The perfume of love (rain-bi)

chapter 40

The next morning, Eleni took her to Paddington Market, where they browsed among open-air stalls selling avant-grade clothes designed by art students, jewellery ranging from plastic to gold, leather sandals and belts, hand-painted tee-shirts and a motley assortment of 'antiques' and unashamed junk.

The two girls explored the steep streets of colourful houses until it was time for lunch. Then they went to a health food bar near the market and bought turkey and bean sprout salads wrapped in unleavened bread which they eat sitting on a low wall, watching a street conjuror.

In the afternoon they went to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, an imposing Grecian-style building on the edge of a large open space of grass and tall trees called the Domain.

"What's that huge thing over there, I wonder?" said jenna, as they paused between the tall columns of the Gallery's portico after looking at paintings for an hour or more.

The structure she meant looked like the top of an immense circus tent.

"that's where they'll be having the Opera-in-the-Park later this month," Eleni told her.

"if you're not tired, I thought we'd stroll through the Botanic Gardens which will lead us down to the Opera House for you to have a closer look at it."

It was a very hot day, and when they returned to the yacht both girls were looking forward to a shower and a rest.

"it's been a super day, Eleni. I've enjoyed every minute," jenna said gratefully, before they separated.

Before Eleni could reply, youngji appeared.

"Mr Dennison would like to see you," he told jenna.

"you'll find him in the suite."

"Thanks, youngji. I'll go right away." as she walked off she heard him speaking to the other girl in their language. It seemed to her that his tone sounded friendlier than usual.
Joon had a drink in his hand when, after knocking, she entered his private sitting-room. He was alone. Perhaps hana was in the bedroom.

The air-conditioned coolness was a welcome relief from the humid heat of a summer day in Sydney.

"You look hot," he said.

She nodded. "we've walked a long way. Did you enjoy you golf?"

She knew he had spent the whole day on the links. But he had been back on board long enough to have showered and changed.

He nodded. "sit down, jenna." he indicated an armchair.

The gravity of his expression and the fact that he didn't mention his performance on the links sent a prickle of apprehension through her.

"I'm afraid I have very bad news for you," he said quietly, when she was seated.

She felt the blood drain from her face...... Her brain.... Her heart.

Time stopped. The world ceased to spin. Everything came to a standstill. She seemed to be poised on the brink of a dreadful dark void.

"Dear God.... Not Jihoon," she whispered.

"I spoke to jihoon half an hour ago. He's getting a lift on a private plane tomorrow morning. He'll be back by around ten o'clock."

The relief was so overwhelming that it was a moment or two before she realised that something else bad had happened.

Seeing the question dawning in her eyes, joon said, "hana has left me. She's run off with that bastard Anson. They've gone to the Gold Coast."

"The Gold Coast?" she echoed, mystified.

"it's the strip of the Queensland coast from the border up past Surfers Paradise. It's where people go to retire, or to play in the sun. I'm told it's a lot like Miami. There's a lot of money up there," said joon.

He emptied his glass and moved towards the drinks cupboard.

"can I fix you something?"
Jenna shook her head. "No, thanks."

The aftermath of her terror that jihoon had been killed was still clouding her mind, making it difficult to think straight.

"Terry has no money," she said. "what will they live on?"

"They can raise at least a month's rent on the opal I gave her yesterday,"

was his bitter retort.

She had forgotten the opal.... The costly dress. Now she remembered the strangeness of her sister's behaviour the previous evening. Hana had known the wouldn't be seeing each other again; she had been saying goodbye.

But this was no implusive elopement of lovers who, through force of circumstances, had no other recourse but to run away together. She and Terry had concocted a cold-blooded scheme to milk joon of every dollar they could wring out of him.

Her sister's callous abuse of the American's generosity made jenna stifle a groan.

"Joon... How could she?" she said, in a horrified whisper.

"Easily, I guess." he splashed some liquor into his glass and another.

"Have a drink, kid. You've had a shock. Two shocks," he added, handing the other glass to her.

"When did you find out?"

"There was a note waiting for me when I got back from golf. You can read it if you like." he crossed to the desk and picked up a single sheet of writing paper which he brought to where she was sitting. When she hesitated to take it, he said,

"Go ahead. If you don't know it already, that letter ought to confirm that your sister is no great loss... To either of us."

There had been a time when letters written in hana's untidy scrawl had been a lifeline to jenna. Now, reluctantly, she read the few unfeeling lines with which hana had ended her liaison with joon.

"I can't say it would have surprised me if she'd gone off with somebody richer," he said.

"The surprise is her picking a guy like Anson. Is he all that attractive to women? I wouldn't have said so."

"I wouldn't either. I don't know how she could do this. I... I don't know what to say." she handed back the note.
Joon shrugged. "it's not your fault, honey. Don't you worry, I'll see you're okay. If this job jihoon is trying to arrange doesn't work out, I'll make sure you get back to Korea. You needn't fret about that."

"I'm surprised you didn't tell Mrs lee to pack my things and have me thrown off the ship the moment I came back on board," jenna said bleakly.

"it's what most men would have done in the circumstances."

"if I'd done that, I could have found myself without a captain or a crew," he answered, with somewhat forced humour.

"you've made a lot of friends since you joined us. With the exception of Anson, none of the officers liked hana... I was aware of that. But they like you."

He raised his drink to his lips, reminding her of the untouched glass she was holding. She took a small sip. It was neat Scotch poured over ice. Joon drank only the best. The whisky had a smooth taste. It didn't burn her palate, but a few moments later she felt a glow spreading inside her. It didn't make her feel better.

The trauma she had experienced at the very beginning of the trip was nothing comared with her present state of mind. With painful clarity, she could visualise the disgust with which jihoon would receive the news when he returned tomorrow morning.

How could he want to introduce the sister of someone like hana to his relations? He couldn't.

The best thing she could do for him would be to let him off the hook. She wasn't joon's responsibility, nor was she jihoon's.

The time had come to stand on her own feet. Somehow she had to get herself and her luggage off Ocean Wanderer and lose herself. It shouldn't be hard to do in a city of three million people.