White Tiger

His dark eyes wrinkled up when he smiled, and sparkled with intelligence and good humour. He was always interesting to talk to over the dinner table, and I occasionally skipped dinner with the girls to spend time with him.

I often found myself wondering what it would be like to have his strong arms around me, but he was older than me and he was my employer. Not going to happen, I was way too professional for that.

But he really did have very lovely eyes.

By the middle of August I was sick to death of staying inside in the air conditioning. Most of the time it was too hot and humid to go out, but the continued confinement wore me down and eventually I gave up.

‘Can someone escort us to the beach tomorrow?’ I asked over the dinner table.

‘I’ll do it,’ Leo said.

‘I’ll come too,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Some time beside the sea would be good.’

Simone jiggled with happiness so much that she fell off her chair and took her apple juice with her.

‘“Did a Simone”,’ Leo said.

Simone’s face popped up over the edge of the table. ‘I’m okay. Can you dry it up, Daddy?’

‘Not here, sweetheart, you know that.’

‘All right.’ Simone went into the kitchen and returned with Monica, who wiped the spill up for her.

‘If she keeps doing this, the carpet will be ruined. Take it out,’ Leo said.

‘No,’ Mr Chen said. ‘She’ll grow out of it.’

‘It’s not too bad,’ Monica said. She rose and smiled around the table. ‘Are you finished?’

‘Thank you, Monica,’ Mr Chen said, and Monica cleared the dishes. ‘Which beach would you like to go to, Miss Donahoe?’

‘How about Repulse Bay? We can look at the statues.’

Leo’s head snapped around and he studied me carefully.

Mr Chen smiled. ‘Do you know anything about the statues? Some of the Chinese deities are very interesting.’

Leo looked from me to Mr Chen and back to me.

‘Absolutely nothing at all,’ I said. ‘You’ll have to tell us all about them.’

His smile widened and his eyes wrinkled up. Delightful. ‘It would be my pleasure,’ he said.

• • •

Leo parked the car and we all piled out. The minute we were on the sand Mr Chen pulled his shoes off. He wore a pair of tatty black shorts and a faded black T-shirt. Simone raced towards the water with her bucket and spade.

It was a weekday, so the beach wasn’t too busy. On the weekend it was often so packed that the sand was hardly visible.

Leo followed Simone down to the water and watched her as she fell into the sand and dug a hole, spraying sand everywhere. He shook it off his smart polo shirt and moved away slightly.

I unfolded the bamboo beach mat and lay it on the sand. Mr Chen and I sat on the mat together.

Simone jumped up, took her bucket to the water and filled it. The bay had no waves at all; the water was completely flat. A line of buoys marked the swimming area and the location of the shark net.

I looked back towards the hills behind the bay. Luxurious low- and highrise apartment buildings clung to the hillside. This was one of the most exclusive residential areas in Hong Kong. And then I realised: I lived in one of the other exclusive areas, up on the Peak. It felt strange.

Mr Chen stretched his long legs out in front of him and leaned back on his hands. His legs were much whiter than his arms; he obviously spent most of his time in long pants.

He saw me watching him and smiled.

‘You know, I’ve been working full-time for you for nearly six months now,’ I said.

He seemed surprised. ‘Is it that long already?’

‘Yes. I started at the beginning of the year, right after Chinese New Year.’

He sat up, pulled his hair from its tie and shook it. I watched, fascinated, as the shining black curtain flew around him. He tied it back and leaned on his hands again.

‘So you can tell me what you do for a living now,’ I said.

‘I suppose I should.’

‘Well?’

He moved to sit cross-legged, put his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. He appeared to think about it. ‘You’ve seen the students come in, and you’ve seen me teaching Leo.’

‘I don’t know how you can afford your lifestyle just by teaching martial arts.’

He smiled sideways at me. ‘That’s just a small part of my job.’

‘What is your job?’

He put both elbows on his knees and looked down. ‘I do government work. Some administration, some management. Occasionally fieldwork, but not since Simone was born.’

I stared at him. What an idiot I’d been, thinking the secret was something supernatural, that he might be more than human. He was a secret agent. That explained everything: I worked for a spy.

And then I couldn’t control my huge grin. I worked for a spy.

‘Which government? China or Hong Kong?’

‘Same thing now. Truth is, neither. A much higher government than both.’

An agent for the UN! ‘Wicked! Tell me more.’

He glanced sharply at me. ‘No. That’s all I can say about it.’

‘Oh, come on. I’m in the household, I need to know.’