In Denial by Nigel Lampard

this smooth stranger who could make that dream come true, or so she thought.
    Was it too soon?
    Filling one restaurant was down to the quality of the chefs and waiters she employed; more than one would move the business on to a different plain.
    ‘ It’s not a contradiction, Christina. I use the words so that they are complementary. Expansion of the idea and consolidation of what’s within. I thought by combining Sri Lankan and Chinese cuisines you’d finish up with nothing more than Thai food. Don’t get me wrong. I love Thai cuisine but what you have done is so, so different. It’s a tremendous success already, so now is the time to show it to the whole of Kowloon and Hong Kong.’ He smiled. ‘There’s a well known Chinese proverb - If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people . You have sown the rice, let me help you plant the trees and educate the people.’
    ‘ These are words, and words do not make a business.’
    ‘ But let me try a few more words on you and these are from the mouth of Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and her physiology of taste: the discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.’ He paused as he saw Christina’s eyes brighten. ‘And, Christina, you have certainly introduced not one, not two, but many new dishes.’
    ‘ Do you really think the time is right? It’s not too early?’
    ‘ I never gamble, Christina. I only bet on certainties.’
     
    *  *  *
     
    Five years later, when Joseph’s promises, and therefore Christina’s dreams, had already come true; there were now five Colombo Dragons in Kowloon, five on Hong Kong Island, three in Macao and three each planned for Tokyo and Hiroshima.
    According to Peter Walker the next stage would be Europe and then the United States of America.
     
    *  *  *
     
    ‘ Daddy,’ Lucinda said at her father’s shoulder, ‘Patrick is being horrible.’
    Joseph shook his mind back to the present. ‘And why is that, angel?’
    ‘ He’s calling Adam names.’
    ‘ Is he?’ Whereas Lucinda and Adam were inseparable, Patrick never accepted Adam’s presence. Joseph and Christina hoped the two boys would become the best of friends, albeit there were two years between them, but the friendship had not materialised. When the three children got home from school, Patrick always took himself off to his bedroom to do his homework and then, after eating, would go back to his room to read. On the occasions when they watched television or played a game as a family, the rivalry between the two boys was always evident, though tempered.
    ‘ Yes, he’s saying awful things.’
    ‘ So why is Adam over there with the others, laughing?’ Christina asked, pleased that Lucinda had distracted them from talking about Peter Walker. Yes, Peter was a flirt and he’d continued to be rather obvious with what he wanted, but for Joseph to feel jealous was suggesting that he didn’t trust her.
    ‘ Because he just shrugs. He won’t even try to get back at him.’ Lucinda’s lips were set in the inevitable pout.
    ‘ That’s because he ignores such things, as perhaps you should do,’ her mother suggested.
    ‘ I can’t. It’s not just now, it’s all the time.’
    ‘ May I suggest you try, Lucinda. If Adam can, then you can.’
    Lucinda glared at her mother, then looked at her father for support. But when she didn’t get it, the pout became more prominent and she turned away.
    ‘ She has a point,’ Joseph said as he watched his daughter rejoin the group.
    ‘ It’s just three kids growing up,’ Christina told him. ‘I can see why Patrick feels the way he does. Adam and Lucinda haven’t exactly cut him off but they do tend to ignore him.’
    ‘ At their ages they are merely establishing relationships. They’re only ten for God’s sake. Kids of their age do that sort of thing.’
    Christina looked surprised. ‘Since when have