Alex asked, “Lily, is it OK that we camp tonight and stay in a hotel tomorrow?”

“It’s fine with me. But why camp if we can find a hotel?”

He cast me a mysterious glance, then reached to playfully pat my cheek. “Because I want to make love to you in the desert under the stars.”

In response, I smiled back, hoping I looked mysterious.

Alex said, “Lily, I love it when you smile. Your lips droop a little and you look so detached and daring.”

“Thanks,” I said, then smiled more.


An hour later, a restaurant appeared beside the road with a signboard written in Chinese: UNICORN PAVILION.

I gave my lover’s shoulder a hard push. “Wow, a Chinese restaurant! Let’s stop!”

Alex’s eyes followed where my finger pointed, and a big smile bloomed on his face. “Good work, Lily, we’ll eat here.”

As he slowed to stop, he said excitedly, “I’ll order sweet and sour pork, double-cooked pork belly, and roasted pork over rice. I’ve had enough of lamb and mutton. Now I want ‘oink, oink!’ ”

The restaurant was attached to a small hotel, so I suggested to Alex that we should stay there instead of camping, and he reluctantly agreed. There was no double-cooked pork belly, but we happily ordered a hearty meal of pork buns, roast pork over rice, sesame-sprinkled bread, and stir-fried vegetable noodles, all of which we washed down with jasmine tea. After lunch, we asked the Chinese owner to take pictures for us. Then he helped us with the luggage and led us to our room. I didn’t expect much but was still dismayed by the cramped room with stained walls and sticky floor, decorated only by an enamel spittoon, and lit by a single naked bulb hanging from the ceiling. However, across from the bed was a TV set. Wow. Maybe we’d even have the good luck to have sex with a movie about sex in the background. I chuckled at my own nonsense.

“Something funny?” Alex asked.

I whispered my thoughts.

As soon as the owner had left and the door closed behind us, Alex smiled playfully. “Ma’am, your wish is granted.” Then he lifted me up, threw me onto the bed, and started to take off my clothes. I pushed him away; he pulled me back.

Just then, to our utter shock and surprise, a tall woman charged in without knocking; set down a thermos of hot water, two porcelain teacups, and two towels; then cast us a disapproving look and left without a word.

Alex and I stared at each other’s comical expressions, then burst into laughter.

“Welcome to life on the Silk Road in China!” he said, then tried to grab me again.

“Alex, stop that, we’re filthy. Look at you—your face and clothes are completely covered by dust! Go take a shower, now.”

“Please, let’s do that afterward.” He pleaded like a child asking for his favorite candy.

“No, go right now!” I was surprised to hear my voice like that of a stern mother talking to her unruly child.

He uttered a dejected, “Yes, ma’am,” and left for the communal bathroom.

During my turn, it was not surprising to find that the water was just a trickle of lukewarm, brownish liquid and the walls as filthy and slimy as the ground. People must have wiped their noses or even peed on them. This was the most unpleasant, unromantic bathing experience I’d ever had. But I closed my eyes and remembered when Alex saw my half-naked body striking erotic poses in the legendary Concubine Yang’s spa. From that moment on, I had become his femme fatale and he my homme carnal. I smiled, despite showering in a dirty bathroom where ironically I was trying to rub myself clean.

Suddenly, after the unsatisfactory shower, I needed to find the toilet, to do my business, hopefully with satisfaction. There was no need to ask where it was. I just followed the stink—more effective and less confusing than any visual signpost—leading me to my destination, which was about ten yards from the hotel.

The toilet looked even more disheartening than I’d expected—and my expectation was pretty low in this part of China. It was shielded only by four flimsy, wooden planks. Cracks between the “walls” were so wide that people didn’t need to peek but could easily see all. Inside, everything left by previous visitors was on open display. Holding my breath, I braced myself to go inside, pulled down my pants, and tried my best. While still in the nurturing stage, suddenly I heard some strange noises coming from underneath me. Seized by an unspeakable panic, I snatched up my pants and yelled, “Who’s there? Pervert! I’m going to call the police!”

The noise continued loud and clear despite my threat. This just couldn’t be a Peeping Tom, or Wong. Could it?

Gingerly I looked down to see two big, curious eyes staring back at me.

Those of a fat pig, its coat crusted with… Yuck!

Just as I was about to step out of the pit, the noise rose again, this time even louder.

“What’s a pig doing underneath the toilet?” I muttered to myself.

However, feeling somewhat relieved that at least it was not a John or a Tom or a Wang, I shooed the pig away, pulled my pants down, and successfully relieved myself.

Just then a great commotion arose like a small carnival below me.

“Oh, my God, what’s happening?” I quickly wiped my bottom, pulled up my pants, and looked down. To my utter shock and disgust, there was a whole group—adult, teenage, and baby pigs—competing to snatch up what my bottom had just dropped!

I dashed outside the toilet and sprinted back to the hotel as if chased by the King of Hell wielding a rusty sword.

After I plunged into our room, a startled Alex stared at me. “You OK?”

Still panting heavily, I asked, “Alex, are you going to use the bathroom?”

“Yeah, why not?” He made a funny face. “Anyone there?”

“No.”

“Then what’s up?”

“It’s for me to know and for you to find out.” I giggled. “Be careful what you wish for… you’ll be getting your oink, oink….”

Alex threw me a puzzled look, grabbed the toilet paper, and left. I decided that while he’d be conducting his business cheered by his beloved “oink, oink,” I’d take a walk to stretch my limbs and calm myself. On the ground there was practically nothing to see except a few telephone poles above and tiny lizards darting around below. The sky, however, had turned a striking purple, set off by a few reddish gold clouds. In the very far distance, a dry tree trunk surrounded by bushes looked like it was trying to touch the sky, as if bridging heaven and earth. The image was so unexpectedly beautiful that I felt lost, imagining myself the first human at the beginning of time. I rushed back into the hotel to snatch my camera, then dashed back out to snap pictures.

It was the chirping of a bird that pulled me back to the here and now and the darkening sky. I suddenly thought that Alex must be back and worrying about me. I started to run back to the hotel.

To my great relief, Alex was sound asleep in bed. Poor thing! He must have been exhausted from the long day’s driving. Feeling totally awake myself, I sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, keeping the volume low, and tried to see if there was anything interesting to keep me company. Alas, it was snowing heavily—not outside, of course, but on the screen. I twisted the antenna for a few minutes before I could finally recognize that it was a kung fu movie with ferocious faces, swift-flying legs and fists, and Bruce Lee-esque howling. After a few more minutes, during which I could not see through the “snowstorm” to decide who was the hero and who the villain, I turned it off.

Finally boredom took over so I switched off the light and crawled into bed. Although Alex was sound asleep, I could feel his body heat envelop me. I was also relieved that sex was not in the cards, since it looked like he was going to sleep through the night. However, even in his deep sleep, occasionally he’d reach out to hold me, grasp my hand, or touch my leg, then gave out a few satisfied murmurs before he fell back into oblivion.

My young lover, silent and motionless except for his chest’s gentle heaving, turned into a child in front of me. Staring at his innocence and vulnerability I felt overwhelmed by an expansive tenderness. A motherly voice told me that I should be the one who’d protect and take care of him, not the other way around. Poor child, he must have long suffered from his biological parents’ abandonment, then his adoptive parents’ emotional neglect. He must be very lonely. I couldn’t remember him ever mentioning any friends, male or female. Did he have any?

I cuddled against Alex and buried my face in his naked chest, feeling his heart beating with mine in the dark. As I was letting the day’s cares melt away, I suddenly felt a sharp sting on my right toe, and a loud “Aiiiya!” shot out from my mouth.

Alex sprang up from the bed and pulled me to him. “Are you hurt?” he asked, his arms protective and his voice frightened.

“My foot!”

“Wait,” he said, and went to snap on the light.

Feeling the sharp, throbbing pain escalating, I yelled, “Alex, it’s my right toe!”

“Don’t move and let me take a look.” He knelt down by the bed and lifted my foot. “My God, it’s red and swollen.”

Before I had a chance to respond, Alex was already sucking hard at my toe and spitting out brownish liquid. I was too frightened even to ask him to stop. Oh, God, I’m not ready to die. Please just let me go in and come out of this terrible desert!

Finally Alex stopped, big beads of perspiration oozing from his forehead and coursing down his cheeks.

He said, his expression dead serious, “Lily, we’d better go to the hospital right now.” Despite the gentle sound, I knew it was an order, not a suggestion.