“Yeah, now we have enough har gow, what time is it?” She stacked the pans of har gow together.

“It’s four now, Popo.” Cira answered after glancing at the clock above the kitchen door.

“You want to eat some before go home? Or you want to eat some war heap or eat something else? Green peppers or wonton?” She looked at Cira.

“Ummmm, I’ll eat some war heap and then I can take any leftovers home, and no one else’ll eat them.” Cira grinned at Popo.

“Okay, you go downstair, get some, you know where they at?”

“I know. I’ll be back in a bit.” Cira quickly went downstairs to the basement and was back up in a minute. “Here you go. So, what happened after you got the restaurant? You started up Ming’s Restaurant?”

“What? Oh. He said, ‘Oh, before-’ He say, ‘You no want buy that restaurant, then maybe move to Toronto.’ He give me the name. You never go to Ju Bok Gung the restaurant, eh?” Popo looked at the little girl who shook her head. “Really nice one. ‘You manage over there.’ Gung Gung no want it. He say, ‘Make money okay, but lose money, then get big trouble because this not your money.’ See, I no want be like that. Then my dad say, ‘Okay, you no want it, you just buy the house. The small one, sixty thousand, six thousand dollar.’ He give sixty thousand, six thousand right away. He come back and buy the restaurant. And then, in September, August, no no, just as school start, we bought the restaurant. Then, we still in Harding that time. In November, then we start open the business. We open that time, and no, no color people, only white. Wow, the bakery and the barbershop and the next door the bar, they say we all together, don’t go over there eat. Pretty soon, they go out business.

“We only…and then, talk to no neighbor come, until we open, then…Dad rally scare. I say that they open seven o’clock, seven o’clock to eleven o’clock, no seven o’clock to nine o’clock evening. See, Gung Gung really scare, no business. I said, no worry about. We change the hour, we open from eleven o’clock to three o’clock morning. Yeah, that time open, only nineteen dollar a day the business only nineteen dollar. But now we change the hour, open until three o’clock morning. Then Happy Bar, across street Happy Bar, Land Bar, Mansee Bar, all bar in here. Wow, so good business. All the business, the bar close, no sell liquor, then two-thirty, three o’clock whole bunch come. But we not close until four o’clock morning, those drunk people really eat slow.” Popo looked at Cira as if sharing a joke.

“That time, good business. That’s we start, after that, then we had time, we had time, before we no have Chinese stove, we just use that kind of stove and wash wok like that, and the people come to look it, ‘Oh, the Chinese restaurant, no stove, no nothing, how they have business?!’ After one year, we put all the new in kitchen, all stove, everything, and then they come back to look it, oh the Chinese people very nosy sometime, we not welcome much, but if they come, okay. And ‘Ahh, you business better than ours, so good business!’ and then tell everyone we have good business. Then, the landlord see we have so good business, the contact for, I don’t know how many year, already, already time to get renew, they ask lots a more rent. The raise I don’t know how much, before only hundred fifty dollar, raise maybe three hundred double almost. They say everything go up. And then, my dad ask, tell me go ask the landlord, want to buy the building. Yeah, okay, then we go to ask to buy the building, he no want to sell, he say, ‘No, we not sell it.’ Okay, not sell. And then across the street, the building want to sell to us, and we already money ready to buy the building move across street, the lady no want to sell to us. We already get the money from the bank, no want to sell, okay, no want to sell, we have to pay the high rent anyway for a while, then see what happen.

“Ahh, see that’s really-, thank you the God,” Popo got up to stir the pot of war heap, before continuing on. “The landlord, the lady the father, he no have son, only one lady is schoolteacher, the lady the daughter no want to sell it, but the father die and that time she come to ask us want to sell it. We not ask, she come to ask us. And then, she want to sell it, I call my dad right away. I said, ‘She want to sell it.’ Twenty-eight thousand dollar I think, that time. Dad say, ‘That okay, twenty-eight thousand, that good, because you already start the business, little bit higher then, work the money. That why we bought the building. Then 19-, only five year, I think, four year, we bought the building, then we pay for my dad, only hundred fifty dollar month. But that time the Canda the money higher than here. Yeah, we borrow the money from American money, we pay the American money, pay for Ju Bok Gung, he lose money.” She tilted her head back laughing and leaned over the table toward Cira as if telling a secret. “He not charge any interest neither. But he have lots a money, he don’t care.

“See, that why, we stat here that not easy, very hard, very hard. We ten year, no day off. No day off, ten year. Seven days a week. Only, after five year, we had in September, the kid get out school, we had one week vacation, go to Toronto. Every year, one week, but no day off. The four boy, they have day off. Four weekends a month, right? Every one had one Saturday off. They can go everywhere, they take Gung Gung car. Go to see the friend, or, or go anywhere. Had car and had day off. One year, we had four in college, in one year.” Popo leaned toward her to emphasize it. “See, Sai Sauk he start college younger than your dad and Ngee Bok. That time, that one year, really hard, Gung Gung had to take everything out, he had some insurance from the army that time, long time, he had to take all the insurance out for support the one year for the kid go to college. Ju Bok, once a year, she help, she help come over here, she always give some money to the boy for buy the book or buy laundry, just want to help that all.”

Popo paused again, looking down at her hands around her coffee mug. “See that, she not my own mother, you know she not my mother, right? See, that why no matter what, like Dorothy pretty good, that why always talk to Gung Gung like that. See she not my mother, my mother pregnant me, before I born, my dad back to Toronto, Canada; he meet the girl, then they marry, that’s why I older, older, how much older, how much I older than her oldest daughter. Just, maybe seven month older, see. See but before I not tell the boys that not my own mother. I no want to make them feel like she stole the somebody, some woman’s the husband like that. Before I come over here, my ma told me, she said that you go over there, you better, she nice to you, you nice to her, that not her fault, because that you dad fault. He want another woman, and she not marry him, then he marry someone else anyway, that why I keep it secret and not tell the boys.” She got up from the table in a hurry, almost like she didn’t want to dwell on it.

You want some sesame oil with your war heap, Cira?” Popo brought a bowlful of the dumplings over to the table to set in front of Cira along with chopsticks.

“Please,” Cira replied and then slowly poured sesame oil over the dumplings before picking up the chopsticks to eat. “Did they ever find out Ju Bok wasn’t your mother?”

“Long, long time, until they had, I think Ming and William, you know Billy, you know Billy, right? And fire or something like that, he said that not you grandmother, and then he ask me about, Ming ask me about it, I said, ‘Yeah, not own grandmother, but she good to us, you better nice to her.’ I tell them, until they grow up, like Mother’s Day, or birthday, you forget me, and I not get mad, but don’t forget her. We today so nice because her, she no want to help, she just say no, Ju Gung couldn’t help.” Popo shook her finger at Cira to make sure she was listening. “Ju Bok Gung couldn’t help it, have to listen to her, right? See, that’s why she really happy, she like me so much. See, I never forget her, my mother teach me like that, my mother tell me, I said to my mother, ‘She help me lots.’ My mother said, ‘See, I told you that, because you good to the people, the people always good back to you.’ I said, ‘That’s true.’ I had a very good mother, she never say one word about my dad, she said that all the men like that, because long way, so far, see. Sometimes, he couldn’t help it, that’s why she said she understand. See, then we bought a house, we bought the restaurant, I never know stay that long, over thirty year, thirty-three year before we sold it. After all the boy get married, we close two day, close Monday and Tuesday, it only Gung Gung and me, two people. That’s all. Until had you guys. Everybody say, ‘Oh, nice family!’ Yeah.” She smiled affectionately at the little girl.

“Then you had me, and Joyce, and Isabel, and Rina!” Cira shouted proudly.

“Yeah, we had four boy, then four granddaughter.” Popo smiled.

“How did you learn English?” Cira asked scooping up another dumpling with her chopsticks.

“Because I work in the cannery, the four lady at cannery Chinese, all Chinese. We talk Chinese, no different. All neighbor is Chinese. I work that much job, I work cannery, I work for the walnut company and I work for the packing cherry.” Popo paused again to remember. “For the restaurant, we had to find a girl to work and wait the table because I didn’t speak any English. But then the girl quit because she didn’t want to work with Chinese people. I had to struggle and learn English from other people. I learn English, that time had a lady work in the Bon Secour Hospital, the kitchen, that grandma. She stay with the daughter, and two grandson. And she not eat home, she always stop Ming’s Restaurant had a, she not eat much, just hamburger and French fries. And the daughter always pick her up from the hospital and then they have three-year old boy, John Paul. Really tiny, really cute. But he talk English so good, and every time, he love raw bean sprouts, and he not want French fries, he want raw bean sprouts, every time he come and Gung Gung give him one, those sandwich bags, and bean sprout, and he sit down and eat, just like really taste good like that. And she love me, she tell me to come to talk to me, he talk like that, one-two-three, the color, the number like that. Sometime, then you talk to little kid you not ‘fraid, right? I talk to him everyday he come sit by me and talk, talk. That why I learned little bit, and then nighttime, after we close at three o’clock, and hurry up to go upstairs and that time, Channel Four had Tom Fox, and teach English. You don’t know Tom Fox? On Channel Four, Tom Fox. Start I think three o’clock of four o’clock like that, and tell pronounce a the vowel a-e-i-o-u, or the color, or anything like that, that time I not learn much. I every time sit the TV and I just each he talk every night, after little by little, and then I like him, I like him. I watch Jeopardy, no Jeopardy I not learn much, too deep, I watch Wheel of Fortune, Wheel of Fortune they had lots some letter you can sometime guess, you know like that. And then right now interesting I really learn lots some.” Popo stopped and gestured at the TV in the corner of the kitchen on mute. “I don’t know what they mean, but I know the words what they say. I sometime know how to pronounce them, but I ask Gung Gung what that mean. Then Gung Gung tell me what’s that. Then I look it, the store the advertising the paper, sale paper. They had like an apple, they had an apple there, right? You can learn how look like the letter. I don’t know, just little by little. But I learn lots some from John Paul, everyday he come.

“See, when Di Bok started school, he didn’t know any English. He had to go to English school for six months before he could start real school. The other boys, they were born here. But we no let them talk Chinese at home. They needed to learn. They live in American, go to American school, they should speak English. We didn’t live in China anymore.” Popo nodded a bit. “You always be nice to the people. See because, when I work in the cannery, I not speak any English, they always give to me, I say thank you, a little bit smart they like you like that, smart not cost you nothing, thank you no cost you nothing. But make people feel good. That old lady, she dead nobody know it. Because her and husband never get along, the grandfather live upstairs, she live down there, she have to take the pill, something, I don’t know what kind of pill, but she try to get the pill, the pill run away, she couldn’t find it, she couldn’t find it, she die. Next morning, he come down, he saw. But she not so mean, have family together. Like she want to stay with us, we never move out, like Bok Gung want to come over here, I already promise stay with us. All stay together. She never die, not like that. See that why mean, not good. You try to nice to the people. Don’t matter what, you always think about the people.”

“Were people always nice to you, Popo?”

“No, the neighbor really bad, but until later. Oh, one more thing, and the kids, Sai Sauk already seven years old, and Di Bok only eleven years old, we only, no this one, only upstair, and in summertime, that time we no have air condition, but we had station wagon, we put the station wagon in the parking space over there, and the window I can look and watch them, they stay outside for study or something, and then, the back there, I think that Belgian, Belgian people, I saw she walk by, but she walk by close the station wagon like that, I no understand what she talk about, like that. And then I tell Gung Gung go outside and look it, but Gung Gung that time cooking. I had really good people, French, and two, they no have any kid, live in the back, they always come from the back door, and come in to eat, just like family. We call them Mr. And Mrs. French. And I tell, he said what happened, he thought I tell Gung Gung, Gung Gung not go, he said what happened, I said the lady, and he jump outside, said ‘What you doing the boys?!’ ‘The Chinese boys no good, had to get out the neighborhood!’ and Mr. French said, ‘They lots better than you, they good kids, good people. Don’t bother them!’ and then, the back the lady saw me outside dump garbage like that, she saw us, or kids outside, she had two boys, one hand each pull the kid inside, no want close, no want close to the Chinese people.” Popo smiled a little.

“And then next, tear down the house there, the two boys, they bad. Not go to school, steal, fire, put fire all the neighbor, the youngest no want to go to school. And then you dad teach the Denby, he go over there, Finney, I think. Denby or Finney? Denby I think. He go that school, but he never go to school. The father come to talk to you dad, because teach same school. And you dad said, ‘Well,’ he go talk to him, ‘Well, you had to ready early, every day, I pick you up, go to school.’ And then, he never miss school, everyday you dad pick up go to school together. Then his father really happy with that. Then until you dad move, change to Southwestern, I think, Southwestern? Near by Mexican Town? No, Northwestern or Southwestern? And, anyway, that, and then he skip school again. Not go. But the older one in jail for life, start all the fire. Kill one guy. Kill one boy. Still in jail, never get out.” Popo shook her head slowly, remembering them.

“Ah, well, you mom come soon. You done the war heap?” She stood up to cover the pan of har gow before placing it in a bag to carry.

“Yep, thank you, Popo.” Cira got up and put her bowl and chopsticks in the sink and washed her hands.

“Yeah, you good, remember be nice to the people, don’t cost nothing to be nice to the people, but they remember you nice to them.” She walked Cira to the door when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll never forget, Popo. Never forget.” Cira promised her grandmother, and after picking up the bag and kissing her grandmother on the cheek, stepped out the door. “Bye, Popo! See you next week! I’ll never forget!”

“Bye Cira, bye Shannon.” Popo stood in the doorway, waving goodbye.

“Bye, mom. Thanks for the food!” Shannon waved goodbye from the car before driving off.

And as Popo closed the door, the air seemed to resonate with the words, never forget……

Seventeen years later, Cira slowly lifted her hands from the keyboard, and jumped in her seat when her cell phone started ringing. “Yeah?”

“You ready to go? I’m about a minute away,” her sister said.

"Yeah, just about ready to go, I’ll meet you downstairs, bye."

“Bye.”

Cira saved the document before shutting down her computer, got up, and brushed her hair, brushed her hands down her dress to make sure there weren’t any wrinkles, and checked herself in the mirror on the back of her door. “Ready or not, here I go,” she murmured. She grabbed her purse and walked to her door, as she stood there, digging in her purse for her keys, she studied the orchid plant that stood near the doorway. After finding her keys, she lightly brushed her finger down a petal of one of the flowers. “I’ll never forget you Popo, or anything you taught me.” She sighed and walked out of her apartment to meet her sister downstairs to attend her grandmother’s funeral. And the air seemed to resonate once more with the words, never forget…..


Part One ~ Writings