Capítulo 3: A hint please!
Okay so I'm in a red light district. That's fine, it's all good. The setting doesn't matter I just need to save one woman, just one very specific woman in a place where the population is mainly prostitutes.
No biggie.
Fuck this I may as well just finish the job and die right now.
How the hell am I supposed to do anything here!?
I'm a modern woman. I've gone through sex ed in school, browsed the internet, had my college flings and laughed it up at my friends' bachelorette parties. Has anyone ever hear girls talk, it gets nasty.
That's not the problem.
I'm literally in such a high risk area. Anything that could kill a woman would be here. Hell I could be killed right now as an innocent bystander! The statistic of sexually transmitted diseases and violent deaths run through my head in a mass video compilation.
How do I save a woman in a red light district! ?
I can't just grab her and run! What if she's already has an illness? What if her pimp chases after us? Or her lover? Will the guards even let us go? Then what? We die regardless!
Oh and I still don't even know who she is.
Just greeeeeeeeat.
My feet keep diligently moving through my mental breakdown. You can't hear various woman yelling out innuendos and prices to who knows what if you're consumed by your own thoughts. Can't hear a thing.
Honestly I'm not sure what's worse.
Either way I arrive at the plum tree grove in no time. The peaceful sight of the newly bloomed buds swaying in the night room provides such a contrast to the bustling street. I don't calm down instantly but it helps,
Isn't that how it always is with me?
When I'm tired or stressed or close to breaking down crying, didn't I just want to hide away somewhere nice. Somewhere safe and maybe pretty, until I felt better. Till I had the strength to keep going. During my bad times, my worse year, I would run away to cafes, parks and other such sceneries. Sometimes I would look busy typing on my phone or filling my notebook but for the most part I just sat there. I just rested.
The plum blossom grove is that place for me right now.
I just need a moment, to figure it all out, to calm myself down. Then I'll go back out there to find her, whoever she is. The mirror told me in its own way that these blossoms are the key.
"YanYan get back here! Ah! Watch out!"
My peace is broken with a crash and a fall, literally. Honestly I barely topple over, it's just more of a shock. One source of the crash however was a sobbing mess, and just a child.
"Hic, no no I don't want mama to have a baby. Hic I don't mama to die."
"YanYan!"
Two girls, barely out of childhood themselves hurry towards us in the distance after witnessing the accident. The child in front of me however stirs a sense of pity in me. Childbirth is always dangerous to women, in a place like this especially. It's not hard to be sympathetic.
I'm not a naturally kind person, nor am I a bad one. I think I'm just a normal person, and when faced with a crying child on the ground a good number of average people would lend a hand.
"There there, are you hurt anywhere. Can you get up? That's a good girl."
She sobs as I lift her to feet and hold her steady. She doesn't seem to be injured anywhere; the tears are from the pain inside her heart rather than anywhere on her body. That's the kind of pain no one can really fix.
A little kindness wouldn't cost me much anything. It's only right, natural for me to rummage my bag for tissues and a chocolate candy. Chocolate always helps. It worked in Harry Potter didn't it?
"You're okay, you're going to be okay. Can you take deep breathes for me, breathe just like I do. I'll give you a candy okay, it's super yummy. Now blow your nose right into this paper here, you'll breathe better."
When she calms down a little more I wipe her remaining tears away. She's dirty but I can tell she's a cute child underneath the mess.
"Good girl, have a treat on me."
Children are too trusting in this time, she really shouldn't accept things from strangers so easily. But it's a different time I suppose. She nods her head slowly, still hiccuping from crying so hard. I break of a piece of chocolate into her open mouth and watch the expression on her face change instantly
"Very good!"
Her body language instantly perks up and she turns her large wet eyes up at me as if to say thank you. But she freezes. Her expression changes so fast it scares me a bit.
"Are you okay?! Does it hurt somewhere! Oh no is the chocolate bad?"
"…Mama?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Hic Mama? Mama!"
The child latched into my chest and cries even harder than before. All I get is a wet sticky mess in my arms and less chocolate, well that's what I get for trying to be a nice person.
"I'm so sorry Ma'am. Yanyan let go right now!"
"Yanyan come back home, you can still see your mother. It's not too late."
"Right Yanyan, let go of the nice woman and-!!!"
Okay I'm thoroughly confused now. The teenagers in front of me are giving me the near same frozen stare as the kid gave me earlier. Don't tell me they'll cling to me crying too.
"Sister Lu Shan?"
"Pardon us miss, your face just resembles her mother so much."
"Yanyan please let go, your mother isn't her. You mama is back at the home right now and as soon as we find the doctor you mother will be ok. She'll gives birth and she'll be okay. The doctor will come soon."
If not for the hot mess crying into my chest I feel entirely cold. Plum blossoms, a crying child, a dying mother. The dots are connecting in my head. If this isn't my damn hint I don't know what is.
"Take me to her, please take me to her mother!"
"Miss?"
"I'm a doctor, I can help. Please we must hurry!"
It's a bold lie but it works. The preteens share a concerned look but agree to lead me back. I may not be a doctor but I don't know what the medical standards are in these times. I just know that if this isn't where all the hints lead then I'm doomed. I have a woman to save.
They take me to a large courtyard which leads into a tall grand building. It's old, broken down and obviously seen better days but still magnificent in its construction. Once inside though it screams brothel. We take a side route but it reeks of perfume and a hint of sex. The pretty women leading their patrons behind closed wood and paper doors are also a clear hint.
They take me up the stairs and usher me into a crowded room at the end of the hall. It's stuffed and filled with panicked women, emotions running high.
"What is this! How dare you bring an omen of death to this place?"
An old woman screams in our direction as I enter through the doorway. I can't give a crap though. There's another woman in labor in the bed and that's where my attention runnels to.
"Found you!"
"What is she- hey you stop, stop that woman in black!"
Fuck it, I guess need to fight the boss villain here before saving the day.
"I'm a doctor, let me save this woman first and then scream all you want. But right now is there anyone else?!"
"Preposterous! A strange woman like you saying you're a doctor! I'll have you arrested."
Yanyan's mother moans in pain from her spot and I snarl at the well dressed older woman, obviously the madam of the place.
"Do you want to carry her body down those stairs? Is that what you want?!"
She's so angry she can't seem to find the air the reply back. I have no time to deal with her though.
"Don't get in my way. I have a mother to save."
I call the two teenage girls from earlier over to take away YanYan and take off my coat. The room is full of woman and yet there's no one here has any mid wife sort of skills when I ask. They're all shaking in fear or staying silent.
If they don't answer as a group I'll order them one by one.
"You over there, get people to boil more hot water and bring it up here. GoQ I saw people in the kitchen. If you can boil bamboo leaves too."
"And you by the door, get clean towels, sheets, anything you can afford to get dirty"
"You bring me cushions, and scoot the chairs over here."
I must look absolutely crazy to them, I must look insane. But they rush off , hopefully to follow my orders. In the mean time I take the hand of the mother as gently as I can. I do not see myself laying there , we don't look that much alike in my opinion. But I do feel for her as another woman. I could see my own mother in her, bits and pieces of my cousins too.
"If you can hear me, breathe like I do."
I repeat a standard paced breathing technique. One they would teach at any prenatal care or hospital. The woman panics but I get her to copy me for the most part.
"Good, keeping doing that. Especially when you feel the contractions, I mean the pain. You will feel it in waves and you must breathe enough air."
During this time I examine her where I can. When a trough of hot water comes up I wash my hands. I don't trust the soap here if they even have any but I have hand sanitizer in my purse. I also take the time to pull out a disposable face mask. It's a shame I don't have sterile gloves.
"It's too crowded in here, please have some people leave the room and open the window."
"She'll disturb the guests!"
"Then have everyone leave! We need space and I'll call as soon as I'm done preparing. A screaming woman is the least of your guests concerns."
They relent after that and I'm alone.
I fumble with the mirror in my coat's pocket, oh mirror mirror please help me out here. Take me back to the office, please I don't have enough things here. I'll make do if I have to but please...
...Help me help her.
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