Old Mrs. Yu had gone off gambling.
As soon as the news spread, the whole family became frantic, like an anthill drenched by floodwater.
The elder and younger sisters-in-law kept calling to scold the daughter-in-law. Why had she let Mother go by herself?
“You’re really that bold? You let Mother go? She doesn’t speak Mandarin and she doesn’t speak English. What if she gets lost?”
“Do you know how old she is? Over eighty! What if… hmph!”
The daughter-in-law kept explaining that Mother had insisted on going. The people who exercised with her every morning were all good people and had told her not to worry. What could she do? By then, the poor daughter-in-law had suffering she could not explain and a hundred arguments that solved nothing.
On one side, the family worried themselves sick. On the other, Old Mrs. Yu was delighted, chatting and laughing with her companions all the way. Sister Sun and Sister Song, sitting beside her, spoke with her in their half-baked Cantonese, everyone relaxed and carefree.
The luxurious bus sped across the winter desert. Old Mrs. Yu leaned against the seat, rocking gently. Rocking, rocking, under the warm winter sun stroking her face, she gradually fell asleep.
Beep-beep, beep-beep… Suddenly, the phone in her bag woke her.
She held it to her ear.
“Who is it?”
“Mother? Where are you now?”
“How would I know where I am? I’m on the bus.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
It was her daughter-in-law. Before long, her son called too, asking how she was. During the four-plus-hour trip, Old Mrs. Yu received three calls, all asking the same worried questions.
The phone had been given to her the night before. Seeing that she could not stop Mother from going, the daughter-in-law had stuffed her own mobile phone into Mother’s hands and reminded her again and again to call regularly and let the family know she was safe.
Every hour the phone beeped. Old Mrs. Yu became annoyed.
“Hey! What’s there to worry about? What are you afraid of?”
“Your daughter-in-law is worried someone will kidnap you and sell you!”
Old Mrs. Yu burst out laughing. Her head of silver hair was like magnolia blossoms in early spring, filled with sunlight and happiness.
She had not come gambling for a long, long time. This time she discovered that the colorful world of Las Vegas had changed enormously.
At night, the sea of lights dazzled the eyes. Fountains danced gracefully to music, then shot straight into the sky. A smoky volcano suddenly thundered. The earth seemed to split and flames burst out. It was magnificent.
Old Mrs. Yu reached the crowded Fremont Street. Above her, the sky changed into brilliant colors. One moment, fish swam through an ocean overhead; the next, an enormous airplane roared past. She seemed to have entered a world of strange flowers and endless transformations.
Then she came to a little river bathed in moonlight—gentle water, charming boats, and an Italian boatman singing a slow folk song.
Her phone beeped again.
“Mother, where are you?”
“Where am I? How would I know where I am? Oh, oh, they say I’m at the Ve—Ve—Venetian. So beautiful!”
Old Mrs. Yu did not know how to play slot machines. There were all kinds of them, in endless shapes. Her companions told her: put the coins into the slot and press here with your hand.
Every few spins, a cupful of coins would sometimes tumble down.
“Haha! This is fun!”
Once, two BARs and a DOUBLE appeared. Clatter-clatter-clatter—more than a hundred coins poured out. Everyone ran over to congratulate her, and Old Mrs. Yu laughed like a child.
But as she kept playing, the plastic cup of coins gradually emptied.
“Ah,” she said helplessly, “these machines are just like coaxing children. Every now and then they drop a few coins to make you happy, and little by little they swallow all your money. I had a full cup and now it’s all gone.”
“Doesn’t matter. We came to play. Losing a few tens of dollars is nothing. Just be happy!”
Old Mrs. Yu truly enjoyed herself. At home, she was usually treated like an Empress Dowager, served by daughters and daughters-in-law who worried that she might choke when eating, get cold when sleeping, fall when walking, or get lost when she went out.
Now, like a bird released from its cage, among a group of silver-haired friends, she had recovered the innocence of childhood.