Read Online Listen to the Squawking Chicken: When Mother Knows Best, What's a Daughter To Do? A Memoir (Sort Of) by Elaine Lui - Free Book Online
Authors: Elaine Lui
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deep shit. My family members disappeared. Ma turned on her heel, knowing I would follow. She took me to a coffee shop, ordered a cup of coffee, and asked me if I wanted one too. I did. It felt very grown-up. And, indeed, we had a very grown-up conversation. Ma decided to tell me about the history of her relationship with Dad, and why she left him.
Ma had dropped out of school after Grade 10 to support her family. Without a proper education, there was only so much she could do. At first she made money placing bets for people at the track and collecting tips. From there, having made connections with local trading merchants who used to hang out at the gambling halls, she worked for them under the table, organizing shipping orders and schedules for Westerngoods to cross on the black market into China. Later on, she got a job at a real estate firm selling overseas property. The commission was great. She booted around in a BMW, bought clothes in Kowloon, traveled throughout Asia and still had enough money to send home every week.
While Ma was a single girl hitting her stride, Dad was just getting started. He was a poor farmer boy from Tsuen Wan, a small town about half an hour away from Yuen Long, the sixth of ten children, shy and unsophisticated. As a boy and through his teen years, he was mentored by a monk who taught him Buddhist scripture and impressed upon him the value of hard work and perseverance. For a while, he considered entering the monastery himself. But meeting Ma changed everything.
Dad had a job at the Yuen Long courthouse as a clerk. His supervisor, Mr. Lai, who would eventually become my godfather, recognized his potential and intended to promote him. Mr. and Mrs. Lai were good friends with the Squawking Chicken. They all played mah-jong together. Ma would occasionally visit Mr. Lai at the courthouse. She’d pull up in her BMW, strut across the office like she owned it, squawking her arrival as if everyone should stop working because she was there. Dad was instantly infatuated. Or, as she put it, “Your daddy couldn’t even dream that he’d ever meet someone as amazing as me.” Since Dad didn’t have the nerve to ask her out, Mr. Lai kept trying to set them up. Ma saw it as a charitable opportunity, a kindness she was bestowing just once on this hillbilly with the glasses and the nerdy clothes.She wouldn’t go out with him again after their first date. The Squawking Chicken had an active social life. She was smart, well connected, popular and well-dressed, and after years of family drama, the situation at home was finally stabilized. She had opportunities. She had plans. And Dad was a total nerd—shy and awkward, he wore goofy clothes and had country manners. “Your daddy only knew how to eat chicken! Only chicken and rice! And my underwear cost more than his entire wardrobe.” He didn’t fit into her world.
But he refused to be put off. So one night he stood outside her window, across the street so she could see him, from after dinner until morning, just to demonstrate his ardor. People made fun of him as they passed. He looked pathetic—the geek pining for the girl who was out of his league, the clueless loser who couldn’t take a hint. It was a John Hughes movie. But it worked. Dad wore her down. He made Ma feel like she was the only woman who mattered, like she was worth fighting for. They fell in love over the objections of her parents who, by this point, had conveniently whitewashed their lives. There was no more drinking. There was no more adultery. Her father was now a bus driver. Her mother stayed home to look after Ma’s siblings, which basically meant she played mah-jong all day while Ma helped them with their household expenses. Her parents were enjoying her generosity and the fact that she was successful wasmaking them look good. They were hoping she’d hook up with a rich businessman who could support them too. So when they found out that Ma was dating some hick with
Ma had dropped out of school after Grade 10 to support her family. Without a proper education, there was only so much she could do. At first she made money placing bets for people at the track and collecting tips. From there, having made connections with local trading merchants who used to hang out at the gambling halls, she worked for them under the table, organizing shipping orders and schedules for Westerngoods to cross on the black market into China. Later on, she got a job at a real estate firm selling overseas property. The commission was great. She booted around in a BMW, bought clothes in Kowloon, traveled throughout Asia and still had enough money to send home every week.
While Ma was a single girl hitting her stride, Dad was just getting started. He was a poor farmer boy from Tsuen Wan, a small town about half an hour away from Yuen Long, the sixth of ten children, shy and unsophisticated. As a boy and through his teen years, he was mentored by a monk who taught him Buddhist scripture and impressed upon him the value of hard work and perseverance. For a while, he considered entering the monastery himself. But meeting Ma changed everything.
Dad had a job at the Yuen Long courthouse as a clerk. His supervisor, Mr. Lai, who would eventually become my godfather, recognized his potential and intended to promote him. Mr. and Mrs. Lai were good friends with the Squawking Chicken. They all played mah-jong together. Ma would occasionally visit Mr. Lai at the courthouse. She’d pull up in her BMW, strut across the office like she owned it, squawking her arrival as if everyone should stop working because she was there. Dad was instantly infatuated. Or, as she put it, “Your daddy couldn’t even dream that he’d ever meet someone as amazing as me.” Since Dad didn’t have the nerve to ask her out, Mr. Lai kept trying to set them up. Ma saw it as a charitable opportunity, a kindness she was bestowing just once on this hillbilly with the glasses and the nerdy clothes.She wouldn’t go out with him again after their first date. The Squawking Chicken had an active social life. She was smart, well connected, popular and well-dressed, and after years of family drama, the situation at home was finally stabilized. She had opportunities. She had plans. And Dad was a total nerd—shy and awkward, he wore goofy clothes and had country manners. “Your daddy only knew how to eat chicken! Only chicken and rice! And my underwear cost more than his entire wardrobe.” He didn’t fit into her world.
But he refused to be put off. So one night he stood outside her window, across the street so she could see him, from after dinner until morning, just to demonstrate his ardor. People made fun of him as they passed. He looked pathetic—the geek pining for the girl who was out of his league, the clueless loser who couldn’t take a hint. It was a John Hughes movie. But it worked. Dad wore her down. He made Ma feel like she was the only woman who mattered, like she was worth fighting for. They fell in love over the objections of her parents who, by this point, had conveniently whitewashed their lives. There was no more drinking. There was no more adultery. Her father was now a bus driver. Her mother stayed home to look after Ma’s siblings, which basically meant she played mah-jong all day while Ma helped them with their household expenses. Her parents were enjoying her generosity and the fact that she was successful wasmaking them look good. They were hoping she’d hook up with a rich businessman who could support them too. So when they found out that Ma was dating some hick with
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