Christmas Wishes
Caine watched the children taking down their stockings and opening each one, finding their wishes inside. A look of regret came over his face as a memory came to him. It was a memory of a Christmas long ago, a similar one to this one. It had been at the temple. Though they did not celebrate Christmas that often, this memory stuck out, along with the face of an old monk long gone. The old priest had done something similar with the children, giving a stocking that contained a wish for each child. There had also been a stocking for each of the monks, including himself. The scene today was just too familiar not to ignore. The voice of that particular monk came to him as clear as if it was yesterday, and the ache that went with that voice once again entered to block all other sound in the room.
'If only you were here, my old friend. You could see how much Peter has grown.' Caine's thoughts were of regrets which he quickly dismissed. There was no time for regrets or wishes that would go unanswered. What was passed was passed. That time was long gone. 'Let it rest,' he thought. But it was times like this where rest would not come so easily.
"I know what your wish is my old friend," the Ancient said, loud enough for only Caine to hear.
"Yes, but granting it may cause more harm than good."
"You do not wish to see . . ."
"I do not know," Caine interrupted a little more forcefully than he intended.
"Your heart is confused."
"No. I said my goodbyes long ago."
"Are you so certain?"
Caine stared at Lo Si for just a moment, his eyes narrowing. For a moment the Ancient sounded just like. . . No, that was impossible.
"Come, let us talk while the children open their stockings."
Caine followed the old priest to a table that was more secluded from the rest. A pot of tea rested there as if it had been specifically prepared for this moment.
"Remember the day we met?" Lo Si asked as he poured a cup of tea for Caine and then for himself.
Caine's mind drifted back to that day, the day he found himself lying on a couch, a razor's blade had opened a gash in his side. The blade had been poisoned, and if it had not been for . . . Strange, he did not know how he had ended up in the old priest's home, but it would forever change his path.
"Do you remember the conversation we had," Lo Si coaxed. Now it was time to reveal what he knew and to give Kwai Chang Caine his wish, a wish he hoped would sooth the aching in his old friend's heart.
"Yes," Caine replied, his head bent in thought.
"Look at me, what do you see?"
Caine studied the old man then realization hit him. Why had he not seen it before? "It cannot be. Peter said you had died."
"I allowed the boy to think that."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?" Lo Si threw the question back into Caine's lap.
And Caine nodded his head. "I told Peter it was necessary, so that Tan would believe that we were dead." Caine closed his eyes. "I should have realized it was also a means so you could go on to protect the new emperor."
"I am sorry, my old friend. I did not wish to deceive you, but . . ."
"You do not need to explain to me," Caine went on, dismissing the rest of what the Ancient priest might say, believing that was all he needed to hear.
"Ah, but I must. There is more."
"What more can there be?"
"Who do you think it was who saved your son?"
"You pulled him from the fire?"
"There is more." Lo Si went on to explain how he had kept an eye on Peter, still fearing for his safety. He knew Tan would not rest if he learned that Peter or Caine still remained alive. It was obvious that Caine would not remain at the temple after it's destruction, believing all that he had was lost to him. Peter on the other hand had vowed to take revenge at his father's grave. He had to be certain that Peter's soul would not be in jeopardy. If Peter had remained with the old priest, the young one would have wanted to continue his training, not out of love for his father, but out of hate and revenge. It was Lo Si's job to make certain that Ping Hai would not be around so Peter would not be able to carry out that vow. Once Peter was in the orphanage, it became his goal to find someone who could once again teach the boy the meaning of family and to purge the hate from his heart. He found it in a man called Paul Blaisdell. An anonymous letter sent to the man helped to bring Peter back toward his path, a path that once again led toward the light. But that was not enough. He also had to be certain that Father and Son would be reunited, to achieve this, he had to allow certain rumors to be spread.
"It took longer than expected," Lo Si stated. "I would have reunited you sooner, but a wandering Shaolin is not easy to locate. I had to be certain that you would come to the right place. So I found other means as well."
Lo Si nodded his head toward a certain ex-mercenary. Kermit caught Lo Si's nod and lifted his glass of eggnog in his direction.
"How is it that Kermit was involved in this?"
"Let's just say he has a way of finding those who are not that easy to track. A dragon has more than just its wings to help him when there is need."
"Then I have you to thank for saving my son twice," Caine went on. "You have given me back the gift of my son."
"And I give you one more gift," Lo Si stated and held out his hand. In it rested a stocking with Caine's name on it. It was quite old and the red coloring had begun to fade. It was the same stocking that somehow had been retrieved from the temple. Caine took the stocking. Something rested inside. He reached in and pulled out a set of prayer beads. They were the beads that Ping Hai had worn around his neck. "From one old friend to another, to let you know, that he too was never lost, just transformed to ensure that the promise that he made on the road that day would be fulfilled."
Caine thought of those very words that Ping Hai had said, that he and his son would be reunited. He marveled at how it had somehow come about. Caine looked over toward his son and smiled. He was given a second chance to be a father, and though there was a moment in time where his path had become obscured, it was no longer clouded. He knew just where he needed to be, among his friends and with his son.
"You must promise me one thing, my friend, Lo Si stated. "That you do not reveal my secret until the time is right."
Kwai Chang Caine looked at the beads that rested in his hands. The gift, the secret of Ping Hai, had not been an easy truth to face and yet, the ache that had been in Caine's heart seemed to melt away. Caine may have suspected that Ping Hai had done what he needed to do to save them both, but it had never occurred to him that the reuniting of him and his son had been so much more than just happen stance. For a moment Caine played with the idea of telling Peter the truth, but dismissed it. It really had not been that long ago when Peter spilled his anger at Ping Hai for lying. Caine remembered the hurt that had been there in his son's eyes. No, Peter was not ready to hear the full truth, just yet. Part of the truth should be anough for now.
Caine let the beads slip back into the stocking. "Of course, my old friend. I will keep your secret."
"Hey come on you two, the kids are getting ready to meet Santa Claus," Peter came running up to the pair, a wide, boyish grin spread across his features.
Kwai Chang Caine could not help but smile too when he saw that grin. It transported him back in time and he saw the image of his son when Peter was twelve years old. His son had not really changed. His body may have grown into a man, but the spirit of his son remained eternally Peter. Then the image of Ping Hai came to Caine again. The harm that he thought that would come at revealing his wish did not happen, but released the ache in his heart for an old friend he thought he had to leave behind. That old friend, however, had never been lost; but had been right there by his side, guiding him along his path to this very point in time. If was a gift he would forever cherish.
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2002.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
Synopsis / Next
Story
Back to Temple Tales / Contact
Alisa