THE SADDEST GIRL SINCE THE SONG DYNASTY

A PATCH OF BLUE IN A SKY OF BROWN - PART IV

These were all suspicions that Lady Zhao had momentarily entertained since Ander's arrival. No mention of cash flow troubles had come across on their bi-weekly-to-monthly video chats. In the lead up to D'misse's unexpected departure from the world of the living, the only two things Ander talked about were, one, the reasons for him turning down the job at A-And-Z Group (he kept explaining how they were asking too much of his young life), which turned out to be a total lie and cover for his big blunder, and two, the deficiencies of D'Misse – whom he accused of being selfish, of lacking empathy, of being guilty of ten too many unbearable eccentricities. After her death, all he could talk about was her strong will, her good influence on him, her painfully lovable quirks. In other words, no evidence of economic hardship.

So when he proposed coming to visit for two months, Lady Zhao held optimistically in her mind the idea of a fun re-acquaintance with an old friend who might stay with her for a day here and there between excursions around the country. He had sort-of alluded to the idea himself (or had she spoken for him? – Lady Zhao was several times guilty of speaking for Ander and assuming silence to mean concurrence of thought). But their communication indeed proved poor, and he arrived with few tangible plans, setting up camp on her couch like a refugee.

Penniless, ever-present, despondent Ander had been for Lady Zhao over the past two weeks a test of social endurance; but something about him that morning seemed to recall his old, slightly better self. However bad he may have been, he was worse now. And she felt inspired enough to tell him so much.

"Well, I feel like something inside me has changed..." Ander said.

"Can you be more specific?"

"Maybe I'll explain later."

"Maybe? What's wrong with now?"

"I think I've gone crazy."

The drizzle had stopped (it had been on-off since they arrived); the sky was still heavy with clouds and what looked like a brown-tinged haze at midday, but, every now and then, sunlight broke through. Just as Lady Zhao was about to chastise Ander for being recalcitrant and evasive, Bingbing, with a look of hysteria that neither she nor Ander could tell to be rapturous excitement or acute terror, came darting towards them, cell phone prominently in hand.