THE DRAGON WOK RESTAURANT: Chapter one

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

     First and foremost, I am happily retired at seventy-one. It's a little late to start writing, but that’s the beautiful thing about writing. There are no age restrictions. I hope this little blurb will encourage other seniors to take writing flight. My story won’t be the next Harry Potter, but it’s fun. I’m just an ordinary human trying to stay ahead of things. I watch my grandkids in their respective sports. I write, skate, play chess online and make homemade soups. This is my life, and I love it. I have always wanted to write, but life gets complicated in a good way. 

     I always have the same answer when people ask me how I am doing. God has seen fit to keep me on this earth.

 

SIDNEY BOLIVAR

 

THE DRAGON WOK RESTAURANT

Chapter One

The Temporary Portal:  

 

 Peter and Brent sat on an antique wooden bench outside the Dragon Wok Restaurant in Peachland, British Columbia. Peter wore a light-coloured short-sleeved shirt matching khakis and sketchers with pink tennis socks. Brent wore a darker shirt, matching shorts, and sketchers with no socks. They had a clear view of Okanagan Lake across the highway. It was a warm August evening with a slight breeze blowing. The lake was relatively calm, with a variable ripple on the surface. Their guests had not arrived, so they chatted up the restaurant to new and returning patrons. They were waiting for John and Louise.

Peter had sold the North Vancouver couple a lakefront condo in Summerland twenty-six kilometres south on Highway 97. Peter always took his clients out for dinner to say thank you. Peter had kept the restaurant busy after moving to Peachland from Kelowna the year before. The restaurant had little curb appeal except for the giant dragon hanging over the doorway. The dragon was eerily reminiscent of the Ogopogo, an Indigenous legend that has garnered much attention. The restaurant owner, Lee, was born in Hong Kong in the Year of the Dragon and believed fortune and good luck would follow, and if you heard his tale, it had. The streetscape may have been less appealing, but the Cantonese cuisine was to die for. Patrons came from far and wide and from all walks of life. Rumour has it that even Wayne Gretzky had eaten here. The only disappointment was the slight acrid taste of lingering smoke from local forest fires. It was regrettable, but it wasn’t going to spoil the evening.

 John texted Peter from the parking lot to the left of the restaurant.

“We are here.”

“I see you. “ Peter waited for John and Louise to walk up.

“Welcome to Peachland, the crown jewel of the Okanagan.” Peter pointed to the restaurant. “You will not be disappointed.”

John stared at the non-descript façade but was fascinated with the dragon. “Is that the Ogopogo?”

“Not the Ogopogo replied Peter. I’ll let Lee explain this dragon. Ok?  Peter introduced his partner Brent to John and Louise, and the four of them walked to the front door. Lee was waiting for them.  

“Lee, meet John and Louise.”

 “What’s the story behind the dragon above the door.”

“John, this was a piece of driftwood found on the beach across from the restaurant. I had a carver do his thing. It was a sign. 欢迎 (huān yíng) (welcome).” Instead of a handshake, Lee bowed deeply.  

Lee accompanied Peter, Brent, John, and Louise to their table. As John and Louise walked through the door, they felt like they had stumbled onto a movie set. The retro tables and chairs were screaming Fists of Fury.

“Peter, you didn’t say anything about this.”

“I did say you wouldn’t be disappointed.”

The nondescript exterior did not reflect what was going on inside. Cinnamon incense was burning in the foyer. Red, green, and yellow lanterns hung from the ceiling. The light from the flickering candles danced onto the blackness. The walls were covered with bamboo-covered wallpaper. Lee ushered them into a private room with the walls papered with black and white dragons on red velvet wallpaper. On the wall directly across the room from the doorway was a giant black and white dragon painted on a red background. A form of illusionism brought the dragon to life. The large round table in the middle of the room had a large revolving tray. The four high-back chairs were fitted with red velvet cushioned seats.

Susan put her hands to her face. “This is incredible!”

Lee politely pulled out each chair, and everyone sat down. Susan’s head was on a swivel. She had a feeling the dragon was watching her.

Once seated, Lee asked John and Louise if they knew why his restaurant had so many dragons.

“We don’t know.”

“Dragons in Chinese culture symbolize great power, good luck and strength.”

Yarrow, their waitress, stood quietly off to the side.

“This is Yarrow; she will be your waitress this evening.”

Louise interrupted, “Your name, it is very unusual. I know that yarrow is a spice, but to name a child Yarrow intrigues me.”

“My mom grew Yarrow for medicinal reasons and thought it would be a cool name. It's unisex, so it didn’t matter whether her firstborn was a girl or a boy. She also grew Calendula and named my sister Calendula. It blooms most of the year, so my mom thought it would be a romantic and extravagant name for a daughter.”

 “In China, Yarrow is seen as a sign of good luck, so we are delighted to have Yarrow working here,” added Lee.

Yarrow handed out the menus as she walked around the large round table.

After what seemed an eternity for Peter, he interrupted everyone and suggested a dinner for four.

Dinner for 4

• Cantonese Spring Rolls

• Wor-tip (Pan-Fried Dumplings)

• Salt and Pepper Shrimp

• Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple

• Beef and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce

• Special Fried Rice or Special Chow Mein

 

Everyone agreed.

Every place setting had a full complement of cutlery and chopsticks.

“Yarrow, do you have any wine from Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery Ltd?

“Yes, we have a 2021 Reserve Pinot Gris and a 2021 Reserve Chardonnay.”

“One of each, please.”

John and Louise were retired teachers from North Vancouver. One of their lifelong dreams was to live in the Okanagan. With the windfall from the sale of their home, they realized this dream and more. They had met Peter at one of his open houses. They liked his confidence and his slightly brash persona. The bottles of wine came before the dinner, so Peter stood up and proposed a toast. He raised his glass.

“First, I want to toast my partner, Brent. Thank you for being so supportive. I want to toast John and Louise and wish them a long and healthy retirement in the beautiful, unsurpassed Okanagan Valley. You are the reason we are celebrating.” John and Louise acknowledged his toast.

“Thank you, Peter.”

Yarrow started to bring the plates of hot and succulent entries. The center Lazy Susan made it easy to fill and replenish plates. Lee Wong came into the room.

“I will come back and see you later. They need me in the kitchen.”

Yarrow cleaned off the table amid the laughter. “Are you ready for your fortune cookies?

There was a decisive “Yes.”

“We are going to play a little game. The game is only played in this room.” Peter knew the game well.

“First, you need to read the rules.” Yarrow handed out the rules and gave each person a few minutes to digest them.

 

RULES:

1.) Do not grab the cookie closest to you, but the one furthest away.

2.) Pick a cookie that is most closely “pointing” towards you (i.e. the two pointed ends). Cookies can only be touched by the person selecting them.      

3.) If you rip your fortune, it will not come true.

4.) You must keep the fortune for it to come true.

5.) You cannot look at all the fortunes first, then claim the best one as your own – or give the worst one to someone else.

6.) After reading the fortune, you must not tell anyone your fortune and then eat your fortune cookie.

7.) If there is no fortune in a fortune cookie, it is a sign that something good will happen to you soon. (Because fortune-cookie-fairy owes you one fortune.)

8.) If you get two fortunes in 1 cookie, they cancel each other out. You will need to pick another one.

9.) If you text your fortune to one very close person, the future can come true for you and the person you texted!

10.) For the fortune to work, you cannot tell anyone what it says.

11.) You can’t look at the fortune until you eat the cookie.

12.) All cookies are to be cracked and opened simultaneously.

 

“Secondly, I will put four numbers in a wooden bowl from one to four. You will each reach in and pick a number.”

“Finally, I will dump a pile of fortune cookies on the turn table and spread them flat.”

Peter looked over at Louise, “Ladies first.”

Louise reached into the box and pulled out number three. John was next. He pulled out number 0ne. Brent picked number two, and Peter was left with number four.

Yarrow moved the box and dumped the cookies on the turn table. She spread them evenly on the table; the count was twenty. To start the game, Yarrow sent the table spinning counterclockwise. After the initial turn, the revolving table would only be used to retrieve a cookie. Where the table stopped would be the start of the next turn. No one playing was allowed to touch another person's cookie—rule #2.

John surveyed the chaos of cookies on the other side of the table.

Yarrow pointed her finger to his selection. “This one.?”

“Yes.”

Yarrow placed a small red sticker on John’s selection and turned the table until the cookie was directly in front of him. John reached up and put his cookie on his side plate.

Brent was next, and then Louise, and finally Peter. Yarrow put the remainder of the cookies back in a bag.

“On the count of three crack open your cookies. One, two, and three.”

Peter, Brent, John, and Louise chose different methods of retrieving their fortunes.

 John crushed his cookie with his side plate. He read his fortune. “You cannot love life until you live the life you love.” He was not allowed to share his fortune.

Brent was next. He put the cookie in his mouth, biting off a chunk, and then pulled out his fortune, “Whatever your goal is in life, embrace it, visualize it, and it will be yours.”

Louise’s turn. She broke her cookie by placing it between her thumb and forefinger. “The fortune you seek is in another cookie.” Louise laughed.

Finally, it was Peter’s turn. Peter taunted the dragon on the wall with his unopened cookie. He retrieved his fortune by throwing his cookie at the dragon. His fortune fell to the floor. Yarrow reached down and handed Peter his fortune.  “You will be going on a trip without return.” Peter’s facial expression dramatically changed. Peter had eaten here twenty-six times before, and not once had he received a fortune with such a foreboding message. He convinced himself fortune cookies did not hold any truth, but?  

“Yarrow, will you please bring me the bill?”

Peter paid the bill and left.

 “I’ll meet everyone outside. I need to use the little boy’s room.”

Peter opened the door and walked in.  He closed the door and used the facilities. When he opened the door and stepped out, he was no longer in Peachland.  Peter had unknowingly stepped through a temporary portal. There are many kinds of portals in the Transitory Plane. This portal was only in place for a limited time, disappearing once used. It is used to go from one place to another. The fortune in Peter’s cookie had come true with the help of a supernatural vindictive dragon. Louise was right; the dragon had its eye on them. Did fate intervene, or was it cruel revenge? Peter found himself shivering, in an outdoor homeless shelter. The dragon had enacted its merciless revenge.

After Peter had been gone for more than ten minutes, Brent became worried. He started to pace and chew on his nails, old habits. He tried to stay calm, so he took a few deep breaths. He thought to himself. “Maybe he’s talking with someone. Yes, that must be it. He does this all the time.”

 “John and Louise, would you excuse me, please?”

Brent ran back into the restaurant and tried opening the bathroom door. He tried again. It was locked. Brent started to panic.  “Lee, Lee he yelled.”

“What is it, Brent?”

“Have you seen Peter?

“No.”

“He went into the bathroom more than ten minutes ago. I have knocked and banged on the door, but there has been no response.”

“Do you have a key, Lee?” Brent was worried Peter may have had a heart attack or something.

 Lee brought over the key and unlocked the door.

Brent threw open the door, but Peter wasn’t there. On the vanity lay Peter’s discarded fortune.

Brent read the fortune out loud. “You will be going on a trip without return…. What does this mean?”

John and Louise came running in. “Brent, did you find him?”

“No! He just vanished.”

Portals leave no clues.

 

SIDNEY BOLIVAR