Scarring Jasmine-Chapter Forty Five Bomb
01/18/2025 Saturday 29-45F Cloudy
At last, the train pulled into Shanghai North station. It was about eleven a.m., August thirteenth. The station was super crowded: Soldiers, passengers, crying kids, everyone looked panicky. Yu tried to find a rickshaw which usually could be seen almost every few steps; however, that noon they seemed all gone; only a few passed by on the street carrying either their own families or household belongings. Yu waited for about ten minutes without any luck, so he decided to walk to Jasmine’s place.
Carrying two heavy briefcases, following the vague route left in his memory, against the mainstream of crowds, Yu struggled to walk for about one mile. Then he saw an empty rickshaw coming toward him.
“Hi,” He called, “could you please give me a ride?”
“Go there?” The puller raised his chin toward his behind.
“Yes, it isn’t far from here.”
“No mister, you’d better not go there! Take my word, it is too dangerous! The Japanese will drop bombs any minute! Don’t you see, people from that direction now are hurrying for the concession area.” After saying that, the puller pulled away.
Yu was exhausted. To make his way, he must drop at least one of his two briefcases. So he kept the one packed with his files and documents, and left the other one at the curb of the street, in which were his clothes and toilet things.
He finally arrived at Jasmine’s lodging, but it was locked; through the window, he saw her things all packed and her basket for market on the floor. “It seems like she hasn’t gone, nor is in the market.” He hurried to her several neighbors’ houses, the doors of which were shut, he couldn’t find a soul. Where could she be?
He thought of tailor Zhang. Yes, if she hadn’t left, probably she would be there. “Go straight, then I should turn left, five blocks…” He tried to remember the roadmap which Zhang had drawn for him. The street was quiet. The crowds and ragged kids whom he saw last time all disappeared; only few people walked hurriedly carrying big parcels on their shoulders and arms. An aircraft flew over Yu’s head. Yu looked up; it was Japanese. He sped up into a run. The sun shone over on the street; he could hear his footsteps and heavy breaths.
After avoiding a big brick pile, in front of him not far away on the same side of the street, he saw a woman stopping by a short wall and lifting her head to watch the aircraft. Her back looked like Jasmine. “Jasmine!” He called, as loud as possible. That woman seemed to have heard him; she turned around and looked in his direction. It was Jasmine! She was smiling! She didn’t leave! She chose to stay and wait for him! She kept her word and he kept his!
Actually, before Yu came, Jasmine did have at least two chances to leave. One was to go with Shanyuan. He came to the market to look for her yesterday morning, telling her that the war would break out very soon, and inviting her to move into his friend’s house located in the American concession. “He was my best friend in high school, and now lives in Hangzhou so that house is empty. We all can live there temporarily without any problem: you, my family and my in-laws. You should go with me; it is too dangerous for you to continue to live here.”
But Jasmine declined, “Shanyuan, I appreciate your invitation. But I can’t go now.”
“Why, Jasmine? Nobody knows what will happen, and how long the war will last. This neighborhood is adjacent to Japanese ruled territory, also close to some military strongholds. If the war begins, I am afraid that this will be the Japanese first target.”
“Shanyuan, I have a reason not to go, please forgive me. I must stay here and wait for someone until the fourteenth.”
Shanyuan looked at her eyes, asked: “Jasmine, is it a good enough reason for you to risk your life?”
“Yes, Shanyuan. I make my promise to someone that I would wait for him here. Otherwise, I don’t know where I can find him again.”
“Ok Jasmine.” Shanyuan sighed. “Here is the address where I am going to move.” he wrote down something on his notebook quickly, then tore off the page and handed it to her, “If you need any help, please come to this address. I will be there.”
And this morning before Jasmine went out to the market, sister Gui hurried in. “Jasmine, forget about the market; I bet today nobody will go shopping. There will be war here! Pack your things and go with us; sleeping on the street in the concession area will be far safer than sleeping at home. The Japanese won’t dare attack those white devils’ places. Some neighbors have gone already early this morning. You are a single young woman; I can’t leave you alone here. The Japanese are animals; they can do anything!”
Again, Jasmine declined: “Sister Gui, thanks for thinking for me. But I can’t go; I must wait for a friend.”
“Are you really that stupid? It is about to live or to die! No one is greater than your own life! The war can start at any time; I have seen the Japanese aircraft several times since dawn. Who will risk his life to come to this area? Don’t be willful, let’s go!”
“No sister Gui, please understand and accept my decision. You go with Little Green and Little Plum first; I hope we will see each other soon.”
“Gee! You are too stubborn!” Sister Gui complained and left.
Jasmine dropped her basket on the floor and sat on the chair. He said that he would come on August fourteenth and today was August thirteenth, would he come? Would he risk his life to come? To her, his decision was more important than hers; because she knew that no matter what-- wars, volcanos, earthquakes, she would wait for him in her place. She would do the best she could in hopes of seeing him. She didn’t want another regret; he told her last time that had she called him while he was passing that stone bridge on their divorce day, he would have turned back. The fact was at the same moment she was also wanting to call him, but she hesitated; so she missed the chance and he left. Perhaps she was a coward too; if she had called, if he had stayed, then they wouldn’t have lost each other for six years!
Yes, theoretically she could go to Shanyuan’s place, and leave Yu a written message about her address on her window or door or even wall, so if he came, he would see it and find her there. But the issues were: She had given him her promise; she said that she would wait for him in her place. And if the window broke, if the door burnt, if the wall collapsed, then he wouldn’t see her message, then she would lose him. If those were the risks, she would rather stay than leave.
“So let me be courageous this time; let me make a bet in the name of my heart. I will keep my word; I will wait for him until early morning of the fifteenth. By that time if he doesn’t come, I will go to Shanyuan’s house at once.”
She quickly finished packing her belongings and tucked the pearl earrings in her inside pocket. As there was nothing else for her to do, she decided to take the last piece of the client’s dress back to Zhang on which she just finished embroidering last night.
She locked her door and walked toward Zhang’s shop. It was the quietest day she ever saw since she moved here three years ago. The world looked like it was dying bit by bit; occasionally someone passed by as unrealistic as walking shadows or ghosts. Where were those people? Was she in a dream? Or what she had experienced in the past was a dream? Jasmine slowed down and was figuring, as if she wanted to fill this empty street with her heavy thoughts.
Then she saw Zhang’s shop, which was half open; and saw Zhang come outside to take the flowerpot on the windowsill in. Perhaps he was going to close his shop and leave soon. He caught sight of her too from a half block’s distance; he smiled, both his face and flowers were blooming in the sun. She felt relieved. Thank goodness, there were still hopes, there were still some things kind and beautiful.
She heard the approach of an aircraft, which reminded her of sister Gui’s words: "The war can start at any time; I have seen the Japanese aircraft several times since dawn. Who will risk his life to come to this area?”
She stopped by a short wall and looked up at it. The sun was bright, against which she couldn’t see the aircraft clearly; so she shaded her hand at her forehead letting her eyes follow that dragonfly-like flying object.
With the roar of the aircraft, she seemed to have heard an indistinct voice call her name from behind. She turned back, saw Yu running toward her, and smiled—He came! He did come! He risked his life coming here! He came one day ahead! He came before the war took place! He kept his word and she kept hers!
Right at that moment, while Zhang was carrying his flowerpot in his hands outside the shop, while Jasmine had turned and was smiling at Yu, Yu saw that Japanese aircraft drop a bomb. The bomb fell quickly, whistling toward a building right behind Zhang’s shop. He threw his briefcase away and ran toward Jasmine, yelling: “Watch out!” When he finally pushed her down underneath him, “Bang! Boom!” A tremendous explosion burst out in his ears.
It was the first bomb that the Japanese dropped, which announced the beginning of Battle of Shanghai.
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