Fiction: Group 4
I kept my eyes on Nathan because looking at him was the only way I could get through this. I looked at
him and Bridgette and I noticed that they were very close, and that they were holding hands.
Then I noticed a large diamond ring on her finger and a ring on his. And I went through all my knowledge
of westerners that I got from the library and remembered that a man and a woman that wears a ring on their
fourth finger on their left hand meant that they were engaged.
All of the sudden I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. He caught sight of my face and leaned over and said
something to my father, and glanced at me with worried eyes.
My father asked me in our language “Are you feeling alright, Mei Ling?”
“Umm...could I go to the ladies room please? I’m not feeling too well.” I said.
He said something to Nathan and he beckoned a servant to follow her to the ladies room.
Once I went inside, I closed the door and slid down to the ground and started crying. How could I have
been so stupid? To fall for one of them. He never loved me. He was just with me for fun. I must have sat
there and bawled my eyes out for a very long time, I knew I should have just went out and pretend that
nothing happened but I couldn’t bring myself to do so.
Nathan
I excused myself and went upstairs to check on Mei Ling because she didn’t look too good. As I neared the
top of the stairs however, I saw Bridgette standing in the doorway with James, a shocked expression on her
face. James had his arm around her waist.
“I-I-didn’t-mean to…” she stuttered
“Save your words” I said.
She was about to look at me with hopeful eyes and smile until I said “I can’t do this anymore. We’re
through”.
***
I am going to go back to England to cancel my engagement with Bridgette. I do not know if I’ll go
smoothly, or if I’ll ever be able to come back here to see Mei Ling and to be with her. So, with what little
time I had, I wrote her a small letter in Chinese with the help of her father. I was at the docks ready to go
back when Mei Ling and her family came to say goodbye.
“Nathan, thank you so much for taking care of my daughter.” said Mr. Zhou.
Mrs. Zhou gave me a hug and thanked me in Chinese, then Mei Ling came over and she handed me a
Chinese book.
“For you.” she said.
“Thank you.” I replied. I am going to miss her, I wished she would come with me. I heard the ship make
the final horning noise to inform passengers to get on the ship. She bowed and then started walking away. I
turned her around and gave her a kiss, then handed her a letter, and said
“For you.”
Mei Ling
It’s been a few weeks since the whole ordeal with James. Nathan went back to England to go take care of
things with his fiancé. Before he left for England he left me a letter written in horrible Chinese writing,
saying that he was going back to England, he was sorry for not telling me about his ‘fiancé’ but said that they
don’t love each other. In the letter he said that he was sorry that he couldn’t tell me that he was still engaged
at the time we had met. At the end of the letter he wrote me something I will never forget, “I will find my
way back to you no matter what, Mei Ling.”
