Tangled Vines Read Online Free PDF

Wu’s best noodles and then she’d find somewhere else for them to spend the evening hours. She knew from experience that it was best she didn’t return home until Erik had sufficient time to cool down.

    Li Jin leaned back against the tree and watched her son. Beside her, Jojo showed his enthusiasm each time the colors lit up the sky. There had been a wedding party at the park, and they’d watched them pose for photos for over an hour. Now that dusk had come; the people gathered around to cap off the day by watching a fancy show of fireworks.
    Jojo was excited they’d found a perfect spot to stay out of the way and enjoy the noisy display. She was happy to have him all to herself where they could both relax and feel free from walking on eggshells as she had to do with Erik around.
    “Ma, why do people set off fireworks when they get married?”
    “Because, Jojo, the fireworks are supposed to scare off any evil spirits that may be attached to the couple, ensuring a happy marriage full of good luck.”
    She wanted him to continue to believe that people could be content together. When she’d taken off her sunglasses earlier, he’d noticed the faint bruise around one of her eyes, but she’d told him she ran into the swinging door at the post office. By now he must think he had the most ungraceful mother in the world.
    He rubbed at his eyes. With his belly full of noodles and red bean ice cream, he was getting sleepy. He’d already yawned at least a half-dozen times. Li Jin looked at her watch again. It was way past his bedtime, but one more hour and Erik would be out for the evening. Months ago it was her routine to get the ayi to stay with Jojo while she went with Erik to the famous Bar Street—a seedy area where the Chinese mingled with the foreigners looking for a good time—but now he went alone. He liked to say he was going to network, but what he meant was jawl —which she had learned was South African slang for party. And he was surfing for new customers, too; she was sure of that. But she didn’t care anymore. She actually preferred it that way, as she just wanted to be with Jojo. She pulled a few pieces of grass from the back of his shirt.
    “Ma, why don’t I have a Ye Ye or Nai Nai?” he asked sleepily.
    Oh no, not that again, Li Jin thought. In the past year Jojo had started asking questions about why they didn’t have extended family, particularly grandparents. So far she had treaded carefully, but sooner or later she knew it was going to get harder to appease his curiosity, especially when it came to who his father was. So far she’d kept him at bay by telling him his father had died in the army, but she dreaded when her son would get old enough to ask for more details.
    “Why are you asking me this again, Jojo?” He laid his head on her lap and she ran her fingers through his hair. He loved it when she did that.
    “Because Pang’s grandfather came to class today and showed us how to do tricks with his yo-yo. Pang asked me what tricks my Ye Ye knew. I told him I didn’t have a Ye Ye and he said everybody has grandparents. But you said I don’t, Ma.”
    Li Jin sighed. How much of your own sad story do you allow yourself to pass along to your child? The only thing she knew to do was to spin it into some semblance of a fairy tale—even though her childhood had been anything but story-like, and Jojo was getting too old for such babyish tales. Even so, he wasn’t old enough for the truth and might never be. She’d told him the story before, but this time she’d add more and hope it would appease his curiosity for a while longer.
    “Okay, Jojo. You’re big enough now and I can tell you a secret.”
    Jojo sat up and his eyes widened as he waited. He loved anything considered a secret.
    “You might have grandparents, but we don’t know who they are or where they live. Many years ago when I was but a baby, a dragon snuck into my room and carried me away. Because I cried so long and so hard