An Ocean Apart I Chinese!fem!reader

Monday, November 13th, 1990.

                                                                   心水日金水

It was very early, still dark. Baba left for the Baldwins' almost an hour ago. It takes a long time to get to Shaughnessy Heights and Mrs. Baldwin wants him there early to tend the furnace and cook the breakfast. I think she's mean, but Baba says that I must not say that, as he is lucky to have a job with the Baldwins when so many people have no work at all. He says that we are both lucky that Mrs. Baldwin does not make him live at her house like the last house-boy did. It makes me scared to think about that. Even now, I see Baba so little. Sunday is the day I say him most - when he has the afternoon off. It is the best week for me and yesterday was the best Sunday I have ever spent in Canada. I hope I am allowed to do this and write the things I did on another day. You are a hard and confusing taskmaster, Diary! Yesterday afternoon Baba and I walked by the sea and sat on the wall, looking at the grey waves. Baba loves the sea. I wonder whether he would have stayed on land or run away and become a fisherman if Uncle Wing-lok had not brought him to Canada? Baba looked very serious and he asked me: ''How much do you think about Y/M?'' This was a hard question because I think about her a lot, but I did not want to e him sad for me or to think that I was not happy to be here with him. Every day is what I said, but I did not tell him that I thought of Ma every hour of the day. Baba smiled and said that he did too. He looked very hard at me, making sure our eyes saw each other. ''I promise, Y/N,'' he said, ''that we will do everything we can to bring your mother and brother here.'' He gripped my arm so tight that it hurt. I knew that Baba was telling the truth. If we continue to work hard and save our money, we can pay their fares and their tax, just like Uncle Wing-lok did for us. This was such a happy thought it made me smile. I was waiting though, for Baba to mention my birthday but he didn't. I could not remind him. He just stood up and said that we had to hurry home. I felt a bit sad and disappointed. When I was little Ma would boil me an egg on my birthday and colour its shell red for good luck. I knew Baba had no time for such things that pleased small children but I wanted him to say something. I was being foolish but I still felt a little sad so I thought about how you, Diary, were my Canadian red egg. That helped. My sadness turned out to be true silliness. When we reached Pender Street, Baba would not let me go to our room. He insisted that we go to not work there until 6 on his afternoon off. I said nothing, when we got there I could still say nothing but this was because I was so surprised. Wong Bak had cooked a special meal for goo jinggai - I love the way the mushrooms' flavour goes into my chicken. Not only that but Chee and Yook Jieh. I wish Bess could have been there too but I know she would have not been allowed to come to Chinatown. So you see, Diary, why yesterday was so special!

Signing off, Y/N.