Free Douse (Book One: At the Edge of a Hurricane) by June Hydra

practically botch-proof on account of the murkiness arising in deals.
Transparency isn’t valued when you could be decapitated for academic
dishonesty. You can butter up the students but never cross the boundary into
the Land of Friendship.
    “You
see where they are,” Caddy says as I stand. “Now these are special
Chinese kids. Afro-Chinese.”
    “You
find the most exotic people, I swear.”
    “China’s huge. They have black people there now too and everything.”
    We
walk over, all the while my legs drag, bending farther away from Bishop. Caddy
glances at me, throwing disapproving looks at my sluggish behavior.
    “You’re
in love and it’s not even month three.”
    “I’m
not in love.”
    “You
couldn’t be a worse liar. You’re in love, girl.”
    “I
just like him very strongly.”
    “Meaning
you love him.”
    I
open my mouth to respond but the Chinese kids stand before us. Two boys, one
girl. The girl speaks.
    “Hello,”
she says. “My name is Wanda.” Her voice sounds as if it’s
being processed through a strainer.
    Caddy
shakes her hand, and then I fall in line, shaking her hand too, though limply.
    “Treat
them well,” Caddy says, leaving us. I turn to the students and usher them
to a safe sitting place, on a couple of benches eastward of the parking lot.
    Same
routine. Lie the papers out. Riffle through sheets. Check who they are. Chat.
    “Why
leave China?” I say.
    “Better
opportunity.” I notice that Wanda does all the talking. Her two
compatriots sit and keep their heads straight, occasionally turning their
attention to the table.
    “You
like it here?”
    Wanda
reels backwards for a moment, then relaxes her hands against the table’s
edge. She grips furiously and speaks fast. “Of course!” she says.
“Much cleaner here. People are interesting to study. Air quality here is
much better. Honest government. Or, I should correct myself, more honest than
back home. Americans value the honesty more, it seems.”
    She
glances at her compatriots. She nods; they nod.
    “They
don’t speak English well, do they?”
    “No,”
Wanda says. “They’re not very well spoken in English. They’re
still learning mechanics and issues of grammar.” She blushes. “So
am I. Honest, in China, in my circle of friends, most of us don’t even
bother that much with the studying. If you’re international, you have
money, you know people high up, then things are good for you, no lie.”
She relaxes her grip on the table and tilts her head. “That’s why
we come to you. You guys have good reviews online too.”
    I
have to laugh. Caddy used to make decoy accounts when he still worked a
“regular” job. He would make decoys during lunch hours and in the
morning while eating breakfast, boosting our ratings on various sites.
    It
did work. It got us clients like Wanda.
    She
fishes her purse with her slender hand, then hands over fifty bucks.
“You’re pretty cheap compared to other sites, I have to say.
Why’re you so low?”
    “It’s
to gain a bigger market share. Undercut the rest. We don’t play big boy
games though. We’re a small operation only, though that’s relative.”
    Wanda
nods, though I’m not sure how much she truly comprehends. I plow on.
    “One
week tops,” I say, “and you’ll have your papers ready.”
    “Good.
You’re quick then, as it is online. One thing though. I must say this
because you’re more in tune with this country than me.” And Wanda
nods, almost bows her head. “Where are all the good men at?”
    We
burst into laughter. It’s a magical, simultaneously shared moment between
us. Wanda jabs at her compatriots’ shoulders, as if they could
understand. She jabbers to them in Chinese. Neither of them share our humor.
They frown instead.
    “Thank
you,” Wanda says. “You make me laugh good.”
    And
so concludes our business. I sealed another deal. I enabled another cheater to
get away with their bad habits.
    I
go to wait outside Caddy’s class. When he