ericlustbader.the ninja-第15节
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he avoided serious misadventure。
Karma； she would say later。 She survived at the sufferance and the pity of those Chinese folk who spied her and fed her almost as if she were a baby； spooning the thin rice soup between her slack lips； wiping her； chin every so often； for she could not perform even this simple act herself。 She relieved herself in the gutters and forgot what it was like to take a bath。 Those times when she came across running water； as in the fountains still intact which she stumbled across by chance； she thrust her fingers into the spray； staring at it as if it were something she had never seen before。 When it rained； she stood still and stared upwards at the billowing clouds； seeking； perhaps； a glimpse of God。
The morning she staggered into the garrison office； Nicholas's father was in the middle of an administrative crisis。 Not only were his troops obliged to mop up the last outlying pockets of Japanese opposition but now orders had e down urging him to see to it that his men policed the metropolitan area in an attempt to quell the increasingly violent outbreaks between the Chinese and the Malays who lived constantly in an uneasy half…peace。 That left perhaps an hour and a half each day for his men to sleep； it was clearly a situation he could not tolerate and he was in the process of seeking some conciliatory alternative to actively disobeying a direct order。 He had； in fact； been sitting in this same wooden slatted chair … the one that had； for the last three years； been the sole property of the dead Japanese garrison mander … since the morning of the previous day。
Except for several hurried trips to the washroom to relieve himself； Colonel Denis Linnear had been right where he was when the dazed woman wandered into his sanctum sanctorum。 How she had managed to slip past the three sets of guards he was never able to ascertain to his satisfaction。 Yet that particular point only manifested itself to him much later。 At the time； he was concerned only with her appearance and； as he jumped up from behind his littered desk； his aides seemed more startled by his movements than by the fact that there was an unannounced woman in the room。
'Danvers！' the Colonel called to his adjutant。 'Get a cot in here； on the double I'
The man rushed out and the Colonel was reaching for the woman when she began to fall。 Her eyes fluttered closed and she collapsed into his arms。
'Sir？' Lieutenant McGivers said 'About this …'
'Oh； for pity's sake； man； get me a cold cloth；' the Colonel barked irritably。 'And get Grey in here。'
Grey was the garrison surgeon； a tall angular man with a bushy moustache and sun…reddened skin。 He arrived just as Danvers was manhandling the cot through the doorway。
'Give him a hand； McGivers； there's a good lad；' the Colonel said to the reappearing Lieutenant。 And together they maneuvered the cot into the room。
The Colonel lifted the woman up； noting her fine Asian features under the layers of dirt and dust； and lowered her gently onto the cot。
He let Grey take over then； going back behind his desk； working on the tail end of his problem with one eye cocked across the room until； at length； the surgeon stood up。
'All right； Lieutenant；' the Colonel said wearily； 'get everyone out of here。 We'll reconvene at 0800 hours。' He stood up； passing his long fingers through his hair； and crossed to where Grey stood looking down at his patient。
When they were alone in the room； he said； 'How is she？〃
The surgeon shrugged。 'It's hard to say until she es round and I can run a few more tests。 She's obviously suffering from shock and exposure。 Several good meals will fix her up； I shouldn't wonder。' He wiped his hands on the cloth he had used to clean her。 Look here； Denis； I've a lot of young boys to see。 If you suspect a problem when she es round； have Danvers e and fetch me。 Otherwise； I think you know what she needs as well as I do。'
The Colonel summoned Danvers and sent him to scrounge up some hot soup and any pieces of boiled chicken he could find。 Then he knelt beside the woman； watching the soft pulse along the long column of her neck。
Thus the first thing Cheong saw when she opened her eyes was the close face of the Colonel。 What struck her immediately； she recalled later in recounting the story to Nicholas； were his eyes。 'They were the kindest eyes I had ever seen；〃 she said in her light singsong voice。 'They were the very deepest blue。 I had never before seen blue eyes。 I had been outside the city when the British had first e； prior to the outbreak of the war。
'I often think that it was those blue eyes which so startled me； brought me round。 Suddenly I remembered the long days after Tsuko had been killed as if they were part of a film being run off whole for the first time； the pieces at last had knit together。 I no longer had gauze in front of my eyes and cotton wool stuffed into my head。
'With that； it all began to pass away from me … as if I were recalling events from some other person's life … the dark terrible last days of the war。
That is when I knew that your father was part of my karma； in that first moment I saw him； for I have no remembrance of entering the garrison house； of encountering any British soldiers there before him。'
The Colonel took her home at the day's end； in the midst of the long shimmering emerald and lapis lazuli twilight； with the city choked with swirling dust； Jeeps clattering down the streets and soldiers running quick…time along the sidewalks while the Chinese and the Malays paused in their homeward journeys； standing quite still； resolute and quiescent and eternal in their cotton drawstring shorts and sloping reed sedge hats。
As usual it was teeming； and the Colonel had the Jeep brought round； though he was often fond of walking。 It took him twenty minutes on average to make the journey from the garrison located near Keppel Harbour almost due north through the city to the house he now occupied。 As may be imagined； the mand was not over fond of his making this trek on foot and dius he was perforce obliged to be acpanied by two armed men from his garrison as escort from door to door。 The
Colonel found this a hideous misappropriation of precious manpower but he seemed to have no choice in the matter。
At first he had been assigned an enormous estate near the western tip of the city but he soon found that it was hard by an equally enormous mangrove swamp and being downwind from it was too much even for him。 So he had looked around and eventually moved to this current smaller but infinitely more fortable place。
It was situated on a hill which the Colonel liked quite a bit because when he faced north he could gaze up at Bukit Timah； the island's granitic core and its highest spot。 Beyond that dark mass； the hump of some great leviathan； lay the black waters of the Johore Strait and Malaysia； the southernmost tip of the massive block of Asia。 On the days when it was particularly hot and humid； when his shirt stuck like hot wax to his skin and the sweat poured from his scalp into his eyes； when the entire city steamed like a tropical rain forest； it seemed to him as if Asia's bulk were sliding slowly downwards onto the top of his head； suffocating him in a blanket of endless marshes； mosquitoes and men； the crick in his neck would return； paining him worse than ever。
But this was all before the appearance of Cheong。 To the Colonel it was nothing short of miraculous； as if she had e into his room； not from the streets of Singapore； but from the cloud…filled sky。 That first evening； when he had turned her over to tiny Pi to be bathed and clothed； and standing by his polished teak desk； taking his first long drink of the day； he felt the tiredness washing away from him like a residue of salt drowned in a hot shower。 He thought only that it was good to be home after so long a time at work。 Yet perhaps this had been only the most mundane part of it； for when he recalled that time many years later … as he was often wont to do … he was not at all certain of his motivations or his feelings in the matter。 He knew only that when she had been brought back to him in his study； when he saw again her face； for the first time since he had left England in the early part of 1940 to e East； he no longer seemed obsessed with Asia。 He stood watching her e towards him； feeling like a house bereft of the ghost that had haunted it for so long； now empty； waiting to be filled by new and more substantial tenants。 He recognized then his spirit； unchained at last； dancing inside of him and he felt that here before him was his true reason for seeking out the mysteries of Asia。
He studied her face； using the light of the breaking sky； the day's last light； a spurt before darkness fell pletely； with the innate fierceness with which he had applied himself to the destruction of the enemy。 This was a most formidable talent in the Colonel； one that was highly respected among the Americans as well as the British military and for which he had been amply rewarded by one battlefield promotion after another。
It was… not； he felt； a purely Chinese face。 This he derived not from any overt configuration of features but by the overall aspect。 There was；
