“Really?” Cassian said, wide-eyed.
“Absolutely. It will be our little secret. When is your mother going away? Did she tell you she is getting on an aeroplane and going to America soon?”
“Uh-huh. In March.”
“Did she tell you where she was going? Is she going to Cupertino? Or San Francisco? Los Angeles? Disneyland?”
“LA,” Cassian said while gulping down another spoonful.
Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. March gave her enough time. She patted the boy on the head and smiled as he stained the entire front of his Bonpoint dress shirt with hot fudge. Serves Astrid right for trying to keep things from me!
* * *
*1 Hokkien for “red packet,” these red envelopes embossed in gold are stuffed with cold hard cash and are given out during Chinese New Year by married couples to single people, especially children, for good luck. Amounts vary according to the giver’s income bracket, but it is safe to say that the minimum amount in more affluent households is a hundred dollars. By the end of the week, most kids make out with thousands of dollars, and for some, their entire allowances for the year depend on this ritual. In another departure from tradition, the ang pows at Tyersall Park were made of a pale pink vellum, and always contained a nominal but symbolic amount. This explains the generations of children taken to Tyersall Park every New Year who would blurt out in disappointment, “Kan ni nah—only two dollars inside!”
*2 If your parents were divorced and remarried or you came from one of those families where Grandpa had taken multiple wives and sired multiple families, you were totally fucked.
*3 Cantonese for “Don’t put a curse of death,” meaning “Don’t sabotage the situation.”
*4 A female ghost with long, rat-nest-like hair that lives in a banana tree. From Indonesian and Malay mythology, pontianaks are said to be spirits of women who died while giving birth. A pontianak kills her victims by digging into their stomachs with her sharp dirty fingernails and devouring their organs. Yum.
*5 “Congratulations and wishing you prosperity,” the proper greeting in Cantonese. Naughtier children prefer to say “Happy New Year—I pull your ear!” or “Gong hei fat choy—ang pow tae lai!” (Now gimme that ang pow!)
*6 Cantonese for “This irritates me to death!”
*7 Jun Takahashi, the creative force behind the cult fashion label Undercover. The prototype of Astrid’s dress was quite possibly the inspiration for his autumn–winter 2014 collection.
6
MORTON STREET
NEW YORK
FEBRUARY 10, 2013 18:38 PM PST
Text messages to Nicholas Young’s private cell phone (the one his parents don’t have the number for)
ASTRID: Yr mum found out about the wedding. Happy New Year.
NICK: WTF! How did she find out?
ASTRID: Not sure who leaked. She confronted me @Ah Ma’s. Things got ugly.
NICK: Really?!?
ASTRID: Yes. She went nuts and made a scene when I wouldn’t give her any details.
NICK: So she doesn’t know when, where, etc.?
ASTRID: No, but I’m sure she’ll find out eventually. Get ready.
NICK: I’ll double down on security at the venue. Will hire ex-Mossad.
ASTRID: Make sure they are all from Tel Aviv. With good tans, lots of stubble, and great abs.
NICK: No, we need really sinister guards. Maybe I should call Putin and see whom he can recommend.
ASTRID: Miss u. Gotta run. Ling Cheh’s ringing the lunch gong.