Ah-Peen Oie was no longer wearing a silk dress. Her hair was not swept into an elegant style. She wore no makeup. Her hair had been cut short and now framed a face with aging lines. Her clothing was a simple white tunic over white trousers. She could have been anyone on the street, but there was no doubt it was the same slave owner. But the most significant change was that the woman’s eyes had changed. Gone was the hatred from their dark depths. The light in Ah-Peen Oie’s eyes told Mei Lien that the slave owner’s soul had changed too. The woman sank to her knees and bowed her head. As Ah-Peen
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This scene was created after my first draft when my agent asked me to write a forgiveness scene between Ah-Peen Oie and Mei Lien. I realized then that even though Mei Lien was a composite character, there must have been a forgiveness scene when Ah-Peen Oie was allowed into the mission home. Some of the girls she'd presided over would have been in residence. Recently, I've been reading Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, and one of the most poignant scenes in the book is the forgiveness that takes place between two brothers. I will never forget it.
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