Cira sat in front of her computer, her hands poised above the keyboard like a pianist’s above piano keys, and she thought. She thought about what she wanted to say, about what she wanted to remember, and as the words and memories began to flow through her mind, her hands started to fly over the keys, putting memories to paper.

“Popo! Popo! We’re here!” The little girl cried out as she entered the house.

“Slow down, Cira. She’s not going anywhere, she knows you’re coming.” The woman followed the little girl into the house and closed the door behind her.

“Popo! Popo! Where are you?”

“Where’s my little Cira?” A petite elderly woman came from the back of the house, smiling with her arms held wide.

“Popo!” Cira ran to the woman and hugged her tight.

“Hi, Mom. Where’s Dad? How are you?” Cira’s mother asked as she too hugged the other woman.

“He in the back. We’re good. How are you and Li?”

“We’re good. We were going to go do some shopping.”

“Okay, when you come pick up dinner and Cira?”

“Around six, that’s plenty of time.”

“Okay, you come up, see my flower?”

“Sure, what have you got blooming now?”

“More orchid. Two different color now. White and purple. They just keep growing.” Popo slowly trudged up the steps with Cira’s mother following her.

“I swear, Mom, you can grow anything.” Cira’s mother shook her head in amazement.

“Oh, easy,” Popo waved her hand at the compliment. “Just water, and enough sunlight, that all.”

Oh, they’re beautiful,” Cira’s mother crouched in front of the row of pots with orchids in the greenhouse. Each orchid plant stood tall and graceful in its own pot and showed off two or three of the beautiful flowers. “You just have green hands, Mom.” Cira’s mother stood up, careful of the other plants crowding the small greenhouse. “Look at all of these flowers, they’re all beautiful.”

“It easy, no work.” Popo brushed off the compliment again while she looked over the several plants and flowers that she had in the greenhouse.

“I still you’re amazing at growing all of these flowers, but you’re always amazing, Mom.”

“Okay. Bye, Mom. Bye, Cira!” She called out.

“Bye, Mom, see you later!” The little girl shouted from the kitchen.

“Bye, Shannon, see you at six.” The elderly woman walked Cira’s mother to the door and then walked back to the kitchen.

“What are we going to do today, Popo?” Cira asked from her seat beside her Gung Gung.

“We’re going to make har gow for dinner, you do the pressing, okay?” The elderly woman moved to the counter where a large steel bowl was sitting with a towel over it.

“Okay, can I go get the press? What is Gung Gung going to do?” Cira asked as she bounded down the stairs to the basement.

“He can go sit in the front and watch TV. He can’t press the dough right.”

“I know, I press it more evenly and better. Right, Popo?” Cira grinned as she came back up the stairs with a large steel press in her hands.

“Right. So get out of here, Gung Gung.” Popo told her husband, making a shooing motion with her hands. Gung Gung obediently stood up, taking his cup of coffee to go sit in the front and watch TV. “I already made the dough and meat, we just have to roll the dough into balls for you to press.”

“Okay, what are we going to do while we make the har gow?” Cira asked as she sat down at the kitchen table with Popo and reached into the bowl for some dough.

“I don’t know. You want to watch TV? You can see what is on.” Popo pushed the TV guide over to Cira.

“Nah, I watch too much TV. Or at least that’s what mom says.” She grinned mischievously at Popo.

“So, what you want to do?”

“Tell me a story?”

“Of what? I really don’t know any stories.” Popo looked at Cira thoughtfully and a bit confused.

“Tell me about you, Popo.” Cira grinned and leaned forward.

“About me? What do you want to know about me? There’s not much to tell. I grew up in China, I met Gung Gung, I come here and we have Di Bok and Ngee Bok and you dad, and Sai Sauk, and then they have you guys. There not that much to tell you.” Popo looked at Cira, her hands moving quickly through the dough, making it into several little balls.

“How did you meet Gung Gung?”

“Well, I meet him in 1947 in June, and I never see him before. One day he come to my house because my mother already put it up for us and Gung Gung’s great-aunt is my uncle the wife the mother, see that’s why they know each other a little bit. But I never meet him and he come to my house that day; the first day I meet him that engage.” Popo paused in remembrance while Cira watched her eagerly.

“Did you like him when you met Gung Gung?” Cira asked as she placed one of the balls of dough in between two pieces of wax paper and pressed it down in the press.

“I really don’t know it. I never meet any boy before. See he bring two guy, he bring two more guy and two women to my house. After I engage, my grandfather thought the other guy is Gun Gung, he said, ‘Oh pretty good looking guy and really good looking, the skin is so beautiful.’ And my mother said, ‘No, not that one, the black, the dark-skinned, that one.’” Popo and Cira both laughed at that. “He said, ‘Oh, that one.’ You know, dark skin in China not too good, only white. And then they pretty, don’t matter the skin. And after engage, I really don’t know who he is, I don’t know nothing ‘bout. I never meet anyone before, because we go to school, we separate, boy and girl not together, one side the boy and the other side the girl. And then Hong Kong school, not go to school for, only girl school, and that’s why I never meet any boy. I don’t know good looking or bad looking. And then in December, we get married, and next December, on year later December, have Di Bok.” Popo paused again. “See, not that much to tell.” Her hands moved quickly, placing a meat mixture in the round flat dough pieces that Cira had pressed out and closing them up into little bags.

“But what happened after that Popo?”

“Well, I was 19 when I married Gung Gung, and 20 when I had Di Bok. After have Di Bok, Di Bok five month old, Gung Gung back to America.”

“Where did you live after Gung Gung came back here?” Cira asked inquisitively.

“I went to live with his mother, but she was a witch. She was never satisfied and made me very nervous. She used to scream at me all the time. I ran away from her at first to my mother’s house and lived in Hong Kong by myself with Di Bok. I had to wait for the papers to come for four more months. I had money from gifts when I was younger. Since I was the youngest, I got lots of money and I saved it. That’s how I took care of Di Bok. Even before I ran away I had to take care of him by myself because she was so evil, she would starve him to death. She even tried to steal my money.” Popo shook her head in remembrance.

“If she was so evil, why did you go live with her in the first place?” Cira looked confused.

“You lived with your husband family until they died. Sometimes you even had to live with your husband’s grandparents too, if they were still alive. It’s changed a little today. See, never move out. Take care of the older people, not like here the people. Not people born here different. But we from over there, old country style, I mean. All stay together. The way you young people move out, that has a bad name.” Popo shook her head again.

“So, what happened next?”

“And then Communist come, and we know over there really not too good for living, me and, carry Di Bok, run get out the Communist, go, stay in Hong Kong.”

“What was in Hong Kong?” Cira asked as continued pressing out the dough.

“I had, my uncle had friend in Hong Kong. And my cousin, I had cousin come to America too, but he come to America for school, he already have paper come out, but he wait for us, because I not speak any English, ad a little baby, only, only that time 10 month old, 8 month old. Di Bok come to America only 13 month. And he say he don’t mind, he wait for me, he wait for, and then we come together. We come 1950. Come to America, and Di Bok born in China had to go to the camp, you know what kind of camp is that?” Popo looked at Cira.

“No, what kind?”

“The people first come over her, come to America, have to go to camp. They check you, everything okay before let you out. I no have to go, but Di Bok have to go. That’s why I have to go with him, but only one night, and Gung Gung have a lawyer, then we get out, one night. Some, Gung Gung come that time, he stay for few month. You know the camp at San Francisco call, Angel Island. That it. Then 1950, I come over here, in January. Ngee Bok born in 1950, in October. And then after that, had you dad and Sai Sauk. Then we had, we get a farm. We had a farm, really far from the city. Di Bok start school that time, had to take a bus, had to walk very far. One time, he come, he go to school, had to pass lots a farm, and one farm they raise, they grow-, they raise bee for honey, that kind. Di Bok, terrible, pick up the rock and throw the rock, wow so much bee follow him!” Popo shook with laughter.

“Finally, we move to the town. We move to town and then we grow, we grow lots a fruit, vegetable, everything. But that time, Korean War, the farm not good, we lose money, we sold the farm, move to town.”

“What happened that you lost the farm?”

“Gung Gung had a farm before, when he first come to America.” She paused to remember. “He had a farm at that time because World War II that time and had a farm, no had to go to the service, and that farmer make lot some money before, until, almost end, he had to go, he sign in, go into service, two year I think before get out. He go back home, had twenty-five thousand dollar that time, lota money in 1946. Because he and father not, father and son the name, because buy the paper come in, and then he said because he’s the only son, had daughter in China, he said I go back home, don’t know, some time maybe had something come up, and then the money go to the government, and he take all the money from his account, put the money for the father name, he back to China that time, he use all the money, because he back to China for two year, or three year, before come back here.

“He, his dad, said the money put in the bank not that much interest, he draw out all the money, but five house in Stockton, use his name, then until Gung Gung come over here, he put one name, he name and Gung Gung name. He stole that money, he said he would give us some of the rent money from the houses. But after his wife came, that witch, she wouldn’t let him give us any of the money anymore. We couldn’t pay the bills anymore and we lost the farm.” Popo frowned again.

“So what did you do, since you didn’t have the farm, Popo?” Cira looked at her grandmother.

“I work in the cannery. Gung Gung had truck driving. Gung Gung start at seven o’clock that morning and come back home a’ five. I start at, I start six o’clock at night, and come home three o’clock morning. We take turn to baby-sit four. For, for seven year, yeah, almost seven year. And then Ju Gung and Ju Bok come over, see us not too good the family like that, one go, one leave, and one home. Never see the both! I work six day the cannery, from Monday to Saturday. But Gung Gung only five day. But only Sunday, one day I stay home, but have to wash clothes, everything, nothing. He said that not good to family, the kid, how ‘bout move to Toronto. But we no want move to Toronto, then Gung Gung ask what more close in America, close Canada. He say, well, close Toronto be Windsor, a little bit close. I mean Detroit more close.” Popo nodded in agreement with herself. “In 1960, that’s right, we move over here. We first went Harding and Jefferson, sixty dollar a month rent. And Ju Bok Gung, then Ju Bok come over here, they nothing here the people. They drove the car one street, just pass the channel, look for street, see find any hose, they find the house on Harding, near by Jefferson, sixty dollar rent, they rent the house for us three month before we move here. Because we have to wait until all the boy get out school before we move, we move in September, they rent the house in June or May something, June or May something like that. And then we move over here and Gung Gung no want a business, because we no have that kind of money for business. Just want a job, like in Stockton. But that time, no job. Gung Gung look for Chinese restaurant. You know how much wage they pay. Five dollar a day. Five dollar? They have six people, how use five dollar day. Sixty dollar for rent. Then, not take that job. And, one day, Ju Bok and Ju Bok Gung come back again, come over here, try to talk to us ‘bout get a business, Gung Gung no want borrow money from them. And, before have dime store, all have shopping center here.” She paused to motion to the front of the house and up and down the block.

“We go out to look for lunch, Ju Bok Gung already know want find small business for us, that why he keep look for the small business, he said, ‘Oh, that small restaurant pretty cute. Come in here, have lunch.’ We come in, have lunch. And he talk, he talk to the land-, the land-, the owner, he said, ‘Oh, that really good restaurant. You have that how long?’ He said only four month. ‘Four month,’ he said. ‘You know have any restaurant like that? Tell my son-in-law, they have four boys, they want small business, like that, small one, upstair’ can stay and watch the kid, and down there the business.’ He say, ‘How ‘bout I sell to you?’ Gung Gung say, my dad say, ‘No, that you just had four month.’ He say, ‘Yeah, but my wife no want-’ They no had no kid, only two, he said, ‘My wife no like here, she really upset, she no want tie in restaurant. No place to go, long hour, no fun.’ And then we just talk. He say, ‘Do you want to go up there, look it?’ Gung Gung and my dad say, ‘Oh, okay.’ And they go up there, look it. They ask me and Ju Bok say, ‘No, no bother. He no sell it. He just friendly that all.’ I not go, my mother say, ‘No, I not go either. We stay down there.’ I said okay, they look up there, ooh, really good.

“Same day we go back to Toronto, that day. And my dad keep bring up the restaurant. I say, ‘Dad, he really no want to sell. But he just say like that. Look, only four, five month, how to sell it?’ He say, ‘Oh, he said he wife no like, you go back over there, don’t forget to ask, no cost nothing, you go ask.’ And we come back here, we go ask, he really say, ‘You really want sell it?’ Only six thousand dollar. Yeah, six thousand dollar. I tall my dad, I say, ‘Six thousand dollar, hundred fifty dollar rent.’ He say, ‘Take it.’


Part 2 ~Writings