As soon as he kissed her, Derby knew he was in trouble. "Was it her delicate nature? Her vulnerable attitude? Was it her innocense? Her freshness? Was it his time away from home and the extreme circumstances of this trip? All this sexual upheaval and tumultuous drama?
Tsu Yen was even more shy, now that they had kissed, and seemed to want to hide but at the same time wanted to reach out and hold Derby. For his part, Derby wasn't quite sure what he felt. For one thing, he was certain that he regretted kissing her. He also felt a sweetness for this young lady. He wanted to help her but he wasn't sure what she needed. He wanted to protect her, but he didn't know what she feared. He wanted to heal her, but he didn't know what ailed her.
"Can you tell me why you think it is important to have a child with me?," he asked her, looking around the crowd to see who else may be listening.
"It because yo is nice puhson. I wed about de chilwen. De chilwen of Zo," she replied.
"You read The Children of Zol? Well, I like you more than ever!," Derby commended her.
"Yes. Vewwy goo stoh wee. Da peep po. Dey addicted to dare ewectwonic debises. Vewwy cwevvah," she complimented.
"Well thank you Tsu Yen! I'm glad you liked it. Actually, when I started the story, that was all the story line I had. But as it unfolded, I let the story take me along and I was as surprised as any readers may have been," he explained. "I knew of the surprise ending from the beginning, but most of the details of the story wrote themselves as I watched the words appear on the screen."
"So do yo know how dis stoh wee ends? De stoh wee of my baby?," Tsu Yen asked cautiously.
"Well no my dear. How would I know that? I'm standing here on a crowded ferry, nearing the Central Pier of Hong Kong, with a beautiful young lady," Derby answered, as he looked questionably at Tsu Yen for a clue. "Why would you imagine that I would know anything about your life or your future life involving children?"
"Be cos. Yo a magico man. A bum bul bee boy. Yes, yo a bum bul bee," she replied.
"A bumble bee? Why do you call me that?," Derby asked.
"A bum bul bee aw weez buzzing. Buzz buzz. Busy bee. Sticking his nose in da fwowahs. Taking out dah nectuh. Den putting dah nectuh in uhva fwowahs. Making nate tuh be fuw ov cuh wa. Boo tiful cuh wa. Aw de cuh wa's of dah wain bow."
"Well thank you Tsu Yen! That is lovely," Derby responded as if surprised to hear her analysis. "And so you thought maybe I should fertilize your flower too?"
This comment made her blush and she tried to hide her eyes.
"Misla Duhbe. Pweez no make fun do me. I know my we quess fo yo is vewwy un use full...un unisfull...un use pital...," she struggled to find the right word.
"Unusual? Yes," Derby agreed, "asking me to be the father of your child is unusual. Especially for someone who tried to kidnap me and whose partner was going to rip open my friend's throat with a fountain pen. And now who stands here on a crowded ferry, bound for the Central Pier in Hong Kong, surrounded by an international crowd. (Feels like a movie set of a complex romance tragedy film). Yes, indeed, we could agree, a very unusual request!"
"Misla Duhbey. I no tewwo yo aww. Deh is moh Misla Duhbey," she continued. "I sowwy to say. Deh is moh."
"Honestly Tsu Yen. I've had a body part (and a fairly important one for a man) turned into a huge flying red dragon. I've fallen in love with a beautiful woman (keep in mind I'm a married man) who turns out to be an aspect of myself. This I discovered after living in a bottle for a month, trapped in her body, never knowing I lived above an apartment no bigger than a shoe, and nearly had my head cut off."
Here Derby paused to see if she was paying attention. He noticed her mouth was open and her eyes were wide, and he recognized a character who wasn't much more aware of her complex surroundings than his own daughter who would turn fourteen in just a few days.
"So, you needn't fear that whatever you tell me," he continued, "will be hard for me to handle."
"OK, Misla Duhbe. Tank yo," she bowed and he knew she was Japanese. She bowed again. "Tank yo Misla Duhbe, Tank yo. My huz bin. He awso want yo to be my son's papa."
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