Page 101 of Roberto

While I waited, I stood there in a daze and replayed the last 15 minutes in my head.

No matter how many times I went over it, I couldn’t understand how everything had gone so terribly wrong.

A bright red cab eventually showed up and took me back to the hotel.

As soon as I got back to my room, I immediately proceeded to get shit-faced.

I poured myself glass after glass of scotch. As I drank, I stared out at Hong Kong as the sun set and the lights of the city began to come up.

Over the next several hours, I returned again and again to the same possibilities.

As the owner of an illicit club, Mei-ling might’ve had some sort of run-in with the Chinese triads.

Maybe gangsters had extorted or threatened her. Maybe she hated anyone connected with organized crime as a result.

That would explain the gun: protection from mobsters.

Or maybe she’d had an ex who was abusive.

Or maybe there was something horrible in her past… some kind of sexual assault.

Any of those would explain the gun – but they didn’t explain Mei-ling’s absolute terror when I told her about my family.

She hadto havesomekind of issue with organized crime that made her react that way.

An ex who was a member of a triad, maybe?

Once I was sufficiently drunk, I decided to call her.

It rang three times before going to voicemail.

“Mei-ling,” I slurred, “we need to talk. Call me.”

I paused for a second, then added, “Please.”

Within seconds of me hanging up, I got a text from her.

I told you never to contact me again.

I started typing out my response, but my fingers were clumsy from the booze.

Before I could finish, I received another text:

I’m blocking you. Leave me alone. I never want to speak to you again.

I cursed as soon as I saw the message, but sent what I’d written anyway.

i dont know what happened but we can work it out i’m not what you think

I stood there staring at my screen, hoping for a response.

It never came.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, I called her again.

This time, it went immediately to voicemail.

I knew she’d blocked me, but I still left a message, just in case.

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