Chinaman's Chance

The office door started to give and I fired a couple more rounds to discourage them and using the safe as cover. I was feeling the heat and Sally must have been feeling it, too. "What are you doing?" she cried.

"Roasting some pig," I called back.

"Let me out of here!"

"I'm not stopping you."

"The door is stuck and it's hot."

"Tough shit, bitch!"

"I can't breathe!" She started screaming and I stopped paying attention. My revenge would be complete in a matter of moments. I wouldn't survive to see it, but that didn't matter to me now. If there were such a thing as an afterlife, perhaps I would be reunited with Chen. I could hear men yelling and women screaming. I hoped everyone was getting out okay. I was having trouble breathing, too. The fire-weakened floor combined with the weight of the safe collapsed the floor beneath me and I felt myself falling to my death.

At least I thought it was my death.

I certainly never expected to survive.

I heard voices. Was this the afterlife? I opened my eyes.

"She's conscious," someone said.

I found myself surrounded by paramedics, firefighters and my crew-members. I was strapped to a gurney with my head immobilized. There was a needle in my arm with a tube leading to an I.V. bag.

"How long have I been out?"

"Not long. Fifteen minutes or so," was the answer. It had all been a vivid dream. I chalked it up to something I ate the night before. I was taken to the hospital for observation and treated for concussion and various bumps and bruises. Things got weird after that. Looking in the mirror while washing up, I found I had a scar on my left cheek. It was the scar I suffered when Madame Bordeaux cut me. How could that have happened? It was just a dream.

Then I was told I was pregnant. I hadn't had sexual relations with anyone in months except in my dream. In my dream I missed my period just after Chen's death. No other symptoms so I just blamed it on stress. This was impossible.

I finally got released two days later. They had me sign a release for the return of my valuables. I didn't realize I had any valuables to get returned. In the envelope I found three double eagles, my wedding ring, and my gold locket with Chen's portrait inside. I knew I was going insane. I started crying.

"Would you like to talk to a counselor?" the clerk asked.

"No, thank you." I took a flight home to L.A.

My parents were thrilled to learn my career as a stunt performer was probably over. They were not thrilled to hear I was pregnant and downright hostile when I told them I was going through with the pregnancy and raising the baby on my own since the father was dead. I just knew in my heart that I was carrying Chen's child.

"How long are you going to continue shaming your family?" my mother asked.

"I will stop immediately," I said. I packed my bags and moved in with a girlfriend. I started burning through my savings fairly quickly. I sold the double eagles to a collector. There was no way in hell I was going to part with my ring or locket. I was resigned to becoming a welfare mother. Then I received an envelope full of cash from Mom. "Don't tell your father," she wrote. A week later, I received another envelope full of cash from Dad. "Don't tell your mother," he wrote. A while later, I received some more cash from my brother and sister. "Don't tell Mom or Dad," they wrote. I was happy to know my family still loved me despite the heartache I brought them. The money came in handy.

I gave birth to a son. I named him Chen after his father. He looks just like his father. I sent his baby picture to my family. That brought more gifts of cash and an invitation to move back home. All was not forgiven, but they still wanted me to go back to school and make something of myself since I now had a child to raise. I told them I would think about it and let them know.

A couple of days later, I answered a knock at my door. A well-dressed Asian man was standing there.

"May I help you?" I asked. He just stared at me until I started feeling uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"

"Please excuse me for staring," the man replied and handed me a business card. It introduced Harvey Wong, an attorney.

"I have no need for an attorney," I said. "The studio paid for my hospitalization and I have no complaint."

"I am not a personal injury attorney. This is rather confidential. May I come in and speak with you?" Why not? I nodded and allowed him to enter. I showed him a chair and offered him a refreshment. He declined.

"My room-mate is out and the baby is asleep. We shouldn't be disturbed unless he wakes up."

"Your baby?" I nodded.

"His name is Chen after his father."

"That is who I represent, or rather his estate."

"There must be some mistake. The only Chen I know of is Lee Chen. He was shot to death in 1882 and left no estate."

"On the contrary. He survived that shooting and lived until 1940."

"That's impossible! I was there when he was shot. He fell in the water. I...I tried to save him." I was sobbing and shouting. I wasn't thinking about waking the baby. "I don't understand. If he survived, why did he allow me to believe he was dead?" I couldn't believe Chen could be so cruel.

"He was picked up near death by a merchant ship in the bay already heading out to sea. It was a mainly Chinese crew, so I guess they felt sorry for him and nursed him back to health. He was out of touch for three full months. By the time he was able to cable Maggie Hooper and let her know he was alive, the incident at Madame Bordeaux's parlor house had occurred and you had already disappeared."

I finally calmed down and nodded. It was a satisfactory explanation. Chen would have let me know he was alive had he been able. I was happy he survived yet sad that I had gone on my killing spree and missed spending the rest our lives together.

"You must think me mad talking like I was there and yet you sound like you believe me or at least you are humoring me?"

"I would never try to prove it in a court of law, but yes I believe you were there. How else can I explain these photographs?" He displayed photographs of Chen and me taken by Maggie. Mr. Wong also displayed a copy of my investment instructions I gave to Maggie. He said it matched handwriting samples from an essay I wrote in school. I wondered how they got a hold of that.

"Thank you for coming here to tell me my husband survived," I said. "I feel much better for it. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" I could hear my baby stirring. He would need changing and feeding. I was too shy to breastfeed in front of strangers. I wished Chen would have been able to hold his son in his arms.

"Yes, your husband made a great fortune following your investment instructions with the money you left to Miss Hooper. He took part of the money and established a trust in your name in the hopes you survived the conflagration at Madame Bordeaux's and returned to your own time. The trust's present value is 3.6 billion dollars. If you are able to live on the interest without touching the principal, your son's grandchildren will be reaping the benefits.

I gaped at the attorney. "I can do that."

Well, I was able to decline my parents' invitation to move back home. I bought a home of my own and I am able to be a full time mother to my son. We live modestly. There's no sense stirring up curiosity or resentment. I learned that from Chen.

Chen didn't just leave me money. He left me hundreds of love letters in the hopes that I might someday read them. I'm reading them now. He also left a journal of how he helped all the people who helped us in our adventure. I hope you have enjoyed my tale.