Contemporary Fiction Entry - No Time for Coffee

No Time For Coffee

Clementine swung open the door to the coffee shop and stood against it while a woman carrying a small baby exited first.  When her eyes finally adjusted to the lighting inside she recognized a familiar face from the conference but just couldn’t remember his name.  Was it Jeff or Jackie?  Whoever he was she had already decided that he was a nice enough guy and not too shabby. A little taller than normal with straight brown hair almost into his eyes his demeanor told her he was someone she could trust.  Some women might even call him handsome.

            She sauntered up to the bar stool adjacent to him and casually perched herself on the cracked red leather seat being extra careful not to disturb him in his conversation.  A few moments later he turned in her direction and immediately sent her a smile that lit up his entire face and made Clementine’s heart skip a beat. His piercing green eyes were gorgeous! 

            “Hi. I’m Jeffrey Lopez,” the man said extending his hand for a handshake.

             Returning his handshake Clementine said in a voice so timid she hardly recognized it as her own, “Clementine Johnson.”

            “So Clementine, why are you not out taking a tour of the city?” Jeffrey asked sweeping and pointing his hand towards the outside in one smooth motion.

            “I’m supposed to meet someone. And you?” Clementine asked gaining her confidence.

            “I saw it all two years ago.” Jeffrey replied indifferently.

            “Well, I haven’t but this was the only time I could feasibly slip away.”

            “Sounds like an important meeting.”

            “It is.”

            “Do you want to tell me about it?”

            In response to the not so subtle question from Jeffrey, Clementine looked down at her watch giving herself a few seconds to gauge how much she should tell him and to see how much time she had left before Mr. Applegate would be entering the coffee shop.  Realizing she could spare a few minutes she raised her head again and flashing him one of her radiant smiles Clementine said, “Okay.  I am here to meet a lawyer named Mr. Applegate.  He is interested in meeting my best friend.”

            Now leaning towards Clementine with both elbows on the table and his hands clasped together under his chin Jeffrey looked straight at Clementine and said, “Does she know you are meeting him first?”

            “Not yet.”

Cutting her off, Jeffrey as calmly as possible whispered, “Don’t look now but he may have just entered.”

            Clementine’s head whipped around and in that instant she knew not only was he Mr. Applegate but also that she couldn’t trust him.  He was too old for Shelley!

Breaking into her thoughts Jeffrey whispered, “Does he know who he is looking for?”

            “Only a woman with a red scarf.”

            “Well then, why don’t you remove it before he sees you.”

            Clementine stuffed it into her purse at the same moment the man looked their direction.  She chose to ignore the pleading look in the man’s eyes as if he knew she was the one he came to meet.

            Rising to leave, Clementine grabbed Jeffrey’s elbow and said a little forcefully, “Come on Jeffrey.  Let’s get out of here.  Can we please find another place to chat and eat lunch?”

            “But you didn’t have a cup of coffee yet!”

            Jerking her head in the man’s direction twice Clementine replied, “That doesn’t matter.  I need to get out of here. NOW.”

   “Ok. Ok.  You are in luck.  I know just the place.”  At that, both Clementine and Jeffrey gathered their belongings before exiting together, sidestepping around the man distracted with ordering his decaf vanilla latte with soy. 

Excited!

Good morning,
         I should have written earlier but I am so excited that my testimony "Rachel's Miracles" will be published in the upcoming Faithwriters Testimony Book!  Yeah!  It is in the process of being edited now.

                                      Jennifer

Suspense/Thriller Challenge Entry

 An Apple Rescue 

            “It’s very easy Cindy.  You get on bus #10 right outside the station and stay on till the last stop.  I will be waiting for you.  You can do it,” Denise said to Cindy over the phone.  “If you have any trouble you know how to reach me.” With that the conversation was over leaving Cindy wondering if she had made a mistake to leave the comforts of her homeland to work in Qingdao, China.  In fact, Denise had sounded a little too cheerful for Cindy.  Did she know something Cindy didn’t?

            Cindy found the bus stop easily enough and maneuvered her luggage onto the crowded bus before paying for her ticket.  A nice man saw her struggling and offered her a seat, which she took without hesitation. She gave him her best smile of gratitude in return.  She hugged her backpack to her chest and waited.  Finally the bus began to rumble down the unfamiliar roads to her new life and new job.  

            An hour later she awoke to the bus driver screaming in her ear what she could only assume meant they had reached the last stop.   Grunting under the weight of her suitcases he deposited them on the sidewalk and drove off.  When the dust settled, Cindy looked around and realizing she was alone for the first time since landing in Beijing she nearly collapsed into tears.  Sitting on her suitcase she reached into her pocket for her phone and tried to punch in the numbers but couldn’t read well in the dark.  The lack of streetlights was not helping.  No matter, Denise was not here to pick her up and was not answering her phone.   Was it really that late?  Where was she? 

            A noise from behind startled her out of her melancholy thoughts.  A piercing headlight was headed her way.  The man drove right up and tried to grab her bag, missing by mere centimeters.   Cindy braced herself in case he came back around.  Was it her imagination or was he trying to offer her a ride? She didn’t want to be tomorrow’s headline but she also didn’t want to be alone in an obviously secluded place.  This would never happen in America.  Just when the light was approaching again she heard a honk and whipped around to see a woman waving frantically from a taxi begging her to join her for a ride.  Taxis are better than motorcycles Cindy thought and rushed over as gracefully as she could without tripping over her luggage.

            Once seated in the taxi a relieved Cindy attempted her first conversation with the beautiful Chinese woman.  “Thank you.  Do you speak English?”

            “Yes, I do.  Where do you need to go?” she replied in perfect English with just a hint of a British accent.

            “Qingdao University please,” Cindy whispered, her energy spent.  Just mulling over what could have been with the motorcycle rider caused her anxiety all over again.

            “My name is Apple and I teach English at the university.  This taxi is going there.  What do I call you?” Apple asked Cindy politely. 

            “I’m Cindy.” Perking up she continued, “Are we almost there?  I was supposed to meet someone but they didn’t show up.”

            “Just around the corner.  Maybe your friend didn’t know the route changed recently.  It is not safe to be traveling these parts alone at night,” Apple replied.

            “No kidding.  Thanks for rescuing me Apple.”

            “My pleasure.”  Apple climbed over Cindy and enthusiastically waved at someone as they passed a main gate. “Hey, there’s Denise.  What is she doing here?”

“

First ever published piece. China Daily 2007

Chinese weddings through foreign eyes

By Jennifer Royce (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-02-26 06:24

The bride and the groom are the center of all eyes at a wedding feast in the Chinese countryside. True? No, not if a blonde, blue-eyed US citizen is around.

And certainly not if she can speak standard Putonghua (but not the local dialect) and carries gifts and smiles for the children.

The young American (the author) who teaches in English in Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, attended two wedding feasts in Henan Province just before Spring Festival. And not surprisingly, she attracted the most attention of the hosts and the guests.

A lot of people wonder what weddings are like in other countries and cities. How do the celebrations differ from those in other countries such as the United States? Are all Chinese weddings the same in all the cities and provinces? Are weddings in cities different from those in the countryside? How different are the customs and rituals? How different can two weddings in the same area be?

Food, customs and traditions and transportation are the three factors that make weddings different. The main difference between a city and countryside wedding lies in the way food is prepared. In cities, a wedding banquet is generally held in a hotel or a restaurant. Which means none from the groom's or bride's side has to worry about preparing or serving the special dishes.

But in the countryside, where homes are generally bigger, the wedding feast is the responsibility of the groom's side, with his relatives and friends preparing the food. This gives it a personal and more human touch to the proceedings.

Similar types of dishes were served at both the weddings, though they were spicier at the first. But at the second, men and women were served in different rooms so that the men could drink as much baijiu (Chinese liquor) as they could, and the women could stay sober.

The only man who did not drink was the groom. Traditionally, a new Chinese couple visit each and every table to propose a toast, whereas in the West, a person or persons close to the bride and groom propose a toast.

Unlike in the West, dancing, throwing of the wedding bouquet, playing games and other activities are not part of a Chinese wedding. No wonder many guests leave the party immediately after their meal is over.

A bride in China almost always has only one attendant, with the groom having none. Although the bride and groom are more often than not the only people dressed for the occasion at wedding receptions, photographs and more photographs are important for any new couple, no matter what country they are in. And China is no exception.

Another similarity seems to be the white bridal dress, which is becoming popular in rural China too.

A common custom at all Chinese weddings is the bursting of confetti from specially made cannon-like machines as the bride and groom approach the feast/celebration. In the countryside, fireworks make the atmosphere more festive.

The bride and groom bow to both sets of parents after reaching the venue, addressing them as baba and mama. This signifies that the couple now have two sets of parents. This custom may vary from region to region.

For example, at the first wedding, a person unexpectedly put a stripe of a black paint-like substance on the cheek of the groom's father. And during the celebration, the bride changed her white dress to put on the more traditional red dress.

A long line of cars decorated with flowers (and confetti) has now become an unmistakable feature at many weddings, with the first the most decorated. That is because the leading car carries the bride and groom and their attendants. Most of the cars are black but almost all of them were white at one wedding in the countryside.

The procession usually starts from the groom's home, picks up the bride from her parents' house and ends at the feast venue. At one countryside wedding, a marching band announced the groom party's arrival.

In the US, though, such cars are used to carry the newlyweds away from the ceremonial venue.

The food may be different, the customs worlds apart and the transport going the other way, but a wedding in China as in other countries, is an occasion when hearts and souls unite.

(China Daily 02/26/2007 page3