The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 7)

This is the 7th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

I wrote the last part of the story really badly, but I hope this part is better than the last one. Anyway, Chrysanthemums and Chow disappeared, together with two stashes of cash in two safety deposit boxes in two banks, which Lau and Chrysanthemums had put aside as emergency fund.

Two months have passed and there are no news of their whereabouts. Lau is depressed at first. With no help from the police, his only option is to hire a private eye, which will cost money and Lau doesn’t have much disposable cash in his hands, having just lost his safety deposit boxes. He can do some investigation himself, but he has no time to do that since he has to take care of his restaurant.

And it is strange to him that ever since his wife left, the business at Bamboo Palace has been booming. A lot of people come for lunch or even dinner, not only for the food but also for the gossip. “Hi, Boss Lau, have you heard anything from Chrysanthemums?” A stranger would ask him. Lau doesn’t even recognize the guy, who’s definitely not an old customer. Lau is flattered that he is called “boss”, but he is a little unwilling to reveal his family secret to a person he hardly knows.

Pammy, Dodo, and I go there for lunch today. We see Lau standing at a table with two women, who try to comfort him. One of them, Rong, is the owner of the free local newspaper “The New Asian”, who has just published a long article about Lau, praising his dedication to his restaurants and denouncing Chow who did something deeply immoral and probably even criminal. Lau wanted the newspaper to say that Chow kidnapped Chrysanthemums, but Rong wouldn’t go that far.

And just as we are finishing our lunch, we hear noises coming from the kitchen and a group of people rushing towards the kitchen door. Dodo goes to check what is going on. When she comes back, she tells us that Chrysanthemums is back. She is at the kitchen, having entered the restaurant through the back door. She could have gone home, but she wants to pay for the person who drives her thither. Having no money in her hand at the time, she has to come to the restaurant so that she can find Lau or somebody else to pay the driver.

“She looks so thin. She must have lost 15 pounds at least.” Dodo says. We want to wait and see if we can get more news, but at the same time we also have to go back to work. So unwillingly, we take our leave.

And days later, we hear rumors. It is quite unbelievable that Chrysanthemums was convinced by Chow to run away with him to go to California to grow marijuana. Chow’s old friend was doing well in Southern California. Chow was asked to bring money to join the business adventure and bring friends as labors. Chow didn’t have the good cooking skill to become a real chef in Bamboo Palace, and he didn’t really enjoy his position as an assistant cook, who didn’t make much money and had no prospect. Chow had tried several times to run away with Chrysanthemums before, but had no success. Then on the fateful night of Lau throwing chairs and Chow wielding a knife, Chrysanthemums finally agreed to go with him. She had never taken such a risk before, but… Well, she thought she could always come back if things didn’t work out.

“But did it work out for her? I guess not. Where is Chow?” I ask Dodo as we run into each other at the grocery store.

“Well, it was really bad. Let me tell you…” Dodo says.

(To Be Continued Here)