thieves. Why didn’t she think of calling Astrid sooner?
----
* In this instance,
ang mor
is used in reference to British politicians, most likely Tories.
† Abbreviation for “members of Parliament,” used in this instance to refer to Singapore
MPs, most definitely from the People’s Action Party.
‡ A Hokkien term that literally means “three legs” and comes from a rude hand gesture
made by holding up three fingers as if supporting someone’s genitals. This is the
Chinese version of a practice more commonly known to Westerners as “sucking up.”
§ Old-money Chinese absolutely loathe wasting money on long-distance telephone calls,
almost as much as they hate wasting money on fluffy towels, bottled water, hotel rooms,
expensive Western food, taking taxis, tipping waiters, and flying anything other than
economy class.
8
Rachel
NEW YORK
Nick brought it up so nonchalantly, as he was sorting the laundry on the Sunday afternoon
before their big trip. Apparently Nick’s parents had only just been informed that
Rachel was coming with him to Singapore. And oh, by the way, they had just been made
aware of her existence too.
“I don’t quite understand …
you mean your parents never knew about me in all this time?
” Rachel asked in astonishment.
“Yes. I mean, no, they didn’t. But you need to know this has absolutely nothing to
do with you—” Nick began.
“Well, it’s a little hard not to take it personally.”
“Please don’t. I’m sorry if it seems that way. It’s just that …” Nick swallowed nervously.
“It’s just that I’ve always tried to keep clear boundaries between my personal life
and my family life, that’s all.”
“But shouldn’t your personal life be the same as your family life?”
“Not in my case. Rachel, you
know
how overbearing Chinese parents can be.”
“Well, yeah, but it still wouldn’t keep me from telling my mom about something as
important as my boyfriend. I mean, my mom knew about you five minutes after our first
date, and you were sitting down to dinner with her—enjoying her winter melon soup—like,
two months later.”
“Well, you have a very special thing with your mum, you know that. It’s not that easy
for most other people. And with my parents, it’s just …” Nick paused, struggling for
the right words. “We’re just different. We’re much more formal with each other, and
we don’t really discuss our emotional lives at all.”
“What, are they cold and emotionally shut down or something? Did they live through
the Great Depression?”
Nick laughed, shaking his head. “No, nothing like that. I just think you’ll understand
when you meet them.”
Rachel didn’t know what to think. Sometimes Nick could be so cryptic, and his explanation
made no sense to her. Still, she didn’t want to overreact. “Anything else you want
to tell me about your family before I get on a plane and spend the whole summer with
you?”
“No. Not really. Well …” Nick paused for a bit, trying to decide if he should mention
the housing situation. He knew he had screwed things up royally with his mother. He
had waited too long, and when he called to break the news officially about his relationship
with Rachel, his mother had been silent. Ominously silent. All she asked was, “So
where will you be staying, and where will
she
be staying?” It suddenly dawned on Nick that it would
not
be a good idea for the both of them to stay with his parents—not initially, at least.
Nor would it be appropriate for Rachel to stay at his grandmother’s house without
her explicit invitation. They could stay with one of his aunts or uncles, but that
might incite his mother’s wrath and create even more of an internecine war within
his family.
Not sure how to get out of this quagmire, Nick sought the counsel of his great-aunt,
who was always so good at sorting out these sorts of matters.
----
* In this instance,
ang mor
is used in reference to British politicians, most likely Tories.
† Abbreviation for “members of Parliament,” used in this instance to refer to Singapore
MPs, most definitely from the People’s Action Party.
‡ A Hokkien term that literally means “three legs” and comes from a rude hand gesture
made by holding up three fingers as if supporting someone’s genitals. This is the
Chinese version of a practice more commonly known to Westerners as “sucking up.”
§ Old-money Chinese absolutely loathe wasting money on long-distance telephone calls,
almost as much as they hate wasting money on fluffy towels, bottled water, hotel rooms,
expensive Western food, taking taxis, tipping waiters, and flying anything other than
economy class.
8
Rachel
NEW YORK
Nick brought it up so nonchalantly, as he was sorting the laundry on the Sunday afternoon
before their big trip. Apparently Nick’s parents had only just been informed that
Rachel was coming with him to Singapore. And oh, by the way, they had just been made
aware of her existence too.
“I don’t quite understand …
you mean your parents never knew about me in all this time?
” Rachel asked in astonishment.
“Yes. I mean, no, they didn’t. But you need to know this has absolutely nothing to
do with you—” Nick began.
“Well, it’s a little hard not to take it personally.”
“Please don’t. I’m sorry if it seems that way. It’s just that …” Nick swallowed nervously.
“It’s just that I’ve always tried to keep clear boundaries between my personal life
and my family life, that’s all.”
“But shouldn’t your personal life be the same as your family life?”
“Not in my case. Rachel, you
know
how overbearing Chinese parents can be.”
“Well, yeah, but it still wouldn’t keep me from telling my mom about something as
important as my boyfriend. I mean, my mom knew about you five minutes after our first
date, and you were sitting down to dinner with her—enjoying her winter melon soup—like,
two months later.”
“Well, you have a very special thing with your mum, you know that. It’s not that easy
for most other people. And with my parents, it’s just …” Nick paused, struggling for
the right words. “We’re just different. We’re much more formal with each other, and
we don’t really discuss our emotional lives at all.”
“What, are they cold and emotionally shut down or something? Did they live through
the Great Depression?”
Nick laughed, shaking his head. “No, nothing like that. I just think you’ll understand
when you meet them.”
Rachel didn’t know what to think. Sometimes Nick could be so cryptic, and his explanation
made no sense to her. Still, she didn’t want to overreact. “Anything else you want
to tell me about your family before I get on a plane and spend the whole summer with
you?”
“No. Not really. Well …” Nick paused for a bit, trying to decide if he should mention
the housing situation. He knew he had screwed things up royally with his mother. He
had waited too long, and when he called to break the news officially about his relationship
with Rachel, his mother had been silent. Ominously silent. All she asked was, “So
where will you be staying, and where will
she
be staying?” It suddenly dawned on Nick that it would
not
be a good idea for the both of them to stay with his parents—not initially, at least.
Nor would it be appropriate for Rachel to stay at his grandmother’s house without
her explicit invitation. They could stay with one of his aunts or uncles, but that
might incite his mother’s wrath and create even more of an internecine war within
his family.
Not sure how to get out of this quagmire, Nick sought the counsel of his great-aunt,
who was always so good at sorting out these sorts of matters.
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