Chapter 26

 

 

As soon as they were in their suite two floors down, Cindy ordered a bottle of chilled champagne and a plate of finger food for them to enjoy. Yet as soon as the cork was popped and the first sips savored, Cindy announced that she “smelled like utter ass” and wanted to take a shower. Rose was invited to join her, of course, but said she would be in a few minutes later so she could have a moment to decompress on the couch.

She was preparing to stumble into the shower with Cindy when somebody knocked on the door. Rose approached the door and peered through the peephole.

She didn’t hesitate to open the door.

“Wa sai, there you are!” Terry pushed past Rose, who nearly slammed her head into the door since she was as balanced on her feet as a drunk parakeet. I’m just the drunk part, honestly. While Rose still maintained many of her mental faculties, she was useless at conveying a single thought without yawning or burping. “Is Cindy here? I really need to talk to her.”

“She’s taking a shower.” Rose latched the door. “What happened earlier, Ms. Tsao?”

“I got sucked into a riveting mahjong came and lost track of you two. It happens.” Terry continued to look around. She wasn’t half as drunk as Rose, who pulled off her shoes in the hopes it would keep her from falling over on her way to the couch. “Anyway, shower, you said?”

“I can go get her. She was waiting for me.”

“I bet.”

Rose, who had barely unzipped her dress again, stepped into the bathroom, where steam already fogged up the mirrors and her girlfriend had forgotten to hang up a towel. Rose pulled a fluffy white towel off a rack by the door and made sure it was within reach of Cindy, who currently sat on the ledge of the shower and allowed the hot water to spray against her chest. She opened her eyes when Rose appeared on the other side of the opaque window.

“Ms. Tsao is here looking for you,” Rose said. “What should I tell her, xiaojie?”

Cindy rolled her head back. Water dripped from her chin and nose. She didn’t seem to mind. “Tell her I’ll be out in ten minutes, if she can wait that long.”

Nodding, Rose closed the small gap she had opened in the shower door and returned to the living area. Terry wasn’t there.

“Ms. Tsao?” Rose called. “Ms. Tsao, are you still here?”

Yet there was no sign of Terry’s pantsuit or the short pixie-cut that had flummoxed Cindy when they first crossed paths that night. There was, however, the faint scent of cologne that led Rose past the couch and toward the bedroom. The door was shut. Strange. We didn’t leave it shut earlier when we got here. Rose slowly opened the door. To do it any faster would greatly compromise the headache beginning to form in her skull.

Terry leaped up from one of Cindy’s personal bags, a bottle of pills falling from her hand.

“A, Ms. Tsao!” Rose hurried to close the door behind her. “That’s Cindy’s bag!”

Instead of coming up with an excuse, Terry placed the pill bottle back where she had found it. After she closed the flap on Cindy’s bag, she said, “Can I talk to you, Ms. Wu?”

Since she spoke with soft deference, Rose was compelled to listen. “What is it? Why are you going through Cindy’s things?” Even I don’t dare do that. It’s personal. I wouldn’t want anyone going through my things. Whatever pills Cindy took were her business. Did people think Rose didn’t know about them? They were in a prescription bottle. They had to be legit.

“Look, Ms. Wu.” Terry held up her hands, as if she were pushing away the awkwardness between them. “Everything I’m doing here is for Cindy’s benefit. I’m… I’m just checking up on her. Making sure she’s taking her medications. She was acting pretty weird tonight. I wanted to check.”

“Well?” Rose snapped. “Are you satisfied?”

Normally, she would never talk like this to someone like Terry, who probably had the power and connections to ruin Rose’s family. Yet this was Cindy’s honor on the line. My Cindy… yes, she must be mine now. I have to look out for her, don’t I?

Terry fixed her gaze upon Rose, who had sobered up enough to approach the woman barging into their personal lives. I don’t care if you’re her best friend. Don’t do this, please. “Ms. Wu… Rose.” She said it with such perfect inflection that Rose’s face fell in surprise. “I believe your affection for Cindy is genuine. Which is good. She needs someone in her corner who can look after her.”

“What are you talking about?”

Terry crossed her arms and raised her shoulders toward her ears, as if she had something to be ashamed of. Something beyond snooping. “Cindy started acting strangely today, didn’t she? Much differently than she usually does around you.”

“She got a little drunk and lost some money gambling. I can’t blame her.”

“How much money did she lose?”

Terry asked that so softly that Rose was once again taken aback. While concern dripped from Terry’s mouth, Rose shook her head and said, “I have no idea. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“How many times did she visit the exchange?”

“I… I don’t know. Twice? Three times?”

Sighing, Terry continued, “I don’t have to ask how much she’s had to drink tonight. I saw the champagne out there. Look, there’s not much you can do about how much she gambled away, but maybe you can ask her to no longer drink tonight. Or this whole weekend, for that matter. She really, really shouldn’t be drinking at all, let alone as much as she has been.”

Rose furrowed her brows. “I don’t understand. She didn’t drink any more than I usually do when I’m partying.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “Is Cindy… is Cindy an addict?”

“No, honey,” Terry said in English. “It’s the pills. She shouldn’t be drinking with her medication. It can negate the effects.”

“What effects?”

“She hasn’t told you, huh?”

That was the second time Rose heard something like that tonight. “Told me what?”

“It’s really not my place to say. I’ve already said too much.” Terry pulled out her wallet, unzipped it, and retrieved a small business card on white stock. “Here. This is my card. If you promise to not tell Cindy you saw me snooping around in here, I’ll owe you. Big time. Trust me, that kind of offer doesn’t come often.”

Rose took the card, but her gaze never left Terry’s face. “Please don’t put me in a compromising position, Ms. Tsao.”

“I certainly don’t mean to.” Terry edged past her and entered the living room. “I won’t keep you and Cindy up late. I’m sure you want to get your rest after that rager.”

Rest. Yes. That’s what Rose needed. She had been thrown into a lovely mess, run ragged, and turned inside out with anticipation of another shoe about to drop. After she showed Terry out of the suite, Rose turned around and faced the bottle of champagne she and Cindy had already started drinking.

“Pouring us another round?” came a flirtatious voice from behind her. “How generous of you, Rosie. It’s like you knew I was about to make my grand reappearance from the shower.”

Rose plastered on a pleasant smile before she turned around and faced her girlfriend. Was she prepared for the drunken flush in Cindy’s cheek? Of course. Was she prepared to see Cindy in nothing but a black T-shirt that clung to her wet body and highlighted both her nipples, the cinch of her waist, and the soft expanse of dark hairs on her otherwise bare mound?

No.

“Why don’t you bring us over some glasses and we’ll toast to this fantastic night.”

“Actually…” Now was the time to decide what to say about Terry’s arrival. If I say anything at all. Yet the sad look on Terry’s face and the way she didn’t really try to hide what she was doing suggested that there may have been something to her actions. Besides, how much would it be worth to Rose if Terry didn’t get an angry phone call from Cindy sometime over the next two days? How much was a favor from Terry Tsao worth?

“Hm?” Cindy prompted.

“Actually, I was thinking we should save it for tomorrow.” Rose hurried to put the dirty champagne glasses on the bottom of the coffee table and to place the bucket of ice on the kitchenette counter. “We’ve already had so much to drink today, xiaojie, that I wouldn’t want to risk us blacking out and feeling sick all day tomorrow.”

At first, she worried that the unreadable look on Cindy’s face meant she was vexed with the absence of more alcohol. Would she attempt to override Rose’s decision to cut off the alcohol for the rest of the night. Maybe… the rest of the weekend?

“What a sweet thing to consider.” Cindy placed a hand over her mouth as she held back a yawn. “In that case, how about we get you out of that dress and into something more comfortable? I’d like to lie down.”

Although Cindy moseyed into the bedroom, she sent Rose a come-hither look that almost made her forget about Terry’s visit and the strange mood Cindy had been in since they arrived in Macau. Instead of asking questions, however, Rose hustled into the other room and gladly accepted a kiss to the cheek – then to the throat, because why not?

Terry hadn’t said anything about no sex!

 

***

 

They didn’t return to Taipei until early Tuesday morning. After they slept off their hangovers on Sunday, Cindy took Rose on a sightseeing trip of Macau – beyond the casinos, anyway. Rose, finally spending the day in the cotton dress Cindy had bought her a week ago, took in the majesty of the Ruins of St. Paul and the history of Monte Fort. While gazing upon the grand façade that once made up the prettiest church in Macau, Rose asked Cindy if it would be all right for them to take a selfie together. Thus far, Rose had only been doused with solo shots from Cindy, who insisted that nobody looked flirtier or prettier in Macau than her Rosie.

My hair isn’t done… The waves had mostly washed out, leaving her hair straight. Cindy kept her hair in a sensible ponytail instead of the scalp-puller she had the night before, but her blouse was long-sleeved and her jeans tight. Wasn’t she hot in that outfit? Every time Rose pranced through the Macanese sunlight, sweat dripped down her brow and the small of her back.

“All right.” Cindy slung her arm around Rose’s shoulders and held her phone above their heads. “If that’s what you want.”

She didn’t warn Rose that she shouldn’t post them to social media. That was best left unsaid, otherwise, it might ruin the mood of their date. Paparazzi who recognized Cindy behind her Gucci sunglasses might take pictures of them anyway and spread them across the Chinese-speaking internet, but Rose didn’t think about that as she finally got a decent picture of her and Cindy together on her phone. Something to really savor when I’m missing her…

They had an early dinner in Senado Square, where the tourists bustled but the food was good enough to be delivered to Cindy’s penthouse in Taipei. When Rose pointed it out, all Cindy said was, “I’m happy with whatever you deliver, as long as you’re the one delivering it, Rosie.”

Of course, there was that dark cloud hanging over them as they shared a bowl of grapes and commented on the fashions of the people. I really want to ask her about the medications. Not only because Rose was nosy, but because it was something she might need to know should their relationship continue to blossom. Or was that Rose being pretentious? Who is to say our relationship will really continue after another couple of months? Maybe that was still being generous. Who was Rose to assume that this would go anywhere once they were back in Taipei?

What they had been too drunk and tired to accomplish Saturday night finally came to fruition Sunday night. Cindy drew them a bath with fresh, handmade bath bombs and soaps she had picked up in one of the markets. The tub sat in the middle of the luxurious bathroom and offered a 180 degree view of Macau. Rose clipped her hair on top of her head and folded her arms over the back of the tub, gazing at the lights, the airplanes coming in for landing and taking off, and the ocean seemingly half a world away. When Cindy joined her a few minutes later, she held a back massager in her hand.

“You do me, and I do you,” she said.

While Rose remained relaxed over the side of the tub, she closed her eyes and allowed the nubs of the vibrating massager to touch muscles she had no idea were so sore. One second by generous second, she succumbed to the new kind of pleasure overcoming her. I think I love you, Cindy. The woman not only gave her orgasms – she gave her a window into a whole new world of relaxation and self-realization.

When it was time to switch, Rose paid special attention to the tightness between Cindy’s shoulder blades. “Ah, that’s where I keep all my tension,” she admitted, when Rose pressed the massager against loosening tissue. “Oh my Goddd.” That English warble was accompanied with the low rumble of the massager disappearing between shoulder blades. “You’re my savior.”

“Xiaojie,” Rose began, when Cindy finally batted her eyelashes open again. “Can I ask you something personal?”

Cindy glanced over her spread shoulder. “Hm?”

Rose bit her lip before committing to her question. “Have you ever been in love before?”

Cindy snorted. “What kind of sneaky question is that, Rosie?”

“An honest one.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Cindy finally said, “I think so.”

“You think so?”

“Ah… you have to understand.” Cindy waved the massager away and turned over in the tub, the water splashing over the edges and cascading toward the drain in the floor. “When I feel something, I feel it very intently. Sometimes it’s easy to mistake ambivalence for long-term apathy… or excitement for love.”

Rose barely followed, but allowed herself to be drawn into her girlfriend’s embrace. We’re sharing a tub together… in Macau… this is amazing… Rose pressed her wet lips against her girlfriend’s shoulder and sighed. “I’ve never been in true love before,” she admitted, “but if such a thing really exists, then I like to think it means you’re with a person you can share anything with. Including your darkest secrets.”

“Hm? What kind of secrets do you have, Rosie?”

One secret Rose did not have was her desire to kiss Cindy and never let her go. A feat that was only interrupted when they agreed it was best to get out of the tub, because Cindy’s attempts to finger her girlfriend were going nowhere.

Any other questions Rose had that night were lost to the whim of lovemaking.

On Monday, Cindy suggested a day trip to Hong Kong, only an hour away by ferry. She commissioned them a private ferry that was more than happy to help them deal with passport control and customs, since Cindy mentioned she needed this to be a “low key” affair. Once in Hong Kong, she insisted that she treat Rose to her favorite brunch spot overlooking the harbor, where they supped on Southern Chinese cuisine that far surpassed anything Rose had back in Taiwan – a place not shy about all Chinese cuisines, particularly Southern.

After that, Rose was allowed to pick anything they should do together.

She had heard of many sights, but none as picture worthy as the night lights of the harbor and the Big Buddha that dotted most postcards. Since it was much too early in the day to savor the lights, Cindy hired a driver to take them to the Big Buddha, which was as impressive as Rose hoped it would be. She leaped into the air when Cindy took a picture of her in front of it. Rose was but a spec in comparison.

“Can we go farther up, toward the monastery?” she asked.

“We can do whatever you like,” Cindy said.

There was one other impressive statue Rose wanted to see. Kuan Yin, standing atop her lotus blossom, was a majestic sight to behold as she commanded peace and mercy around her. Cindy, who had scored them private admittance to the working monastery with the promise they would mind their behavior, stayed off to the side and scrolled through her phone, back half-turned to the statue.

“We should take a picture in front of the statue before we go,” Rose whispered, hoping her voice wouldn’t carry to the monks not too far away. “Would you?”

Cindy pursed her lips and put her phone away. “I prefer to not have pictures of the goddess, if it’s all right.”

Rose thought back to the statue in Cindy’s alcove back home in Taipei. “I thought you were at least an admirer of her Mercy?”

“An admirer?” Cindy chuckled. “No. I don’t believe in fairy tales.”

That was one of the most dismissive things Rose had ever heard a fellow Taiwanese say about the Bodhisattva. I mean, I don’t really believe in gods either, but she’s a part of our childhoods… Dismissing Kuan Yin was like dismissing one’s own ancestor. Didn’t families like Cindy’s take their ancestor worship at least semi-seriously?

“When you’re finished,” Cindy said, “we should head back to Macau.”

They spent that last night together, silently loving one another with the lights off and only the sounds of their bodies to guide what they did next.

The last thing Rose wanted was to part from Cindy, but that’s what she had to do after they arrived back in Taipei Tuesday morning. Cindy didn’t dare take Rose back with her to Sapphire Tower. Instead, she had separate cars awaiting them at the landing strip, where she took Rose behind a luggage rack and kissed her so hard that Rose nearly melt into the tarmac.

“I will see you soon, my bitter melon.” Cindy squeezed Rose’s cheeks before getting into the back of her car. The driver of Rose’s car tipped his hat and suggested that they get a move on, before someone spotted them.

Living without Cindy after such an intense weekend was like going through withdrawal. Rose was grateful that her brother wasn’t home when she got out of the car a block away and walked the rest of the way home in the simplest dress Cindy had gifted her. Jameson would have made things more difficult for Rose, who crawled into her bed and scrolled through her pictures from the weekend.

She didn’t dare make one of the selfies her lock screen. She did, however, make it her wallpaper.

 

***

 

Rose had never been so refreshed as when she walked into work Wednesday afternoon, ready to start a new week with the same ol’ tasks and people riding her ass. Although there is one person I’m very fond of riding my ass… Cindy had promised her through half-muted whispers and midnight texts that she was keen to give Rose a few new pleasures. She shuddered to imagine things she had never done with men before, never mind her one and only girlfriend. It was those sorts of images that followed her into the staff entrance of Sapphire Tower.

She was bemused to encounter two concierge clerks already on duty. Starla, and a young woman who often worked Mondays and Tuesdays when Rose wasn’t there.

“Oh,” Starla said. “Hi. Well, this is awkward…”

Before Rose could ask why, the manager summoned her into the office.

“If this is about this weekend,” Rose began, sitting down without prompt, “I swear I followed all of the proper protocols for a business trip…”

The manager did not smile as she sat across from Rose and handed her a form of resignation.

“I think we know this is for the best, Ms. Wu.”

Rose looked up from the form, which had already been filled out for her, aside from her signature and stamp. “Excuse me? I’m… I’m being fired?”

“Fired? No. You’re resigning, as of today.”

“What? Why?”

The two heavy blinks the manager afforded Rose did not explain much more. “Don’t play me for a fool, Ms. Wu. We know you are fraternizing with Ms. Ling. We have evidence.”

“What evidence?” Rose instantly demanded, which did not exactly make her sound innocent. I don’t care! Show me the evidence.

Sighing, the manager pulled a few stills from the security camera out of her desk. Sure enough, there was Cindy pulling Rose into the penthouse, a kiss already on their lips before the door shut. The fact Rose was in her uniform was a huge strike against her. Oh, my God. When were we that sloppy?

“I…” Rose stuttered.

“You will resign, effective immediately. If you do not have a change of clothes in your locker, you may bring your uniform back tomorrow. However, as of today, you are no longer an employee of our company. Since we are allowing you to save face by voluntarily resigning to pursue other employment endeavors, there will be no severance. You understand, of course. You have violated your morality clause by having a romantic relationship with one of our residents.”

If the manager had a point of view about which resident, she didn’t let on. She kept everything so strictly professional that Rose remained in a haze of disbelief as she was led to signing the dotted lines and applying her stamp where necessary.

I’m being fired… I… I don’t have a job anymore… they found out about Cindy and me…

Rose was informed she would be escorted off the property as soon as she had cleaned out her locker and claimed any personal items from the front desk and break room. Yet instead of going straight to either of those places, she could only think of where she wanted to be.

She still had her VIP elevator card, after all.

“Rose?” Starla hissed from the front desk, as Rose whizzed by her. “Where are you going? Hey! I know what…”

Rose wasn’t paying attention. With the determination of a thousand hungry tigers, Rose slid her card for the final time and slammed her thumb into the Up button.

Starla didn’t stop her.

No music played as Rose made her grand ascent to the penthouse. She didn’t know if Cindy was home. She could have easily been at work, and this was for nothing. Rose could have been making an utter fool of herself for the last time that day.

She ran to Cindy’s door as soon as the elevator arrived. She rang the buzzer and pounded her fists against the door, the reality of her situation creeping up her spine as she worried security might come after her.

“Xiaojie!” she called, hoping that would be enough to rouse Cindy from wherever she was. “Cindy!”

Finally, the door opened. Cindy was half dressed in slacks and an unbuttoned blouse, her hair in disarray and her makeup half-finished. Either she had returned home from her office or she was about to head out.

“Rose! What in the world…”

Rose pushed herself into Cindy’s apartment. “I was fired…” was what she wanted to say. Instead, she discovered her throat was dry and her words useless.

Better to kiss her girlfriend, the woman who now completely consumed her life since she no longer had a job.

This had better be worth it.