Chapter 4 - It’s My Mom

“That kind of food is not clean,” Dad said. “You already look like a dumpling. If you eat that kind of oily food, you face will get oily and your teeth will fall out. You don’t want to look like an oily fried dumpling do you? What if your Mom found you but she doesn’t like you because you look like an oily fried dumpling?”

YuShi: “...?”

How did he have this kind of Dad?

“My mom will alway like me,” he puffed out his cheeks to show his Dad how angry he was. “I'm so cute, of course she would like me.”

Dad grunted. “Fried dumplings are cute? Why didn’t I know?”

“Of course! That’s why people eat them,” he shared his knowledge.

“Little Fried Dumpling,” Dad bullied, “if you eat anymore, you will turn into a Little Fat Pig.”

He blew out air from his cheeks. “Fat pigs are cute.”

“Fat pigs have to be rolled home.”

He shook his head at his silly Dad. And then – he couldn’t care about his father!

It was his Mom.

He saw his Mom!

At one of those roadside stalls, she was biting into a juicy fried chicken leg.

He opened his eyes extra wide so he could see extra clear and tried to stand so he could get closer to the window.

His mom was on the other side!

In a hurry, he straightened his mom’s picture in his hand and lifted it to her face to compare. On the left there was a picture of his mother. On the right, his mother was talking to someone and lifting the chicken leg again.

Who could care about food now?

“Mom!” He called. Afraid his father would drive the car, he shouted again, “It’s my Mom!”

Outside, his Mom ignored him.

His Dad moved the car forward.

Frightened, he screamed, “Stop! It’s my Mom!”

The car stopped hard. YuShi was thrown forward a little and his body jerked against the safety straps. But who could care about that?

“Dad, it’s my Mom!”

He didn’t want to look away from his mother. It was really her. She looked exactly like her picture. The same hair and eyes and smile. The same skin, the same face. It was her. It couldn’t be anyone else but her.

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But his dad wasn’t saying anything. His dad wasn’t saying: “YuShi, I’ll go and get your mother.” He tore his eyes from his mother - only for a second - to look at his father.

His dad was turned in his seat, watching him with a face YuShi had never seen before.

“It’s really my Mom! Look!” YuShi was afraid his dad wouldn’t believe him.

He watched her again but his sight was a little blurry with water and he couldn’t see her as clearly. She was taking off the plastic gloves she used to eat her chicken leg. “My mom came to look for me.”

Dad looked over the street but a group of people crossed the sidewalk. YuShi’s couldn’t see his mother for a minute. He hit his seat, angry that he was trapped and couldn’t go out to find her himself. Hot tears overfilled his eyes and rolled down his face. He tore at his seat and struggled to get free.

“Daddy! Find my mother! Go and get my mother!”

What if she disappears again?

He hadn’t finished shouting yet but Dad had already opened the door and was standing outside, looking around. Dad would find her; his dad was tall and could see past those people.

But the group of people moved away and...there was no Mom. His mother disappeared again!

“Where is my mom?” YuShi screamed.

Usually he was a good child but how was he feeling now? What could he do now? How could he get his mom back?

“Mom! Mom! Waaaa!”

“YuShi,” Dad was there. His dad opened his car door and was pulling him from his car seat to hug him up. YuShi clung to his father and cried hard, his eyes full of tears and his heart full of hurt.

His dad was taller and stronger than anyone he knew. In his arms, YuShi almost wanted to bury his head on his dad’s shoulder for comfort but who had time for that. This high up, even while crying out loud, he looked around.

The street was lively and packed with cars. Their car was stopping traffic. Some cars around them honked horns but Dad didn’t worry about it. They both looked around the crowded street and the outdoor food stall.

He almost couldn’t see through his tears but he could recognize his mom anywhere. Only, she wasn’t there! She was nowhere!

“Dad I saw her!” He insisted. His words weren’t clear but this was his dad; Dad always understood. “I saw her right over there,” he pointed at the table his mother had been eating at.

The chairs were empty and the table was already cleaned. There was no one.

“Believe me, Dad. It was my Mom,” YuShi kicked his legs. “It was. I promise.”

“Alright. Dad believes you,” Dad squeezed him. “She must have gone inside.”

YuShi looked over. The food stall was at the very end of the food street market. Cars weren’t allowed inside so the road went around the actual street and there were more food stalls inside. He’d never been inside that kind of food and market street and so many people were walking in and out of there. It was a crush of people. It was impossible to see his mother in there.

“Let’s go home, YuShi,” his dad hugged him close. “If your mother is in the city, I will find her. If she isn’t here, I will go to look for her.”

YuShi nodded. He couldn’t stop his tears yet but he felt better. Dad never said anything he didn’t mean. Ever.

Quickly, his dad put him back in the car and they started driving again. YuShi didn’t look outside anymore. He shut his eyes hugged his mom’s picture close.

Regarding his mom, his dad didn’t hide anything from him. Right there, his dad seriously called his assistant on the hands free.

***

His son’s quiet sobs and sniffles in the back seat made a cold regret grow in Zhao JingShi’s chest. Three years – almost four – he had lived like this. Three years with his family broken and his son in pain when the child thought about his mother.

Three years that had moved as slow as a blade across his skin. Some days his child was the only thing holding him together.

The hands free call connected. “President Zhao? What do you need?” his assistant was already alert despite the late hour.

“Check and see: where is Li Xia now?”

On the other side of the call, something dropped heavily. “President?”

“I have reason to believe she is in B City.” His son was too smart to recognize the wrong mother. “Find her.”

After a long pause, Assistant Feng’s voice was eager: “Yes sir! I’m on it now.” Then, “She came here?”

He didn’t want to talk anymore. He needed to get home and comfort his crying son. “Find her.”

“Yes, President.”

“And deal with the traffic problem on the road. I had to stop suddenly so traffic was held up for a while.”

“Yes President.”