Cries of the Children(12)
Bettina gave her head a rough shake.
“No one in this neighborhood would know a nice little girl like you,” she said. “You leave finding your family up to me. I’ll call the police as soon as we’re settled.”
Bettina pushed into the apartment. It was a studio, with a minimal amount of furniture. There was a small kitchen at the back. Bettina found that the refrigerator had been unplugged and opened it to air it out. As Lorraine stood near the door, she checked the sofa.
“Sleeper,” Bettina said. “Big enough for two. You’ve probably slept in better, but at least you won’t be on the street tonight.”
She bent closer to it, wondering if there were bugs hidden inside the foam cushions. She didn’t mention this out loud; no point scaring the child.
“Well, we’ll need a few things to make this place livable,” she said.
“Are we going to stay very long?”
There was such worry in the child’s voice that Bettina knew at once what her thoughts were. She probably wondered why the old woman wasn’t calling the police right now. The truth was that only Bettina knew about the child. She hadn’t told anyone, not her friends in the streets or at the homeless shelter. And as far as finding Lorraine’s parents, well, what kind of monsters left a baby to wander the dangerous streets of the city? With a suitcase full of money, no less! Let them stew about her for a week. Maybe then, when Bettina brought her back, they’d appreciate the child.
“Of course not,” she said at last. “Just until we find your folks. Now, let’s check out that bathroom. I hope it’s clean. . . .”
When she came out, she was surprised to see Lorraine on the sofa. The money suitcase was open next to her.
“We have one thousand, two hundred, and twenty dollars,” Lorraine announced.
Bettina laughed. “How do you know?”
“I counted it,” Lorraine said matter-of-factly.
“But, child!” Bettina cried. “You didn’t have enough time. And you don’t seem old enough to count that high.”
“But I did,” Lorraine answered.
“You just let Bettina have a look.”
Sometime later, Bettina turned to the little girl with fascination in her expression.
“That’s amazing.”
“I guess I’m good with numbers,” Lorraine said with a shrug.
“I guess you are,” Bettina agreed in awe.
Lorraine began to fidget. “I’m hungry.”
Bettina opened the other suitcase, found a sweater, and turned to put it on the child.
“We’ve had a long morning,” she said. “And heaven knows when you last had a decent meal. But we can’t spend a lot, you know. I know how fast money goes. I’ve been without a home for almost a year now.”
“Really?” Lorraine asked in disbelief. “Did you lose your family too?”
Bettina laughed bitterly. “Yes, and good riddance to all of them. When my husband’s business failed, no one came forward to help. It killed him. So they can all rot in . . .”
She saw the worried look on Lorraine’s face and stopped herself.
“Don’t fret about that,” she said. “Come on. I know a nice Chinese restaurant with a special luncheon menu.”
A short subway ride later, they walked through the red door of a restaurant called Jade Garden. Bettina had not been there since her husband’s death. But today, wearing a clean new dress, she walked in with her head held high. Yes, there was a reason the Lord had sent Lorraine to her.
The maître d’, a handsome middle-aged Chinese man in a black suit, smiled broadly as he greeted them.
“Mrs. Norwich,” he said. “It’s been a long time.”
Bettina’s grey eyebrows went up.
“You remember me?”
“Of course,” said the Chinese. “I never forget anyone.”
He looked down at the child with questioning eyes.
“Oh, this is my grandniece,” Bettina lied. “Lorraine. She’s visiting me.”
“Welcome, little girl,” the man said. “I’ll show you to a table.”
He handed them menus and walked away.
“Do you want me to read it to you?” Bettina asked.
“I can read,” Lorraine said. “I’ll have this.”
She turned her menu around and pointed to an item. Bettina laughed.
“Lorraine, that’s written in Chinese!”
Lorraine read the words out loud.
“It means ‘chicken with peanuts’, “ she said.
Quickly Bettina thumbed through the extensive menu until she found the number that matched the Chinese translation. Sure enough, it described a dish with chicken and peanuts. She shook her head.