Claw and Heart

1.

It was hot day; it was like any other hot day in Vancouver. Cars flooded the street, people busied away their lives. To Angeline Catharine it was just another ordinary day of her life. She could be described as rather a petit young lady, one that anyone would want to protect at first sight. She had innocent blue eyes that would make anyone feel guilty, long wavy blond hair like gentle rolling waves under the golden sun, and a face that was the envy of goddesses everywhere.

Her client was already half an hour behind schedule, she began scratching the edge of the coffee table with her thumb excessively. A cacophony of sound scattered away few of the shop customers. But to her it didn't matter, the less eyes the better, and of course she didn't mean to scratch it on purpose, it's that she always had this urge to do something, as she liked to call it: something to keep my mind and body...sharp. As she continued to dig her nails against the table edge, she began getting 2nd glances from the waiter, whom avoided her eye whenever she looked back. 20 minutes her fingernails had dug about an inch into the table. Her nail wasn't even sharp and long, but rather smooth and short. Eventually she stopped digging her nail into the table; her thumb had begun to turn numb and purple. By then she was the only customer left in the shop. Half an hour has passed ever since she started waiting, when a glance out the window again gave her a glimpse of her client walking across the street and entering the shop. When he and saw her. The two greeted each other and exchanged a few polite words quickly before sitting down and getting to bussiness. The client was a man in his early 50's. He had a short plump head and was bald in the center with black dyed hair on the sides. He wore a formal black business suit and tie that says this man means serious business. His eyes beamed wisdom through the thick aging spectacle that clung to his nose. From what Angeline knew, he was a highly respected businessman in China and has a formidable reputation internationally wise.

"Sorry I kept you waiting; I just got here from my business conference..." Mr. Wu apologized in Chinese.

Excuses. Angeline thought.

"It's ok. So Mr. Wu; how's your wife and children?" she responded in kind.

"They are living pretty well back in mainland, have I told you about my orchard?"

"No, tell me about it." She said, supporting one hand under her chin.

"It's back in my hometown, Xi-an. It's on one of the hills and it's massive. 20 acres I am telling you. Just last summer I went to live there for a while, and drank a bit of the wine I brewed. If you have time this summer I can show you to my orchard and share a couple bottles of Grenache and I can ensure you that all of them are premium quality, because I brewed them myself."

"Thanks for the offer; I would love to try them one day."

"No, I should be the one thanking you;" He extended his hand forward, which Angeline took as an invitation and shook it. "You helped me a lot ever since I first came here."

"I am very happy to hear that. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I am very glad to hear that, you see...This week I took a stroll in Stanley park, and there is only one word;" he raised a single finger, and angled it at the ceiling. "Beautiful! It truly has a beauty beyond words!"

"And I agree with you, every week I go there and take a walk. The scenery is just like you described; beauty beyond words."

"So as I walked I began to think, if I could live here for the remainder of my life, then there is nothing I can regret when I die..." the man lowered his head, then sighed, "I should have came here much earlier. Now with fewer years to enjoy, I wish to spend the remainder of life here."