talk 476

I actually “attended” the starts of four sessions of reunion. For two of them, I escorted my wife Winnie to the sessions then I went back to work. The HK City Tour is one of them.

On my way walking Winnie to the gathering place 7:30AM for the HK city tour, we would need to cross an underground tunnel. Hardly anybody was there at this time of Saturday morning. A man approached Winnie asking for $2 for the subway fare. Just the day before, the cleaning woman happened to tell Winnie that somebody had asked her for the same $2 subway (MTR) fare, then grabbed her purse and ran away. Winnie’s instinctive reaction was turning around and clung onto me. I saw her face turned white, and her eyes opened wide with horror. I pried her away and motioned her to go first as I stayed behind to take care of the man. And then she started running ahead hysterically. I took out a $2 coin and put that into the open palm of that man and saw there were more than $20 of coins in his hand. The highest MTR fare from Tsim Sha Tsui to anywhere would be less than $16. Noticing Winnie was a quite bit distance ahead of us; the man quickly disappeared into a side exit not leading to the MTR, and shouted “Thank you” on his way out. Having not heard the cleaning woman’s story, I thought this is just a humanitarian thing to do.

Winnie hanged on to my arm tightly as we walked out of the tunnel, and colors gradually returned to her pretty face. I reassured her with me at her side, everything is all right and wished that man were bigger and meaner so I can be a true hero. She hit me repeatedly for not sharing her fears and making light of this case, but for the first time really appreciated that I escorted her to the gathering site. Actually it took 30 plus years to really show what I tried to show her then in NY.

The last time she clung onto me so tightly was over 30 years ago when we were on the second date in New York. On our first date she happened to mention that she was disgusted with her current boyfriend after he telling her to run for her life in case of mugging as he will be running away as fast as he can. Since my father told me choosing a girl is like choosing a restaurant; you only go to a restaurant that has a lot of customers; you should chase after a girls who has a lot of boyfriends. So this is not the first time I have had to face this issue. However, for a 97 lb weakling, built like a chopstick, how am I going to find a way to impress so she can feel secure with me?

I took her to ice-skating at the Sky Rink above Madison Square Garden. I took skating as my physical education class in college, while Winnie was putting on the skates the first time in her life. Her both feet kept sliding out from under her. Without feet underneath her, with all her limbs stretched out flailing in the air, she would “fly” like a flying trapeze artist in a circus, but without somebody to catch her or a safety net below. Then we Lighters all know that Newton’s law of gravity will take effect and she will fall like Newton’s apple on concrete hard ice. So she held onto me tightly for her dear life for the entire session. Even with my “strong” arms, neck, shoulders, waist, even legs or whatever part of my body she could grab, she fell flat a few times. As we “broke the ice” both figuratively and literally, we instantly became closer both emotionally and physically. The week later, I had excuse to see her about her bruises. One thing led to another and the rest is the history. I can hear her sleeping soundly in the next room, and can see my daughter’s wedding photo of the extended Koo family on the wall. Without the skating session, will all these happen?

Finally, 30 plus years later in HK I had the opportunity to show her my true mettle. It took US$50 (parking, skating tickets, hot chocolate, and dinner afterwards) and a lot of planning in New York the first time, and only HK$2 (25 cents US) with spontaneity in Hong Kong this time. Who says HK has lost its magic? Maybe I should pay the cleaning woman for telling Winnie the story. Did I underpay the man in the tunnel?

We never went to skate again. I also know she does not know how to ride a bicycle, and failed swimming class in college—just reserved for future.

Our smart Lighters will say the skating event is staged; it is a fake, and it never really showed I could be a protector of her. I agree. But how was I going to let her feel the “strong” arms of mine? Spinning her like a top on the dance floor? Besides, with the possible exception of Bob Chen, who says it has to be rational or logical during courtship?

Now about the HK city tour, Winnie totally enjoyed the tour as she learned both about Chinese gardens and the fact that some of the Lighters are very smart (the tour planners and the garden designer)—one of those things I failed to convince her for the past 30 plus years.