Searching for Love, Found Wealth

A message popped up in my mom’s phone: 3pm, tomorrow, a taxi would deliver her”. It was a from Dad even though the number was saved as Mr. Man”.

“She’ll be here by three tomorrow” I reported to mom. She stretched her neck to her phone just in time before the message cleared.

“Okay, I’ll prepare” she muttered.

I think my mom was playing to my dad’s tunes because she didn’t want him going to court to ask for me.

Well, she shouldn’t over do it nor even bother. I wouldn’t go to him either. And it’s good he’s handling over my half-sister.

There’d be no ties anymore. Or is this his strategy? Is he trying to look for a reason to come visit?

“Help me prepare her room, dear” my mom was going upstairs.

I thought for a bit. We had only two rooms. Would she share my room?

“No, mom” I began whining as I walked upstairs with her.

“I want my ‘pri-va-cy’. Don’t do this to me”. It was just synonymous to babysitting. I need to start learning baby’s lullaby songs and I need to buy bedtime stories.

“This is murder” I whined again. Being an older sister means I need to start acting matured – like I had sense. I giggled on that thought.

But it was true, I wasn’t a very responsible person. I sent a text to Charles “sorry to bother you, what children cartoons do you know? For girls?”.

I hoped it won’t remind him of his dead little sister.

“Check out some Pixar cartoons. Whichever meets your interest” he texted almost immediately.

“Its sending though. The voice message of my Chinese friend” he sent again.

Immediately the voice message entered, I played it. I didn’t want anything distracting me from my “babysitting”. I ran to my room and it started:

(Beginning of voice message)

“The door opened and my mom came out holding our international passports. I ran and leaped on her and she hugged me tightly. “God has remembered us” she muttered.

My baby sister just gaped at us. She was still two and couldn’t understand the miracle that just happened. My mother got a call from my dad telling her to prepare us to relocate to the visited States.

All my life, I lived only in Shanghai, China. This was my time to explore and the US is a place for good exploration. I smiled to myself all the way home.

Amongst the numerous friends and families who were happy for us, my best friend, Tori, stood out. You won’t like it. I’ve been there” she said with a long face.

My smile disappeared. If there’s was someone who’s decision really mattered to me, it was hers.

“What do you mean?” I asked trying to play defiant. She knew me well so she answered. “Go yourself but don’t say I didn’t warn you” she continued.

Fear struck me. I had reasons to believe her. The United States hasn’t really been a place where they welcomed Chinese.

Tori was a half Chinese, half African and she once told me how she was bullied over there. Amidst all, my dad and stayed looking for a job for going to three years till he finally got one.

He was always declined because of his nationality. Well, I’m going, and no one’s stopping me. I was fourteen then and felt brave.

On the eleventh of August, Our plane landed. I was so excited. My dad had rented a two bedroom apartment already.

I was set on making friends and that’s when realization began hitting on me. All my neighbor’s kids stared at me from a distance, if I yelled a “hi” they’d quickly go away. I wondered why?

Two days in my dream America, and I got bored. I asked my mom to phone Tori. “You’re right” I said immediately I heard her voice. I made her agree to come visit me, she hesitated but agreed.

I didn’t know why she agreed. I wasn’t sure how she will come but I prayed she came. That same evening, I made my mom agree for us to stroll.

Florida was beautiful, I wondered if that’s how all the rest body the country were. After almost an hour walk, my mom sent me to a nearby shop to buy ice-cream.

“Hey Chimp!” I heard some by yelling. I turned and a fist size stone welcomed me. I fell, black out…Woke up in a hospital.

I wasn’t able to explain what happened but one of the boys, who I later recognized as one of me neighbor’s sons, was standing beside my ward door with an elderly man.

My parents were talking to them and it seemed the elderly man was apologizing for something.

When I recovered and got back home, my nightmare started. I was scared to leave my house. Almost all my dad’s fist salary went to my hospital bills. The man couldn’t pay it.

The day Tori came to the US was remarkable. I wanted to show her all the beautiful places I knew. My fear of leaving the house disappeared.

“Well, at Washington were I visited, no one threw things at me. I guess Florida is a more racial state than the others” Tori had scolded when I told her about the accident.

Well, Tori had always been the braver of the two of us. She made me sneak out to show her an amusement park just because I couldn’t shit my mouth up about it.

I agreed to take without my mom’s consent, I had wanted to view the park too.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Unfortunately, the park was situated close to an ice-cream shop, the same ice-cream shop belonging to my neighbor, whose son had bullied me.

“Lets go back” Tori had advices when she noticed the Park getting empty but I didn’t understand her fear. I could still see kids running about so I felt safe.

“Adults are matured and can save us from bullies. Kids will bully us. Now, let’s go back Chen Lan!” she yelled at me.