Jingfei’s scent

Note: this is a story I wrote for Hitomi that I decided to share with you all as a Christmas present. I hope you enjoy it.

1

I was sent to America with the promise of a new life, only to be sold into sexual slavery along with the other Chinese girls I was among. But I was not fully Chinese. My father was Japanese and had named me Hitomi.

The miners and cowboys of San Francisco did not care I was only part Chinese. Our foreign, exotic appearance made us more desirable than our American counterparts. But the other girls recognized I was not fully Chinese, and they shunned me. I found myself all alone.

I was taught very little English, only enough to attempt to sway the customer into sampling my wares… “China girl very nice! You come inside please and I make you happy!” I lived in a very small room among a row of cubicles, forced to look out my window along with the other girls and call out to the miners, “Two bittee lookee, flo bittee feelee, six bittee doee!” It was degrading, but it was the only life I knew.

Jingfei moved into the cubicle next to mine soon after the last girl killed herself at the ripe old age of 27. The hard life had aged her horribly and she had begun taking opiates after the miners stopped visiting her. One night she simply overdosed herself to escape the hell we all shared.

At first Jingfei was like the others, shunning me for being part Japanese. I left her alone as I did all the others. But she had a sweet fragrance about her that I detected every time I was in or near her presence. It was intoxicating, and at times it seemed to penetrate into my cubicle… into my very soul.

One night I heard tears from the cubicle next to mine. I went in and found Jingfei weeping. A customer had been particularly rough on her.

I took her in my arms as I once again picked up her scent. Even in her disheveled state I felt a desire for her. I was angry I could not protect her more, angry I could not spare her the fate that life had bestowed upon us both.

After that night she softened toward me and we began to speak to each other. She spoke of her desire for a home and family, a desire that seemed unobtainable in the place we were in. Whenever she permitted, I hung on her words and remained in her presence for as long as she allowed.

It was not long before I realized I was in love with Jingfei. But she was not in love with me. I chose not to force myself upon her, gratefully accepting the moments when I could simply be in her presence. Thus, we were able to give some small comfort to each other during the long days and hard nights of San Francisco.

I desired to take her away from our miserable life of sexual slavery; to protect her and to make gentle love to her. It was a desire quite unlike the desire of the rough miners and cowboys who visited our small working cubicles for their pleasures. But we had no money. What we earned was taken from us except for the very small pittance granted to us to keep ourselves alive. All I could do was protect her as much as was possible within my power.

One night a particularly violent miner paid a visit to Jingfei. I was alone in the next cubicle when I heard her anguished cries. I rushed in to find him beating her.

When he pulled his pistol to shoot her, I jumped him like a feral alley cat, angrily slashing him with my knife. It was the one possession I had acquired that I hoped would help protect me from someone like Jingfei’s assailant. I watched in relief as he fell to the floor with his throat slit.

Jingfei was horrified; we would both be punished… or worse. So I grabbed his pistol and his pouch of gold. Then I grabbed Jingfei and took her with me as we ran for our lives, knowing there would be no justice for us in San Francisco.

We carefully worked our way out of the city, stealing food and clothes along the way. With that miner’s gold in hand we were able to purchase a ride on a stagecoach out of California. I was determined to take us as far away from San Francisco as possible, and in that I succeeded. But I soon discovered it was not so easy to take us away from our lives as soiled doves…

2

We eventually landed in the town of Cheyenne in the Wyoming territory. But the only work we could get was at a parlor house because of our exotic appearance. We went right to work dancing and entertaining the miners and cowboys. Soon we were right back to the very life we had left behind in California.

The other girls hated us as our exotic look caused us to take away their best customers. And the women of the town would have nothing to do with us soiled doves whatsoever. It seemed we had simply traded one existence in California for a similar one in a different location. I began to wonder if our life in Cheyenne would turn out to be any better.

Jingfei and I had no one but each other. During the day there was no place to go and nothing to do as we were not welcome in social circles. So we spent time in each other’s presence to fight the loneliness. And soon I felt those same desires I had felt back in San Francisco whenever I detected the sweet aroma of her presence.

Over the course of several weeks the other girls learned to give us a wide berth. They knew I was not one to be trifled with, especially since I was fiercely loyal to Jingfei. Their hatred of us was palpable, and it made our melancholy all the worse.

One night I made both a friend and an enemy. It was a Friday night and many of the cowboys were in town to celebrate with money in their pockets. It was the job of us girls at the parlor house to deprive them of those coins with our bodies.

I had just finished with a miner when I heard a commotion in the room next to me. I knew Patricia was in there, a girl I was not particularly fond of. At first I determined to let her fend for herself. After all, would she not have treated me the same had our roles been reversed? Then I felt shamed as I remembered what might have happened to Jingfei had I not intervened that fateful night back in San Francisco.

I rushed out of my room and right into hers where I found a naked cowboy lying on top of her. He was choking her with his bare hands as he thrust in and out of her. She thrashed about underneath him, trying to push him off to save herself. But he was too heavy.

I jumped on top of him, pulling him off the bed onto the floor. Patricia’s eyes were wide with astonishment at my intrusion. As he went for his gun I brandished my knife which I had brought into the room with me.

I held the blade to his neck, angrily hissing in broken English “Put gun away or lose life!” He did not believe me. Instead he called me a dirty whore and said now we would both die as he took aim at Patricia.

He tried to throw me off but I did not hesitate, slashing his throat just as he was pulling the trigger. His shot went wide and missed Patricia. I took his gun and then crawled away as he bled out on the floor, his eyes open in surprise.

I turned to check on my rival… “Patricia ok?” She looked at me and nodded. Then the door flew open and the law came in with his gun raised. He must have been downstairs and heard the commotion.

In Cheyenne I respected the law. I did not bother him and he did not bother Jingfei or myself. When he told me to put the gun down I carefully placed it away from me on the bed.

“What happened in here?” he demanded, looking down at the body and then back and forth between Patricia and myself.

For a moment it suddenly occurred to me I could be blamed for the entire incident. This would be the perfect opportunity for Patricia to get rid of me as a rival… and possibly Jingfei as well. It was a possibility I had not considered until now when it was much too late to change the course of events. But her words surprised me…

“He tried to kill me,” she said, pointing at the dead man. “And he would have too if Hitomi had not come in when she did. He would have killed us both if she hadn’t stopped him.”

The law looked at me and asked if that was true. I simply nodded my head, having learned enough English to understand the conversation even though I could not speak but a few words. So he collected the gun and got some men to take the body away. Then he left.

“I go now,” I told Patricia.

“Hitomi; wait!” she replied, her hand uplifted in a gesture to stop me. I paused.

“Thank you.” I sensed that was not an easy thing for her to say to me.

I nodded again and turned to go. But she had more to tell me.

“The man you killed was a friend of Isaac Johnson, Hitomi. Isaac’s father is the wealthiest cattle baron around these parts. There could be trouble, so watch your back!”

I nodded that I would be careful as I always tried to be. But with the miners and cowboys, one always had to watch one’s back. Then I left her room.

After that night she did not hate Jingfei or I anymore. But I did not know how much her words would prove to be prophetic…

3

The next night I saw many cowboys while Jingfei and I danced with the other girls. Among them I saw one in particular who was tall, with good looks and cruel eyes. Shamefully I felt myself becoming wet at the thought of him taking me.

My life was such that I had learned to take pleasure where I could, even if it came with some humiliation. I liked men; perhaps I had become a willing soiled dove out of weariness that I would ever obtain Jingfei for my very own. I was a whore and I liked it.

Patricia came up to me after the dance and touched my shoulder with affection, the first time she had ever done that. “I saw you looking at Isaac,” she told me.

“That him?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes,” she warned me. “Hitomi, you must be careful.”

“Hitomi be careful,” I replied in my broken English. I was appreciative of the warning, and I smiled and nodded. She smiled back at me.

I found out he wanted me, so what else could I do? I took him to my room the way a good whore should. But I did not forget Patricia’s words of warning.

In my room he paid, and so I let him take me. He was rough with me, but it was not altogether undesired. Perhaps it was my way of granting him a small payment for killing his friend. Or maybe it was just to take my mind off Jingfei and her scent.

He tore my clothes off and savagely groped my breasts. I tried to be wary of the cowboy, but strangely I was on fire for him as he pushed me onto the bed. Then he entered me, thrusting hard like all cowboys and miners did as though I was their possession. I’m ashamed to say I received him gladly and that I enjoyed it.

He swept me to new delights, totally driving thoughts of Jingfei out of my head. I cried out with joy as my body sang with pleasure. And I responded by shamefully giving myself totally to him.

When we were done I still saw the look of cruelty in his eyes. To him I could tell I was no more than a plaything, an object of his lusts. But he did not make any move to harm me and I relaxed my guard…

4

For the next few weeks Isaac sought me out whenever he came to town. Patricia frequently gave me a look of warning knowing he would usually call for me. Her concern was as unexpected as it was appreciated. But he had yet to threaten or harm me. Besides, my shameful lusts for the cowboy could not seem to be quenched.

With him it was never lovemaking; it was always fucking. He used me, treated me roughly, and then always discarded me. And each time I willingly accepted his treatment as the whore that I was.

One night when he was in town I received another of Patricia’s warnings. She told me it was rumored that he had strangled one of his girls. But he had yet to threaten or strangle me in any way so I shrugged it off… “Hitomi be careful.” Besides, he paid well and I was expected to fuck him if he wanted my body. It was necessary to take as many miners and cowboys as I could if I was to pay for my room and board at the parlor house.

As usual I took Isaac up to my room. He ripped off my clothes as again he had his way with me. I was an object of his insatiable lusts, but I accepted it as a part of my own shameful, fleshly desires.

In the middle of our fucking I heard muffled cries from the next room. It was Jingfei, and I was filled with alarm. But Isaac lay heavily upon me, and I could not shake him off. I was helpless as I listened to her suffering; it hurt me deeply.

“You hear that?” he asked with a cruel smile, tilting his head to listen. “That would be my brothers enjoying your Jingfei, just as I am enjoying you. They could kill her, you know… just as I could kill you.” Then his hands wrapped around my throat.

My eyes grew big as my head swelled. I gasped as he choked me; I could not breathe! Was he going to kill us both? I had been lulled into a false security, and now Jingfei would pay for my overconfidence!

I struggled against him, even as my body betrayed me. His thrusts were powerful as he lay with his full weight upon me. Stars swam before my eyes. Then a profound pleasure enveloped me moments before something exploded in my head.

When I awakened he was gone. But I heard crying in Jingfei’s room. I rose up and rushed in to find her bruised and battered. Then I caught her scent. That’s when the flames of shame and anger began to burn within my soul…

5

I was so ashamed of myself that I did not speak to Patricia all the next day. She had spoken the truth, but I had not heeded her words. I had been lulled into believing the cowboy would not harm us; it was a wonder Jingfei and I were still alive. I was determined not to repeat my grave misjudgment of Isaac and his brothers.

Jingfei’s condition improved, so we chose to spend the better part of the day in each other’s company. Patricia helped us rent a buggy and we went down to the river for a picnic under an oak tree. All the old feelings returned as I again took in the scent of her presence.

We talked of our life in Cheyenne, and she wondered if things were really all that better for us than they had been back in San Francisco. She still wanted to marry and have children, although she believed it to be a dream unobtainable. I told her we had saved up a little money and that we could go away and start over if she so desired. I reminded her that I would always be there for her.

She hugged me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder. I held her close as though I would never let her go. I gently kissed her cheek, telling her how much I loved her. Then she turned her head as if to speak, and I kissed her lips by accident.

She looked at me as if in shock. Then I felt her body trembling at my touch. The flames of passion were sparked within me, and I took a chance and kissed her again. She did not resist.

I suddenly pulled away with embarrassment, hoping I had not damaged our relationship. She looked at me quietly, and I saw something dawn in her eyes. Then it was time to feel my own body trembling as she leaned forward and kissed me in return.

Our tongues intertwined as her hand felt up my breasts through the material of my parlor dress. I moaned as our hands began to roam freely. Then her tongue penetrated my mouth and I was swept away.

We made gentle love to each other under the oak, the scent of her presence overpowering me. Tears filled my eyes as my love for her was finally consummated. It was as if places like Cheyenne and San Francisco never existed at all, fading away in the bliss of those tender moments.

I had no idea it would be the first and only time our souls would have the chance to intermix so intimately…

6

As we took the buggy back to town, we talked of our life in Cheyenne and whether or not we wished to remain here. It was a rough life, a dangerous life. Although our relationship with the girls had improved, there was always the danger of a deranged customer doing unspeakable things. I had no idea the danger would prove to be so close.

That evening before we were to dance I was summoned across town. Another girl told me that Patricia had taken ill and that she wished to see me. I went with a heavy heart as I had become quite fond of her. I hoped it wasn’t serious as there were many diseases out on the frontier from which a girl might never recover.

When I got to the address given to me, strangely there was no Patricia. Instead there were several ladies from town having a gathering, all of whom gave me hateful looks. They told me Patricia was not there and that no soiled dove was welcome in their presence, neither her nor myself. Angry and hurt, I went back to the parlor house.

I had just enough time to get ready for the dance when I saw Patricia approach me. Angrily I asked her about the false message I had received. She was quite confused… “Hitomi, I sent no message.” Then she asked me the whereabouts of Jingfei as it was near time for our dance.

Fear suddenly gripped my heart, and I raced up the stairs to her room. I threw open the door, only to find her lying naked on her bed with her legs spread wide. Her womanhood was stained from fucking, and there was a severe bruise around her throat. She stared upward as though unseeing.

I let out a wail of grief as I scooped her up in my arms and sobbed uncontrollably. A moment later, Patricia was standing in the doorway looking grief stricken. “What happened??” she wanted to know. Then she saw the marks on Jingfei’s neck coupled with the grief in my face. Instantly she lowered her head in sorrow, suspecting what must have happened.

…and then my precious Jingfei coughed as she blinked her eyes…

“Get Doc Johnson!” I hollered at Patricia. But she was already gone, her heels clattering down the stairs…

7

“It was close,” he said as he put his scope away. “She’ll need a couple days to rest. Then she’ll be good as new.”

Patricia stood next to me as we watched him rise up from Jingfei’s bed. But she did not share his assessment.

“She will not live to testify,” she said quietly. “They will come in the night to kill her.” It was like a knife in my gut.

“What we do?” I asked anxiously.

“What can we do?” she replied in defeat. “His father is the wealthiest man in the county! He will not allow his son to stand trial for attempted murder. They will send someone to kill her and that will be that!”

“NO! Hitomi not allow it!” I was adamant.

“Hitomi, you can’t stop it! The sheriff’s out of town for a couple of days. By the time he gets back, it’ll be too late!”

“No! I stay!” I still had the gun from San Francisco. No one was about to harm my Jingfei!

Doc Johnson looked at me and then at Patricia. “Well, all I know is that she needs rest, at least for a day or two. I suppose it’s good if someone stays here anyway just to keep an eye on her.”

“I stay!” I declared firmly. “No one harm Jingfei or they pay!” Anyone who crossed my path was doomed to regret it. Patricia sighed and then nodded at me. “Good luck,” she said softly. Then she and Doc Johnson left the room…

8

I sat in a chair next to Jingfei in her bed, smelling her intoxicating scent and fearing for her safety. To stay awake throughout the whole night would be next to impossible. But I was determined to try and remain awake until morning when perhaps I could find someone else I trusted to watch her for an hour or two while I napped.

It was the middle of the night when a creaking sound awakened me. In the darkness I could see the door start to swing open. The gun lay in my lap and I quickly raised it, taking careful aim.

A hand with a gun poked through the door, taking aim at the bed. A thumb cocked the trigger. I waited no longer, firing at the door.

I heard a cry of pain, followed by a male voice… “SHIT!!” Then I heard boots running down the hall and down the stairs as voices rang out.

Patricia soon burst into the room wearing her nightgown. She saw me sitting there trembling with the gun in my hand. “It’s all right, Hitomi; it’s all right. They’re gone now.” I nodded, my heart pounding much too heavily for me to accidentally drift off to sleep again for the rest of the night.

There would be no more attempts that night. But I knew in my heart I could no longer keep Jingfei safe in Cheyenne…

9

“You hear??” I hollered into the room. “You put her on stagecoach California noon! No mistake or Hitomi angry!”

“Don’t worry, Hitomi,” Doc Johnson responded. “I’ll put her on the stage myself.”

“You make sure!”

“No one’s going to kill her while I’m with her, Hitomi. And no one’s going to shoot ol’ Doc Johnson either. I’ll make sure she gets on the stage.”

I wasn’t sure if his words were true or if Isaac Johnson would not hesitate to kill the town doctor just to get to his target. But it was a chance I would have to take. Jingfei could testify at his trial, that is, if she lived long enough for there to even be a trial! Otherwise next time they would simply come to kill the both of us. And I might not be able to stay awake long enough to fight them off. Besides, they were liable to bring more guns.

I was anxious all morning long, and I paced back and forth in the parlor house like a caged tiger. At noon I went outside and watched as down the street he put her on the stage himself. She was bundled in some sort of wheeled chair and needed help getting into the coach. At least she seemed to be doing better. And I was happy to see an elderly couple would be traveling with her and keeping her company. Then the stage pulled away.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, wishing I could have said my goodbye’s properly. I had heard rumors of a Chinese woman in San Francisco taking in former slaves and giving them a better life. Maybe she could keep Jingfei safe for me until I could meet up with her again.

The afternoon passed like molasses; I was anxious the whole time. What if something went wrong? I could not lose my Jingfei, not after the wonderful afternoon we had shared together under the big oak tree down by the river…

10

Isaac and his brothers showed up that afternoon well before it was time for my dance. I could tell he had come looking for me. But I did not care anymore. Jingfei was safely out of his reach; it did not matter what happened to me.

He paid for me as usual, so I took him up to my room. I was cold to him, but I let him do as he wished with me. And as usual my body betrayed me with awakened lusts. I was ashamed.

He had his way with me, groping my breasts painfully while savaging me with his thrusts. And whore that I am, I responded. Strangely he did not threaten me. I almost wished he would have.

We rested for a bit before he paid for more, so we went back at it. Had he come to kill me? I was not sure, but I did not resist his sexual appetites. Besides, I already knew deep in my heart I would never see my Jingfei again.

“Did you hear what happened with the stagecoach today, Hitomi?” he asked as he thrust hard into me. My breath caught in my throat and I stiffened.

“Bandits attacked the stage, killing the driver and passengers. No one left alive. The Wyoming territory sure can be a dangerous place, don’t you think?”

“NOOOO!”

I tried to fight him off, but he was too heavy and he laughed in my face. Then his hand reached down for my neck as he started to choke me. “Did you think I would actually let her get away? Did you really think I would allow either of you two whores to escape? I should have made sure she was dead when I left her room the other night! But I heard one of you whores coming up the stairs and I had to leave!”

I tried to resist him, but he only squeezed harder as he eagerly thrust into me. His weight was too heavy; I could not shake him off! “I take what I want, you whore!” he hissed at me. “And I kill anyone who gets in my way!”

I rasped and gurgled as I started to get dizzy. It was swelling within me, the pleasure that would be accompanied by my death! I wanted to welcome it; I almost welcomed it. Then I smelled Jingfei’s scent.

I became angry and desperate as I thought of those murdered passengers in the stagecoach. It took everything I had to reach one arm underneath my pillow. My hand wrapped around the handle, and with the last bit of my fading consciousness I brought it out and swung wildly. His hand abruptly let go of my throat as his eyes widened in surprise. Then blood began spurting out of the deep wound in his neck from my knife.

His body began to spasm, and he started coughing up blood. I knew I probably had seconds only. I rolled him off me and he crumpled onto the floor.

I reached under my pillow once more and pulled out the gun from San Francisco just as the door burst open. His brothers burst inside, their weapons in their hands. “ISAAC??!!” one of them blurted out, the two of them frantically scanning the room and then finding him bleeding on the floor.

“WHY YOU GAWD-DAMN WHORE!”

I aimed and fired, catching his brother Joshua in the chest. The impact from the bullet sent him backwards into the corner of the room. Jonathon took a shot at me, but it passed several inches above me. I knew the next one he fired would not miss, and I pulled the trigger a second time.

Jonathan’s body was pushed out the door into the hallway from the impact of the bullet. A look of shock filled his features as a red stain appeared in his chest. He too crumpled to the floor. But I did not have time to contemplate my victory. I was a wanted woman now!

I dressed quickly before throwing myself out the window, crashing through the glass onto the balcony. From there it was a quick jump onto the ground below, resulting in a sprained ankle. I recognized Isaac’s horse tethered to the post nearby from having seen it before, and I quickly hobbled over and climbed aboard. I was not a horseman, but I figured it no longer mattered.

Isaac was not alone; something I had also anticipated. Several of his father’s cowboys were in town, and I heard cries of alarm. Someone hollered that I had shot Isaac and his brothers. But by then I was already seeking the quickest way out of town, the horse galloping at a dead run.

Hooves thundered not too far behind me; I knew I would get caught. There was only one place I could think of to go. It was the only place I knew of that held the dearest memory to me.

They were already catching up to me as I approached the big oak down by the river. Warning shots rang out and I reined in Isaac’s horse. There was no point in running now.

There were 7 or 8 of them, angry as hornets. They had me surrounded, their guns drawn. I waited on Isaac’s horse, I did not resist them.

“She killed Isaac and his brothers!” one of them declared angrily.

“I say string her up!” another offered.

“Sherriff’s out of town; we don’t need a trial!” added a third. “She’s guilty!”

“They try kill Hitomi so I kill first!” I declared proudly in my broken English, sitting upright in the saddle.

“The whore has confessed! I say we string her up!”

I always wondered why cowboys carried ropes. I was told it was for herding cattle, but I suspected differently. Now I knew. It was for situations such as this. I would never live to see the sheriff, nor would I receive what they called a trial. But I did not care.

They formed a rope into a noose and tossed it over the limb of the oak tree, the one where Jingfei and I had made tender love to each other on the ground below. One of the men came up to me and roughly pulled my arms behind my back so he could tie them off. I felt fear mixed with a strange excitement.

The man grabbed the noose and looped it over my head, pulling my long, black hair out of the way. Then he cinched it snug around my neck. My breathing became rapid and I panted heavily for breath.

I was not afraid to die. This was my lot. The die had been cast the moment Jingfei and I had set foot in the town of Cheyenne. Ours was an ill-fated love.

That same cowboy grabbed my blouse and ripped it off my chest, exposing my heaving breasts and erect nipples. I would die as I had lived – like a whore. But that was fine with me; I embraced my fate. At least I would die with all these filthy men admiring my chest… admiring the death of a Chinese-Japanese whore!

“Die, you fucking whore!” one of them shouted, whooping as he swung his hat. It hit Isaac’s horse from behind, causing my mount to bolt. He ran out from underneath me, and my cry was choked off as the noose took my full weight.

The sky was so clear – the air so fresh – as I began to twist and swing back and forth. Somewhere I heard a bird chirping nearby as my legs began to kick of their own accord. Then the pain set in, the pain of not being able to breathe.

As the end neared I realized I had but few regrets. One was the loss of Margot and that couple on the stage. None of them deserved to suffer like that, and it was my actions that had made it happen. Margot had gone willingly with the money I had given her, believing she would find a better life in California. And she was built quite similar to Jingfei. I told myself this was the price I had to pay for getting her killed, and I paid it willingly.

Another regret was that I had not gotten to say goodbye to Jingfei. She had been asleep when Doc Johnson had put her into that buckboard that would take her to the train in the next town for the trip to St Louis. I did not trust that Jingfei might fall into the wrong hands and be returned to her life as a soiled dove back in California. St. Louis offered a better hope, albeit a small one.

Finally, I had not gotten to say goodbye to Patricia. She was risking her life when she had bravely volunteered to drive the buckboard to the next town to make sure Jingfei safely made that train. I figured my death was a small price to pay for her kindness and courage.

I heard the whoops and hollers of the cowboys watching me as I began to fade. I could not stop my legs from kicking, nor could I satisfy my heaving lungs. Then I picked up Jingfei’s scent from somewhere nearby. It was in the grass, the trees, the wind; it seemed to come from everywhere.

It was intoxicating, and it made me smile as I suffered in the noose, remembering what had happened the last time I was here at this very oak. That was all I needed. I sighed contentedly and willingly stepped into the next life as my body finally stopped fighting the rope…

EPILOGUE:

Patricia made sure Jingfei safely got aboard the train to St. Louis. She also made sure Jingfei carried the balance of the funds Hitomi had saved up from her labors in the parlor house. Once there Jingfei met a caring woman and found a new life. She eventually married and had kids, just as Hitomi had desired for her. But a little piece of Jingfei’s heart always remained with someone else, culminating in a memory of an intimate moment at a lonely spot underneath a big oak tree by the river near the town of Cheyenne in the Wyoming territory…

© 2014

(written for Hitomi Dec 21 by riwa)