Lions of Bamboo Bridge: Chapter Three. Athena Chu

Lac and Sakura, though seemingly not overly impressed with my children's lion head... the head or the skills, had talked to people I would later find out. 

I got a phone call which I first thought was some sort of scam. 

"Where did you get this number?" I asked trying to sound as nice as I could say in the words. You know where I'd you get this number.....out of curiosity. Not where did you get this number...cause I hate you and wish you would die. 

"Oh I am a friend of Athena's. Athena Chu...she mentioned she had had a friend of a friend that knew lion dance.. and lived on The Peak..."

Well did live on The Peak and I did know Lion Dance... but how would anyone know that. The woman in the phone didn't know  Lac or Sakura either. She knew Athena... whom I had never met.... but whatever I decided I would just go with it.

And that brings us back to the ending of my little lion dance where I ended with a speech and an Kung 5 lakes 4 oceans salute which didn't mean anything to anyone in the audience except that they too had watched Kung Fu Panda. And left as quick as possible  to reward my children with the food that was promised them if they just listened to me throughout the performance ( which they had)

Somehow a woman in the audience, out of all the people in the audience, caught my eye. Not the way a pretty woman catches your eye. But the way that someone who has a gravitational pull of spirit catches your eye and you are pulled to their gaze whether you like it or not. 

She stopped me as I was walking out.

"Athena Chu" she said with a firmness thatvwas also soft, offering her hand to shake.

"Peter Zhang" I spat out out of breath and sweating profusely.

"Can you teach as well?".

"I can."

"You seem to be good with children."

"I am better with children that aren't my own."

Joyce was gesturing violently for me to hurry along. In fact, later in the night she would be frustrated to the point with the children and spilling of lo mein and misplacing of equipment that scolding became a beating on the side of the road. 

Which made all of us never want to do another lion dance ever again in New Jersey, to burn our heads and drums and take up softball or whatever the hell it was that people in New Jersey did. 

But that was ten to twenty minutes after meeting with Athena. At this moment, sweaty as I was I appeared to be somewhat in control of a lion dance team. Even if it was a team with baby heads and ratty outfits. 

"I'll contact you shortly... are you teaching at Plum Blossom Chinese school? You are friends of Lac and Sakura right? I have children that study there as well. We will be in touch." She smiled which ended the conversation with out a doubt and was back in her seat on the bleachers almost instantaneously.

The next time I went to Plum Blossom I was presented with two Northern Style Lion heads and Northern Style drum.