I look out on the view from the porch of the cabin that we’ve rented, inhaling the scent of the mountains and trees around us. About a hundred meters away is a lake that looks crystal blue in the morning light, and I stretch my arms over my head, relishing the freedom.

“You look happy,” Rick says behind me. I turn around and see him holding out a mug of green tea, which is okay for his new diet. I don’t know if it’s making any difference in his morning stiffness, but he’s moving around earlier than I expected. I take a sip, nodding my approval. “Can’t take the credit. I used that bagged stuff you packed.”

“Which is exactly what I’d have done,” I say with a chuckle. “Just think, two whole weeks cooking for ourselves. Hope you’re ready.”

Rick looks back over his shoulder at our ‘cabin,’ which is still bigger than the apartment I lived in in Beijing. “The freezer’s stocked, and the market down in town isn’t that far away, so I’m sure we can get fresh fruits and vegetables if we run out. Besides, we’ve got twenty kilograms of rice. I mean… is it possible for two people to eat twenty kilos of rice in two weeks?”

“Possible, but probably not the best idea,” I admit. “That was just the size of the container.”

Rick laughs, putting an arm around my shoulder. “So what would you like to do, then?”

“First, I want to confirm… you’re out of touch with everyone, right?”

Rick nods. “Only Freida has the number to the phone I brought with me. And I don’t have a data connection, so if I get any ideas, I have to write them down on paper.”

“Low tech,” I quip. I hug him back, sipping my tea before clearing my throat. “One thing, though… uh, I noticed the cabin has only one bed.”

“I noticed that too,” Rick says with a hum. “Well, that leaves us two choices. Either we can share a bed… or I could make you sleep outside.”

I turn, shocked until I see the laughter in his eyes and I realize he’s joking. I punch in lightly in the gut, and he doubles over in mock pain as he staggers down the porch. “Ooof! Now I get the Chinese housewife, huh?”

“Keep it up mister, and I’ll give you even more,” I growl. Rick turns and pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me. This close, I can feel the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms, and my heart speeds up as my pussy starts to moisten. “Hey… no fair.”

“Who said I’m fair?” Rick asks. “Seriously though… I’ve been wanting you to join me in bed for a while now. If you don’t want to though, I’ll sleep on the sofa. That thing is big enough and soft enough for me.”

I tilt my head up and stand on my tip toes, kissing his slightly scratchy chin. “No way. We’ll try out sharing the bed tonight. Should make certain things… easier.”

“You’re hardly easy, Su Lin. But I like you that way,” Rick replies. He lowers his lips and we kiss, my body warming more and I wonder… here on the porch? I might be willing.

It’s with a little bit of regret from me that Rick pulls back, and I reach down, pinching his butt. “Tease.”

“This is our vacation, so my sweet wife, what would you like to do?” Rick asks, reaching down and pinching my butt back. “We can do that if you want.”

“Hmmm… for sure. But first, can we take a nature walk? I want to explore that lake.”

“Sure. Let’s go get changed, I’m not wearing the right footwear for a nature hike.”

Thankfully, living in Minnesota means plenty of opportunities for last minute camping supplies, and I’m able to change into my still relatively new hiking shoes quickly. Rick still beats me though, coming out of the bedroom while squirting his forearms with insect repellent. “It’d be hilarious if I somehow picked up a case of Lyme disease,” he jokes as he hands me the spray. “Actually, probably this is more for the mosquitos than anything else.”

“Never had a problem with those at home,” I reply, and Rick shrugs. “What?”

“Not as many in Minnesota I guess. Or maybe they just don’t like the way I taste up there. Oh, I’ve got the water bottle.”

We start off, not straining ourselves but just enjoying the walking trail that goes around the lake. This ‘resort’ isn’t quite private, I can see another house on the other side of the lake, but it is so small that we don’t hear anything other than the birds, the burble of the brook we pass at one point feeding into the lake, and the sigh of the wind through the pine trees as we make our way around.

“This place… it’s amazing,” I whisper as we come across a blue jay on a branch just above our eye level. “I’ve never seen a bird like that before.”

“How often were you able to get out into nature?” Rick asks, shrugging off his light pack and sitting down on a nearby rock. “I mean, Beijing is a pretty big city.”

“And being the unwanted child didn’t help those matters,” I admit. I sit down next to Rick, stretching out my legs and looking out on the lake. “At first I didn’t understand my mother’s anger. The first memories I have, she’s yelling at me. For a long time I didn’t understand, I thought there was something wrong with me. I mean, that’s literally what she said about me. She said I was wrong, that she wished I could just be like all the other children. It took me a long time to figure out what she meant.”

“She wished you were full Chinese,” Rick comments, and I nod. “Is it that bad for biracial children in China?”

“Oh, according to the government of course there isn’t. But the reality is, even within China itself there are ethnic groups that are higher on the social ladder than others. China is very much a hierarchy, and while I wasn’t the lowest of the low, I was pigeonholed in a lot of ways. Especially after puberty hit and I started developing.” I take a deep sigh, shaking my head. “I guess I can’t blame the Japanese for it totally, but a lot came from there in the form of their imported anime, manga, stuff like that. There’s this image in Asia… Caucasian girls are sex fiends. Especially blondes, thankfully my hair’s nearly black and straight. But I was judged to be some sex obsessed airhead from the get go.”

Rick puts an arm around my shoulder, and I lean into him, sighing at the comforting touch. “You know, I’ve never asked… you told me about the guy in university but… it’s not really all that important really, I know it’s silly….”

“Two,” I say shyly. “Um… including you.”

“Two?” Rick asks, surprised. He blinks, shaking his head. “You mean you agreed to our relationship and you’ve only… but why?”

“Because you had something in your eyes that told me I could trust you,” I reply honestly. “And yes, a good amount of self interest. You rescued me from a dead end life. And you’ve given me more than I’ve ever dreamed of.”

“Have I given you all you’ve ever wanted?” Rick asks, looking into my eyes.

“I’d like to say yes,” I whisper, reaching up and cupping his face, “but… not quite yet. I know I haven’t given you everything.”

Rick smiles, and leans in closer. “No… but I’m sure we’ll get there.”