“Why do you rush about like a head without a chicken?”
Remo was quickly but carefully packing Chiun’s belongings. “No need to hang around here longer than we have to,” he said. “Upstairs has more work for me, and I’d like to get right on it.”
Chiun frowned. “You have been most eager to exercise your skills lately. It is unlike you.”
Remo paused. He had not sat down with Chiun to talk about the urges he felt, and he realized this was the opportunity he had been looking for.
After having removed the Janos twins, he had felt a combined sense of calm and urgency. He was satisfied, yet still hungry. And he liked it.
Maybe he did not have to tell Chiun right away.
“I admit, I began to harbor some small worries about you,” Chiun continued. “But if you are performing in the service of the Emperor Smith, that means more gold for the children of Sinanju. How can I disapprove of such a thing?”
“Right,” Remo said. “Exactly. And the sooner we can earn that gold, the better, right?”
There was, of course, another reason Remo was in a hurry to leave Arlington behind. In fact, there were two of them, just a few doors down the hall. With luck, Remo would already be on his way back to Rye before Mei and Ewe woke up.
That hope evaporated the moment Remo opened the door to leave, finding the two girls standing there, Ewe’s fist raised in preparation to knock at the door.
“Oh!” she said. “You are back after all.”
Remo groaned inwardly. “Hello, girls,” he said. “Have you been out here the whole time?”
“We watched for you out the window,” Mei said. She tucked her chin down, demurely, prepared for a scolding.
“We saw you come in,” Ewe added meekly. “We waited as long as we could, but…we missed you.” Ewe was back in denim shorts and her sleeveless white blouse that accentuated her willowy arms. She looked at the trunks, stacked and ready to go. “Are we leaving now?”
“Are we…what?” Remo sputtered Chiun chuckled, and Remo cut his eyes at him. “No, we are not leaving now. I mean, yes, we are all leaving, just…not together.”
Both girls tilted their heads, confused.
He sighed. “Look, I travel a lot for my job,” he said.
“I love to travel,” Mei said enthusiastically.
“I’ve always wanted to,” added Ewe.
“No,” Remo said. “Girls, look…don’t you have homes to go to? Lives to get back to living?”
“So?” said Mei.
“No,” said Ewe.
“Heh heh heh,” Chiun snickered.
“Not helping,” Remo muttered under his breath.
“Not trying,” Chiun replied with amusement.
Remo tried a more direct approach. “Okay, you. I mean, Ewe,” he said. “Where did you live before you signed up for the march?”
“With my Mama in her trailer,” she said.
“Good!” he said. “You have a place to go. I want you to go there.”
Ewe began to sniffle. “But I don’t want to go there,” she said. “Please don’t make me. Everyone there is mean to everybody. They call people names, and I can’t have any black friends, and the men just want to get drunk and rough with me.” A tear streaked down her cheek. “I used to be fine with it, but now…”
“Do not be swayed by her tears, Remo,” Chiun said. “Send her back.”
Remo shook his head and looked to Mei. “You. Not Ewe, Mei,” he said. “You have a business. You repair refrigerators.”
Mei nodded. “I’d give it all up to be with you,” she said.
“I don’t want you to give it up,” Remo said. “In fact, I need you to expand your business.”
“Expand?”
Remo put his hands on Ewe’s shoulders and turned her to face Mei. “Yes,” he said. “Meet your newest employee. Ewe, what can you do?”
Ewe stuttered. “I can…make coffee? And wash clothes?”
“See?” Remo said. “She had to learn those things. She can learn refrigerator repair, too.”
“You want me to teach her…?” Mei asked, her voice trailing off.
Remo cupped her chin and her body sagged. She stared up at him with unadulterated adoration.
“I want you to take her in,” Remo said. “Make her your apprentice. Teach her everything you know — and take care of her, okay?”
“Of course, Remo,” Mei said dreamily.
“And you,” Remo said, putting his palm on Ewe’s neck. She trembled and purred as she looked up into his face, expressing pure longing. “Go with Mei. Listen to her. Help her with all that cooking and coffee-making and laundry-doing. And take care of her, right?”
“Anything for you, Remo,” she replied.
“Good,” Remo said. “Great. I’m glad we’ve got this all worked out. Now, go back to your rooms and pack, and go straight to Mei’s place.” He kissed both of them on the cheek, punctuation to his instructions. Both girls giggled, and ran out of the room, each stealing a glance back at the Master of Sinanju — their master.
“You are just going to leave them to their own devices?” Chiun asked.
“There’s no room in this business for Ewe and Mei,” Remo said. “Just you and me.”
Chiun shook his head ruefully. “You speak in riddles,” he complained.
“I learned from the best, Little Father,” said Remo, putting his hand on the bony shoulder of the ancient master. “Come on, let’s get out of here before they come back. Smitty has one more thing for me to clean up.”