At the Heart of the Universe Read Online Free PDF Page A

his fanny pack and blots his bleeding scalp.
    â€œGood,” Clio says. “Are we ready?” Katie has moved close to Pep, and is leaning up against him, one hand in his. “Are you all right, Katie?”
    3
    When Clio told Pep that China Culture Camp 2001 was a guided tour with twelve adopted Chinese girls of Katie’s age and their twenty-two American parents, a three-week tour focused on making the trip fun for the kids by visiting zoos and schools and playgrounds and Burger Kings and Pizza Huts, Pep thought it over and said, “I don’t think so, honey. You know I don’t do groups all that well. Doesn’t sound like much fun, no.”
    Clio was surprised. But the refusal reverberated with other no’s that had crept into the marriage over the years—it had started with the shock, humiliation, and profound sorrow that they’d gone through when they’d failed to produce a baby of their own—what they now refer to as “a bio,” a “biological” as opposed to an adopted baby. The creep of no’s had only gotten worse as they tried to move on to adoption. At their advanced age there had been another series of hurdles—what he christened “The Adoption Olympics.” When Katie arrived, the sorrow lifted—it was no match for their joy—but as the years went on they realized that the sorrow was not gone entirely.
    When Clio brought up the idea of the trip a second time, he said, “I need a vacation , a cheap vacation—how ’bout the reliable Adirondacks?”
    â€œIt has to be China.”
    â€œWhy? Maybe if Katie were interested in China, okay. But she doesn’t seem to be in the slightest.” It was true. Over the years Katie had mostly resisted Clio’s repeated efforts to keep her Chinese heritage alive in the backwater town of Columbia. Despite her talent and passion for drawing and painting, Katie rarely drew or painted anything that seemed inspired by the Chinese art that Clio had shown her. Despite their finding a tutor from the Chinese restaurant, Katie hadn’t shown much interest in learning Chinese—“I want to learn Spanish, like everybody else in my class.”
    â€œBut the trip isn’t only for Katie’s sake,” Clio went on, “it’s for all of ours. The books I’ve read, the people I’ve talked to—they all say it’s a terrific thing, to go back as a family. Age ten is about right. The timing’s perfect. We’ll leave the tour early and go back to her orphanage in Changsha—we can be there on her birthday. Returning ten years later, imagine? And we can visit the police station too.”
    â€œWhat police station too?”
    â€œWhere she was abandoned. We can visit both. To see if they have any more information. We’ve got to try, Pep. To find out anything we can about her birth mother. Agreed?”
    He hesitated, trying to assess the risk. “Mostly, yes.”
    â€œWe probably won’t find out anything. No one ever has. But we have to try. We need to be able to say to her—maybe now, maybe when she’s older—that we did everything we could. We followed up. Completely. For her sake, Pep. Okay?”
    â€œNot if she doesn’t want to.” More and more lately, he felt that Clio was being too lenient with Katie, making him be the firm one, which put him in the position of the bad guy.
    â€œYou think I’d make her do it if she didn’t want to?” Clio said, surprised.
    â€œThere’s a first time for everything, Clee.”
    Clio stared at him, hurt by the accusation. “Thanks a lot,” she said. “Y’know I can take your compliments, Pep, but when you turn on the charm, I go all weak in the knees.”
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    For a while, Clio gave up the idea. But then one night a few months later when they went in to put Katie to bed they were surprised to find that she had