Alicia’s successful date with Freddy Patterson was the first of many. She quickly learned the ropes at Lil’s Place and came to view dating as an opportunity to socialize without emotional or physical commitment, while being nicely compensated in return. She encountered problems only when a date sought one of these two commitments, or both, but she had yet to experience a problem she could not handle.
The men she dated, by and large, were varied and interesting, and she generated even greater interest from them. In addition to her looks, Alicia owned gifts that men found attractive, among them style, grace, and surprising versatility. On any given afternoon she might interpret an abstract painting at a high-end art show or cheer with the rowdy at a boisterous athletic event. In the evening she might flow with Beethoven at a symphony, or party in the aisles with George Clinton and the Funkadelics at a rhythm-and-blues concert. In spite of her youth, Alicia embodied the consummate professional escort, at ease in any situation and with any date.
By 1978, the demand for her services had so increased that her rate soared to the highest ever charged for a Lil’s Place escort—a five-hundred-dollar-per-date minimum. Alicia displaced Danielle as Mother Lil’s top performer, earning nearly fifty-five thousand dollars a year. Although she liked the money, Alicia could have cared less about her status. She simply intended to do the best job possible until she settled on a more permanent direction, and in the interim she wanted to create a nest egg.
Hell-bent to fulfill this objective, Alicia saved the cash she received from Hugh Blackmon and John Jensen and managed to add an additional fifteen thousand dollars to it over a two-year period. She bought 90- and 180-day bank certificates of deposit because, as she expected, interest rates were rising against a downward trend in stock prices, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping below the psychologically significant mark of 1000. Including interest earned on her CDs, Alicia had accumulated a little over forty-eight thousand dollars.
At least one aspect of her life was going well, and she suppressed as best she could negative thoughts of her past.
A few weeks before her twenty-first birthday, Alicia was riding in the passenger seat of a rented Mercedes sedan with Simon Crew, her date for the evening. While cruising away from a nightclub, she politely laughed at one of Simon’s off-color jokes—until he turned down a darkly lit street and parked in an inconspicuous spot. She became alarmed but held her smile.
Simon produced a small vial and snapped off the top. He held the vial at an angle, carefully tapping a white powdery substance onto the back of his left hand. He snorted the powder into his left nostril and repeated the process with his right.
“Damn, this is some good shit,” he said, replacing the top and slipping the vial in his pocket. “Too bad you don’t party.”
So this is why he stopped, thought Alicia. Too much alcohol tonight, and now I have to deal with this nonsense. “Aren’t you taking me home, Simon?” she asked. “It’s already two in the morning. I know you have an early start today. What time do you have to be at the stadium for practice?”
“Baby, I don’t want to think about football now,” said Simon as he fixated on Alicia’s blouse. He grinned and sucked air through his teeth, shaking his head. “Alicia, you so fine! I constantly dream about getting with you. Boogieing at the club tonight and watching you move, all I could think about is what you’re hiding underneath those pants that fit so good. You have a delicious ass, and I know just how to work with it. So come on, baby, give Simon a little something.”
“Simon, we’ve talked about this before. You know I’m not for sale. I’m just an old-fashioned girl from Virginia. Given that you’re from Alabama, you’re almost my homeboy. You understand.”
Alicia saw Simon’s grin fade and tried to keep the moment light. “Besides,” she said, “we both know you don’t need me for that. Every time you leave a stadium you have beautiful women flocking to you. I bet you have a gal stashed away in most every city in the country. You’re a man in demand with that pretty chocolate skin of yours.”
As Simon leaned over to kiss Alicia, he slid his hand into her blouse and roamed over both breasts.
She backed against the window of the car and pushed his hand away. “Simon, you don’t want to start that,” she said.
“I’m used to having what I want, and I want you. Shit, Alicia, I been trying to get some of this stuff for nearly two years now. Every time I come to the Bay Area for a game, I make arrangements to take you dancing. I’ve asked for it, begged for it, even offered to pay for it. Hell, tonight I went up to two thousand dollars. I ain’t never coughed up that much money for a woman before, but I know it’s got to be good.”
“You’ve been indulging tonight a little more than normal. You’ve always respected my position in the past.”
“That’s the past, and this is a new day. Come on, girl, and stop playing with me!” Simon leaned over, grabbed Alicia’s arms, and tried to kiss her again.
“Simon, stop!” said Alicia, twisting her face away.
Simon stomped a foot into the floorboard while his grip on Alicia’s arms tightened. He let her go and thrust his right hand skyward, threatening a backhand slap.
Alicia’s eyes grew large as she shielded herself with her arms. “Simon, please!”
The huge man scowled. “Look, girl, if you don’t want your ass beat tonight, then take off your damn britches,” he said, keeping his hand raised. “We gone move to the backseat, and I’m gone get me some. Shit, I’m tired of your game. You know what I need, and you know what I want. Now it’s time for you to give it up.”
“Okay,” said Alicia, attempting to soothe her coked-up companion.
Simon slowly lowered his hand, but his eyes remained on fire. He licked his upper lip and moved his hand to his crotch.
I want to scream, thought Alicia, but that will only make things worse. Remember your lessons, Alicia, both from Mama Tilman and Daddy. Calm yourself down, then play for time and strategize.
Alicia forced a smile and softened her voice. “How in the world can a whopping six-foot-five, two hundred seventy-five pound defensive end fit into the backseat of this car to do what’s on your mind?” she asked.
Simon just stared at her.
“Simon, this is not something you want to do. If you force yourself on me, you could jeopardize the rest of your pro career. Do you really want that? Think about it. Would you want this to happen to your mother or your sister?”
“Don’t have no mother and don’t have no sister,” said Simon, smirking, “and it won’t be the first time. My agent solves those kinds of problems for me. All it takes is a little money, not too much more than I offered you. So all I know is, right this minute, if you don’t give me what I want, I’m about to do me a head slap, bust through those panties, and sack me a fine-ass quarter-bitch!”
Simon’s mouth twisted into a silly smile. Alicia immediately recognized his football metaphor, but Simon had revealed more—a life centered on seeking, assaulting, and conquering his prize. Alicia had become the prize, and that awareness brought forth a strategy.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said, neutralizing her fright. “Got all this man next to me, and I’m sitting up here acting stupid.”
Now irrevocably committed, Alicia grinned as she unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse and put a hand in her crotch, sighing with pleasure. Simon’s face lit up with excitement.
“Oh, Daddy,” said Alicia in the sexiest voice she could muster, “I’ve been needing a man for such a long time. You going to do it good to me?” Alicia slid her hand to Simon’s crotch and felt him.
Simon moaned as his eyes glazed over. He relaxed against the headrest. “Take your blouse and bra off, baby,” he said. “I know you got to be big and pretty. Let me see you, and I’m gone play with you and get you good and ready.”
“Daddy, let me make you real hard first. I like it real hard. It’s been so, so long, and I need it bad. I used to get it all the time from whoever I wanted and whenever I wanted. Then the doctor said no, but I got to have it now. No one wants to give me any since the doctor told me no. I’m so glad you got us started tonight. You going to give it to me good?”
“Oh, yeah, baby. I’m gone whip it on you! I been wanting to get between those big, pretty thighs for a long time.”
“I like it good, Simon,” said Alicia, breaking into a sultry pant. “Make it last a long time. Let me get on top. To hell with the doctor!”
“What doctor you talking about, baby?” said Simon, opening his eyes and frowning.
“The doctor who told me I couldn’t have sex anymore; but let’s forget about him. He’s probably just some quack.”
“Why’d he say no?”
“I don’t want to tell you,” said Alicia, removing her hand from Simon’s crotch as he went soft. “I don’t want you to change your mind. But it’s no big deal, okay?”
Simon studied her, as though attempting to discern whether she was telling the truth. “Come on,” she said as she began gyrating her hips and cupping her breasts.
“Tell me what’s wrong. Why’d the doctor say no?”
“Promise me you won’t change your mind. Please?”
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Alicia climbed from her seat and put a leg over one of Simon’s. “Promise me you won’t change your mind,” she repeated, brushing her lips next to his.
“I promise,” he whispered in return.
“I have some kind of sickness. The doctor says I’m going to die, but I feel fine. It’s a disease that comes from sex, something new they call AIDS. I think I must have caught it from somebody when I always used to get my groove on. You can’t catch it from me if you wear a rubber, I think, as long as the rubber doesn’t break. At least that’s what I heard. You have a rubber, don’t you? Ooh, Daddy, let’s not waste any more time.”
“AIDS?” said Simon, his eyes bulging as he pushed Alicia away.
“C’mon,” she said, plopping back in her seat. “That’s why I’ve been saying no, but I’m sure it’s okay. Put your rubber on now, Simon. I need you!”
Alicia unfastened the remaining buttons of her blouse and unzipped her pants. “Come on, baby, let’s move to the backseat.”
A bead of sweat appeared on Simon’s forehead. “Alicia, I didn’t think you were the type to run around loose and catch something,” he said.
Alicia shrugged, feigning a pout. “A woman has needs, too, just like a man! You all run the streets and go from woman to woman, adding notches to your belt every chance you get. I did the same thing, but with the wrong person, I guess; probably someone who goes both ways.”
“Ugh,” said Simon, but he suddenly squinted at Alicia. “Then how come you been so standoffish with me?”
“Since I found out, I’ve been standoffish with everyone. Somebody—I don’t know who—has just about killed me. I didn’t want to kill you, too, or anyone else for that matter. I just wanted to be careful, but like I said, the doctor must be off, ’cause I feel fine, especially now, since you got me all worked up.”
Alicia opened the car door and stepped out with her purse, nodding to the backseat. “Come on,” she said.
Simon looked straight ahead, his chest heaving.
“First, you wanted to pay for it. Then you were going to take it. You got me all hot and bothered, and now I’m trying to give it to you. So what’s up? Come on, Simon, I don’t have all night.” She tapped her foot with impatience.
“Bitch,” muttered Simon, glaring at her. He started the engine and raced away, his passenger door slamming shut on its own.
Alicia slept late the next morning, waking around ten. Shortly afterwards, Lucy tiptoed into the room with fresh coffee, still wearing her pajamas. Alicia erupted with the details of her experience with Simon.
“How on earth did you keep your nerve?” asked Lucy. “I would have fainted.”
“It’s something my grandmother and father taught me,” said Alicia, and then she smiled. “You know what, Lucy? When I touched him he felt really hard, but also tiny, and yet Simon’s such a big man. I heard the bigger the man, the bigger the—well, you know.”
“It doesn’t always work that way.”
“Oh, well, there goes another myth down the drain,” said Alicia, snickering.
Lucy turned on the television the two had purchased for their room a few months before, flipping channels until finding the annual football game between Harvard and Yale.
“Ivy League games are like those between Stanford and Cal,” she said. “They are so much fun, especially the students in the stands.”
“I’ve had enough football to last a lifetime,” said Alicia, flopping on her bed. “I never want to know another football player or watch another game again. Can’t we turn to something else?”
One announcer asked the other, “Jim, what’s the key to this game, which is likely to determine the Ivy League Champion?”
“The key, Steve, is whether Yale can stop young Ben Tilman, number twenty-four for Harvard.”
“Benny!” shouted Alicia, bouncing up. “Could this be Benny? Wait, Lucy, don’t change the channel!”
“Ben Tilman is from Chesapeake, Virginia,” continued the announcer as Benny’s picture flashed on the screen. “He has speed to burn, and at six-two and a deuce and a quarter, he’s a load.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” said Alicia. “Benny is at Harvard. I knew he could do it!”
Celia, Cathy, Danielle, and Lindsay burst into the room.
“Who the hell is Benny?” asked Cathy.
“My baby brother!” Alicia jabbed her finger at the television screen.
“What’s going on up there?” called Mother Lil from the bottom of the stairs, but no one answered.
“Ben Tilman generated interest from some of the major football programs in the country, but he selected Harvard,” said the announcer. “He’s become their leading ball carrier this season, averaging a hundred and forty-five yards per game. On the Yale side, Harvard has to watch . . .”
“Alicia, his name is Tilman,” said Danielle.
“I know,” said Alicia, grinning. “We have different last names.”
Player introductions began, starting with Harvard’s offensive unit. Alicia paced back and forth as she waited for the camera to move from the offensive linemen to the backfield. She caught a glimpse of Benny in the rear of the group, without his helmet. Finally he stood before the camera.
“Look at my baby brother,” she said. “He is so big now.”
“Yeah, I sure am looking at him,” said Celia, “and I definitely like what I see.”
“But why does he look so mean?” asked Lindsay.
“Benny isn’t mean,” said Alicia. “He’s just wearing his game face, that’s all.”
“You guys look so much alike,” said Lucy. “I can really see the family resemblance.”
“Yeah,” said Cathy, “especially since he’s wearing his game face.”
Alicia laughed right along with the others, waiting for the game to start.
Harvard won the toss and elected to receive. Benny jogged to the end zone. Then the whistle sounded, the ball soared, and Benny caught it on Harvard’s five-yard line. He first ambled toward the middle of the field as three of his blockers initially held their blocks, before peeling to the left. Benny cut hard to his left at Harvard’s twelve-yard line and accelerated.
“Go, Benny,” yelled Alicia, leaning forward.
Following his interference to the left sideline, Benny abandoned the group and shot through a gap, untouched and blazing past others. He appeared headed to the end zone until crossing Harvard’s forty-yard line, when a Yale player raced past his teammates on a deep angle to cut Benny off. As he drew near, Benny jerked almost to a complete stop, the player overran him, and Benny cut back across Yale’s thirty-yard line toward the middle of a clear field. He started reaccelerating, but another Yale defender dove and caught a foot, tripping him at the Yale eighteen-yard line.
“They were lucky to catch him,” shouted the announcer over the roar of the Harvard Stadium crowd. “This kid almost went the distance.”
Alicia hopped up and down, unable to contain her joy. Then the camera went to the stands and showed a close-up of a couple holding on to one another, both ecstatic. Alicia suddenly froze, covering her mouth with both hands.
“Dr. and Mrs. Tilman,” said the announcer. “They’re the proud parents of Ben Tilman Jr.”
Alicia fought back tears as the camera returned to the field of play.
“What’s wrong?” asked Lindsay, staring at Alicia. “Your parents are a really handsome couple.”
“Nothing,” she said, trying to recover. “I just haven’t seen them in a really long time.”
“If you guys have the same parents, why do you have different last names?” asked Danielle.
“I changed mine. I’m Alicia Du Bois, all right?”
Alicia stormed out of the room. When she returned a half hour later, the game had been turned off and only Lucy remained. Shaken, Alicia resisted conversation. Lucy gave her space for the rest of the day and eventually left on a date. Alicia stayed tucked away in their room.
The following morning, Alicia rose at five, having tossed and turned all night. She eventually returned to her bed, cementing her thoughts while she waited for Lucy to awaken. Finally Lucy stirred, wiped her eyes, and eyed Alicia tentatively.
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” said Alicia. “I know I closed myself off, but having time to think really helped. I needed to sort through some things.”
“So what’s going on?” said Lucy, propping herself up on her elbows.
“I’m happy that Benny is doing so well, for his sake and for my parents’. He’s making up for the way I disappointed them. But seeing my parents on TV forced me to face them, at least in an indirect way. That’s the core of the problem—I’m not prepared to face them right now.”
“Alicia, your parents seem to be nice people. They don’t appear to be unforgiving.”
“I didn’t leave home because of them; I left because of me. Yesterday triggered unpleasant memories of my mistakes in Chesapeake, and I’ve done nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, to undo the crime. If anything, I’m moving further away from ridding myself of shame, and doing so is the one and only thing that will allow me to go home. I need their forgiveness, yes, but I also need to forgive myself.”
“So, what’s the answer?”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking about, and I’m embarrassed because it’s all so simple. I’ve been getting by based on my looks, training, and wits, but I haven’t been mentally challenged in a long time now. Entertaining men does nothing for me. I miss the challenges of a world I once knew well, a world of discussion and abstract thinking. I think it’s time for me to go back to school.”
“Really?” Lucy shifted into a sitting position.
“Yeah. In the past, school was a given, the expected routine, and I took it for granted. I excelled academically, though probably more to please my parents than myself. But now is different. Now I feel compelled to go back to school in the same way that I was compelled to earn money two years ago. It’s a matter of survival in a sense, something to enable greater personal satisfaction and a return to Chesapeake. Seeing my parents on TV was a major wake-up call. It forced me to see education as the solution to both of my problems, and for the first time since leaving Chesapeake I feel comfortable with my direction, because I know it’s my only path to earning the silver teapot.”
“Alicia, this is wonderful. Where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know,” said Alicia, shrugging her shoulders. “Stanford and Berkeley admitted me three years ago. I think I’ll reapply for next year’s fall semester and start taking classes at a junior college this spring.”
“I am so proud of you. Are you going to leave Lil’s Place?”
“No, Lucy, I can’t do that. I’ll have to continue working to pay for school. I’ll be Du Bois by night and Tilman during the day.”
“Leading a double life will be tough, though I think you’ll manage just fine.”
“I have something else to share. It’s about my son. Almost immediately after giving him up, I tried to forget about him. I made my decision, and it was time to move on without looking back. But he’s always stayed with me, and now I want to see him.”
“Do you really think you should?”
“I need to try, but I don’t plan to interfere in any way. He’ll be three in four months. I want to know what he looks like, and I want to hear his voice.”
“Say, Shelby,” said Alicia as he left Mother Lil’s office. “Let’s talk for a second.”
“Hi, little darling, we got to be quick. I need to run an errand for Lil.”
Alicia grinned. “I’m going to Lake Tahoe, and I need a date. You won’t have to pay me. Instead, I’ll pay you.”
“Alicia, don’t play with me. You know you’re not my type. Why are you going there?”
“I’m going to stop in on the Rousseaus.”
“Say what?” said Shelby, whose eyes grew large.
Alicia laughed. “I’m kidding,” she said. “I’m going there to check on my son. I just want to see him, nothing more. What can you tell me about Mrs. Rousseau?”
“She seemed like a nice lady. Does Lil know about this?”
“Yeah, I wrestled the address out of her, but I thought you could give me some inside information about where they live and what she looks like. I’ve already talked to Joanna.”
“Girl, I don’t remember her all that well. I was too much in a hurry, trying to get away. Once you get to Lake Tahoe, you’ll need to ask for directions. And one more thing, Alicia. That woman kept your baby, which means she’s a mother hen now—so be careful.”
At half past eight on a Saturday morning in early December of 1978, Lucy rode shotgun and Celia stretched across the rear seat as Alicia drove her recently purchased 1976 Honda Accord into Tahoe City, California. She noticed a pervasive fresh scent in the air and marveled at the sight of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, so close to San Francisco and yet a world unto themselves.
After Alicia stopped to get directions, she found the Rousseau cabin and cruised by. It appeared small but well kept, and on this particular morning, quiet. She parked down the road at an ideal spot for snooping and waited for signs of life.
“They’re probably not home,” said Alicia, growing restless after thirty minutes had gone by. “Maybe they’re on the mountain. The husband works there, and his wife and the baby could be with him. Why don’t we drive over and see what we can see?”
“Squaw is going to be busy,” said Lucy. “It’ll be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
Alicia drove off, ignoring the warning. She eventually followed a long line of cars into a massive parking lot, and she and the others hopped out to get their bearings.
“Will you look at this?” said Celia. “Check out the mountain. How do people ski that thing? I wouldn’t be caught dead at the top. Plus, it’s cold out here. These people are crazy! I would only do this for you, Alicia.”
Alicia stared at the throngs of people. “I don’t know where to start,” she said. “This place is much bigger than I thought. You were right, Lucy.”
“Let’s ask somebody,” said Celia.
“I don’t want to ask for Joe Rousseau. That feels awkward.”
“Then tell me the wife and baby’s name,” said Celia.
“I don’t know. I never saw the birth certificate. I don’t think anyone did except Mother Lil, and she never told me.”
“Leave it to me,” said Celia. “Girl, public relations is my business.”
Alicia initiated the hike from the parking lot to the base of the ski area. When the group arrived, Celia left Alicia and Lucy and marched toward a building for ski rentals. A long line of people stood by the entry door. Celia vanished through the group but reappeared within a few minutes, thumbs pointed at her chest.
“Yeah, uh-huh, I’m bad,” she said. “I told y’all my business is public relations. They call the man’s wife Madeline. Alicia, your son is named Alexi. They’re probably over at a slope called East Broadway. Somebody told me we have to take a gondola to Gold Coast, whatever that is, and then East Broadway should be right there.”
“Alexi?” said Alicia. “That sounds Russian. Celia, how in the world did you learn all of this?”
“I just went up to this young dude working the line and asked where I could find Joe Rousseau. He was writing on some kind of form and didn’t even look up. Said Joe should be over on Siberia conducting a race clinic. Isn’t Siberia in Russia? Maybe that’s how Alexi got his name. At any rate, I asked for his wife and son. The dude gave up the goods, no questions asked, and I asked someone else for directions.”
“Girl, you’re right,” said Alicia. “You are bad!”
The group found the Funitel Gondola and rode to Squaw’s Gold Coast Complex, a multistory ski lodge at the base of the upper portion of the mountain. They left the gondola and labored over thick, heavy snow to an area filled with children and adults.
Standing still, Alicia sifted through groups of children, hoping to find a child bearing the features she had stored in her memory, but the children were bundled up in fluffy jackets and wore hats and goggles, and parents interfered with her line of sight as they helped with boots and skis.
Alicia listened for voices. She heard a slew of names called from multiple directions, though she never heard her son’s. Finally, someone yelled for Alex. Her eyes flew to a woman urgently repeating the name, but disappointment soon struck. A young girl no older than fourteen months clamored in response, stumbling toward her mother.
Alicia began wandering throughout the area, studying each small child and listening for a distinct, one-of-a-kind name. Lucy and Celia drifted behind her. After about twenty minutes of fruitless searching, Alicia concluded there were too many kids, and she started losing hope of finding Alexi among the crowd. She turned to Lucy and Celia and shrugged.
Deciding to survey the area one last time, Alicia felt defeated, until her eyes stopped on a little boy who appeared too large to be Alexi’s age. She saw a hint of color in his skin tone, and then her mouth flew open as she focused on the only visible part of his body—his face.
“That’s him!” said Alicia as Lucy walked up. “I can’t believe I found him.”
“How do you know it’s him?”
“That’s Benny at the same age.”
Alicia noticed a woman next to the boy, standing upright after fiddling with her boots. The woman pulled a ski cap over the boy’s ears and placed short skis next to his feet. With surprising coordination, the boy pounced into the binding of one ski and then the other. He tried to jump off the snow as the woman stepped into much longer skis, chuckling.
Alicia studied the woman. Medium in size, she seemed in her early forties and wore her light-brown hair flipped up at the ends. The woman’s smile gave her a glow that converted an ordinary appearance to one that was pretty.
“Mommy, come on!” said the boy. “I want to ski, I want to ski.”
“Okay, Alexi,” said the woman. “Be patient, little one, I’m not quite as quick as you.”
Lucy and Celia laughed at the exchange while Alicia fought back tears. The woman, who Alicia knew could only be Madeline, offered Alexi one end of a ski pole while she held the other, and then she tugged Alexi behind her en route to the lift line for East Broadway.
Alicia bolted forward, watching the lift go up the mountain and disappear. “She’s not taking him up there,” she said. “He’s too young to go that high!”
“Stop!” said Lucy, grabbing her. “She knows what she’s doing. I’m no expert, but I’ve skied before, and it’s not unusual for a child Alexi’s age to handle a hill like this. Remember, his father is a ski instructor, and he probably started early. Relax.”
Alicia shifted her view back to Madeline, who was pulling Alexi to the lift. Her anxiety diminished a little when the lift operator discovered Alexi and laughed. He slowed the lift to a crawl as it approached. Madeline lifted Alexi onto the chair and sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. She held ski poles in her other hand as the lift sluggishly climbed up the hill and gradually disappeared.
“Remember what they’re wearing!” said Alicia. “He’s dressed in blue and she’s in pink.”
Alicia waited for what seemed like an eternity, searching the hill for a little boy in blue and a woman in pink. She saw that combination often as her eyes ran from one little skier to another, some lying in the snow and others creeping downhill, their skis and legs pointed in awkward directions.
She finally spotted a little boy dressed in blue who from a distance resembled Alexi. With his skis set wide apart but parallel, he ripped through the snow with ease as a woman effortlessly followed.
“Look!” shrieked Alicia, pointing to Alexi and applauding. She grabbed a camera from her purse and snapped a picture. Then she hopped on the snow in excitement. Soon Lucy and Celia joined Alicia in her snow dance.
Alexi continued his flight downhill and schussed back to the lift line for another run, and then another, and another, but Alicia hardly could get enough. Her eyes, vague and misty when learning of her pregnancy, now sparkled at the sight of her son. First I found myself, she thought, and now I’ve found him. She fought back tears, shooting picture after picture.
Madeline finally pointed Alexi to the Gold Coast Complex at around one in the afternoon. Alexi plopped on the snow, resisting his mother’s instruction. Smiling, she lifted him to his feet and released his skis. Soon the two trudged toward the lodge, with Alexi carrying his skis across his chest, crying in disappointment.
Alicia, Lucy, and Celia rode the gondola back down the mountain. After finding their car, they traveled back to San Francisco in relative quiet.
“Alicia, you should be very proud of what you just saw,” said Lucy, breaking the silence. “That woman loves your son. This could not have worked out better. Just think of the environment he’s in. He’s being raised by someone who really cares about him. And he is very skilled. I’ve never seen a child at that age with his ability on skis.”
“Yeah, Licia,” said Celia. “Girl, you got a ski champion on your hands.”
The thought of her son warmed Alicia and caused the loveliest smile, the likes of which she had not revealed since leaving Chesapeake.
A week after they returned from Lake Tahoe, Alicia and Lucy rested in their beds, comparing notes on their dates from the prior evening. The girls had been laughing when they heard a knock on the door and Diana entered. “Lucy, Matthew Chen is here to see you,” she announced.
Lucy’s smile turned into a frown. “What? No way.”
“Your father?” asked Alicia.
“Yes,” said Lucy, jumping out of bed. “It’s been four years since I last saw him. How did he find me? Diana, tell him I’m unavailable.”
“You don’t want to deal with him?” asked Alicia as Diana left to deliver the message.
“No more than you want to deal with your father.”
A few minutes later, Diana reappeared. “Lucy, Mr. Chen asked me to say it is a matter of the greatest urgency, and he respectfully requests your presence. Those are his words, and I don’t think he’s leaving anytime soon.”
“Shit! If he found me here, he knows I’m an escort,” said Lucy as she began fumbling through her closet. “So just as he fell in my eyes, I’ve fallen in his. Something must be seriously wrong for him to be here.” She turned to Alicia. “I need your support. Would you please join me?”
Alicia followed Lucy into the sitting room after both had dressed and freshened up. She saw a well-dressed, middle-aged Chinese man, accompanied by a tall, attractive Chinese woman. The woman stared at Lucy through watery eyes.
“Good day, Father,” said Lucy. “This is my very best friend, Alicia Du Bois.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Du Bois,” said Mr. Chen in perfect English, but without Lucy’s British accent. He bowed slightly to Alicia and struggled to smile. “I am C. J. Matthew Chen, and this is my wife, Mrs. Claudia Chen.”
Mrs. Chen duplicated Mr. Chen’s bow, then glanced at Lucy.
“Lu Chi, may we speak in private?” asked Mr. Chen.
“I have no secrets from Alicia, Father. Whatever you wish to discuss with me, you may say in her presence.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Chen, who sat with his wife across from Lucy and Alicia. He switched to Cantonese. Alicia observed his facial expressions as he spoke, and studied Lucy’s reactions.
Lucy initially listened passively as Mr. Chen spoke. His wife said nothing, looking down at the Persian rug. Mr. Chen halted at a point and then continued, but with hesitation. Lucy showed disbelief. She eyed Mrs. Chen, who looked up from the floor, revealing tears. When Mr. Chen resumed at his normal pace, Lucy moved from disbelief to hurt, and finally to compassion as she joined Mrs. Chen in tears. Lucy’s father showed no emotion.
Once finished, Mr. Chen nodded to his wife. She stood with outstretched arms directed at Lucy, begging for reciprocation. Lucy met Mrs. Chen, taking her hands and bowing low. Mr. Chen smiled as his wife and daughter continued weeping. Lucy said something to Mrs. Chen and then spoke to her father, who neither smiled nor frowned, but whose overall demeanor showed great satisfaction.
“It has been a pleasure meeting you, Miss Du Bois,” said Mr. Chen as he and his wife stood. “Please do visit us in Hong Kong with Lu Chi someday.”
“Thank you,” said Alicia. “One day I hope to have the opportunity.”
Alicia and Lucy watched the couple leave in a chauffeur-driven car before they returned to their room. Lucy immediately sank to her bed.
“You’re obviously upset,” said Alicia. “Do you need some time alone?”
“Two bombs have been dropped on me, and I don’t know which is more difficult to accept. Alicia, the woman I thought was my mother is not my mother. My mother is the woman I thought was my father’s mistress.”
“Whoa!” Alicia moved next to Lucy.
“Apparently my mother couldn’t have children, but she understood the importance of family succession to my father’s banking business. So she chose my father’s current wife to be his concubine and to give him a child, with the understanding that I would be raised by my mother.”
“Damn! Both of us are caught up in family secrets.”
“There’s more,” said Lucy, holding her arms and rocking herself. “My father is ill. He’s suffering from leukemia and wants me to assume control over the family business. He asked me to reenroll at Stanford. When I’m done, he wants me to return home and prepare for the transition. In the banking business in Hong Kong, associations are extremely important. I need to work my way into those associations if the transition is to go smoothly.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Alicia, realizing her roommate and best friend could be leaving Lil’s Place permanently.
“My father has always been known as a man of honor. My mother emphasized that to me on several occasions before her death. I never understood why she repeated herself so much until now. I think she must have realized that I would learn the truth one day, and she tried to prepare me to accept it. I still feel that he lost his honor when my mother died, but now I must do my duty. My duty is more important than honor, considering his health.”
“What is his attitude toward you since he knows you’ve been working at Lil’s Place?”
“He didn’t communicate any judgment about what I’ve been doing here. He just wants me back. I suppose the things that normally bother a person become trivial when something of real importance arises. I’m putting my problem with him aside, and I suspect he’s doing the same where I’m concerned.”
And I’ll need to put my problems aside if something happens at home, thought Alicia. But how will I ever know unless I have a link to Chesapeake?
“What about your real mother?”
“I’ve agreed to try to be friends. You know, Alicia, my mother was short, and you can see my father is only slightly taller than me. My birth mother is my height. I never knew where my height came from until now. Her family is from northern China. I have her look, which is different from those from the south, like the mother I lost. She always said I looked like her ancestors, but now I know the truth.”
“I see the resemblance, Lucy. You favor your birth mother, and she is very beautiful. One more question: Can you please explain Lu Chi?”
“My Chinese name is Chen Lu Chi. My English name is Lucy Chen.”
“I’ve learned two new things about you.” Alicia raised her eyebrows. “You know what this means? You and I could be students together at Stanford. We won’t be completely separated.”
“I know,” said Lucy, breaking into a smile.