25 The meeting (1/2)

The wait at the airport was nerve-wracking. An Ning wasn't even sure if she slept last night or not. The tale told by the man who called himself Gara was too extraordinary. She was not sure if she believed any of it at all. What she was sure about was that the man obviously needed help. It would seem that he and his cousin had been victimized by human traffickers who probably sold them to Maya who then did those awful experiments on them.

The man had been so traumatized by the experience that he genuinely believed An Ning was his savior. That usually happened in most cases of people who experienced trauma. Show them a little kindness and they end up putting their faith in the person who were nice to them, even if that person was actually a jerk in reality.

As for Gara, if there's a way she could help then she would help him. There was really no other choice.

She left Gara with Matt and Sam who seemed to have decided to put himself on the line this time. For what purpose nobody knows. Probably some misguided idea of heroism involving the destruction of a mysterious organization that turn people into slaves.

The plane was late so An Ning decided to get a cup of coffee and some donuts. In truth, she was so nervous the caffeine merely heightened the unsettling terror lodged in her stomach. She was so terrified of being disappointed; terrified of what her reaction might be when she finally saw Yu Yan; terrified of what she would learn about the mother she hasn't seen since the day of her birth.

A mother who vanished and another woman who took her place as wife and mother of an amnesiac. Just thinking about it unsettled her. The truth seemed relative but its not, not in this case anyway. Two women, one of whom was her real mother. Why did she vanish and did the reason had anything to do with her?

An Ning went back to the waiting area still deep in thought. She was looking around with unseeing eyes when her glance fastened on a woman walking towards her. The woman was tall and very slender. Her hair was long and black and her skin was so white it was almost translucent. She looked like any other beautiful woman one might see on a busy airport but what made her stand out from the rest was her energy and vitality.

She practically crackled with it, bouncing on her feet with a vivacity An Ning had never seen in another human being before. She literally oozed with dynamism, a fire that transcended her beauty into living divination. The woman smiled at An Ning as she neared.

An Ning was puzzled. The woman looked like Yu Yan, which was of course ridiculous.No one can ever be this woman's lookalike.She was too dominant, too outstanding, too eye-catching. Yu Yan couldn't even match the brilliance of her smile.

An Ning's steps faltered and stopped. She waited as the woman closed the gap between them in long strides. She was holding her breath, as if the entire world had stopped moving and her with it. There was a gigantic boulder pressing against her chest. She wanted to cry, she wanted to howl, she wanted to fall down on the ground and scream.

She did neither, only ran and hugged the woman to her tightly and fiercely.An Ning couldn't stop her trembling. It was matched by the woman who embraced her as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

An Ning didn't even know she was crying until the woman wiped her tears with her hands, her own eyes tearing up. The two of them attracted a lot of attention from bystanders. Both were beautiful and unconscious of how truly beautiful they were.

The elder woman was wearing an old-fashioned set of pearl earrings and necklace that would look dated on a modern woman but looked chic and expensive on her. She was wearing jeans and a red t-shirt that showed off a long and elegant body without an ounce of fat. A short jacket completed the look. The jacket, however, was less of an accessory than a camouflage to hide her unbound breasts.

An Ning turned around, still sniffing, and saw her father and Richard standing amongst a crowd of mostly young men gawking at them. Her father was staring at the woman like he had been flummoxed, his eyes big and round, his face a little pale. Richard only had eyes for An Ning, his handsome face lighting up with pleasure when he met her gaze.An Ning felt her face heat up and she hastily averted her eyes.

The two men walked towards them. An Ma looked suddenly nervous as he stared at the other woman. Then his features changed when he noticed the men ogling her. His lips firmed and he was about to speak when An Ning reached for his hand. He turned to her as if dazed.

”An Ning,” he said, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the other woman. ”We've been looking for you. This...this is Yu Yan. Your mother. ”

An Ning smiled at the woman who smiled back at her.

”Is your name really Yu Yan?” she asked.

”You don't like it? Call me Ceres than. That's the name I was born with”

”Yu Yan was an alias?” An Ma said, looking flabbergasted.

”It was her name not mine,” the other woman shrugged.

”Why didn't you tell me?” An Ma's tone was aggressive.

”Dad, you're making a scene,” An Ning tagged at his arm, feeling embarrassed. ”Let's go home, okay?”

Richard took An Ning's hand and glanced at An Ma.

”We'll be waiting in the car,” he said, steering An Ning away from the crowd. An Ma flushed at his mocking look and turned towards Ceres.

”Let's go,” he said, he reached for her hand but Ceres just stood there. Her eyes were still on An Ning. There was sadness and longing in their depths. There was also the unmistakable flash of command when she turned to An Ma.

”How long is she in now?”

”Five months.”

”He's the father?”

”Yes.”

”Married?”

An Ma hesitated. ”No.”