a boring s story."
"I'm not bored," Ellie said, grabbing a handful of cornflakes. "Lacy, are you bored?"
"Not at all. In fact, I think the story sounds pretty glamorous compared to my story that was either to an empty bed or to a TV."
Mei Hagi laughed out loud again. "You two really stoke my ego. Well, it happened shortly after my miscarriage—"
"What?" The two women exclaimed at the same time.
Mei Hagi took a deep drag on the cigarette.Both women noticed that her hand trembled as she brought the cigarette to her lips, but neither of them pointed it out.Mei Hagi took a long breath, leaned back on the sofa, raised her head and slowly exhaled the smoke. "I've never done - therapy - not saying I don't need it, I just can't afford it - but I thought maybe getting together with you would be a form of group therapy."
"So you tell it all!" Ellie said eagerly.
"Okay," Umegi said, pointing at Ellie with a cigarette. "However, if I read any of the related stories in your book, I will sue you."
Ellie looked away for a moment, as if she had to think about it before answering.When she turned around again, Lacey and Meigi had already held back their laughter for a long time. "Okay, I agree." Ellie said with feigned reluctance, but she wanted to hear stories as much as she wanted to write them.
"Miscarriage has nothing to do with this story, but—" Meicho raised her hand when Lacey and Ellie were about to protest.
Mei Hagi took a deep breath, and took another big puff of cigarette. "It was an accident, like every accident happens. Applejack was still in a wheelchair, and—"
"Wait!" Ellie said. "Wheelchair? Applejack? The guy you do his homework for and he dumps you for some college girl?"
Mei Hagi smiled slightly at the curling smoke. "You've made me forget all nineteen years, and now I'm sitting on that green bench in the New York prison. Yes, that's the man. Shortly after I arrived in New York, Jay had an accident. He was hit by a car while he was cycling and it went over his pelvis and all the bones were broken."
"Oh!" Ellie exclaimed.
"You left your modeling career in New York and went back to him?" Lacey asked softly.
Mei Hagi put out the cigarette butt. "Yeah. But before you two start raving about what I've given up, let me remind you that modeling isn't my ideal. That's what the small town I live in is about."
"You want to be a nurse," Lacey said.
"Yeah." Mei Qiu smiled at them.It's good to know that other people remember things about her so well. "Ajay called me from the hospital and said the doctor had decided he would never walk again. Then he told me he still loved me and he had sent his fiancée away, so I went straight home. For me Saying that, it wasn't much of a sacrifice to give up modeling. I hate..." She paused, lighting another cigarette.
"I don't like being a model," she continued after a while. "So I'm happy to have any excuse to go home. And Applejack said all he had to say. He blamed his father for deserting me, saying his father threatened him if he married an unaffected man like me." educated girls, he will disinherit him."
"No wonder you're so upset about not going to college," Ellie whispered.
Umegi pretended not to hear Airi's words. "So I went back to my hometown and married a guy who was still in the hospital with a stent. And then... how should I put it? Then I fell into hell. Yeah, I guess that's true."
Meigi waited for Ellie and Lacey to laugh, but they didn't.
"Adger is a terrible patient. He's been a very active athlete, so he's not used to lying still. And his parents—" Maycho stopped talking and took a swig of wine instead; then she looked up at them. "Ajie's parents are very rich, but their personalities are also extremely low. They won't pay any money for Ajie's rehabilitation. I can't be sure, but I think my two former in-laws want Ajie to marry me. I was his free nurse. After all, I have years of experience caring for my mother, I even worked in a hospital."
Ellie and Lacie could see Maycho trying to downplay what was clearly a horrific situation, but they weren't laughing; they couldn't.Life is really unfair to Mei Hagi. First he gave up college to take care of his sick mother, and then he gave up the catwalk to take care of his paralyzed husband.
"Where's the one who missed out?" Lacey asked, refilling Maygieg's glass.
"Yeah," Mei Hagi said, with a real smile on his face. "Moshi."
She raised her glass; Lacey raised an eyebrow at Ellie.When Mei Hagi said the name "Silent Selling", his tone was a bit special.
"Even though Applejack is injured, he can still, you know," Maygieg said, putting down his glass. "So, one weekend when I was six months pregnant, Applejack's parents weren't home—"
"Are you living with your in-laws?" Ellie asked in horror.
"Well. Applejack ain't got no money, and neither do I. I mean, I got a little money from the town for my modeling lessons, but that's gone fast."
Ellie opened her mouth to speak her mind, but Lacey stopped her by pulling her arm.Mei Hagi had spent her college money on her mother's illness; it looked like she'd be spending her modeling fund on her rich but spoiled, ungrateful husband as well.
"Jacky's parents were out that weekend, and it was just the two of us in the house. Like I said, I was six months pregnant. What happened next was actually pretty simple. I pushed Jay to the bathroom. , a wheel got stuck on the expensive carpet on the floor. I'm afraid the moving carpet will pull down a certain vase." Mei Hagi's still beautiful mouth was pursed into a straight line. "His parents made me beg them to spend money on a bathroom rail, but they went to New York to buy a $10,000 antique Chinese vase."
She had to light another cigarette to go on, while Lacey and Ellie watched her in silence.The air seemed to be filled with Mei Tho's pain, no matter how much she pretended that she was no longer angry, she obviously still couldn't restrain the hatred in her heart.
"Jacky's leg was recovering and would often convulse and kick involuntarily. I had several bruises on my body from being kicked when he convulsed. To this day I still don't know why when I bent down to pull the I didn't think about his feet when I touched the rug."
She looked up at the two women. "You know, I was at the top of the stairs. When Ajie's leg kicked out, I lost my balance and fell straight down the stairs."
Having said this, she paused, smoking her cigarette intently.The other two women just looked at her.They have nothing to say because the words "I'm sorry" are totally inadequate to express their feelings.
"I passed out and the only phone on the second floor was in Ajay's parents' room. His wheelchair couldn't get over the threshold so he had to use a crawl. His upper body was pretty strong, but it still took him some time. But I'm... bleeding." Mei Qiu took another deep breath, and then slowly exhaled the smoke ring. "The nearest hospital was fifty miles away. It was winter in Montana. Applejack managed to find the neighbors, and they came and there was nothing they could do. Just wipe the blood away."
Umehagi looked down at the ashtray which was already full. "By the time the ambulance arrived, the baby was already out. He didn't live long, he was so young."
Mei Hagi turned to look out the window for a while. "After arriving at the hospital, the only way the doctor could stop the bleeding was to remove my uterus."
At this point, Ellie reached out and grabbed Lacey's wrist.她不敢碰梅萩，因为她认为这个骄傲的女人不会愿意有人为她心痛。
隔了好久，梅萩才回头望着蕾茜和爱莉，对她们淡淡一笑。“现在你们知道为什么我没有孩子的原因了。不过，我们谈的不是另外的事吗？”
“那年夏天你认识了一个男人。”蕾茜柔声说。
“哦，对呵。就在我流产后的那个夏天，我的情绪仍然相当低落。我瘦了许多，而且老实说，我的外貌实在很糟。而我和阿杰的父母比以往更常争吵。他们对儿子的伤势感到难堪，他不再是他们心目中完美的儿子，因此他们把他关在二楼，我连同也一起遭殃。屋里没有轮椅步道——不是我没争取，但是他们说那样会破坏'屋子的线条'。”
“因此你和阿杰形同坐监。”蕾茜说。
“差不多。而我可以告诉你们，我们已经厌倦了彼此的陪伴。但老实说，我想其中我的错多过他的。我想我是，呃，对孩子的事一直不能释怀。”
“有自杀倾向的情绪低落？”爱莉问。
“正是！”梅萩回答，终于露出了一抹真正的笑容。“简单地说，我已经快被悲伤和寂寞逼疯了。而我疲倦得开始大量掉发。”
“那可是真的非常疲倦。”爱莉说，很高兴梅萩听到她的打趣时，笑容更深了。
“没错。”梅萩说，声音轻快了一些。“总之，当阿杰的大学同学打电话约我们到纽约和他的家人共度两星期的假时，阿杰和我都欣喜若狂。那个人是阿杰大学时期的室友，他在不久前打足球时摔断了腿。打电话来时，他已上了石膏，而阿杰也已能用拐杖走路，因此他们俩计划互相打气一下。”
“而要你在一旁侍候他们两个。”蕾茜的口气说明她很清楚侍候人的情形。
“事实上，一开始我也是那么想。事实上，我确信这趟度假之旅就会是那样，我求阿杰一个人去就好。”
“你的意思是，你求阿杰就凭他那残弱的身躯自己吃饭、自行穿衣、自己去上厕所？”爱莉讥诮地问。
梅萩笑出声。“你看穿了我的心思。那时我既累又闷，脑子里唯一想得到的就是睡觉。我告诉阿杰，我愿意和他父母吵上地球有史以来最大的一场架，逼使他们雇用一名看护跟他一起去，只要我能留在家里休息就好。”梅萩按熄烟头，接着屈起一腿，抱在胸前。
“但阿杰打定主意时是很有说服力的。他说我不去他就不去，说我是他的生命，如果我不陪他去，他甚至不想活了。”
“想当然耳，”爱莉苦涩地表示。“所以你就陪他去了。”
“嗯，”梅萩柔声说。“我去了，而真实的情况和我想象中完全不一样。你们要知道，其实我是害怕。阿杰的这个朋友和他的父母都是有学位的人，他还有个哥哥在读医科。当我听到这些人的背景时，我真想掉头逃走。”
她瞪着地板微微一笑。流产的痛苦在回忆中淡去，代之而起的是，在格实家的夏屋度过的美好时光。还有默实。有关默实的美丽回忆。
梅萩再次抬起头来，继续说下去。“飞机在纽约降落时，我已经紧张到极点。我非常确定那些人只消看我一眼就知道我没受过教育，因而认为我一文不值。”一时间，她闭上眼回想起当时的情形。“但实际的状况却一点也不像那样。格实的母亲就像我母亲的美梦成真，只除了我母亲没有丈夫却有一个女儿要养。蓝太太很爱喂饱每个人、照顾每个人。我根本无事可做。”
“除了侍候阿杰。”
“哦，那倒没有，”梅萩对两个女人咧嘴一笑。“阿杰受不了我。到了那里之后，他不想和我扯上任何关系。他说我令他想起'某人'，意思是我，必须替他换尿布的那几个月。”
“啊，那个不知感激——”爱莉就要开骂，但梅萩打断了她。
“不，不，他那种反应对我来说却是一种解脱。我从来没勇气老实面对自己，但真正的情况是我已经厌倦了阿杰，厌倦了日复一日，月复一月地照顾他，除了他没有别的同伴。照顾他比养三胞胎还累，成天只会抱怨——”梅萩干笑一声。“总之，现在那些都结束了。”
见她没再继续说下去，蕾茜和爱莉全都睁眼看着她。
“那么，”爱莉说。 "and after?"
梅萩展颜一笑。“在那里的时候，我大部分时间都是和格实的哥哥默实在一起。”
爱莉就要说话，蕾茜抓住她的臂膀制止她。“你们都做了什么？”蕾茜柔声问。
“泛舟、登山、野外露营。”
爱莉微微一笑。“快把经过从头说清楚。按照先后秩序一个字都不能漏。”
梅萩将腿抱得更近胸前。“好，”她慢慢地说道，接着眼睛闭了一会儿。“他们家很有钱，他们家的夏屋很大，建于一八四○年，然后逐代增建。不过它只有两套卫浴设备，因此有时候也引发出一些问题……不，你说过要按照顺序的，对吧？好，让我想想。格实的父亲开着小卡车到机场接我们。那是一辆旧得可怕，几乎要锈穿的老骨董。我还以为他是蓝家的园丁，但阿杰告诉我这个人是耶鲁大学教中古世纪的教授，还是系主住。然而蓝先生并不像我心目中以为的教授形象，而我俩立刻相互产生了好感。事实上，蓝先生要阿杰坐在卡车后面，我则和他坐在前座。我可以告诉你们，阿杰可是一点也不喜欢那种安排。”