Mei 2

The lady of the house sat tight-lipped in a wingback chair and waited for the maid to arrive. This particular chair was placed strategically to see through to the side door, so that she would know the moment the housekeeper arrived.

At nine precisely the door opened and Bo Mei walked into the house, intending to take her coat off and hang it on the peg in the pantry. She never got the chance.

“Mei, could you come in her for a moment?” the lady called.

Frightened, Bo Mei stopped unbuttoning her coat and walked quickly into the next room. The shades were half-drawn and the woman sat with icy rigidity and stared daggers at the maid as she approached.

“Yes, ma’am?” the petite domestic worker said softly, her eyes cast down respectfully.

“I know you helped my daughter,” the accusation came.

Bo Mei raised her eyes to the lady’s and shook her head. “No, ma’am.”

“Do not lie to me! Lies!” the woman shrieked. “You are fired! Get out of this house, and if you dare think of returning for any reason, I will call the police and tell them you have stolen from me.”

Confused and frightened, Bo Mei turned and ran back through the kitchen and out the side door into the yard. She had lost her job; this would set the plan she and her sister had back some time. She tried to fight the tears that were bursting in her eyes, but it was no use. She ran down the block, anxious to get away from that house. Helping that ugly, misshapen child had been a mistake. She should not have given her clothes, but she had felt such pity for her, such sadness for the lonely girl. Her sister had been right to tell her not to involve herself. Her mistake had cost them both.

Really, it had cost them all.