"Yes."
That was all they said about it.
Neither wanted to imagine the child sitting awake and wondering why they had not returned.
So Bai Li increased the speed.
The motorcycle flew down the boulevard.
They passed a broken fountain.
Then a row of ruined shops.
Then a traffic light that still changed colors even though nobody was using the road.
At one intersection, they found a group of survivors gathered on the roof of a pharmacy.
One man stepped toward the edge.
"Look!"
The group turned.
The motorcycle raced beneath them.
Someone whistled.
Someone else shouted, "Nice bike!"
Yan Cijin looked up.
The survivors were cheering.
She actually laughed.
Bai Li looked toward her.
"What?"
"They like your motorcycle."
"It is a good motorcycle."
"Of course you would say that."
"I have good taste."
Yan Cijin smiled.
"You do."
For a second, their eyes met in the side mirror.
Then Yan Cijin looked away.
Bai Li did the same.
The road continued.
