Books of a Feather Read Online Free

grabbed a cracker. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”
    â€œA brother.” He took a quick sip of wine. “And another odd story, if you care to indulge me.”
    â€œYes, definitely.”
    He smiled. “Perhaps you have heard of the one-child policy of China?”
    I pressed my hand to my mouth, chagrined. “That was so stupid of me. I forgot all about that law.”
    â€œNo, no. I don’t wish to make you feel bad. It’s a terrible policy that was finally changed just recently. My only point in mentioning it is that my parents were allowed to have two children.”
    â€œHow did that happen?” I was really intrigued now.
    â€œMy mother’s family is from Hong Kong and my parents were living there when my mother gave birth to me. She suggested that we stay there a few years longer in order to have more children. It was still a British protectorate at the time, so it didn’t fall under China’s one-child policy. The sad irony is that once we were there, my motherbegan having miscarriages, and the doctors decreed that she must stop trying to have children. The happy irony is that shortly after that we moved back to Beijing, and she found out she was pregnant. To avoid a forced abortion, she moved by herself to her sister’s farm, where Bai was born. And that is how I wound up with one brother.”
    â€œWow,” I said. “So once you were reunited, I guess you must’ve felt pretty lucky. The only boy in town with a brother.”
    Derek cleared his throat and took a sip of wine.
    Judging by that, there was something I didn’t know. I glanced from Derek to Crane. “Did I just step in it again?”
    Crane laughed. “No, no. Derek is reacting to the fact that he has met my unfortunate sibling.”
    â€œOh dear.” That didn’t sound good. “I’m sorry.”
    â€œI appreciate your concern,” he said. “But do most families not have what they call the black lamb?”
    â€œSheep,” Derek corrected, smiling.
    â€œAh. Black sheep. Of course. I confess, my brother, Bai, is one of the reasons I’m here this week.”
    Crane pronounced his brother’s name like the word
buy
, but I doubted it was spelled that way.
    â€œHe lives here?” I asked. “In San Francisco?”
    Disappointment and sorrow shadowed his expression. “He is currently residing in the city.”
    I shot Derek a desperate look. Leave it to me to ruin this happy reunion with his old friend. “I shouldn’t keep asking questions. I’m sorry.”
    Crane waved away my distress. “Don’t feel badly. It’s probably good for me to talk about it.”
    â€œYes, it’s therapeutic,” Derek said with a grin, and Crane chuckled. This seemed to be a topic they’d discussed before.
    I looked at Derek. “So you’ve met Bai?”
    Derek took up the story. “When Crane was sent to Eton, his brother demanded that he be allowed to go, too.”
    â€œI’m afraid Derek was a convenient target for Bai’s bad behavior. My brother was insistent on proving to Derek what a tough guy he could be.”
    â€œFor some reason,” Derek said with a shrug, “his brother didn’t like the fact that Crane had so many friends at school. Bai blamed me for that.”
    â€œAs a young man, my brother had what you’d call jealousy and rage issues.”
    â€œGive her some background, Crane,” Derek suggested, and turned to me. “It really is an intriguing story, darling.”
    â€œI’m dying to hear it, as long as you don’t mind talking about it.”
    â€œNo. Not at all.” Once again, Crane sat back in the red chair and told his story. “My mother is half English, the daughter of a prominent Hong Kong businessman. Like the father of my ancestor the painter, my mother wanted me to receive a Western education.”
    â€œDidn’t she want