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‘Worried?’ He played along, and carried on stroking her neck. ‘Worried about what, Ka Mei?’
Lucy summoned up all her courage. She locked her gaze on his. ‘About the money I owe you, Mr Chan.’
Chan nodded his head slowly, deliberately, like a judge considering the gravity of the situation before passing sentence.
‘Yes, Lucy. You did borrow a lot of money. I hardly remember how much it was now.’ Lucy caught a glimmer of hope and looked up from her lap to see him still nodding. ‘But it was more than is prudent for a girl in your position.’
She would do the ‘what a silly girl I’ve been’ act if that’s what it took.
‘I do have some money to return to you, Mr Chan.’ She smiled sweetly. ‘But I do not have it all … at the moment.’
Chan raised an eyebrow.
‘How much do you have for me … at the moment?’
‘I have thirty thousand dollars. My savings, everything.’ She pleaded silently, trying every trick in her extensive book to find that deeply buried corner of Chan that cared.
Chan switched from nodding his head to swinging it from side to side. ‘Not really enough, is it, Lucy?’
Lucy felt the fluttering of panic begin in her gut. Chan slipped into his soliloquy:
‘You know you borrowed a lot of money from me, and not just from me, from the Wo Shing Shing. And you say to me, “Sorry, Mr Chan, I can only afford to repay you a measly thirty thousand dollars at themoment”, when you owe ten times that amount. Do you think that is fair?’
Lucy shook her head, feeling the blood drain from her face. The actual sum she had borrowed was being inflated as she sat there. Suddenly it seemed insurmountable. She hadn’t reckoned on such calculated cruelty. He couldn’t really expect her to pay all that, could he?
‘So, Lucy, what do you think I should do?’
There was a pause and Lucy returned to staring at her lap and shaking her head miserably.
‘Have you no one to help you?’
Lucy was puzzled. What could he be driving at? He was waiting to spring a trap on her, all her instincts told her so.
‘I know that your sister – Ka Lei, isn’t it? I know that she works at the hospital. She relies on you, doesn’t she, Lucy?’
Lucy’s eyes flitted back and forth across his face, searching desperately.
‘You live with your sister, don’t you? She’s young, isn’t she? She is training to be a nurse. Is that right? There’s just the two of you?’
Lucy nodded her head almost imperceptibly while twisting her hands as they lay in her lap.
‘Not just the two of you at the moment, is there, Lucy? Your English cousin is staying with you. She’s a very attractive girl, I hear. Maybe she can help you? She can’t live off you forever, can she? Plus, she’s family – and this debt is a family debt. You didn’t just borrow from me personally, you borrowed from the Wo Shing Shing. You understand the implications of that, don’t you, Lucy?’
Lucy nodded her head miserably.
‘Maybe she can help you?’
He knew everything. Every small detail of her life. She was doomed. They were all doomed.
‘Georgina’s parents are dead. My sister and I are her only family. I don’t see how she can help, Mr Chan.’ Lucy looked up, suddenly sensing an awful point to Chan’s questions.
‘She can come and work here. We are always in need of good foreign hostesses. Chinese girls are as plentiful as grains of rice; a good foreigner can bring a lot of new customers. Bring her in tomorrow and I will wipe a quarter of the debt away immediately. Then I will see what else I can do to help you. Because …’ Chan placed his hand over hers, ‘I like you, Lucy … really, I do.’ He moved his hand to her thigh and squeezed it hard. Lucy winced. ‘But Daddy has to be strict sometimes.’
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‘Anyway, juz be for a little while. You like to work with me, huh? Family, huh?’ Lucy put the suggestion to Georgina over breakfast the next morning.
‘I’ve never done any waitressing or anything like this before. Are you sure I can do it?’
‘You got to believe me, it’s perfec job for you,’ Lucy assured her.
‘Is no.’ Ka Lei stood with her arms folded across her flat chest. Her English wasn’t as good as Lucy’s. When she was trying her hardest to find the word she wanted, her hands flitted in front of her face in expressive gestures and her head tilted to one side, then she lifted her eyes skyward and twittered like a starling. Now, she stamped her foot and dug her hands deeper into her sides, and looked much younger than her seventeen years as she blocked Lucy’s way, preventing her from reaching Georgina.
‘Club no goo for Georgie. No goo place. She petter do nudder job.’
They quarrelled in Cantonese. Lucy looked past Ka Lei to Georgina.
‘Juz want show off my beautiful cousin from England. Juz for few days. That’s all.’
‘What would I have to do? …’
‘Juz sit an talk. Drink a little. If the client like you, he buy you out of club for a few hours – take you to dinner, nice expensive restaurant. No problem, huh? Goo money. Nice place.’
With a sigh and a smile Georgina gave in. ‘Okay, Lucy. I’ll give it a go.’
Ka Lei also eventually agreed. After all, hadn’t Lucy always made the decisions for her? And now she would make them for Georgina too. It seemed only natural.
She would start on the coming Saturday. That gave her three days to find a dress.
While Ka Lei was at work, Lucy and Georgina began their search of the shopping malls. It was no good. They were never going to find one to fit. Georgina was too tall, too curvy. One had to be made.
Lucy took her to a tailor in Western District. The tailor stood on a chair to measure Georgina’s chest. After much wrangling and deliberation between Lucy and the tailor, a dress was decided upon. It was black with spaghetti straps and a split up one leg.
The next day she went for a fitting. On Saturday they picked it up. Georgina tried it on for Ka Lei.
‘So beautiful … you be mos beautiful girl in club.’
Georgina stared at herself in the mirror. Her breasts – two white mounds sitting proudly above the neckline of the dress. Not sure this is what Iris meant by ‘finding my wings’. Georgina looked at the unfamiliar image in front of her and felt a feeling of panic.
Ka Lei smiled reassuringly.
‘Be okay, Georgie. Lucy loo atter you.’
That night Georgina and Lucy left for work at eight. They had no need to hail a taxi, as Max was waiting for them.
Lucy explained to Georgina that Max was a friend of sorts. He liked to look after them. He always took her to work as it marked the start of his night shift. All through Lucy’s explanation Max nodded and grinned at Georgina in the mirror. Max was very good to them, Lucy said, and not just her. He had been very kind to all the girls who had lived in Lucy’s apartment. He had looked after them all over the years, and there had been several. He was getting on now and would have to retire very soon.
‘Shame,’ said Lucy. ‘We will miss him.’
Max shook his head sadly and shrugged resignedly. No one would miss the job more than him.
Georgina sat in the back, peering silently out of the window while Lucy and Max chatted. She didn’t bother to try to understand the conversation, it was too fast for her and she had other things on her mind. She was nervous about starting work at the club. She needed a few minutes’ peace to prepare herself. As much as she loved her cousin, Lucy’s voice was pitched at a level louder than comfortable, so Georgina was glad it was directed at someone else for a few minutes.
There was a halt in the conversation and Georgina’s attention was required.
‘Max say how you like Hong Kong? He say when he pick you up you look so frighten that day. You remember?’
Georgina remembered it well. ‘Yes, I do. Tell him I was scared. Hong Kong wasn’t as I imagined it would be.’
Max spoke and Lucy laughed again, loud and hoarse. She turned to Georgina and pointed at Max as if he were mad.
‘Max say you remind him of his mother!’
Max glanced fleetingly into the mirror at Georgina and smiled, embarrassed.
‘Me?’ Georgina said, unsure how she was supposed to react.
Max spoke again and Lucy translated.
‘His mother die when he was twelve year old. He have photo. He say she was a beautiful woman from north of China. Very tall. He say you look like her.’
‘Thank you,’ Georgina said, embarrassed. ‘Does Max live here on the Island?’ she asked, struggling for something to say.
‘Max live in Sheung Wan, Western District. Not too far. Very old part of Hong Kong. I’m gonna take you there. You see many sights. Old traditional Chinese skills. You can drink snake blood there. Have chop made with your name on it. Buy ivory, silk. Max live there all his life. His daddy was Chinese doctor – herbs, acu pun ture, you understand?’
Georgina nodded. Max looked suitably proud, understanding enough to know that his family was being talked about.
‘Is his father still alive? Is he still a doctor?’
‘He alive yes, but doctor no. Max say he very ill in his bones. He just stay at home, look after Max and his brother.’
‘Just the three of them?’ Georgina asked while Lucy translated. Max glanced curiously at Georgina in the mirror. So many questions!
‘Max say his daddy did marry another woman, but she not nice. She left after give birth to his brother, Man Po. Not even feed him. She juz left him for Max and his daddy to bring up. Ah, here we are. We arrive at work now,’ Lucy said, stopping the conversation abruptly and sliding across to help Georgina with the door, which wouldn’t open. She shouted something at Max and turned to Georgina.
‘He forget to unlock door. So stupid!’
Max giggled nervously and apologised profusely.
Lucy pushed Georgina gently from the cab.
As Georgina took her arm and allowed herself to be guided towards the Polaris Centre, she looked back and saw that Max still sat there, his window down and the engine running. He did not pull away. He was watching them.
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They made their way up in the elevator, past the band warming up, and through the club to the Dressing Room. It was moderately busy: about one hundred and fifty girls. Georgina stood just inside the door, overawed by it all.
Lucy took her by the hand and led her through to the mid section of the room where her locker was. She showed Georgina which locker was to be hers and they changed into their evening dresses.
Candy came over to introduce herself and speak to Lucy. She wanted to know if there had been any news about Roxanne. Lucy couldn’t tell her anything. Candy shook her head sadly; she’d really liked Roxanne, she would miss her. Then she shrugged her shoulders. Candy was hoping not to be here too much longer herself. Her boyfriend had put a deposit down on a deli premises in Little Italy, and just needed a couple more months’ money to stock it.
While they waited for their names to be called, Lucy caught up with the gossip and did her make-up. Georgina was given a bowl of rice and vegetables to eat. Bernadette turned up, looking the worse for wear after a heavy drinking session. She came over, pulling up the arms of her dress. It was layered chiffon, in all the colours of the rainbow.
‘You new?’ Bernadette asked.
Georgina nodded.
Bernadette sat down next to her and started applying her make-up. ‘Where are you from?’ she asked, pulling her mouth into a lipstick grimace.
‘Devon.’
‘What you doing in this place?’ she said disparagingly, as she moved on to hair arranging, which involved jamming it all into a bunch on the top of her head and securing it fast, before it escaped.
‘Just thought I’d give it a try.’ Georgina turned and gestured towards Lucy, who stopped her chatting to acknowledge Bernadette. ‘Lucy’s my cousin.’
‘That Lucy?’ Bernadette pointed. ‘Jaysus!’
‘NUMBER 169 – MISS LUCY.’
‘NUMBER 305 – MISS GEORGINA.’ A voice came over the intercom.
Lucy jumped to her feet with a screech and yanked Georgina out of her seat. ‘Aye! Our number. Come on!’
‘Good luck’ came from the direction of Candy and Bernadette. Georgina followed Lucy nervously through the velvet curtain. Lucy held her back for a second as they were making their way out. She whispered:
‘Don worry, huh? Be okay. Juz sit, talk, laugh. But easy on drink, okay? Just water or Coke, okay?’
Georgina nodded that she understood but her face didn’t reflect it. Mamasan Linda took Georgina’s hand and Lucy followed behind as they trotted off in the direction of the cheaper seats. They were going to sit with a group of three well-dressed office workers on a very expensive night out. The eldest of the three, Don, sat with Georgina, while Lucy sat between the other two.
It was all pleasant enough; not Lucy’s usual kind of punter. Mamasan Linda must have wanted her to help her cousin on her first night. Lucy knew she was wasting her time at the table. They would not be buying her out. They did not have the money. But never mind, she also knew that Mamasan would hoick her off at the first sign of a decent client.
It didn’t take long. Mamasan appeared and excused Lucy. She had a visitor. Someone very important wanted to see her again.
Bernadette passed Lucy on her way to sit with James Dudley-Smythe. Bernie was surprised to see him. He must not have realised that she’d helped herself to the contents of his wallet the last time they’d met – emptied it while he slept. There was obviously something he liked about her. He was an odd old fecker! But Bernie could handle him. It would be a case of him and whose army.
‘All right, James?’
‘Grand, thank you, my sweet. Just super. Fancy a nightcap back at mine?’
‘Sure. Why not?’ Bernie laughed. Like taking candy from a baby.
At one a.m. Georgina was back in the Dressing Room. There was no sign of Lucy, just a dozen girls sitting around chatting. Most of the girls were already at tables or out with customers. Mamasan Linda came to find her.
‘You go home now. Very good girl. Come again tomorrow.’ She patted her on the arm.
Georgina took off her evening dress and put it away in the locker. She changed and walked back through the club. The doormen smiled politely at her as she passed. The woman in the cheongsam stared at her as they descended in the conical elevator.
Ka Lei was still up, waiting for her.
