THE TWO CHINATOWNS

Chapter 3




Cisco wanted to leave with Sue right after the bout, but McKenna wouldn't hear of it. Cisco needed some medical attention before he was going anywhere, so McKenna and Sue stood guard at the locker room door and wouldn't let him out until the team doctor was done with him. When Cisco finally emerged, a bandage covered his left eye and purple antiseptic stained three scrapes and bruises on his cheeks.
     "Happy?" Cisco asked. "I look like I just got mugged."
     "You look just fine to me," Sue said as she took his arm. They strolled down the corridor together, leaving McKenna scratching his head and wondering what had gotten into Cisco since Sue had entered the picture.
     Whatever it was and wherever it led, McKenna knew he was indirectly responsible. In her role as a flight attendant, Sue had provided a crucial piece of information on an important murder case he had worked on the year before, a case with international implications. She had recognized two Air Canada passengers as his two wanted killers, and she had made the phone call to the NYPD that had enabled McKenna to track them down. For that public service, she had shared in the $150,000 reward and had received her fifteen minutes of fame in the form of a few press interviews, one of which was syndicated and published in the New York Post. The Post had gone to a full-color format and the interview included a flattering photo of the heroine.
     Just that photo had been enough for Cisco. He framed it, put it on his desk, and frequently declared to all who cared to listen that he was in love with the perceptive and gorgeous Chinese-Canadian girl—the one his good pal Brian was going to introduce him to at the first opportunity.
     So McKenna did. He had never met Sue, but he had talked to her on the phone a dozen times while he had processed her reward through the Mayor's Awards Committee. He had felt foolish at first as he tried to explain Cisco and his infatuation to Sue, but she had listened politely and then had a few pointed questions on Cisco's history and personality. McKenna had tried to portray him in the best light possible, but he had still been surprised when he succeeded. Sue would meet Cisco for the first time when the NYPD visited Toronto for the boxing match. After a day and a half, McKenna was afraid that she wanted to marry the bum, and that he would be the cause of that mistake.
*     *     *
The boxing team had arrived in Toronto on Thursday afternoon, settled into their hotel, then had the usual get-acquainted dinner with the Canadian team. Friday morning had been devoted to a light training session at the arena, followed by Cisco's boasts to the local press. Then Cisco had gone for a haircut, and was with McKenna in the hotel lobby at 5:45, dressed to the nines in a double-breasted suit, with a Sulka tie and a box of roses under his arm. He stood waiting with McKenna, appearing, as usual, dapper, confident, and self-assured.
     As soon as McKenna saw Sue, he got his first indication that Cisco was in. Sue had put some thought into her costume; she was wearing the same dress that she had worn for the newspaper photo.
     "Princess, the photo didn't do you justice," were the first words Cisco had spoken to Sue, and McKenna agreed. Sue had certainly been lovely enough in her photo, but in person she was much more. She was exotic—tall, graceful, and slender-but-shapely, with high cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes, a naturally pouty smile, and thick, long, shiny black hair that she wore in a swirling loose bun held in place with a single mother-of-pearl comb. McKenna remembered thinking that Cisco might not be that crazy after all.
     After the formal presentations, they had gone to the hotel bar for a drink while Cisco delivered his plans for their evening. He presented Sue with a list of fine restaurants for her consideration to cover the dinner part, explaining that he had made reservations at all of them. A grandiose and totally Cisco gesture, McKenna thought, not surprised in the least.
     Then Cisco had explained that he had missed his high school senior prom, but he intended that they make up for it that evening. He opened up the box, gave Sue her bouquet of roses, but the box also contained an orchid corsage which he pinned to her dress. Cisco then proposed that dinner be followed by dancing until the wee hours, all with the limo waiting to transport them to their next fun spot.
     Cisco's proposal had been fine with Sue, but not with McKenna. He was a happily married man, and he had taken that opportunity to ask that he be dropped back to the hotel after dinner. That was fine with Cisco.
     Sue had decided on Indochine, an elegant French-Vietnamese restaurant, and McKenna had received a series of shocks when Cisco was greeted by the maitre'd. "Ah, Monsieur Sanchez. So good to see you again."
     "Bonsoir, Louie. Comment allez-vous?" Cisco had replied nonchalantly.
     "Très bien, monsieur. Merci. Vous voudriez votre table habituel au coin?"
     "Bien sûr," Cisco had replied, and all followed Cisco to his usual table in the corner.
     McKenna had known that Cisco was something of a linguist and that he could get by in French. But to McKenna's knowledge, Cisco had never been to Toronto in his life. It had been midway through the meal before McKenna had been able to accept the obvious absurdity: in order to impress the lady he had never met, Cisco had secretly traveled to Toronto many times over the past year, visiting all the best restaurants and over-tipping enough to ensure that he would be treated as a preferred customer.
     By the time dinner was over, McKenna was convinced that, no matter which restaurant Sue had chosen, their reception would have been the same: "Mister Sanchez, Monsieur Sanchez, Signor Sanchez, or whatever. So good to see you again. Would you like your usual table?"
*     *     *
Now Cisco was exhausted and, against his will, he fell asleep in the back of the taxi while Sue rubbed his shoulder and stroked his hair.
     Sue understood and didn't mind at all. While she had caught a few hours sleep at the hotel that afternoon, Cisco hadn't slept at all since she had first met him. After a wonderful dinner at Indochine, then a night spent dancing in two Latin clubs, they had spent a few hours at his hotel room, not doing much of anything but talking, laughing, and getting to know each other better.
     Cisco stirred, opened his eyes for a moment, then laid his head on her lap while she continued stroking his hair. Looking down at him, Susan Hsu felt like a foolish schoolgirl, in love with a man she had known only two days—but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that when Cisco held her, she felt happier than she ever had in her life.
     Of course, his arrival into her life had thrown the rest of it into complete disarray. She was supposed to be on her usual Hong Kong flight at that moment, but she had called in sick for the first time in ten years to be with Cisco and watch him fight. Ridiculous, she knew.
*     *     *
The taxi stopped in front of Goo Pan and the driver hit the meter. "We're here," Sue said.
     Cisco sat upright, paid the driver, and inspected the front of the restaurant while he waited for his change. It looked like any other restaurant on the Chinatown street—plain, unpretentious, with a glass storefront, heavy drapes that covered the windows from the middle down, and a glass front door. Judging from the restaurant's exterior, Cisco thought the site could just as easily house a shoe store, a drug store, or any other medium-sized retail business; it certainly wasn't the type of restaurant he would have chosen for his second date with Sue. "I guess the food is great here," he offered.
     "No, not great. Just good," Sue answered. "Good, wholesome food at a fair price, but probably not up to your culinary standards."
     Then why are we here? Cisco wondered as he collected his change. "The ambiance?"
     "No, rather ordinary."
     "I don't get it."
     "My Uncle Benny owns the place."
     "And he's very important to you?"
     "Yes, but he's also very important to us. He's my mother's older brother, and she listens to whatever he has to say. If he likes you, he can make her like you."
     "And then our life will be a breeze?"
     "Not exactly, but you'll now have the opportunity to maneuver around one of our potential obstacles."
     "Nothing to it. Your uncle will love me," Cisco promised. They got out of the cab and went in.
     The hostess, a young, plain Chinese girl wearing a simple yellow silk gown, was standing behind the simple reservation counter when Sue and Cisco entered. Her face lit up with a smile and she came around the counter to hug Sue. "What a surprise, Sue," she said. "I didn't know you were coming here tonight."
     "I didn't know, either. Spur of the moment visit," Sue replied, then turned to Cisco. "Cisco, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Linda."
     Cisco saw that Linda didn't know exactly what to make of him as she stared at his bandaged face. "Pleased to meet you, Linda, and don't let this face scare you," Cisco said. "Temporary condition and, believe it nor not, I was the winner."
     It was obvious Linda didn't believe him. "Really? Then I can't imagine what the other guy must look like."
     "Actually, much better than me, but hurting much more."
     "Why were you fighting him?" Linda asked, still staring at Cisco's face.
     "Boxing him, silly macho stuff," Cisco said, then briefly explained his role on the NYPD boxing team.
     Linda listened politely, but Cisco could tell that she didn't understand the connection between him and Sue. He decided that Sue should be the one to explain that aspect of his Toronto visit.
     Sue did, succinctly. "Cisco is my fiancé."
     Linda's eyes went wide in shock. "Really?"
     "Yes, really."
     "Does my father know?"
     "No, but he will soon. That's why we're here."
     "How long has this been going on?" Linda asked, still not believing what she was hearing.
     "Two days."
     "Two days?
     "So what do you think?" Sue asked.
     Linda smiled as she looked Cisco up and down. "Go for it, cousin."
     "I was hoping you'd say that. Now you have to help me convince your father to see things the same way."
     "I'll try, but that'll be a tough one."
     "Where is he?" Cisco asked.
     "Downstairs, in the office. Want me to get him?"
     "Please do."
     Linda looked to Sue for confirmation, and Sue nodded. Linda turned, walked down a corridor off the dining room, and entered the kitchen through the swinging doors.
     Cisco stood waiting, confidently holding Sue's hand as he inspected the restaurant. One look told him that Goo Pan was almost identical to many of the restaurants in New York's Chinatown. The walls were pale yellow and adorned with framed prints showing rural scenes in China, white cloths covered the tables, and the waiters all wore the standard white shirts and black slacks. The floor was simple linoleum, clean and old, but still serviceable.
     Goo Pan was doing a bustling, noisy business. Cisco estimated that the dining room could seat sixty, and there was only one empty table. It was a family-style restaurant, with many children present and fussing while eating with their parents. About half the clientele was Chinese.
     The rest rooms were off the corridor Linda had taken to the kitchen. While waiting, Cisco got a glimpse of the kitchen operation a few times as waiters entered and left through the swinging doors. It was large and busy, with many white-clad Chinese kitchen workers laboring in the steam-filled room.
     Linda soon reappeared through the kitchen doors, walking quickly and followed by a worried and unhappy-looking Chinese man in his sixties. Uncle Benny was thin, short, balding, and dressed in a rumpled black suit, a white shirt, and a black tie. He was trying to button his jacket as he hurried to keep pace with his daughter, but hadn't succeeded by the time she was back behind the reservation counter.
     "Uh-oh, bad mood," Sue whispered to Cisco. "He's going to be very direct and to the point. He's really a nice man, so please be patient with him."
     "Piece of cake, princess," Cisco whispered back. "I'll be as docile as a lamb."
     Uncle Benny brushed past Linda, finally got his jacket buttoned, and briefly glanced at Cisco before he focused on Sue. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Hong Kong?" he asked as if he were a parent scolding a child.
     "Yes, but I called in sick, Uncle," Sue answered pleasantly.
     "Sick? You don't look sick to me."
     "I'm not. Never felt better."
     "Not sick, but you called in sick?" Uncle Benny said, apparently having a hard time adjusting to that news.
     "Yes, Uncle. Not sick, but I called in sick," Sue retorted with annoyance creeping into her voice. "First time sick in ten years."
     Uncle Benny gave Cisco another brief glance, obviously not liking what he saw. "And who is this barbarian?" he asked Sue in Cantonese, using the old, common term to describe anyone who wasn't Chinese.
     Common, but Sue was offended. "Please don't call him that," she replied, also in Cantonese. "He's very special to me."
     "That's what I've just been told. So what would you like me to call him?"
     "Cisco's my name, but barbarian is fine with me, Uncle," Cisco stated in Cantonese as he bowed slightly and extended his hand. "I'm one of your better barbarians, maybe the best."
     Both Uncle Benny and Sue stared at him in shock.
     Cisco smiled with false modesty. "The Berlitz School, starting last year. Been going three days a week. We also have a Chinese detective in the Major Case Squad, Margie Yee. She's been helping me out quite a bit."
     "And doing a very good job of it," Sue commented. Now tell us, why did you go to all that expense and trouble?"
     "After I saw your picture in the paper last year, I figured Cantonese would come in handy. Looks like I was right."
     Sue got it, but Uncle Benny didn't. "You saw Sue's picture in the newspaper last year, and then you began studying Cantonese?" he asked.
     "That's right. As soon as I saw it, I knew she was the girl for me."
     "So you're learning Cantonese to impress her?"
     "That's one reason," Cisco admitted, "but there are others. Naturally, I'd insist that our children speak the language. Only proper that I learn it myself first."
     "Your children?" Benny asked, eyeing Cisco shrewdly.
     "Yes, Sue's and my children. Of course, I know that first I must prove myself worthy before I can win your approval, but I'm hoping our first child will be gracing our families in two years. A son, I predict—strong, healthy, and wise in the ways of both our cultures."
     Uncle Benny looked at his niece. "Where the hell did you find this guy?"
     Sue laughed. "I didn't. He found me."
     Benny looked at Cisco suspiciously. "What do you do for a living?" he asked.
     "I'm a New York City detective."
     Uncle Benny didn't like that answer, and he made no attempt to hide his feelings. "You're a cop?"
     Cisco felt the anger rising in him, and struggled to keep it under control. "Not just a cop. I'm a first grade detective in the Major Case Squad," he said evenly. "Matter of fact, I'm the best detective in the best detective unit in the best police department in the world."
     "Really?"
     "Absolutely."
     "And how much does the best get paid these days?"
     It was the question Cisco had been waiting for. "Enough. First grade detectives make lieutenant's pay, and I get plenty of overtime. Comes to about a hundred grand a year."
     The number brought a smile to Uncle Benny's face, and it stayed there. "That's a nice figure," he said.
     "I get by on it, but I think it's too much for just one person."
     "I think you might be right," Uncle Benny said, then turned to Sue. "I hope you and Cisco are considering having dinner here tonight."
     "We'd like to, Uncle, but aren't you rather busy here tonight?" Sue asked sweetly.
     "Nonsense. Never too busy for family," he said, surveying his restaurant. "Would that table be suitable?" he asked Cisco, pointing to the empty table for four in the corner.
     "Exactly the table I would have chosen."
     Uncle Benny took two menus from his daughter, then led Cisco and Sue to the table. Cisco was aware that everyone in the place was looking at his face, so he took the seat facing the wall.
     "Now tell me, what would you two like to eat tonight?" Uncle Benny asked, shooing away the waiter who instantly appeared at his elbow.
     "Surprise me. I'll have whatever you had tonight," Cisco said.
     "Fair enough, but I must warn you that I like my food a little spicy."
     "So do I," Cisco assured him. "The spicier, the better."
     "And you, Sue?" Uncle Benny asked.
     "Another surprise. I'll have the same as Cisco."
     "I'm not surprised," Uncle Benny said, then hesitated. "One more thing. I know I'm pushing politeness to the limit, but would you mind telling me what happened to your face?" Uncle Benny asked. "Were you in an accident?"
     "No, Uncle, nothing like that. I'm on the NYPD boxing team and these minor scratches are what happened to me while I was beating one of your local constables."
     "You were the winner?"
     "I always win," Cisco said in Cantonese.
     "I'm beginning to believe that you do," Uncle Benny said, smiling. He left, and a waiter bought a pot of tea and cups and placed them on the table.
     "You did great, Cisco," Sue said, reaching across the table to hold his hands. "I'm sure he likes you, and there's very few people he does like."
     "I already told you. If it's important to us, I'll get along great with the old boy. Friends for life."
     "Now I've got a question for you," she said, squeezing his hands. "You went to a lot of trouble studying Cantonese, but how do you know that I don't speak Mandarin?"
     "I know you do speak Mandarin, but I also knew Cantonese is your native tongue."
     "That's true," Sue said, "but I don't see how you came by that piece of information."
     "You've got me. Ready for a confession?"
     "More than ready. Let's have it."
     "Yesterday wasn't the first time I saw you in the flesh."
     "You've been coming to Toronto and following me?"
     "Not like you think. I've been coming to Toronto to take the flights you've been working."
     "Incredible! How many times?"
     "Twice. Back and forth with you to Hong Kong and Singapore."
     "I don't remember seeing you," Sue said.
     "You wouldn't. You were working first class both times, and I was back in coach, wearing a beard. But you did make the safety announcements at least once in both English and Chinese, and I was always sitting near enough to a Chinese gentleman to ask if you were speaking Mandarin or Cantonese. On the Singapore flight it was Mandarin with an accent, Cantonese on the Hong Kong flight."
     "That's because Mandarin is the language in Singapore, and it's Cantonese in Hong Kong."
     "I found that out, but I knew it was Cantonese I should be studying."
     "How did you know which flights I'd be working?"
     "I didn't, but I did know you worked the Asia runs. Bought open round-trip tickets to both Hong Kong and Singapore, then hung around the airport until I saw you report in. Took days once, but simple enough."
     "Did you follow me in Hong Kong and Singapore?"
     "That wouldn't be nice, would it?"
     "No, it wouldn't."
     "Well, I'm nice. I only took those flights to find out what language you spoke, but the bonus was that I saw how really beautiful, hard-working, and charming you are. I already knew it, but those flights made it certain. You're the girl for me."
     Sue took a moment to mull over Cisco's revelations. "How much have you invested in this romantic escapade so far?" she asked.
     "Maybe ten thousand, but it was well worth it."
     "Did it ever occur to you to introduce yourself to me while we were in the air?"
     "Never even considered it," Cisco said.
     "Why not? You could have saved yourself a bundle."
     "Because I wasn't worthy yet, and it wouldn't have been a proper introduction."
     "Worthy? You weren't worthy to meet me?"
     "No, of course not. I had a lot of studying to do, and a lot of loose ends to clean up in my old life."
     "Cisco, you're a wonderful, hopeless romantic," Sue said, and then she leaned across the table and kissed him.
     Cisco couldn't remember when he ever felt better in his life. "Me a romantic? You think?"

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