Lotus Will Bloom in Summer

We got in at midnight, exhausted and high on adrenalin. Kristen brushing her hair one more time. Riva's eyes had that beady, bright look kids get when they're about to collapse. Terminal turned out to be a warehouse. Huge and empty. No color, no murals, no chairs. No intercom. I felt less me, more a product shipped and headed for storage. The customs officers exceedingly stern. Khaki anyhow is intimidating. Fill out these forms. The kids shut up. One fact is resounding-outside or inside, it's COLD. Hey, I whispered, guess what: there is chocolate in China. How do you know? Riva hissed. Kristen was having hard second thoughts, certain now that this was a mistake. Eighteen and itching to get away from home, now stuck here with us day in and day out for the next six months. Only a fool would go off with parents; she should have stayed where the milkshakes are. Riva, twelve, just wanted to unpack her nightgown and get to bed. But there weren't even any chairs. Are there, she wondered, beds in China

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