38 Getting to Know a Strange new World

"Do you expect an answer to any of those questions or are you going to talk her to death before we've even have had a bite to eat?" Zachariah barked, putting his hand down heavily on the table top and turning to his wife with a slightly raised voice.

"Well of course I want answers silly. I wouldn't ask them otherwise, would I?" Marisol seemed contrite.

"Then how about you let the girl answer, you haven't even let her say hello yet," Zachariah murmured but his tone was reprimanding.

"Oh, I am sorry dear, it's just that Wang has never brought anyone here to meet us before today. Though he has stayed at the cottage once or twice with a friend, he is usually on his own when he visits." Marisol reached out and patted her hand. "Let's start with how you met our Wang?"

Marisol kept up a constant barrage of questions and reminiscence during the lunch, barely letting the others talk at all. It turned out that Zachariah and Marisol had no children of their own and that Wang was the favourite nephew as he was also their God-child. They had built the cottage for him so that he would visit more often and take an interest in their small winery and farm. While the woman spoke, two demure women served the lunch and cleared away plates after each course, and by the end of the long, three course meal Changying had questions of her own, about the farm and the people that worked there.

Her curiosity about his family had reached a high point by the time they finished dessert, but she held her tongue thinking that she would pose her carefully-worded questions to Wang in the car on the way home. To her surprise, at the end of the meal Wang left her sitting with his Aunt and went to speak with Zachariah in his study. For the second time when meeting his family, Changying was left with the women of the party and it struck her as odd.

"I realise you have help here, but can I assist them in clearing up the lunch things?" Changying offered helpfully, breaking into Marisol's chatter about men and their secret business.

"Oh don't be silly, darling girl. Aren't you so sweet? No, that's what the girls are here for, to look after our every whim," Marisol smiled. "Why don't we go have a look at some of my treasures? You're an art history major, you said? You will enjoy some of the objects I have managed to collect over the years."

Once again Marisol asked questions she didn't really want answers to but it seemed to be the way she spoke. It was as if she was giving the person choices, while leading them down an extremely narrow path with no option but to follow her. She stood guiding Changying from the table back into the cool dim light of the house. In truth as each favourite piece was pointed out Changying was more in awe of the woman's collector's eye and the stories of how she had come across such exquisite pieces.

"Good grief woman! Are you boring our guest with your collections?" Zachariah exclaimed loudly. Changying was examining an oversized Capidimonte music box when Wang and Zachariah finally found them.

"Oh Gosh! No!" Changying said, appalled by his statement. "You know, I studied art history at university, but I never thought I would get to hold an original Capidimonte in my hands like this. I feel as if I should be wearing gloves or something." She laughed and placed the musical carousel shaped box back in its original position.

"If you don't marry this girl soon I might just adopt her myself," Marisol smiled widely at Wang, showing her genuine affection for the new girl in his life while teasing her Godson. "Don't look so worried, I would keep her safe from Zio." Marisol gave her husband a hard look.

"You could try," Zachariah muttered under his breath at the hard look he received. Wang stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Changying and smiled at their bickering. This house was a second home to him, and he adored the two people who looked at him with smiles lighting their faces.

"I think I should take you home before these two spoil you so much you think about taking that offer seriously," Wang laughed, but it was getting late and he had a long drive before him. Changying laughed with him but said nothing else as they all walked toward the front of the house again. After much hugging and kissing they finally drove off in the darkening afternoon to return to their real lives.

"The weekend is almost over," Changying said, realising she hadn't taken off the necklace, but neither had Wang asked for it, and one of her hands fluttered to her neck.

"The necklace is yours. It was only a prop, and a mighty impressive one at that," he smirked at her. "If you were ever to wear a collar like the girl's in relationships like those you have read about in your research recently, trust me you would know it was a collar," he said enigmatically.

"Those girls who served us lunch wore collars," she said quietly.

"Yes," Wang said simply offering no explanation. She knew in her mind that it meant what she thought it meant, it was the road Wang was leading her down, an understanding of this world, but she wondered if all of his family had this type of interest or inclination and how the women dealt with it, though Marisol had not seemed to mind very much.