Bitter Sweet Harvest Read Online Free PDF Page A

Surely, it means she should, must marry Hussein?”
    “Virginity might not be a big issue like it was in our days. I pray that it is not. Remember my wedding day? My mother-in-law insisted that I lie on white sheets and have them delivered to her for inspection after our nuptials so that she could be assured of my virginity. I hope, I am sure, it is not done like that in Europe.” Mei Yin nodded vigorously to emphasise her conviction.
    “I suppose we should not let it cloud our decisions,” Nelly conceded. She let out a huge sigh. Then, her voice changed suddenly from one of resignation to one of indignation. She burst out, “I am angry, angry that he has taken advantage of her and I am so cross that she has done the very thing we warned her against; all the time I spent warning her of the danger of being alone here has gone to waste. For once in my life, I feel like giving her a good shake.”
    “Nelly, Nelly
fan do suk le
. The rice is cooked, there is little to be done. The thing that we should consider is if Hussein is the right person for her and whether they would be happy together.”
    “
Dim chee?
How can we tell? Relationships change. They look very much in love now, but it could be just
sun so-pah!
A new broom sweeps well! How can we tell?” Nelly repeated. “All I know is that although I am cross, my heart bleeds for An Mei. The poor girl is distraught. She is terrified that her father will find out.”
    “Then should we tell Ming Kong?” asked Mei Yin. “If we do, would you do it? He listens more to you than me.” She blushed at her own cowardice; after all she was An Mei’s mother.
    “Me? No! I can’t.” Nelly stopped to consider. She pulled her cardigan even tighter around her like a protective cocoon. “But if we don’t and we help her,” she continued, “it would mean deceiving him. Perhaps I should go back with her. She will have to see for herself how things are in the country and may be then she would come to her senses.”
    Nelly’s voice was now little more than a whisper. Mei Yin had to bend close to hear her. She placed an arm around Nelly’s shoulder. The two women huddled together for comfort and warmth.
    “We have to give her space to think and decide for herself,” Nelly concluded. “If we force her to stay on in the UK, she’ll resent it and she will be always hankering for what might have been. She has to make the decision herself. I remember how when we were young, everything was decided for us. We were told to swallow our bitterness. We cannot ask An Mei to do the same. She has an independent mind; she has been taught to think for herself. Just the other day, she told me that at her University, marks are not awarded for just regurgitating facts, but for expressing thoughts and opinions. Think! When were we ever asked for our views when we were young? If we force her, she might succumb to our pressures now because she loves us, but she will resent and might even hate us later.”
    “Yes, I agree,” replied Mei Yin. She thought of her past and how she had to obey every single instruction given to her by her mother-in-law. She would not wish the same fate on her daughter. “But how will you convince Ming Kong to let you go with her? What justification can you offer him? I am sure he will want you to stay to help him set up his business. After all you are his right hand in business. And what if it backfires and she decides she’ll remain with Hussein?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Both women fell silent. Night drew in and the shadows lengthened over the playground; the silence of the night was broken only by the distant sound of a barking dog.
*****
    “Casey?” An Mei grasped the phone tightly. She angled her body so that her back faced the street. The phone booth reeked of cigarette smoke. Graffiti adorned the glass panes. Outside the booth, people hurried by loaded with shopping bags. There were brown paper bags, green, yellow and red ones, each advertising the shop