Requiem III: The Search for The Truth

By Bonnie Eagan & Alisa Joaquin

Part 8: An Old Friend Comes to Chinatown

Li Pei stared at the TV in the shop window. He had stopped in front of this shop to ask what city he had found himself in, having seemed to wander in a daze without really knowing why. Learning that he was back in Chinatown, he thought he might go to the temple that the Dali Lama had visited and meditate. The last time he was here with his holiness, Li Pei had been ill and could not attend to his holiness' needs. A pang of regret entered his soul when his thoughts strayed to another day regarding the Dalai Lama. Would he ever be forgiven for not fulfilling the duty that he had been charged to do? As he thought on that moment, something had caught his eye. The sudden movement and the voice on the screen had captured his attention. Then a face appeared that seemed somehow familiar and then the voice stated the man's name. Could it possibly be? Was that his old friend Kwai Chang from so many years ago?

" . . . . Kwai Chang Caine, also resident Shaolin Priest, was elected as this district's representative over two years ago. Councilman Caine played a key role in stopping development in the Nottingham neighborhood by developer Abel Lennex who was later charged with bribery, conspiracy . . ."

The voice seemed to fade away as Lie Pei was caught up in his own thoughts. Many questions stirred in Li Pei's mind. And he once again thought of what brought him to this place. When he had learned that the Dalai Lama had sent his wife off before he went into exile, he had spent the last 20 years on an endless search. When he heard rumors that his wife was in Paris, he waited because he knew the Dalai Lama was going to speak there. When he tried to search for her, he discovered she had left and went to the United States. It was then that he made a choice, stay with the Dalai Lama, or follow his wife. Then the Dalai Lama's life had been threatened and he felt his place was by his side. So, he stayed and searched where he could. But things changed in the last three years. He had been disgraced when the Dalai Lama had been kidnapped. He could not stop them. The injury that had been done to him had resulted in him losing faith in himself and what he believed to be true regarding the Shaolin. The need to wander and find his path again pulled him from the Dalai Lama's side, even though he was his bojaya. If only he knew where his wife could be found, he was certain his life would change, and he would find his path again. His wife, however seemed to elude him. It was as if she had never been.

As he entered the city earlier that day, all hope seemed to fade from his soul. His searching had become meaningless at that point. It had gone on far too long. Not until that moment upon seeing the face of his childhood friend, did he allow hope to fill him once again. Li Pei remembered the day the soldiers came to the temple bent on destruction, and how he and Kwai Chang had been separated when a soldier grabbed him. But he had been lucky to escape his captors and from certain death. That same young soldier turned out to be against killing children from holy places. He smuggled Li Pei out of China and into Tibet, almost literally into the protective arms of the young Dalai Lama. He could not help but remember another child just his age who had also been captured. He gave a shudder when he remembered the hate that was in his eyes. Young Bon Bon Hei managed to also escape, but his life would take a different turn. Li Pei would hear rumors of the man, the last being the most fearful of all. Bon Bon Hei had become not only ruthless, but he was supposedly empowered by a dark warrior's evil.

Li Pei wondered if his childhood friend knew of Bon Bon Hei and of what he had become. Perhaps together, they could find Bo Bon Hei and release him from the evil that gripped him. Li Pei shook his head at that thought. He was merely fooling himself. It would take a Shambhala Master to defeat Bon Bon Hei. And Shambhala Masters where few and far between, if they even existed at all. Besides, he was here in this Chinatown for another reason, to ask for help in finding his wife. He knew just who to ask. He would seek out his old friend.

As Li Pei left the shop he wondered if Kwai Chang would remember him. Did he still have the old drawings they shared as children? Did his friend follow the Shoalin ways? He felt his chi getting stronger, as though empowered by his old friend. He had heard of the old one, the Ancient from some of the residents as he walked by. He would stop in a quiet place to meditate first and clear his mind to prepare for the search and seek out the old one. Perhaps he knew where Kwai Chang could be found. Coming upon a park, he found a quiet knoll looking down into the busy streets of Chinatown. He sat in a lotus position and allowed his mind to clear.

Caine and Peter left their now shared apartment. Matthew and Lo Si stayed behind to go over the photographs to search for clues. The job of the two younger priests was to ask if anyone knew something about the woman. But before that could happen, something else of importance had to be taken care of. Kwai Chang was once again seething inside. Peter continued to show disrespect after he asked him not to. Peter's sarcasm toward the Ancient and his grandfather had to be dealt with and quickly, if they were going to make any progress at all with finding Marlene. Part of Caine's rage, however, came from a different source, one that he was not ready to deal with, and because of that, it threatened to explode with the force of a thunderstorm. Caine tried to dampen that rage, but something inside him released. As they descended the fire escape and walked out into the open alleyway, Caine turned to his son and knocked him to the ground with the fiercest blow he had ever struck.

"I will not tolerate such disrespect from you again, my son. You have brought shame on the Caine name. I am very angry at you and very disappointed." Caine's voice still shook with anger.

"Dad, dad I'm so sorry," tears welled up in Peters eyes. Never had his father ever struck him in anger. He sensed the rage coming from his father, a rage where the anger was old and deep. He knew that part of that anger was due to something else, and yet, the force of that anger and the way his father expressed it frightened him. Genuine fear of his father was not what Peter expected to feel. It tore at him as much as any wound ever could and because of it, he could no longer hold back the tears. He sat on the ground and cried harder than he ever had, bringing his knees to his chest, and burying his head in his arms. Peter was frozen with shame and fear.

Taken aback by his son's reaction, Caine knelt by Peter, now feeling regret that his emotions had gotten the best of him. Caine also realized, even though he was angry with Peter for his disrespect, Caine had been angrier with his father and had taken part of that anger out on his own son. Caine noticed that a bruise was forming near Peter's right eye where he had struck him. He had not realized just how hard he had struck Peter and realized that the blow that he had given his son could have killed him. At the last second, he had pulled up short, but the force was still powerful enough to harm his son.

"Peter, I am so sorry." Caine tried to caress his stricken son, but Peter pulled away, now frightened at what his father might do next. Caine's own heart tore and the pain of that regret deepened into a black hole. What could he do to make things right? And yet, a part of him had to know why his son acted the way he did. So, rather than try to soothe his son, he sought answers. "What is it that troubles you, Peter, that you would show such disrespect?" asked the hurting father.

Peter did not answer at first. Deep raking sobs were all he could manage at first. Gathering his emotions as best he could, he answered, "Dad, my life has been nothing but lies. The truth has been hidden for so long, I don't know what to believe any more. The only truth is that you are my father. But you always leave me, Pop. Mom died, you were supposedly dead, then brought back to life. You left for six months looking for your path that you thought you lost. Then Paul left and he hasn't come back. Then you left again to search for the truth about that picture and it turned out there was no need for that. I thought I could handle it and for a time everything was fine, but then Jordan left me, too. She couldn't handle me being a priest. I don't want to feel loss anymore, Dad. I don't want you to leave me, again . . . please, Dad." Peter let all his emotions go. The tears wouldn't stop. Caine lifted his son's face to look into his eyes. "Maybe this was a mistake, too. How can these brands have any meaning at all if my life has been filled with nothing but lies." Peter added, baring his arms so the brands were exposed. "Not only that, but I also can't seem to do anything right. This year has not been easy for me."

"I will never leave you again, my son. I am here now. I am home. My search is over. You told me once that you had no regrets. Has something happened to change your mind?"

"Only my anger getting in the way all the time since you've been gone," Peter stated.

"You have always been quick to anger, just like your mother." Caine stated with a sigh. "Perhaps the mistake was mine. Perhaps, if I had raised you as your mother would have wanted, things may have been different."

"I don't understand."

"When you were two years old, your mother had been gone for three months. It was difficult. I needed to be with you, but there were too many memories in the small house where we lived. In truth, I could not face them. So, I chose to return to the temple with you. Perhaps if you had not been so isolated, things may have been different."

"Pop, you're not to blame. You only did what you had to do. Granted, the temple did feel confining when I was getting older, but for the most part, it was my home." Peter looked at the brands on his wrists and remembered their many conversations, especially those that involved his future. "I guess, there's no turning back. Maybe I needed to be both a cop and a priest to know where my destiny really lies. Right now, it seems bleak. Maybe my destiny is to be a dishwasher," Peter quipped.

Caine smiled at his son, relieved that Peter's sense of humor had returned though some of the fear remained. Something was still bothering his son, a frustration that went beyond the fear. He would have to deal with both another time. "Come let us go and try to find your aunt."

Peter let his father help him to stand. He looked down at the ground. "I think I needed a bit of a butt kicking to set me straight. I've been feeling sorry for myself for far too long. I guess I will always know who the boss is, too." He said in a half smile.

The two priests walked with each other slowly down the alley.

"And I guess my lessons aren't over yet. I'll apologize to Grandfather and Lo Si; they deserve at least that."

"Very good my son. You are learning."

They turned up the street to search for their long-lost friends and relatives. Peter felt great relief as he walked along his father's side.

Li Pei stood. He knew he was ready. His mind and soul were refreshed. He walked out of the park and into the city streets. It was time to seek out the Ancient.

Continues with Part 9