Riderless Horses and Missing Wings

Ted Hsieh

Class President Pang Woo-Tong and former President Luk Chi-Chung showered me with their friendship and kindness by arranging a dinner get-together at the Yau Yat Tsuen Country Club. Eleven of us Lighters, including the ever-supportive Shirley Luk, sat at a round table for hours enjoying good food and excellent conversation. 

I had not seen Lau Fat-Wing (B24), Wong Man-Kai (B20), Po Yuet-Wah (B33) and her husband Wong Yu (C2) for 43 years. Our bodies have aged us. But distance and time seem to have stood still all these years. I just enjoyed seeing them again. I watched them across the table and listened to their voice. At times, I even closed my eyes just so I could return to the fourth floor of the New Building. I was amazed how they sounded just like in the old days. Even the rhythm and staccato of their speech were clearly discernable. Wong Yu was still "unhappy" with the way I wrote about him in the Year Book. But I was extremely "happy" with him. I even offered a toast to him as a way of thanking him for marrying one of our most beautiful and talented classmates.

In Toronto at our 40th Reunion, I saw Wong Yue-Kai (F5), James Koo (A40), Woo-Tong(B18), Chi-Chung(D19) and his wife Shirley. We all by now appreciate their devotion to the Big Red and Blue and their hard work in promoting the affairs of our class. But nothing could compare to the good feelings I felt as I saw them in person and watched the lively expressions on their faces.

Sun Bit-Tat (B9) sat on my right. The last time I saw him was in 1996 in HK and the time before that was in New York City in 1960. In 1960, Sai Mo and I spent the summer together waiting on tables at a "summer place" for the rich and famous Jewish families on the Preakness Mountains in New Jersey. But once a week on our day off, we would go into the Big Apple to meet up with other Lighters. Peter Sun was always there. Now, after 42 years, we sat side by side again. Wasn't that some thing!

Chi-Chung talked about the dances that were held at his house during our Senior High years. He spoke dreamily of the Lighter girls who were there. One of them, Chen Ying (B13) is married to my Dorm Brother Li Yui-Fun(C6). That surely brought up a lot of Fun memories but also some sadness. Once Yui-Fun wrote: "To me, Sai Mo, ABC, Son of Chieftain, Teddy and Seto Ching are all like my brothers. We all ate together, slept together and teased the girls together. It is too sad that one-third is gone." It was also too much, just the thought of it.

When High School friends got together, funny things were said and strange thought brought up. It was rather crazy and I was not even drinking. Yuet-Wah kept offering toasts. She asked if her memory was correct that I usually went to Cheung Chau for the weekends. She was right. Man-Kai said he remembered that I used to play basketball. He had a good memory. Wong Yu, Bit Tat and the rest were deep in their discussion about the future of human race and the direction of China. 

Sitting next to Bit Tat, suddenly I remembered the Double Quartet we used to have at Pui Ching. It consisted of Sai Mo, ABC, Lo Park-Shiun, Ivan Choi (B25), Tony Kwok (B10), David Lin (D27), Bit-Tat and me. We sang in the Morning Assembly, Lighters Nights and several Choir Concerts. We were not very good. We never practiced very hard. We were each involved in too many other activities. Many times we were not able to get all eight of us together at the same time. Sitting there deep in my private world and looking at a very animated Bit-Tat, I just thought it would be so nice to have that Double Quartet back once more. 

But we all know that Sai Mo, ABC and Park-Shiun were gone. That was almost half of the Double Quartet. Thinking some of the songs we sang, I was not sad at all. I was grateful for the time we had. I was grateful for the memory. 

In a memorial parade, a fully saddled horse would gallop slowly without its departed rider. In memorializing a former fighter pilot, jets would fly over in formation, with a missing wing. I was thinking of our departed classmates as gallant riders and flyers. But they were riders and flyers no more. I missed them. But I was grateful to them for the memories they had left behind. Not just for me, I know, but for all the Lighters. 

That night, in the faraway Hong Kong, I raised my cup of tea and toasted to the Lighters there around the round table at Yau Yat Tsuen with the following words from the musical, Les Miserables:

Drink with me to days gone by,
Sing with me the songs we knew.
Here's to all the pretty girls 
Who went to our heads.
Here's to all the witty girls
Who went to our beds.
Here's to them
And here's to you.

Drink with me to days gone by,
To the life that used to be.
Let the wine of friendship never run dry.
At the shrine of friendship never say die.
Here's to you
And here's to me.

And now, to all the Lighters everywhere, Here's To You. 

Again, Here's to Woo-Tong, Chi-Chung and Shirley. Here's to Fat-Wing, Man-Kai, Yuet-Wah and Wong Yu. Here's to Yue-Kai, James, and Bit-Tat. Thank you for making my visit to Hong Kong so sweet with memory.