she did not want to upset Ames who was already very sad . The afternoon was spent in silence . When their last meeting came to an end , tears rolled down Lei Yu ’ s cheeks . Ames took out a piece of paper and a pencil and asked Lei Yu to write down her address . He promised that he would return to see her . With trembling hands , Lei Yu did so , but she had a terrible feeling that she would never see Ames again .
Life in the French Concession did not stay unchanged for long . Lei Yu heard the adults talking about a place called Pearl Harbour , about the United States entering the war . Then , Japanese soldiers marched into the concession areas . The foreign nationals had to wear arm-bands . The Japanese soldiers were not kind to them . Some were even sent to prison . Lei Yu was aware of all the terrible things that were happening . As she saw Frenchmen being beaten on the street , she comforted herself that even if she never saw Ames again , she was grateful that he was away back at home and safe from these people .
The years that followed were not easy ones for Lei Yu and her family . Peace did not come when the Japanese were defeated . The Chinese Civil War followed . Many people left China when it was clear the Communists would win . Among them were Lei Yu ’ s family . After that , Lei Yu never returned to Shanghai .
Two years ago , Mother took me to Shanghai . We visited the area that was the French Concession . We walked along tree-lined streets . We admired the old but grand mansions . Many had been turned into restaurants and clubs . Then Mother told me the story of Lei Yu-my great grandmother and Ames . Finally , she stopped in front of a red-brick apartment block . “ This is it . This is where your great grandmother lived .” We were so intent on looking at the building that we didn ’ t notice a gentleman with blonde hair and brown eyes , he had a yellow shirt and green shorts . Then he spoke , he held out a piece of yellowing but well-kept paper , he showed it to my mother and asked in a funny accent in Mandarin , “ Is this the address on this paper ?”