Chinese Version04-06-2024, Saturday, Cloudy
Tonight, we had dinner with E and D, a couple in their early 50s who have been in the United States for more than a decade. I had a great time listening to their different versions of love at first sight stories.
More than ten years ago, they fell in love at first sight in New Zealand and got married. Later, Mr. D found a job in the United States, and they immigrated here.
D likes to tell the story of the first time he met E in New Zealand: “My friend and I went to an indoor rock climbing club. As soon as we entered the climbing area, I saw E hanging high on the climbing wall and everyone below was looking up and chanting for her. E didn’t reach the top and almost fell into my arms. I fell in love with her at that moment.” D added: “Oh, my friend happened to know E.”
Watching a successful career gentleman vividly describing the details of love at first sight from more than ten years ago, in front of his loving wife, I felt like I were there watching E climb too, and happiness seemed spread instantly around us. I couldn’t help but clap my hands and asked E who was sitting next to D: “Do you remember those details?”
E smiled sweetly and said: ” I don’t remember it, this is his version.”
I told E sincerely: “From the way he described the scene of your first time meet, I can tell that he still loves you fondly.”
E quickly looked at D sitting next to her and said with the same sweet smile: “He didn’t mention how he was looked back then. He had long hair that went past his waist, a goatee under his chin, and big earrings.”
I immediately turned my head to look at D, who was still looking at E happily. I saw a typical Western male scholar, with silver-gray hair cut short, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a dark and light blue checkered shirt. The D in front of me has no trace of what E just described. Of course, I couldn’t get close enough to see his ear holes. I half-jokingly said to E: “Woo, You tamed him very successfully!”
My daughter who sat face to E said to me: “Mom, how can you say that?”
I quickly added: “You two are soulmates, destined to be together in life!”
E nodded and said: “Yes.”
E and D continued talking about their uniqueness. As E’s father is a very traditional Asian man, D had to cut his long hair, shave his beard, take off the earrings, and learn Asian etiquette before he went to meet his future father-in-law and asked for permission to marry his daughter. D happily demonstrated to us how to pass a teacup with one hand while being held by another hand, and I immediately noticed that D’s posture of teacup holding is different from the Chinese posture of using both hands to hold the teacup.
I curiously asked E whether she liked the United States or New Zealand. She said she liked the simple and natural New Zealand: “The birds in New Zealand are very simple, brown and yellow-brown, not as gorgeous and colorful as the birds in our neighboring Australia.” But she doesn’t feel that she belongs to New Zealand because there are very few Asians at that time; in this regard, she prefers Silicon Valley in the United States. She said that when she goes to a restaurant with her friends, she often feels like she was back in her motherland because of the food and the people sitting with her. She added with a smile: “When D eats with us, and he is usually the only white.”
Thanks to the diverse and inclusive culture of Silicon Valley, I experienced the exotic customs and practices with personal views at home.
Little Episodes
1. New Zealand’s birds are simple, brown and yellow-brown, not as colorful as their neighbor Australia’s birds.
2. Our dinner table, E and D have had a pet “Toto” for seven years. He is very well-behaved and comfortable around children, so both of our little ones love Toto very much.
