sidhe_faerie | Lost Brother

Lost Brother

PHOTO 5 a person in a straw hat sitting in a park on a bench

WC 337

“Hello Mama Chin.” Shelly sat down on the bench next to the petite Asian woman. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes child, I want you to find my brother. He lives in San Francisco. He hasn’t called me in a while. I’m worried. I tried calling him, but his phone is disconnected. I'm an old woman and he is my only brother.”

“Do you have his address and a recent photo?” Shelly asked.

“Yes child, I know how this goes. I watch Magnum PI you know. I have it on DVD.” Mama chin pulled out a photo and an envelope from her purse. “This is his last letter.”

Shelly took the photo and the letter. She looked inside. “It’s in Chinese.”

“Yeah. We came over together as small children, but our parents made sure we could read and write in Chinese. We write letters to keep in practice. I put a translation in there. He is mostly talking about a new job and his girlfriend. She’s a floozy.”

Shelly resisted the urge to smile. “I’ll get out there and track him down. I have a contact out there that can get things started for me. She went to the police academy with my ex-husband.”

“The hottie with the nice butt?7 Yeah. I remember him. He likes my duck.” Mama Chin nodded. “You need to get back on that. That's some prime real estate.”

Shelly laughed. “We're trying to work things out. Its slow going.”

“Good.” Mamma Chin grinned. “You need each other. Life is easier when you have someone to share your shit. Me and Papa Chin been married for 40 years now.”

“I promise to bring him for duck when I find your brother.”

“Deal! How much is this gonna cost?” Mama Chin opened her purse.

“Three dinners for two?” Shelly wasn't going to take her money.

“Okay! Deal!” Mama Chin looked at her watch and stood up. “Thank you. You're a good girl. Gotta go.”

Shelly watched the old woman rush off and smiled.