Seventeen

Jie could not understand what he had just witnessed and he hurried after Natzin and ran ahead of her.

"What do you think you are doing?" He demanded, blocking her.

Natzin rolled her eyes in irritation, "now what do you want? You asked me to apologize to your girlfriend and I did."

"Why did you have to pour another drink on her? Our story is long past and you have no reason to try to be possessive with me." He scolded, his face tight with anger.

Natzin laughed loudly, the sound ringing across the lot like a twinkling sound.

"Possessive with you?" She asked, her lips pursed derisively, "can you not be delusional? I have no desire to possess you."

Jie was stumped by her answer and he drew back a little and studied the irritation on her face, she had never looked at him like that but now she was looking at him as if he was some vermin she wanted to crush under her high heels.

"Then why did you do what you did then?" He asked, genuinely curious. Could An Mei have offended her?

"Because there was no way that I was going to apologize for something I did not do. Listen Jie, you should really stop dating childish girls, you are too old to still be doing that." Natzin said sarcastically and walked away, leaving him rooted to the spot and he watched her walk away.

After all, she herself had been nothing more than a childish girl when she was engaged to him. She had been desperate to be with him and that was why she schemed and did despicable things just to be with him when he was not worth the effort and now he thought that she would always want him.

They left him standing there and got into the car and headed out of the commercial district until they got to a kindergarten where the car came to a stop opposite the brightly painted little building which looked like a house out of a picture book.

There only Natzin came out out of the car, she walked across and stood by the fence and watched as the children played, her eyes searching their faces until they settled on a little girl with pigtails and a little heart shaped face with big brown eyes that threatened to swallow the whole face.

Seeing the little girl Natzin's knees felt weak and she held onto the fence for support fearing that she would fall under the weight of the emotions that threatened to engulf her. She took a deep breath to stabilize herself and wiped the tears which had formed in her eyes before going to the entrance of the school and going inside.

She walked to the sandbox where the little girl was playing with toys and she squatted there watching her as she remained absorbed with her playtime.

"What are you playing with?" Natzin asked softly.

"A fire truck." The little girl answered.

"Ohh really?"

"Yes, I am going to be a fireman when I am a big girl." She said purposefully and that drew a delighted chuckle from Natzin.

The little girl looked up at Natzin and looked down shyly.

"I want to be your friend." Natzin said, "will you tell me your name?"

"Excuse me!" A strict voice interrupted them and Natzin looked up to see the no nonsense expression on the face of a buxom matron.

"Can I help you? What are you doing here?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and Natzin stood up.

"I am here to see Ran Bai, I am a friend of her mother."

"A friend of her mother…" the woman echoed. "We don't allow strangers speak to the children without express permission from the parents and I have not been informed of your visit." She said firmly and looked down at the little girl before announcing loudly.

"Children, playtime is over. Come on inside." The children including the little girl that Natzin had been playing with crowded into the building.

"Who are you?" Natzin asked the woman who kept staring suspiciously at her.

"I am the head teacher." The woman retorted indignantly.

With the little girl secure and in the building the woman looked at Natzin with a non too friendly look.

"I think you should leave ma'am." She said strictly.

"I don't think I will." Natzin said stubbornly and sat on a stone bench and put on her sun glasses.

Fuming, the woman went into the building. When she was gone Yujin came and stood beside Natzin.

"Don't you think we should leave?" He asked.

"I am quite comfortable here but you can go and wait for me in the car." She said and he reluctantly left her and returned to the car.

After sitting there for almost an hour a Benz driving speedily came to a sudden stop before the school gates and then a woman stormed out of the car just as the same teacher who had asked Natzin to leave came out and met the woman at the gate.

"Who is she? How dare she, have you called the police???" The woman who had just arrived in the car yelled as she stormed towards the playground where Natzin sat unbothered and patient.

"She said you are her friend and she refused to leave." The head teacher explained as she ran to keep up with the angry woman

The woman came to a stop in front of her. "If you want to have a baby then might I suggest that you go to an orphanage and adopt a baby or get married then have a child and if that does not work for you maybe you can try surrogacy instead of skulking around schools trying to steal people's children." She said, spittle flying out of her mouth as she raged loudly.

Natzin remained silent and the head teacher who lurked behind the woman said, "Should I call the police Madam?"

Natzin took off her glasses and the woman gasped loudly.

"Yes Ran Bing, should the nice lady call the police?" Natzin asked with a knowing smile as Bing's pale face spoke volumes.