Wild Ginger by Anchee Min Page A

are trying to teach the zoo dance again."
    "That is exactly what's going on. By the way, Mama, it's
Zhong
dance. 'Zhong,' for loyalty, not 'zoo.' You can get yourself in serious trouble if you mispronounce the word. They will name you a reactionary and treat you like Mrs. Pei."
    "Well, I just won't say that word again."
    "I am afraid that you have to. The Zhong dance in
structors are coming to teach in this neighborhood this week. Everyone has to show up. It's a public service you must attend. It's going to take up the whole week. The bosses at your work units have already been notified. All the workers will be given the work time to participate in the dance."
    "I'll take the time to sneak home," Mother said.
    "No, you will be punished if you do that," Erh-Mei warned. "There will be a performance at the end of the learning session. If you don't pass, your loyalty toward Chairman Mao will be questioned."
    "But I can't dance! I have never danced in my life!"
    "It's not a matter of can or can't dance. It's a matter of showing loyalty toward Chairman Mao. It's a matter of showing that all the people in the neighborhood are mobilized. We sing in one voice and dance in one style. It's a political demonstration to our enemies domestic and international. There is a competition among districts, and the instructors are already feeling very pressured."
    "Who are these people anyway?"
    "The Maoists."
    "Well, to teach me to dance would be like teaching a mute to sing."
    "You are lucky, Mama. The instructors are Maple's best friends, Wild Ginger and Evergreen. They'll let you take all the time you need. It might be fun."
    "Yeah. And my old face will have no place to hide. Just to think about it shortens my life."
    "If you are really embarrassed, there is a trick. You can ask to play the sunflower. That way, your face will always be behind the flower head."

    I didn't feel any better after the ginger soup, so I decided to take a walk. Throwing on my jacket, I went out the door. After a few blocks I turned into Red Sun Park. The mid-March weather was warm. The park was full of pink peach blossoms, thick and cloudlike. The ground was carpeted with petals.
    I lay down on a bench. Petals gently snowed down on my face. The sun's rays streamed through the branches. To avoid the sun, I turned my face to the side toward a bamboo pavilion. To my surprise, I saw a familiar figure sitting inside. I sat up to make sure. "Evergreen!" My voice betrayed me.
    It
was
he. He waved. He was in the same blue sportswear.
    "Don't tell me you are zoo dancing here!" I tried to be funny. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't know if I should move toward him or back out of the park. I thought about his naked back, his firm buttocks. I got up to walk toward him, but my feet became tangled. I felt that he somehow knew I had spied on him.
    "Oh, I am taking a break here." He stood up to greet me. "I am tired of teaching the dances."
    "Why don't you do that at home?" I decided just to stay where I was. We stood about fifteen feet away from each
other. The distance was awkward for conversation but it comforted me.
    "Well, I'm drafted constantly from my house."
    "You mean Wild Ginger?"
    He laughed. "No one escapes her."
    I tried to figure out the meaning between his lines.
    "You look deadly serious, Maple, like a party secretary. Come over, sit down. Let's have a chat, please."
    "I..." I looked around as if trying to find a clock. "I'm late. I have to get going."
    "Where?"
    "A ... drugstore. My mother is waiting for me."
    "If you are in such a hurry, why did you even come to the park?"
    I lost the courage to keep lying. "All right, I am not in a hurry."
    "Come on, I haven't seen you for a long time. You must tell me how you have been and you might be curious about how I've been."
    I saw you, heard you, and talked about you almost daily, my mind's voice said.
    "Tell me something, talk to me, Maple," he said, looking at me.
    The image of his naked body kept surfacing in