Bride of the Moso Prince (38 page)

             
“You’re going to recover soon, dad,” Sharon said, “and then she will stay home.”

             
“Oh you don’t get it.” Her dad sighed, “and I don’t blame you. I want to retire too.”

             
“Why? You are not even sixty.”

             
“Well, I’ve been working all my life. And I want to spend some time with my family.”

             
Your new family. Sharon thought, and suddenly became bitterly. “I wonder what changed you. You were never a family man.”

             
The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, and her father sighed again. “I’m getting old, is why. And I’m sorry, Sharon.”

             
“Sorry about what?” Sharon looked away and fixed her eyes on the roses outside the window. She was afraid of the sudden emotion that surged up in her chest. Her eyes felt sore.

             
“I know what you’ve been through. Your mother and I were seldom home. You were taking care of the house and your sister ever since you yourself were a child.”

             
Sharon couldn’t bear to hear more. Her father had never spoken to her like this. That gentleness and repentance were new to her. What had changed him? Was it the heart attack? Sharon was soon reminded of her mother’s death and she could no longer control her tears.

             
“I’m sorry, child,” her father sighed, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and I regret lots of things that I’ve done. If I could go back in time, I would do things differently. I would tell your mother…”

             
Sharon snapped at the mention of her mother, “Stop it! I don’t think you’re sorry, Dad. You worked mom to death and now you want me to work for you so that you and your new wife can enjoy your family life that I’ve never really had, and probably never will have!”

             
Horrified by what she heard herself saying, she stood up abruptly and went to the window, so her father wouldn’t see her trembling and the tear streaming down her cheeks.

There was a long silence between them before her spoke, “You don’t have to say yes, Sharon. It was meant to be, to be a favor. I wanted you to inherit my estates.”

             
Sharon was stunned. She turned and looked at her father. “What about your sons?”

             
“Don’t worry about them.”

             
Sharon took a deep breath to calm herself down before she could consider the unexpected news. She had never dreamed of inheriting her dad’s million-dollar business. She had never expected the possibility that her dad would let go of it for it had been his life. And even more impossible was that he should let her, his unloved daughter, to have it. Moreover, she had hated his business over the years and believed that it was what had killed her mom, and inheriting it would be a betrayal.  

             
“No, Dad, I can’t. I love my job.”

             
“Take some time to think about it before you…”

             
“I don’t need time to think. I know I don’t want it.” Sharon said firmly.

             
Mr.
Liao
sighed. “All right. Lisa would take care of it for now.”

             
“Then let her do it.”

             
Silently Sharon gazed at the garden outside the window to pass the long silence that followed. Then she went back to the table and took up her teacup.

             
“You think I worked your mother to death?”
Her dad asked her softly.

             
“Didn’t you?”

             
“
I guess I did, although it wasn’t my intention at all.
In fact,
I had often begged her to work less and stay home more, but she wouldn’t listen. She said to me,” her father’s voice choked, “she said to me that that was what a marriage was about. A husband and a wife had to not only enjoy sweetness, but also tolerate bitterness together.”

“So she was happy to be your slave?” She blurted out.

Her father was taken aback, “Slave? What gave you that idea? I didn’t force your mother to work, Sharon. In fact I did everything she asked me too. Coming to the U.S. was her idea. I was without ambition. I was happy to say in that mountain town forever if she hadn’t pushed me to get a student visa to go abroad. Opening a restaurant was her idea. So was buying that apartment, going into real estate. I wish I hadn’t listened to her last suggestion, which was to make that huge investment on the Hacienda condominium, that was what really wore her down.”

             
Sharon was startled. It sounded like her father was her mother’s slave. Could she have been so wrong about her parents?

             
His father continued. “I remember those sleepless nights that I shared with her. She would wake up in the middle of the night, worrying about the property. Toss and turn, toss and turn. And it was about the same time that Charlene decided to major in anthropology. Your mother was so worried. It might sound silly to you but Sharon, that’s how parents are. We wanted to make sure that your and Charlene had a secure future. Of course we wanted you to be happy too. Your mother couldn’t bring herself to talk Charlene out of it. So I threatened to disown her. But then, you messed things up.”

             
Her father took off his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes.

             
“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t know.” Sharon said with choking eyes.

             
“It’s ok. We didn’t expect you to know. And besides, I’m glad you intervened. Charlene is happy with what she’s doing, right?”

             
“Yes, she is.” Sharon wanted to tell him about Charlene’s illness, but decided not to.

             
Nancy brought in a tray with a pot of tea and some steamed homemade meat buns.

Sharon stuffed one into her mouth quickly although it was hot. “Good! I
’ve
miss
ed
these!”

             
“You should come over for dinner sometimes.” Nancy said before she left the study.

             
“Isn’t it about time you start a family?” Her father said while Sharon was having the second bun. She didn’t respond.

             
“Do you like guys?”

             
Sharon choked on that. “Yes, I do.”

             
“Really?” her father looked at her skeptically. “You can be honest with me. I’m not as conservative as you think. I can take the fact if you are...”

             
“I’m not!” Sharon swallowed the food in her mouth and said quickly, “I’m not gay. I’ve just recently met a man in China…” she stopped abruptly. She really didn’t plan to mention it to anyone, especially not her dad.

             
“A man in China?” Mr.
Liao
exclaimed, “You can’t be serious. He is either after your money or your American passport.”

             
“No he isn’t!” Sharon was upset, “you think I don’t have any other things that he’s after?”

             
Mr.
Liao
apologized to his daughter. “That’s not what I mean…”

             
“Anyway. He is rich, probably richer than you are. He owns an island.”

             
“And he’s
attractive
.” Mr.
Liao
smiled.

             
“How did you know?”
Sharon glanced at her dad timidly.

             
“Because you don’t care for money. You just turned down my offer.”

             
Sharon laughed
and said quickly, “I’m not really after looks. He’s a renowned architect. And he does amazing wood carving.”

             
“Really? Sounds like you’ve hit the jackpot.” Mr.
Liao
looked pleased, “but tell me, why are you here without him?”

             
Sharon’s voice dropped, “because I have to come back to work.”

             
“Work, work, work. It’s the legacy you inherited from me and your mother. But Sharon, you’ve got to weigh it against other things. Life is short. Very short. The clock doesn’t run backwards. You’ve got to grasp it when chances come along.”

             
Sharon looked at her father in disbelief. She didn’t expect hearing such philosophical words from him. In her mind, the old man had always been a money grabbing machine. She had been wrong about him for all those years!

             
“Well, thanks, dad,” she wanted to say something else but suddenly children’s laughter filled the house. The twins, Tiger and Dragon, were calling their papa as they ran into the study. Both had their mother’s curly hair and their father’s brown eyes. Sharon couldn’t tell one from another. She lifted one up and pecked a kiss on each of his cheeks. While each claimed a lap of their father, Sharon said goodbye to her father.

             
“Stay for lunch!” Her father said.

             
“No,” Sharon said, “The buns will sustain me until dinner. Besides, I have things to take care in the house.”

             
“All right. Come have dinner sometime.” His father’s said
as he was heading towards the door
.

             
Sharon turned back. “Oh Dad, I meant to ask you something. Was there anyone in your
s
or mom’s family who used to be a Ku
omin
dang
captain
?”

             
Mr. Liao thought for awhile and said, “
Well, my
grandfather
use to tell people that he had a brother
who joined the Kuomi
ndang,
but I’ve never met him
.”

             
The unexpected answer excited Sharon. She asked right away,
“
What else do you know about him?
Did he have a daughter who became the wife of Moso chief?”

             
Mr. Liao shook his head, “I don’t know
much about him
. In fact
I
never attempted to
find out anything about him
,
anyone that had something to do with Kuomindang would be treated as
a rebel and sent to an unmanned land during the cultural revolution.”

             
“
I see,” Sharon nodded, with a bit of disappointment.

             
“But why you asked that?” Mr. Liao asked, “
Did somebody claim to be your relative in China
?”

             
“No,”
Sharon
shook her head
, “Not really.
I’m just curious.”

             
Lisa was coming into the house with her bags of baby’s stuff.

             
“Sharon! How have you been? How is Charlene?”

             
“She’s fine, thank you for asking.”

             
Lisa was in her early forties. An attractive Eurasian with tall figures and creamy skin, delicate nose and green eyes. She had been working for Double Luck Real Estate since the beginning. Sharon had liked her a lot before she married her father.

             
“Thank you, Lisa,” Sharon said to her before heading to her car.

             
“For what?”

             
For making my dad happy.”

             
Sharon saw the tears well
ing
up in Lisa’s eyes. “Thanks. Sharon.” Lisa’s voice choked, “it means a lot to me.”

             
Sharon put her hand on Lisa’s arm.

             
“Everyone thinks I married your dad for money.”

             
Sharon was silent. She was still curious about that.

             
Lisa knew what she was thinking. “You might find it hard to believe but I love Peter.”

             
“Yes, I find it hard to believe. He isn’t an attractive man.”

             
“That’s because he’s your dad, and not exactly a loving dad. But to me, he is a hard-working, intelligent and successful man, who had built an empire from practically nothing.”

             
He couldn’t have done it without my mom. Sharon wanted to say but didn’t. It was good enough to hear Lisa’s declaration that she loved her Dad.