‘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.’
‘Maybe later I’ll tell you more. Now is not the time.’
‘Later? You’ll tell me all about it?’
‘Later. I promise. I will.’
‘So teaching martial arts is a part of it?’
‘Yes. A very large part. I go out to teach as well.’
So that was what he did. He went out to give international spies their basic training in martial arts. How cool was this. ‘Can you teach me?’
He studied me carefully. ‘You want to learn?’
‘Yes!’
He watched me silently for a while. Then he turned away. ‘No. I won’t teach you.’
I opened my mouth to object.
He spoke before I had a chance to. ‘I won’t teach you. Don’t bother asking again, because the answer will always be no.’
‘Why on earth not? Is it because I’m a woman?’
‘Here they come. They’re both soaked.’
He was right. Simone was full of smiles, but Leo was miserable. He gestured at the bottom of his smart designer slacks. ‘Ruined.’
‘I’m all wet too,’ Simone said. She pulled at her T-shirt. ‘Leo hates it, Daddy, can you fix it for him?’
‘Simone…’ Leo said, warning.
Mr Chen rose. ‘Could you fold up the mat for us please, Miss Donahoe?’
‘Sure.’
When I’d finished folding the mat, both Simone and Leo were perfectly dry. Mr Chen took Simone’s hand and led her down the beach towards the statues. Leo followed. I brought up the rear, holding the mat and wondering.
The government had concreted the little peninsula at the end of the beach, and local rich people had donated statues of the various deities to be placed there. Most of them were life-sized, but some were enormous.
The two largest statues were of goddesses: one stood wearing flowing white robes and holding an urn; the other sat on a throne, wearing brightly coloured robes.
‘Is that Kwan Yin?’ I asked Mr Chen, pointing at the standing goddess.
‘Yes, it is,’ Mr Chen said.
‘I’ve heard about her, and seen her on temple tours.’ Everybody who’d spent any amount of time in Asia quickly learned to recognise Kwan Yin. People put statues and images of her everywhere, from small roadside altars to the front panels of taxis. The Goddess that Hears the Cries of the World. She was depicted in both Buddhist and Taoist temples, and was the only deity that the temple guides would talk about in detail. Everybody loved her; she was the spirit of mercy. She even had her own type of tea.
‘Who’s the other one?’ I said.
‘That’s Tin Hau, Goddess of the Sea.’
‘The same one as the MTR station?’
‘Yes. The station is called “Tin Hau” because there’s a temple nearby. Tin Hau has many temples in Hong Kong; the people here are traditionally seafarers, and she cares for them. Both of these ladies care for the sailors.’
‘What about the god in the temple