Chapter 29 Indonesian Stories (28)

The eldest sister and I looked at each other, and suddenly burst out laughing.What a huge sum of money!We tried to calm down, we were in a banker's fancy office after all, but couldn't help laughing.We stumbled out of the bank like drunks, holding each other to keep from falling. She said, "I have never seen a miracle happen so quickly! These days, I ask God to help my sister. And God also asks Xiao Li to come and help my sister." I interjected: "And Xiao Li begged her friends to help Eldest Sister!" We went back to the store to find Tutti had come home from school.The eldest sister knelt down and grabbed her daughter, saying, "House! House! We've got a house!" Tutti pretended to faint and collapsed on the floor like a cartoon character.

As we laughed together, I noticed two orphans watching the scene from the kitchen in the back.I caught a glimpse of them looking at me like... fear.When the eldest sister and Tutti were overjoyed, I wondered how the two orphans felt.What are they afraid of?isolated?Or am I a horror to them now because I conjure up a lot of money for no reason? (Perhaps this unimaginable amount of money is some sort of spell?) Or when you've lived a life of insecurity like these kids, any change can be scary. When the mood of celebration calmed down a bit, just to be sure, I asked the eldest sister: "What about the eldest and younger four? Is this also good news for them?"

The eldest sister must have seen the same unease looking at the girls in the kitchen, so she went over, took them into her arms, and whispered encouragement over their heads.They seemed to reassure themselves in her arms.Then the phone rang, and the eldest sister wanted to let go of the orphan to answer the phone, but the thin arms of the fourth and fourth child grabbed their unofficial mother, buried her head in her abdomen and armpits, and refused to let her go even after a long time. Violence like nothing I've seen before. So I answered the phone for her. "Hello, Balinese Traditional Medicine," I said, "Come and visit our Moving Clearance Sale today!"

I went out again with Felipe, twice during the weekend.I took him to meet the eldest sister and the children on Saturday, and Tutti drew a house for him to show, while the eldest sister winked at his back and mouthed "new boyfriend"?I kept shaking my head, "No, no." (Though I'd forgotten about the Welsh guy.) I also took Felipe to my pharmacist Lai, who read my friend's palm and asserted -- no less than seven times (while looking straight at me with piercing eyes) -- he was "a good man, a very good man, a very, very good man. Not a bad man, Lily - a good man."

Then Felipe asked me on Sunday if I wanted to go to the beach.It occurred to me that living in Bali for two months and not seeing a beach was ridiculous, so I said yes.He picked me up in his own jeep, and we took the one-hour drive to a small, hidden beach in Pedangbai, where there are few tourists.This place is the most paradise-like place I have ever seen, with blue sea, white sand, and palm tree shade.We talked all day, stopping occasionally to swim, nap, read, and read to each other.The women in the beach huts grilled us freshly caught fish, and we bought cold beer and fruit.As we played in the waves, we told each other details of our lives that hadn't been mentioned in the past few weeks while drinking and sharing nights at various restaurants in Ubud.

He told me he liked my figure, after witnessing it for the first time by the sea.He said that Brazilians have a specific term for my figure, which is "magra-falsa", translated as "false thinness", that is, this woman looks slim from a distance, but she is actually quite plump when viewed closely. The eyes are very good, may God bless the Brazilians.As we lay on the towel talking, sometimes he would reach over and brush the sand off my nose or brush the tangled hair from my face.We talked for about ten hours.Then it was getting dark, so we packed up and strolled through the dim dirt main streets of this ancient fishing village in Bali, happily arming hands under the stars.At this moment, the Brazilian Felipe asked me very naturally and easily (as if considering whether we should eat something) and said: "Should we have a relationship, Lily? What do you think?"

I love the way it all happened.Not with action -- not about to kiss me, or take bold action -- but to ask a question, and the right one.I remember what my therapist said a year ago before embarking on this journey.I told her that I wanted to stay single for the whole year of my journey, but worried "what if I meet someone I really like? What should I do? Should I be with him? Should I be myself" Or allow yourself to enjoy a relationship?" My therapist smiled indulgently, "You know, Lily—these things can be discussed with the client when they arise."