Destiny Awaits No One
Xianghua lit the candles in her room. She pushed a pail of warm water across the floor with her foot until she reached the stool. She stripped completely before sitting. She dunked a cloth into the water and pressed it carefully against a bruise. She thought about her conversation with Maxi before they commenced with beating each other senseless. She almost laughed. She then remembered when Maxi made her hold hands with Kilik. She was nearly dizzy from frustration.
"Maybe Maxi is right. Maybe I am being too harsh." She dropped the cloth into the water. She was interrupted by a knock on the door. She begrudgingly stood and put on a light robe before going to the door. "Maxi's going to die." She opened it while expecting another argument with Maxi. Instead, she was stupefied to see Kilik. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You looked pretty hurt."
"It's nothing. I've endured worse." Kilik and Xianghua stared at each other in awkward silence. "Do you want to come in?" she finally asked. Kilik prepared to refuse, then remembered Lien Fa again. Xianghua pushed the door aside to let him in. When she closed the door, she said, "I need some help. I need someone to bathe the wounds on my back." Before Kilik could react, Xianghua sat with her back to him and dropped the robe to her waist.
Kilik stared uneasily at the bruises on Xianghua's back. He wrung the cloth and placed it gingerly on a bruise. Xianghua jerked, which startled Kilik.
"I'm all right," she assured him.
He pressed the cloth again to the wound. "You and Maxi did this all over me?"
"You and me," Xianghua corrected.
Kilik thought of the night before, when he saw Xianghua in the river. It was then he realized fully how thoughtless he had been. If Xianghua disappeared without a notice, he'd be upset, too. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What?"
"Why didn't you tell me how you felt? Before I left."
"What would you have done?"
"I'll never know, but things may have been different."
"Then," Xianghua began, "what about you? How do you feel?"
Kilik held the cloth in midair. He struggled to find an answer. Xianghua heard him falter. Kilik managed to say only, "You're getting married soon."
"I'm not married yet. There is still time to change the future, to take a different path." Xianghua turned on the stool so she could see him. "All I need is an incentive."
She made no move to cover herself. Kilik forced himself to maintain eye contact. He felt himself fighting the urge to keel over. Xianghua took his hand with the wet cloth and placed it over her left breast. "I have a bruise here also."
Kilik felt a lump in his stomach. In defeat, Xianghua began to turn away. Without thinking, Kilik stood and pulled her up with him. The robe slid to the floor. He placed both hands around her head and kissed her. Xianghua stiffened with anxiety. Kilik wrapped both arms around her.
"I do love you, Xianghua. I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."
Xianghua pressed her face into his neck. "I love you, too, Kilik." She felt something press into her lower belly. Preparing to go to the extreme, she put her arms over his shoulders and pulled herself up. Kilik hoisted her off the floor and carried her to the bed. She helped him undress and lay on the bed. Kilik took a quick look over her body before lying on top of her.
Maxi rolled over in bed. With his injuries, it was difficult to get comfortable. He heard thunder in the distance. "Good. Maybe the rain will cool everyone's hot heads."
He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He almost managed to fade into unconsciousness before thunder distracted him. As the rumbling died, his ears were distracted by another sound. At first, he could not identify what it was. He sat up on his elbows and tilted his head. Then he figured it out. The sound was coming from Xianghua's room. At first he could make out only Xianghua crying out at random. Then he heard Kilik mutter something lewd.
Maxi lay down and closed his eyes. "It's about damn time."
Lien Fa stretched as she entered the house. "There's nothing better than a refreshing nighttime rain." She strolled into the kitchen as she thought about what to make for breakfast. "I suppose some milk would be a good supplement. I know! Fish!"
She wiped the dinner table with a damp cloth before heading upstairs. She stopped first by Maxi's room. When she knocked, Maxi gave a verbal response. Lien Fa opened the door and peeked in. She nearly fell over when she saw his injuries.
"By Kwan Yin's love! What happened to you!"
Maxi sat up and rolled to his feet. "Xianghua and I had a little argument."
"How does she look?"
"No better, but she probably feels better."
Lien Fa pretended not to be excited. "How is that?"
Xianghua awoke to the sound of soft music. At first, she did not remember what happened the night before. The music quickly brought up the memories. She could suddenly remember ever word spoken. She could feel every touch that was shared. Her back was still aching from her fight with Maxi, but last night it didn't seem to matter.
She then realized the source of the music was in her room. It was the sound of an erh-hu, a verticle Chinese violin. Xianghua rolled over. She saw Kilik, fully dressed, sitting on the stool. He was facing her, but his eyes were closed.
Xianghua listened to the beautiful melody he played on the erh-hu. It was no song she had ever heard before. It made a shiver run down her spine. There was something special about this song. She could feel it in every cell of her body. She listened to each note as they ran into each other in legato. She imagined herself doing a graceful sword dance to that song.
When Kilik finally finished the song, he opened his eyes to look at her. "I'm glad you were able to hear that."
"What song was that? I never heard it before."
"That's because I just composed it on the spot just for you."
Xianghua watched Kilik prop the erh-hu against the wall. "What is it called?"
"Song of the Beloved."
Lien Fa sang as she set full plates and cups around the table. Maxi dropped into his chair. Lien Fa placed a sympathetic hand against his shoulder. "I have a few herbal poultices if it will help."
Xianghua and Kilik came downstairs together. Lien Fa greeted them with a wide smile. "I take it the wedding is canceled."
Xianghua gave her a dismissive look. "What will I tell his family? They've been waiting three years."
"Don't worry about it," Lien Fa said. "You never had to worry about it in the first place."
"What do you mean?" Kilik asked.
Lien Fa led them to the table. "Well, I ran into the boy's mother yesterday. Just as I was preparing to give her a speech on why he shouldn't marry you, she told me not to worry about it. The whole time since the betrothal, he's been running around with another woman. Now he has to marry her instead because he got her pregnant."
Xianghua folded her arms. "You're making this up. I can tell."
Lien Fa shrugged. "You're right. She didn't tell me that yesterday. She told me a year ago."
"What!" Xianghua shook her head. "You mean the whole time, I've been doing all this for nothing!"
"No," Lien Fa said. "Not nothing."
"Why didn't you tell me this before!"
"What difference would it have made? You still chose Kilik, just as I predicted."
Maxi laughed, then grabbed his side. Then he laughed again. "Now don't you feel silly. Either way, you would have ended up where you are now."
Kilik clutched Xianghua's knee under the table. "It looks like you found the right path after all."
Xianghua ate a piece of fish. "Yeah, I did."
Xianghua lit the candles in her room. She pushed a pail of warm water across the floor with her foot until she reached the stool. She stripped completely before sitting. She dunked a cloth into the water and pressed it carefully against a bruise. She thought about her conversation with Maxi before they commenced with beating each other senseless. She almost laughed. She then remembered when Maxi made her hold hands with Kilik. She was nearly dizzy from frustration.
"Maybe Maxi is right. Maybe I am being too harsh." She dropped the cloth into the water. She was interrupted by a knock on the door. She begrudgingly stood and put on a light robe before going to the door. "Maxi's going to die." She opened it while expecting another argument with Maxi. Instead, she was stupefied to see Kilik. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You looked pretty hurt."
"It's nothing. I've endured worse." Kilik and Xianghua stared at each other in awkward silence. "Do you want to come in?" she finally asked. Kilik prepared to refuse, then remembered Lien Fa again. Xianghua pushed the door aside to let him in. When she closed the door, she said, "I need some help. I need someone to bathe the wounds on my back." Before Kilik could react, Xianghua sat with her back to him and dropped the robe to her waist.
Kilik stared uneasily at the bruises on Xianghua's back. He wrung the cloth and placed it gingerly on a bruise. Xianghua jerked, which startled Kilik.
"I'm all right," she assured him.
He pressed the cloth again to the wound. "You and Maxi did this all over me?"
"You and me," Xianghua corrected.
Kilik thought of the night before, when he saw Xianghua in the river. It was then he realized fully how thoughtless he had been. If Xianghua disappeared without a notice, he'd be upset, too. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What?"
"Why didn't you tell me how you felt? Before I left."
"What would you have done?"
"I'll never know, but things may have been different."
"Then," Xianghua began, "what about you? How do you feel?"
Kilik held the cloth in midair. He struggled to find an answer. Xianghua heard him falter. Kilik managed to say only, "You're getting married soon."
"I'm not married yet. There is still time to change the future, to take a different path." Xianghua turned on the stool so she could see him. "All I need is an incentive."
She made no move to cover herself. Kilik forced himself to maintain eye contact. He felt himself fighting the urge to keel over. Xianghua took his hand with the wet cloth and placed it over her left breast. "I have a bruise here also."
Kilik felt a lump in his stomach. In defeat, Xianghua began to turn away. Without thinking, Kilik stood and pulled her up with him. The robe slid to the floor. He placed both hands around her head and kissed her. Xianghua stiffened with anxiety. Kilik wrapped both arms around her.
"I do love you, Xianghua. I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."
Xianghua pressed her face into his neck. "I love you, too, Kilik." She felt something press into her lower belly. Preparing to go to the extreme, she put her arms over his shoulders and pulled herself up. Kilik hoisted her off the floor and carried her to the bed. She helped him undress and lay on the bed. Kilik took a quick look over her body before lying on top of her.
Maxi rolled over in bed. With his injuries, it was difficult to get comfortable. He heard thunder in the distance. "Good. Maybe the rain will cool everyone's hot heads."
He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He almost managed to fade into unconsciousness before thunder distracted him. As the rumbling died, his ears were distracted by another sound. At first, he could not identify what it was. He sat up on his elbows and tilted his head. Then he figured it out. The sound was coming from Xianghua's room. At first he could make out only Xianghua crying out at random. Then he heard Kilik mutter something lewd.
Maxi lay down and closed his eyes. "It's about damn time."
Lien Fa stretched as she entered the house. "There's nothing better than a refreshing nighttime rain." She strolled into the kitchen as she thought about what to make for breakfast. "I suppose some milk would be a good supplement. I know! Fish!"
She wiped the dinner table with a damp cloth before heading upstairs. She stopped first by Maxi's room. When she knocked, Maxi gave a verbal response. Lien Fa opened the door and peeked in. She nearly fell over when she saw his injuries.
"By Kwan Yin's love! What happened to you!"
Maxi sat up and rolled to his feet. "Xianghua and I had a little argument."
"How does she look?"
"No better, but she probably feels better."
Lien Fa pretended not to be excited. "How is that?"
Xianghua awoke to the sound of soft music. At first, she did not remember what happened the night before. The music quickly brought up the memories. She could suddenly remember ever word spoken. She could feel every touch that was shared. Her back was still aching from her fight with Maxi, but last night it didn't seem to matter.
She then realized the source of the music was in her room. It was the sound of an erh-hu, a verticle Chinese violin. Xianghua rolled over. She saw Kilik, fully dressed, sitting on the stool. He was facing her, but his eyes were closed.
Xianghua listened to the beautiful melody he played on the erh-hu. It was no song she had ever heard before. It made a shiver run down her spine. There was something special about this song. She could feel it in every cell of her body. She listened to each note as they ran into each other in legato. She imagined herself doing a graceful sword dance to that song.
When Kilik finally finished the song, he opened his eyes to look at her. "I'm glad you were able to hear that."
"What song was that? I never heard it before."
"That's because I just composed it on the spot just for you."
Xianghua watched Kilik prop the erh-hu against the wall. "What is it called?"
"Song of the Beloved."
Lien Fa sang as she set full plates and cups around the table. Maxi dropped into his chair. Lien Fa placed a sympathetic hand against his shoulder. "I have a few herbal poultices if it will help."
Xianghua and Kilik came downstairs together. Lien Fa greeted them with a wide smile. "I take it the wedding is canceled."
Xianghua gave her a dismissive look. "What will I tell his family? They've been waiting three years."
"Don't worry about it," Lien Fa said. "You never had to worry about it in the first place."
"What do you mean?" Kilik asked.
Lien Fa led them to the table. "Well, I ran into the boy's mother yesterday. Just as I was preparing to give her a speech on why he shouldn't marry you, she told me not to worry about it. The whole time since the betrothal, he's been running around with another woman. Now he has to marry her instead because he got her pregnant."
Xianghua folded her arms. "You're making this up. I can tell."
Lien Fa shrugged. "You're right. She didn't tell me that yesterday. She told me a year ago."
"What!" Xianghua shook her head. "You mean the whole time, I've been doing all this for nothing!"
"No," Lien Fa said. "Not nothing."
"Why didn't you tell me this before!"
"What difference would it have made? You still chose Kilik, just as I predicted."
Maxi laughed, then grabbed his side. Then he laughed again. "Now don't you feel silly. Either way, you would have ended up where you are now."
Kilik clutched Xianghua's knee under the table. "It looks like you found the right path after all."
Xianghua ate a piece of fish. "Yeah, I did."