Taken for a Ride

Chapter 1

As I drove slowly along the quiet tree-lined street in Sydney’s northern suburbs, my car’s navigation system said, “Arriving at destination, left.” I turned my car into the driveway of the small bungalow, mentally rebuking myself for my slight surprise at how pleasant and well-maintained my housekeeper’s home appeared to be. I got out of the car and walked to the front door, hearing the vehicle lock itself as I stepped away. I pressed the doorbell, and after a short wait, the door was opened by a teenage girl who was much taller than me. She looked down at me with surprise.

I had recently returned to Sydney after an extended period working in Shanghai. In China, I employed a housekeeper to take care of my chores and cook my meals, and I decided to do the same on my return to Sydney. It is not so common in Australia, but why not? After interviewing several possibles, I hired an attractive middle-aged Chinese lady, Mrs Chun “June” Liang, who had a seventeen-year-old daughter, Lusi “Lucy” Liang. I gathered that Mrs Liang was separated from her husband, but I didn’t like to pry into her personal life, so I didn’t know the details.

“Hi, I’m Anli Feng, and you must be Lucy? Your mother is expecting me,” I gestured towards my car, “we arranged for me to help her take some stuff to St Vincent’s to donate because my car is bigger.” She continued to stare at me. “Is something wrong?” She blinked and visibly gathered her thoughts.

“You’re Ms Feng? Please come in.” She stepped aside, holding the door open. “N-no! I’m sorry, it’s just- you’re, well, not what I expected when Mum told me you would be calling round. You’re much younger than I thought; how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-seven,” I answered her rather gauche question with an inner sigh. I’m slender and barely one-fifty centimetres tall, so I was all too aware that I looked younger than my true age. It has always made it difficult for me to get people to take me seriously, so I dress smartly and wear my hair up in a bun to look older. Even so, I’m usually carded when I go to a bar or bottle shop, even though the legal drinking age in Australia is only eighteen. For today I had dressed casually in old clothes since I anticipated lifting and carrying, and my hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, so Lucy could be forgiven for her reaction, I supposed. From a distance, a stranger might think Lucy was older than I.

Lucy led me down the narrow hall past several cardboard boxes that I assumed held the items Mrs Liang wanted to donate and into a small bedroom at the back of the house. Mrs Liang was sorting clothes into piles on the bed. They appeared to be girls’ clothes but looked too small for Lucy. Presumably, they were old clothes she had outgrown, and Mrs Liang was deciding which items to donate and which to throw away.

《Thank you so much for coming, Ms Feng,》Mrs Liang said in Mandarin.

《I’m happy to help,》I said, switching languages in turn. Her English was quite adequate, but she was more comfortable in her native tongue. Lucy, by contrast, sounded as if, like me, she had come to Australia as a young girl and spoke English fluently with an Australian accent. Better than me, in fact, because though I’m fluent enough, I’ve never been able to shed my Chinese accent.《Should I start loading those boxes in the hall?》

《I will help you. Lusi can finish sorting these; they are all her old clothes, after all. I expect you to finish these boxes before I get back, Daughter.》

《Yes, Mama,》Lucy blushed at being ordered around in front of me, but that’s Chinese parents for you. Mine were just as bad. As her mother bustled out, I pulled a sympathetic face behind her back. Lusi rolled her eyes but started on the clothes.

I followed Mrs Liang back down the hall. She picked up one of the boxes, but I slipped past her and trotted out to the car to open the tailgate before running back to pick up another box, my ponytail swinging behind me. By the time I got back to the car, Mrs Liang had loaded her box into the boot, and I slid mine in next to it.

《You have the energy of a young girl, Ms Feng,》Mrs Liang chuckled.

《I just try to keep fit. Come on, plenty more boxes to go.》

Together we loaded the remaining boxes into my car. I noticed that I carried two for every one Mrs Liang managed, but I guessed that was to be expected considering our age difference. It was a hot day, and I was sweating by the time we finished. My car’s air-conditioning was a welcome relief as I drove us to the St Vincent de Paul shop in Chatswood. When I reversed into the loading dock, however, there was no sign of the workmen who normally unloaded vehicles, so Mrs Liang and I had to do it ourselves. There was no shade in the dock, so it was hot work. On the way home, we joked about whether any merit we gained from our charity was worth the effort.

《You’re one of the angels with dirty faces today,》Mrs Liang chuckled.

《What do you mean?》

《You have a black streak on your forehead,》she gestured to her own face.

When we stopped at the next red light, I checked my face in the vanity mirror on the back of my sun visor and saw the broad streak where I must have wiped away sweat with the back of a dirty hand.

I clicked my tongue in exasperation and said,《I guess I’ll have to wash when we get back to your place.》The traffic light turned green, so I flipped up the visor, and we continued on to Mrs Liang’s home, where once again I parked in her driveway.

I followed Mrs Liang into the house, and she showed me to the bathroom. While I washed my hands and face, I heard raised voices, though I couldn’t make out the words over the sound of the running taps. I was just patting my face dry when there was a knock on the door, and I heard Lucy’s voice, “Can I come in?”

“Sure, come ahead,” I called out.

“Mum told me to ask if there was anything you needed.”

“No, I think I’m good.”

Lucy looked at me critically, “Your make-up is pretty much ruined; you might as well clean it all off. Let me help you.” She opened the bathroom cabinet and took out a pot of cleansing cream and a face cloth which she soaked with water in the washbasin. Before I could protest, Lucy cleaned off the make-up I’d applied that morning. When I opened my eyes after she finished, I noticed how well-scrubbed I looked in the mirror; not my usual self at all.

As I tidied my hair, I asked, “Is everything OK? I heard-”

“Oh yes,” Lucy cut me off, “Mum just wasn’t happy that I haven’t finished going through those old clothes.”

“Oh, that’s Asian parents for you,” I shrugged, “but you know your mum wants the best for you, right?”

“I suppose so, but you don’t know what it’s like to be treated like a child in front of strangers.

“Oh, I do! My mum was the same when I was a girl,” I protested, “and unlike you, I was always short for my age, making everyone treat me like a little kid.”

Lucy smiled down at me with a smile and chuckled, “Yes, I suppose I’m luckier than you there.”

Looking back at her, I had to agree, and it wasn’t just her height advantage either. Even at seventeen, Lucy’s statuesque physique was curvier than mine, and her voice was an attention-getting contralto. Though I shared her long straight black hair and dark brown eyes, I felt a twinge of envy because her looks reminded me so much of my own flaws. My short height, small bust, and high-pitched voice combined to make it a struggle to be taken seriously, and I’d had to work hard to achieve my success. Her obvious amusement triggered all my hidden insecurities, and I thought I could see a hint of a superior smirk. Together, we went looking for her mother and found her in the back bedroom, sorting clothes.

She turned to us as we entered and said,《Thanks to my lazy daughter, these boxes are not ready to donate, so-》She broke off and looked at me strangely.

Embarrassed by how she was putting Lucy down, I said,《It doesn’t matter, Mrs Liang; I’ll be more than happy to come round and help another day.》She came over and smiled down at me. Standing in my flat sneakers rather than the high heels I usually wore, I was more conscious than ever that, like her daughter, she was a lot taller than I.

Mrs Liang walked with me to my car, and we chatted for a while about chores that needed to be done at my house. After a few minutes, Lucy came out. To my surprise, she’d exchanged her jeans for skin-tight knee-length capris and was buckling on a cycling helmet.

“Going for a ride, Lusi?” I called out.

“Just to the shops; Mum gave me a list.” Lucy smiled and walked to the garage door. She opened it and wheeled out a bicycle with drop handlebars.

“That looks like a nice bike. Is it new?”

“I’ve had it a few months. I’d totally outgrown my old one,” she said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. I looked in that direction and saw an obviously-older bicycle leaning against the garage wall.

“Oh, a BMX bike,” I exclaimed, “I used to have one of those. Did you race?”

“No, it was just on sale when Dad went to buy me a bike.” She grinned mischievously, “Do you want to give it a try? Mum plans to donate it to St Vincent’s along with my old clothes, so I’ve cleaned it and pumped the tyres.”

The sight of the old bike had triggered a flood of happy nostalgic memories from my childhood, so I nodded, “Sure, but just a quick ride around the yard?”

Lucy propped her bike on its kickstand and wheeled her old bike out to me. I rolled up the right leg of my jeans to keep it away from the oily chain, took hold of the handlebars, stepped over the frame, and rode off as Lucy stepped out of the way. The front yard was small and partly occupied by my car, so there wasn’t room for more than a few small circles, but the little bike handled the turns easily. It was a bit embarrassing to find that a kid’s bike fit me so well, but I still enjoyed it and pulled up next to Lucy.

Mrs Liang walked over, clapping her hands. “Well done, Ms Feng. This gives me an idea. Could you ride with Daughter to the shops? You’re an adult and can make sure she doesn’t waste time hanging out with friends.”

I didn’t want to go along with this flagrantly condescending treatment of Lucy, so I said, “I don’t have a helmet, so I can’t ride on the road. And I’m sure Lucy is quite responsible enough to ride by herself.”

To my surprise, Lucy piped up, “Oh, come on, it’ll be fun, and I’ve got an old helmet that I’m sure will fit you.” She took my hand and practically dragged me off the bike and into the house.

“I’ll watch your bikes,” Mrs Liang called out behind me as Lucy led me to the back bedroom and began rummaging in boxes.

“Are you sure about this, Lucy?” I asked, “You obviously don’t need a babysitter, and I can just tell your mum that I have to go.”

“No, it’s OK. When Mum gets a bee in her bonnet, it’s just easier to go along. Now, do you really want to ride in the clothes you’re wearing? It’s a hot day, and they’ll get all sweaty.” She held up a pink tee shirt and looked me over thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure we’ve got clothes that will fit you. You’re about the size I was when I was in junior high school.”

“Wear your old clothes? I don’t know-”

“Don’t worry, they’re all washed and clean,” Lucy cut me off and handed me a small bundle of clothes. “Pop into the bathroom and try these on.”

Uncertainly, I took the bundle into the bathroom, where I shook out the clothes and found they were the pink tee shirt and a pair of black stretch capris similar to those Lucy was wearing, but plainer, without the obvious ‘sports gear’ trimmings. I took off my sneakers and jeans and pulled on the capris. They did fit well, though the elastic fabric compressed my bottom. I took off my blouse and wriggled into the tee shirt. It felt a little tight, but Lucy seemed to have judged my size pretty well, and I inspected myself in the mirror. I pulled a face, seeing how the shirt stretched and puckered over my bra. I returned to Lucy and said, “I don’t think this top will do. It’s too small.”

“It’s your bra that’s the problem, I think,” she rummaged in one of the boxes and pulled out a plain white bra, “but if you swap it for this one, I think you’ll be fine.” Uncertainly, I took the bra from her. It was pretty obviously a training bra, and I looked at it dubiously. “Come on, hurry up. We mustn’t keep Mum waiting.”

“OK, I’ll try it, but it’s probably too small.” I returned to the bathroom and took off the tee shirt and my bra. I put on the training bra and found, to my chagrin, that it fitted perfectly, though it flattened my already small breasts almost completely. I had barely put the tee shirt back on when Lucy burst through the door.

“How is it? Does it fit? Oh!” She stared at me for a moment, then grabbed my bra from where I’d hung it over the towel rail. She ran her fingers over the cups, feeling the artful padding, and struggled to suppress a smile at how much of my bust had disappeared with my discarded underwear. “That’s it, you look great! Put your shoes on, and I’ll get your helmet.”

I sat on the toilet to lace up my sneakers, then stood up and looked at my reflection in the mirror over the basin. Although I’d expected it, I was shocked at how young I looked; about fifteen, I thought. I supposed it didn’t matter; I wasn’t going to see anyone I knew, but I worried that seeing me like this might change my relationship with Mrs Liang. Lucy was still opening boxes, so I wandered out to her mother. As I stepped out of the front door, Mrs Liang greeted me with a big smile.

《I know, I know. I look ridiculous, don’t I?》

《Nonsense,》she shook her head,《you look perfect! Very cute!》That wasn’t as reassuring as she intended, I thought. As I reached her, she lowered her voice,《I am so glad you’re going with my daughter. She thinks she’s grown up, but she’s not too old to benefit from adult supervision.》

Before I could reply, Lucy came running out with my helmet. It was a mainly pink skate-style, with cartoon flowers printed all over the shell. She handed it to me, saying, “Here, I set the adjuster to largest. Let’s see if it fits.” I put the helmet on, pulling my ponytail through the back porthole and settling it on my head. Lucy knelt down behind me and turned the adjustment wheel. It seemed to take a lot of clicks before the helmet sat firmly. “There, I needn’t have bothered; I think you’re the same size as I was when I last wore it.” She fastened the buckle, closing the strap snugly under my chin. Then she stood up, and mounted her bike, while I hopped onto the old BMX and rode it around in a circle until I was alongside.

“Ready?” Lucy said. I nodded. As we rode out of the gate, I noticed Mrs Liang had her phone out, obviously taking photographs of us. This was embarrassing, but I didn’t see any harm in it. We crossed the pavement and turned onto the road, Lucy leading the way.