“Mother, let’s get your coat.”
No matter how much she tried to deny it, her mother was in a very organic body. And that meant she needed time to relax.
Shirley nodded to Shizuka. “She’ll be right out, ma’am.”
Shizuka heard more muffled speech. Then Lan came out with her coat and the bag of two-day-old donuts.
When they arrived at El Molino Park, the members of the senior tennis club were packing up their equipment. As usual, a couple of the old Chinese women waved.
Shizuka frowned. Again, no sign of the violin player. But it was a beautiful day, and she was with Lan.
Lan. That’s right. I’m with Donut Lady, and her name is Lan.
The two of them sat on Shizuka’s favorite bench by the pond. Ducks lazily floated past. Mallards, wood ducks, mandarins. And that was not a duck, but a coot. And that was a cormorant.
Lan could identify these from her data. But here, they glided like ships through space. Some were large and stately, others, small, quick and loud. They filled the pond with different shapes and colors, as if in a bustling, healthy spaceport.
Shizuka pulled out a red velvet donut with rainbow sprinkles.
“Do you just toss it in?”
Shizuka nodded as the two-day-old donut bounced into the lake. Lan tossed one in as well.
The ducks scrambled as usual for their meal. But suddenly, the water boiled with scores of carp and goldfish. Some were dark, or silver, but many were orange and golden and speckled. Shizuka thought of all the children who had won goldfish at summer church carnivals.
“Hmm … that never happens with bread,” Shizuka thought out loud. “Maybe the fish have a sweet tooth?”
“Why would they eat sweets if their teeth were already sweet?”
What? Lan didn’t seem to be joking. And the accent that came and went—where was that from?
Meanwhile, Lan Tran was ecstatic. She had never done anything like this before.
She threw in a lime green donut. Shizuka tossed a bright yellow one. The water frothed and bubbled in vivid rainbow surges.
Her home planet had wildlife, but they were kept strictly isolated from civilization.
She tossed another, and another. Donut sprinkles frothed about like fireworks.
Lan watched the ducks battle the goldfish.
This would never happen at home. On her home planet, wildlife was protected from war.
Ducks vs. ducks. Fish vs. fish …
Greed. More feeding.
Frenzy. Explosions.
“Lan?”
Another donut.
Violence. Fire. Blood. War.
“Lan?”
Another donut.
Violence. Fire. Blood. War.
Shizuka grabbed Lan’s arm. Gently, she pulled the bag from Lan’s hand.
“Lan.”
Finally, Lan looked up. In Lan’s eyes lay a field of broken stars.
Judging by her age, Lan was most likely a refugee.
Shizuka remembered when the first Vietnamese refugees came to the San Gabriel Valley. Teachers would ask them not to open their lunches because they stank. Neighbors would call the police when they dried cuttlefish in their backyards. Even bridal shops had been raided by local police with Asian prostitution fantasies who did not know that a Vietnamese bride needed at least three gowns for a proper wedding ceremony—a formal western dress, a traditional white gown, and an áo dài.
As a violin teacher, Shizuka knew exactly how to bring out a student’s best technique. As a performer, she could read a concert hall without thinking.
But how does one talk to a person as a person? She was never good at that. If she had been, she would never have needed to play the violin.
“So, what do you do when you’re not making donuts?”
“I take care of my family, and make sure they are safe.”
Lan closed her eyes and felt the sun on her face. Not too bright, not too dim. Good yellow star.
“Getting them here must have been difficult,” she heard Shizuka say.
“Yes,” she replied truthfully.
“But I am happy you’re here—I mean, for the neighborhood,” Shizuka added quickly. “Most corner lots get turned into mini malls—I’ve always liked the Big Donut. So I’m glad you’re here to build up Starrgate.”
“Thank you. It was—”
Wait. Lan had gotten lost in the sound of Shizuka’s voice. But she could have sworn she just said build the stargate.
Lan went on immediate alert. Shirley had said this woman could hear the warp field. And now she mentioned their journey and the stargate.
How could she know what the Trans were doing? What if she was from the Empire itself? The Empire’s intelligence network was vast. Some agents could even read minds.