#8 China Cat (The Jungle Noises)

for him to be in a good mood or even come back. She grew lots using the same disposable cups. She read about it, so she made light yellow, medium yellow, really yellow yellow, and orange. She got curious. She made reds and blues out of beets and blueberries. Carole never stole anything she thought was garbage. China mixed the powders and got other colours. She picked up a stone during mandatory fresh air, scraped it on the cement foundation, then crushed it to a powder to get just the colour she wanted. She made a mortar and pestle out of a hard flat rock and rounded one. All the paintings were different shades of the same colour so everything was monochrome. She liked doing animals in various position, such as crows, eagles, owls, turtles, and fish. She liked doing inukshuks too. No two animals or inukshuks were the same. It was her style. China never signed it, but Carole did. Carole stole everything that wasn’t on the wall. No one stopped her, and pretty soon her corner of the room was pretty congested. They started asking her to paint on their walls. She did, but she heard Carole claiming it was her to the hallway people. Everybody knew who really painted them. They knew she made her own watercolours too. They were fascinated. They said she was an Idiot Savant but actually she was just a smart girl.

At night, it would begin with the orderly coming to change her diaper and give her her pill. She would soon have the sweet relief of sleep. Carole would leave and Cora would talk to her. Nobody paid any attention to Colleen and Carin; they did their thing. It was love. The jungle noises got louder, but it didn’t bother China, because it was familiar. There was a familiarity and rhythm to everyday life, and in the face of chaos there was predictability. China liked that.

THE HUSBAND

On her 18th birthday, they were going to put her out. China didn’t like that. It was her home. No matter to them though, as there would be no more money after that, so she figured she better get married. She would make a good wife as she was pretty, and knew how to sew. She didn’t think she was beautiful, but she was pretty enough. With long dark hair, eyes, and perfect skin, anyone would want their children to come out looking like that. She wasn’t blond haired and blue eyed though, and her skin was dark, so she dyed her hair and took a picture. She sent the picture to be included in the ad she put in the paper. She took the first guy that came along. Dan believed her story that she was only staying there temporarily, because her whole family had died in a car accident. He didn’t have any of his own, and he was old, but she was used to that, so he was perfect. He wasn’t that old; only in his forties, and he came from the US. She figured that with her looks and all, she wouldn’t get many takers, so she accepted his proposal, and ended the ad out right off.

Dan proposed formally outside on a beautiful day in April and gave her a handsome diamond ring. She was aghast at how people watched and then commented later. He took her by the hand and lead her to a spot under the chestnut tree with tulips all around and the scent of hyacinth in the air. Spring was everywhere and the sun was shining. He said the words, ‘…will you marry me…’ and she said, ‘…yes…’ then he gave her the ring. It was perfect. He thought she was beautiful and a virgin too. She turned 18 in May and he wanted to be the one to pick her up. China didn’t want to go, but she was falling in love with Dan, and pretty much she had to go. The weird night guy stopped coming when Dan started, and she never took her ring off, or Carole would steal it. Pretty soon, she wouldn’t have to put up with that crap, she told herself, and everyone said she would be happy, but she didn’t want to go. Maybe it was the lying, maybe it was the familiarity, or maybe it was the predictability, but she still didn’t want to go. Cora had moved to a long-term