The Interior

"And what was I supposed to take from that?"

"What I would have taken if the tables had been reversed. Nothing. Look, I couldn't tell you why he was here, just like you couldn't tell all of us what was happening in China. We have that pesky thing called confidentiality. And remember, Keith was my friend too. He was dead. Was it any of your business that he'd come in here with some crack-brained scheme-lying to me the whole while, by the way-to get his girlfriend over here? I decided the least I could do to protect his memory was keep my mouth shut. You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same."

This caused David to look even closer at his own actions. What if he'd confronted Miles at the funeral, pushing past the platitudes and facile excuses? But like Rob, David had made protecting his friend's memory a priority. Then, when the job offer came up, it had been so easy to bury his concerns as he became consumed with the idea of getting back to Hulan. He'd have to live with the knowledge of that moment of selfishness for the rest of his life.

Two days later, after completing his testimony, David found himself drawn to the Stout estate, having heard that Mary Elizabeth was going back to Michigan. The driveway was chockablock with trucks from moving companies, auction houses, and charitable organizations. David wandered inside and found Mary Elizabeth, in jeans and a T-shirt, orchestrating the packing and giving away of her family's worldly possessions. A sorrowful look came over her face when she saw him, and-wordlessly she motioned for him to follow her. They stood out on the terrace. It was a beautiful late summer day, and the scent of roses filled the air.

"I never wanted all this." Mary Elizabeth's gesture took in the gardens, the mansion, the view, the life she and Miles had built. "But he wanted it. He wanted it badly."

"How much did you know?"

"I only knew his dreams," she answered. "And even those were always… I knew he was unhappy. Remember back when Michael Ovitz left CAA and moved to Disney? He was arguably the most powerful man in Hollywood, but he still had to fetch Julia Roberts a glass of mineral water if she asked for it. Well, that's how Miles felt. He made tons of money, but he had to be available whenever a client wanted him."

David remembered what Doug had said about Miles. "Is it true that Tartan had offered him a job?"

"Yes, as general counsel. He would have been the client, don't you see?"

There seemed nothing more to say, and they turned back toward the house. Mary Elizabeth reached out and put a trembling hand on his arm. "Did he…" She began in a quavering voice, but she couldn't finish.

"No, he didn't suffer. He didn't even know what happened."

In early September, Hulan was resting on a chaise longue in the central courtyard of her family compound when Neighborhood Committee Director Zhang paid her customary call. The old woman, wearing a black jacket and black trousers, hung onto David's arm and wrinkled her face up at him in delight as he escorted her outside. She sat down opposite Hulan on a porcelain garden stool. As soon as David went inside to make tea, Madame Zhang said, "He is fu

"What did he say today?"

"Qing wen…" Madame Zhang said, purposely missing the fourth tone of wen and replacing it with a third, thereby changing the meaning from "Please, may I ask" to "Please kiss."

Hulan smiled as the Neighborhood Committee director cackled in pleasure.

"He could kiss me if he wants," the old woman added. "He is not so ugly as I once thought."

David returned with the tea, set it on the table, and retired to the other side of the courtyard, where Hulan's mother, her nurse, and Vice Minister Zai sat under the twisting branches of the jujube. Jinli didn't understand who David was, although she accepted his presence without question; nor did she understand that she would soon be a grandmother. But she seemed to find comfort in her childhood home and, while still not appreciating the raucous cymbals, gongs, and drums of the yang ge troupe, had grown more accustomed to the cacophonous morning ritual. David had found another way to deal with it. He'd joined the troupe.

"He is a foreigner," Madame Zhang continued. "This we can never forget. But he isn't so bad." This compliment was of the highest order, and the old woman moved quickly to ward off any evil that might result by cautiously explaining herself. "He minds his own business. He knows enough to sweep the snow in front of his own doorstep and not bother about the frost on top of his neighbor's roof. And yet he has shown high regard for our neighborhood and our neighbors. He is polite and respectful. And you should know"-she leaned forward and put a gnarled hand on Hulan's knee-"the neighbors are appreciative of the way he cares for you."

"I'm pleased that they're happy," Hulan said diplomatically.

A gauzy look came over Madame Zhang's wrinkled face as she gazed over in David's direction. Despite all of her attempts to remain critical, she was as smitten with David as if she were a schoolgirl.

"For so many years," the Committee director continued dreamily, "the government has talked about what is good for the masses. But these days I wonder. What if individual happiness can serve the people more than anything else?"

"I would never argue with our government," Hulan said.

The old woman frowned at her neighbor's stupidity; always this girl was mindful, so careful of every word. Madame Zhang had come here not completely in her official position-although she never forgot her duty-but as an old woman who had seen her neighbor happy and at peace for the first time since she was a small child. This house deserved to have joy and tranquility again, and she would do what she could to make that happen. So, instead of debating with her obtuse neighbor, she went on as though Hulan had not spoken at all.

"In this spirit," Madame Zhang said, "I've been thinking about a marriage certificate. Your David is a foreigner, yes, but I think I can make a recommendation that even the old-liners will accept."

Did the Committee director expect Hulan to believe that these were her own original thoughts? It had probably been the old men from the compound across the lake who had sent her here today. But what use was there in pointing this out? Instead Hulan folded her hands over her swelling stomach and looked across the courtyard at David. He chanced to look up and cocked his head as if waiting for her to ask him a question. With their eyes locked, Hulan said softly, "We'll see, auntie, we'll see."