The Swirling Tides

Prologue Ai-ling (Love Chime) felt content when she posed for a picture in front of the lighthouse at the tip of Long Island. She reminisced one year after she arrived in the states she traveled from the Midwest to New York City to look for a summer job. But a girl with a liberal arts degree from Taiwan did not land her a suitable position in the Big Apple. Instead through a catholic church she found an opportunity to work at one of the beachfront resorts in Long Island. She worked as a hotel maid. Her first American job paid her one dollar an hour plus tips and a room in a dormitory like housing for the resort’s cleaning and maintenance crew. She picked up additional earnings from cleaning a vacation beach house for a wealthy family. It was in this beautiful setting that she earned enough money to pay back a loan to her late father. Though a small loan in today’s terms, it allowed her to pursue a graduate degree in the states and later a chance to meet Winston. She was very happy that Winston had agreed to come to Montauk because the place meant a lot to her many years ago. After a quick drive along the coastline and taking more pictures of the Atlantic, they rushed back to Manhattan to attend a black-tie wedding. The wedding was for Winston’s nephew, a full blooded Chinese doctor in his early thirties. His bride was of Norwegian descent, young and fair, reminded Ai-ling of a beautiful Easter lily. As the yacht leisurely cruised along the Hudson River, the couple exchanged solemn vows to stay true to each other “till death do us part”. With the reverend’s blessing, they kissed as man and wife. Their union was sanctioned by God and witnessed by the cheering families and friends. During the reception, Ailing went up the deck to get some fresh air and to take a view of the city’s skyline. Leaning against the railing, she struck a friendly conversation with the maid-of-honor, a pretty brunette. She was delightfully informed of some particulars of the bride’s background. The bride’s mother, who was as blonde as the daughter, owned several homes in San Francisco, London, and Long Island. And she flew her own private jet. Wow! She thought she had got some amazing story to tell Winston. When she returned to the dining table, she did not see him. She followed her brother-in-law Roy’s eyes and saw Winston on the dancing floor in his tuxedo, a mop of grey did not hide a handsome face that had aged gracefully. His dancing to the pulsating beat of a live band was very energetic, with great abandon and restraint at the same time. Immediately she said to herself that she would not be ashamed to admit that she had married this man for his movie star good looks. She felt something stirring like romance awakening in her heart. When her eyes glanced to the side, she saw Katherine, Roy’s wife, was also dancing. Katherine happened to be shaking her head and swinging her long flowing hair with the same abandon. Ai-ling quickly averted her eyes. Her stomach caught a sinking sensation that struck her like a bolt of lightning and yet its intensity grew stronger by the second. When it became unbearable, she sat down to keep steady. She felt numb. Staring at the fresh flower arrangement at the center of table, she became oblivious to her surroundings. The wedding festivity that had impressed her earlier as a magic tale simply faded away for the rest of the evening. Years later when she looked back at this day, she mused that had she chosen to brush past that gut-wrenching feeling that night, she might be able to avoid a downward spiral that sank her to the bottom of her personal agony. Anger was a rebound of hurt, and sometimes she wished she had set her path more prudently.