To April Love: A Tribute 

Ted Hsieh

Hers was the romance of romances among the Lighters. 

During our youthful years at Pui Ching when such things were kept as top secrets, her romance with classmate Seto Ching was the worst kept secret. Whenever they were found together, his unhelpful friends would blare out that popular song of their time. Actually, her full name was literally "Horse-Spring-Love." But being young and lovely, April Love suited her like a glove.

Those hums and whistles of Pat Boone's "April Love" would surely, as surely as the sun's rising from the east, bring out that famous older-sister's stern look of hers. Many of us enjoyed her resulting indulgence as much as our initial teasing.

During the emotionally and romantically turbulent high school years, her relationship with Seto Ching was a model of calm and stability. She never flaunted or fluctuated in her affection towards Ah Ching, one of my dearest dorm brothers. And yet she never neglected her friendships with other classmates and her admirable felt obligations to serve others. 

I think she was the only Lighter who served as a class "Disciplinarian" (for Class Hope) all six semesters in our Senior High years. She was always efficient and quiet in her service. I know about her efficiency. I served with her as fellow officers and later as Year Book staff. I still remember those countless times she helped me in doing my tasks with timely reminders and in locating misplaced materials and records. I never offered her thanks or appreciations, believing I would have the opportunities to do so later.

Our paths never crossed since graduation day in l959. 

She and Seto Ching were married soon after graduation and migrated to Sydney. I thought about them often, always with the thought that someday we would be spending many hours leisurely together reminiscing about those golden days of our youth.

For forty-three years we had never tried to get together and had exchanged Christmas cards only twice in recent years. 

I remember that I was extremely gratified some years ago when I saw them in their son's wedding picture in the Alumni News. The words we read about the emotions one experiences when meeting old friends again years later were felt at that time. I was very happy for them.

Once Seto Ching wrote about their life in Australia as "diligently making people" (nou lik dzou jan). They were diligent and productive indeed, having three sons and two daughters and making them perhaps the champion baby-makers among us Lighters.

And now she died. She died too young. I had wanted to talk to her about our days in the Class of Hope. I had wanted to tell her my appreciations for her as a person, a friend and a life long soul mate to my dear dorm brother. 

But I am very thankful that she died peacefully and without pain, and was surrounded, I am sure, by a grateful family. She also left her world with friends and high school classmates who will remember her with great fondness. To them, her calmness and stability in their youth were inspirations. She had a good life. She also provided a good life to the man she loved in her youth and continued to love until the day she died. In the world we live in today, theirs was the love story of love stories. That was good enough a life no matter how long it was.

Love in April was exciting, innocent and full of possibilities. Indeed, it was for the very young. Seto Ching is one lucky man to have that love in April and also in the September of his life. I am sure what follows is his wish for all of us Lighters. May the September of our life be as happy and fulfilling.

The September Song Audio

Oh, it's a long, long while
From May to December.
But the days grow short
When you reach September-
When the autumn weather
Turns the leaves to flame.
One hasn't got time
For the waiting game.
Oh, the days dwindle down-
To a precious few-
September, November!
And these few precious days
I'll spend with you,
These precious days-
I'll spend with you!
(The September Song)