It took us two whole days in Juarez to locate the right Ping. At least we were hoping it was our Ping. The establishment we were looking at had the name 'Ping's Comida China' in faded steel lettering. The building didn't look like a restaurant and both of us were leery to learn what was inside. It was a two-story run down building that fit in with the other run down buildings nearby. The neighborhood we were in was dirty and poor. There were rows of cinder block houses that surrounded the small main street like strip we were on. It was a Mexican holiday - Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead was three-day celebration for those who have died in the past year. There was a parade about to start and everywhere we looked we saw people in colorful costumes. Skulls were the mascot of this celebration and the creativity I saw was impressive. Despite the name of the celebration and some of the scary face paint the mood was festive not somber.
We scoped out Ping's place for two hours. A few patrons went in and out but we saw no young Chinese girls that resembled Grace. To avoid looking like we were out of place tourists we decided to join the celebration and got our faces painted. Sebastian looked like Beetlejuice without the green hair. I felt like Elvira, mistress of the dark. The holiday seemed similar to Halloween without super hero costumes. The parade was a good distraction and once it started we walked towards Ping's place. The building sat back far from the road. We walked slowly on the dirt path staying to the left of the big rocks that outlined the driveway. There was a red Morton style building next door and I assumed Ping also owned it. There were multiple beat up vehicles outside of that building. Our brown mojón fit in perfectly.
The restaurant was completely empty. I guess the parade was a big draw. Sebastian let out a yell to see if anyone would come out. This definitely looked like a restaurant unless it's a front and the brothel was upstairs. I saw a staircase to the left of the kitchen and bar area. A bald chubby Chinese man came out of the kitchen area. He was wearing a white apron and looked very suspicious of us.
"Hi," Sebastian said. "Are you open?"
"No, we closed for parade. Come back in one hour."
Sebastian smiled warmly. "Okay. Is Grace here today?"
"Grace?" The man shook his head. "No Grace here."
Sebastian nodded. "Okay thank you."
Sebastian and I walked out of the restaurant dejected. The cook may not have been up to speed on all of Ping's girls but it had been such a long couple of days that both of us were hoping for some good news. I feared Mr. Ho might have sent us on a wild goose chase to buy himself time to plot his getaway from Tang. This thought aggravated me and made me worry that Mr. Ho had screwed us over. Once we stepped back outside the joyful celebration noise was overwhelming. At least some people were having a fun time.
"Come on let's go watch the parade," Sebastian said. He held out his hand and I slowly grabbed it. "Cheer up sweetie."
I put a fake smile on my face and started skipping. Sebastian smiled but wouldn't skip with me. He dragged me forward when I stopped behind the crowd of people to watch the parade. We did a loop around the crowd and crossed the street. We stood up on the steps of one of the stores and watched the different homemade floats pass by. I lost myself in looking at the colors and all the fine details.
"Leah!" Sebastian nudged me hard with his elbow. "I think I see Grace!"
"Huh?"
"Look across the street that looks like her." Sebastian pointed. "Right?"
"Where?" I looked at the hordes of people and nothing caught my eye.
Sebastian sighed. "Look behind the first wave of people. See the group of like ten Asian women standing there? They have no costumes on."
I finally spotted them. I was embarrassed it took me so long when I saw them. The group stood out like a sore thumb. "Oh I see."
Sebastian rolled his eyes in frustration. Now I knew why he insisted on crossing the street he wanted to keep his eye on Ping's. One of the girls did look exactly like Grace.
"Damn Sebastian I think it is Grace!"
"Let's go to her before they leave. Come on!"
Sebastian started darting through the crowd when he got to the front he didn't stop. I followed him onto the street zigzagging by the large jack-in-the-box style float that would scare the living daylights out of any child under ten. I screamed when I turned around and was nearly clipped by an eight-foot skull cake.
Once we were finally done dodging parade floats we picked up our pace. We were scared that Grace would disappear into Ping's nearby building and we would miss out on our chance. It happened so fast that I didn't even know what to say once we reached her. I hesitated hoping Sebastian talked. He paused a moment then spoke.
"Excuse me but is your name Grace?"
"Who are you?" She asked.
I could tell by her eyes that it was in fact Grace.
"I am Sebastian and this is Leah," Sebastian answered. "Bo sent us. You are Grace Yu correct?"
"Yes." She kept her voice low and looked around in each direction until she gazed back at us.
Sebastian and I were both surprised Grace was standing before us. I couldn't even comprehend it.
"Come with us we will get you home," I said hurriedly. "Our car is close."
Grace looked at us with confusion on her face.
"I'll go pull up the car as close as I can get it," Sebastian said.
Sebastian started to run and Grace was left looking at me bewildered.
"We're here to take you back to San Diego. Do you need to get anything?"
She paused. "No I guess not."
"Let's go!"
I motioned Grace to follow behind me. She looked toward the group she was with who had not noticed us talking with her since they were still watching the parade intently. We calmly started to walk away. Once we had some distance I started to bop and weave through the waves of people.
Grace tapped lightly on my shoulder. "Walk casually like we are getting a better spot for the parade or I might get noticed."
"Okay."
I slowed down and tried to walk normally. It seemed like time was standing still. After a few moments I looked back at Grace to make sure she was still following me and I saw fear in her eyes. She was starting to panic. I told her we didn't have far to go. I spotted Sebastian and started to jog knowing the end was near. I opened the back door for Grace then jumped into the passenger seat.
"Go Seb!" Holy crap we got her! I thought of Bo and couldn't wait to call him.
"Stop!" Grace yelled. "Wait I can't go. I can't go I have to go back!" Grace started opening the door.
"Why?" Sebastian asked. "It's okay you are safe with us."
"No he will kill one of the girls." Grace had tears rolling down her face. "He has threatened it before and I have seen it! I have seen it happen! I have to go back."
Grace quickly got out of the car slamming the door shut and scurrying through the crowd. Both of us were silent for a few moments in disbelief of what just happened.
"Damn Sebastian we had her in the car!" I slammed my hand on the dashboard.
Sebastian turned the car off and put his head on the steering wheel. "I know. What the hell just happened?"
"What was she talking about he'll kill someone? Who? How many people does Ping have hostage? Does he have a gun out at all times? We came here to save Grace only how are we supposed to save all these girls?"
"I don't know Leah but it's bad enough that Grace tasted freedom and couldn't go through with."
I leaned my head against the headrest and shut my eyes. "Now what?"
There was a hotel down the street that was less than desirable but Sebastian insisted we stay close to Ping's. It took us awhile to get there since we had to sidestep the main street and go around. There were twelve rooms in what I wouldn't even classify as a hotel. The man behind the bulletproof window told us we got the last room. Lucky us. He slipped the key under the small little crease at the bottom of the window and we went up the flight of stairs to check out our room. The previous night we stayed
at a Quality Inn. When we walked in our room I wished I had realized how good we had it the night before. There were two twin beds, a window, and a small stand. It looked liked a jail cell. The man at the front desk mentioned a community bathroom - I couldn't wait to take a peek in there.
I scrunched up my nose. "Honey we're home."
Sebastian rolled his eyes at me. "You see how good you got it Leah?"
"Oh I know I take nothing for granted. I know I live a good life. I am thankful."
Sebastian set our bag of clothes on one of the beds. "Sad to think that there are tons of people who would give anything to have a room like this to sleep in."
"I know." I gave Sebastian a hug and he put his arms around me.
"That being said this is pretty nasty." He forced a slight smile. "Let's remember to bring up our pillow and blanket from the car."
"Deal."
We left our bag of clothes in the room and took off with only our backpack. We walked the street finding a small café to sit in. After ordering a snack we got to work brainstorming. After much deliberation we decided to go with a money angle. Ping would only be swayed by money. If he bought Grace he would likely be willing to sell her for the right price. Sebastian and I discussed persuasion tactics with Ping.
I couldn't shake the fear I saw in Grace earlier. She didn't know how to react when I told her we were there to take her back home. I could tell she felt a tinge of hope that was unfamiliar to her along with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. When she realized she had to go back I could tell she was not surprised by her fate. Her shoulders sulked down knowing that the sliver of hope that had infused her a moment earlier was short lived. Grace looked like a different person to me. A lot different from the spunky, upbeat girl I saw in Bo's pictures and the many pictures scattered around her apartment. Her innocence was gone and that angered me. She was far too young to know first hand the cruelness of this world and her life would never be the same.
I was sick of having the same conversation with Sebastian with different outcomes. I put an end to the madness and stood up to leave.
Sebastian glared at me. "Really Leah?"
"Yep," I said confidently. "This is getting tiresome let's go check out Ping."
Sebastian shook his head. "And what's the plan sweetheart?"
"No plan just go and get a feel for the guy."
Sebastian gave me a smile I was all too familiar with. He thought this was a bad idea. "Okay it's all yours sweetie you run the night."
With the smile he gave me I knew he would be sarcastic and act like a big baby. "Stop Sebi. We have our faces painted we can go in there and get familiar at least. We don't look suspicious. It beats staying here and listening to you hash the shit of this over and over again."
"Leah this is a big deal."
I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah I know. But we have to act sometime and then react. We have to get this thing rolling at some point. I hate delaying it like you love to do."
"It's just we may only get one shot with this guy and if he doesn't go for a money deal then what? We don't even have much cash on us I might add."
"Yeah," I said slowly. "So you want to stay here and work on what? What words to use on this d-bag when you attempt to strike a deal with him? If it doesn't work at least we know Grace is alive and who has her."
Sebastian stared at me for a while and finally broke into a soft smile.
I laughed. "What?"
Sebastian raised one eyebrow amusingly. "You are so impatient Leah."
"No I'm not I just need to get you going sometimes, damn."
"Let a man live!"
I shook my head and smiled. "If I didn't say anything we would be here another four hours twiddling our thumbs. Let's go get some Ping's Comida China."
Sebastian frowned. "Alright let's go."
The streets were still swarming with people when we left the cafe. After the parade ended it turned into a street party. I was glad it was crowded like it was. It made me less nervous because it felt like we were going unnoticed in the sea of people. Ping's place was about half full when we arrived. We were seated in a booth along the left side of the restaurant. Both of us kept glancing down at the menu and around at the scenery. I noticed most of the patrons were older and all the tables had big groups of people around them. We are the only table with two people. Sebastian took the side of the booth that faced the bar and kitchen. I suggested we both sit on that side but I let him have it when he dismissed my idea. Sebastian was a much better observer than I was.
The food smelled really good and I couldn't decide what to get. I was so indecisive with food. Sebastian usually ordered for me so it didn't delay him from eating. I always asked for a few more minutes.
"Ping three o'clock."
I looked around and spotted a man across the room standing with his back toward us. "You sure?"
"I'm guessing." Sebastian looked down at his menu. "He came out from the back and has been stopping at different tables to talk."
A waitress came to our table. She asked us what we wanted in Spanish. I paused thinking of our community bathroom back at the hotel then I pointed at the picture of lo mein noodles and shrimp. I knew anything I ate would be subject to a night on the toilet. I was starving and this dish looked worth it at the moment. Like always once the waitress left I second-guessed my order. Sebastian shook his head and casually scoped the room for Ping's location.
"Do you think Grace stays upstairs or at the building next door?" I asked.
"Not sure. The building next door looks like it is more for storage or operations."
I nodded. "The building is pretty big he probably has an area of rugs for his slaves to sleep on at night."
I glanced over at Ping. He was at a table in the middle of the restaurant. I got my first look at his face. From the range I was at he looked to be in his late 40's, early 50's. He was short maybe 5'4" and extremely thin. He had black hair that was course and jetting out. I immediately thought of Nick Carter's hair from the Backstreet Boys. Except I didn't think it was hair gel just grease. I heard him laugh loudly and speak really fast. The man had a boisterous laugh. I turned toward the window and laughed a little. His laugh cracked me up, it was high pitched and dramatic. He was approaching a table close to us.
"How you like Ping's?" He squealed.
I snuck a peek at him. He had his hands out in the air like a ballerina sticking the landing.
"Come anytime. Ping feed you! Ping feed you!"
The people at the table were eating his act up. In fact Ping had been walking around this place like he was the pope. While trying not to be obvious I took a good look at his face. He looked older up close and I guessed his age was more in the middle to late 50's range. His face had a handful of long hairs sticking out. It grossed me out and I quickly looked away. Great timing as our waitress approached our table with our food. Both of us started eating like we hadn't been fed in days.
"Wow this is pretty good," I raved. "Is yours good? Can I try some?" I already had my chopsticks on Sebastian's plate trying to grab some of his fried rice.
"Ask for a fork?" He barked.
I dropped a lot of rice en route to my mouth. I gave Sebastian an embarrassed look. "Sorry." I immediately went in for another chance at his rice.
He shook his head. "Leah stop. Here let me help."
Sebastian took his chopsticks grabbing a hearty chunk of his dish and brought it to my mouth. I ate it and laughed. He looked around to see if anyone saw him feeding his lady. I opened my mouth like a little kid waiting for more.
Sebastian stared at me for a few seconds before breaking into a smile. "No more."
Both of us ate fast enjoying our first real meal of the day. We packed a case of water and a lot of energy bars. Eating the bars were getting old.
"What do you think of Ping?" I asked in between bites.
"Gregarious. Sounds full of shit like a used car salesman."
I nodded and kept eating my lo mein noodles. Ping
disappeared into the back of the restaurant.
"What's the plan, do you want to take a crack at him tonight?"
"No," Sebastian replied. "I want to go get our car and try to get a spot on the road that will give us a clear look at this place."
I dropped my shoulders. "So we're staking out all night?"
"Yep."
It made sense. With the commotion of the crowd outside we would go unnoticed watching over Ping's place. I didn't like being confined to the car but really what other options did we have. I knew Sebastian wanted to get a feel for this place before we made our move. If it put him at ease I would go along with it.
The amount of food they served us was overwhelming. As much as I wanted to keep eating I surrendered knowing I reached my limit. Sebastian who was notorious for never leaving a speck of food on his plate had a small portion of his fried rice left. Sebastian and I debated getting to-go boxes. I argued I wanted my leftovers for breakfast and Sebastian said it would not stay good overnight.
"You'll end up getting sick Leah. Not sure if you noticed but our hotel room has no refrigerator. You are not saving your shrimp lo mein for tomorrow."
I shrugged. "Well fine I'll eat it later when we're staking out." I am not sure why I got attached to my food like I did. I guess I hated to waste anything especially food.
"No sweetie you are not taking it with. All it will do is stink up the car."
I took one more big bite so I felt better about leaving the food behind. "Fine let's go."
We went back to get our Buick then parked across the street from Ping's. A band was playing on stage and people were dancing in the street. A group of cute little kids ran around with sparklers. I kept my eye on them because the adults near them were drinking and hollering amongst each other. Sebastian stayed focused on both of Ping's buildings and mumbled a few things once in awhile. The truth was this stakeout was rather entertaining and I was glad there was a party around us. It made the night fly by.
At 2:30 am the band finally stopped playing. I thought it might quiet down and I would be able to get some sleep but I had no luck. With the band gone the people started singing a capella then all of sudden random instruments appeared. I had to respect the heart of these people they partied hard. At Ping's property there had been a steady flow of people coming and going but nothing was alarming. I assumed they extended the restaurant hours to accommodate the Day of the Dead celebrations. The Morton building was fairly quiet as well. There were a few trucks and cars out front. A group of men had been gathered outside smoking and drinking. All and all it had been a quiet night. While I hadn't seen anything that was relevant I was sure my observant husband picked up on a thing or two.
I started to nod off but screams and music pulled me out of my dream state. It was not until the sun started to rise that the people finally started to depart from the streets. I was excited to finally get some shuteye until I remembered what the beds in our hotel room looked like.
The first thing we did when we got to the hotel was take turns guarding the door to the bathroom for each other while we showered off the face paint and the dirt from the long day. Sebastian motioned me to hurry up and I knew he feared the warm water would run out soon. We left the window open in our room when we left that afternoon and it was freezing. There was a light white cloth as a curtain and I feared soon the sunlight would be bursting in to disrupt our sleep. Hopefully we would fall asleep quickly and it wouldn't effect us. Sebastian and I pulled the twin beds together. In doing so it revealed all dirt on the floor. I stood on my shoes and leaped onto the bed trying not to allow my feet to touch the floor. I clung to Sebastian hoping to get warm. Even though I was shivering it didn't take me long to fall asleep soundly on Sebastian's chest with the rattling of maracas reverberating in my head.