Where are you?

WHERE ARE YOU?

             *** 1 ***

Have you ever been to Taipei, Taiwan? It’s a crowded & busy city. Nowadays, Taipei has MTR (Mass Transit Railway, modern buildings, traffic jams, and air pollution … … just the same as other popular cities around the world. People who lived here have one goal: to present their energy, their ability to the world. Although, I cannot deny it, there are some crazy people living in this small city.

Do you still believe in romance or love story? How much time should it take to prove your love? Here’s a story I heard from my girlfriend.

               *** 2 ***

In 1988, she was 19. Just like the other girls at this age, she liked smiling, dreaming, and, waiting for her true love. Because of her smiling and warm heart, she had a lot of friends. Her friends liked to share their experiences of life or love with her, but she never told them about her dream lover. Actually, she was busy with her study of accounting, management, and finance report analysis courses.

The college had never hired a teacher from another country, but they did that year. The foreign teacher was a special person to the campus, who had a different face from the Orientals. This foreign teacher taught English conversation in many classes, including her and her classmates. He dared to change my girlfriend’s name, as a suggestion, in first class. She tried not to answer him when he called her by that new name; she just kept quiet and smiled.

This young teacher encouraged the students to call him or write something to him, because it would help them to increase their ability in English. English is an important language in the business field. She wrote nothing. Meanwhile, she felt exhausted from management and finance stuff. Did she ever call him? Yes, she called him a couple times, but no one answered the phone.

My girlfriend still felt happy to see the young teacher on campus. Sometimes they shared their lunch times together. Something happened on this college. Some teachers told her, do not fall in love with a stranger. Some classmates encouraged her to do something different. Even though, there was gossip in this small and simple campus, she did not understand what she had done to cause that kind of attention. She had done nothing wrong.

My dedicated girlfriend replied those curious classmates by smiling, and smiling only. There was only one reason she wanted to keep it as a secret love. She thought, even the young teacher may not know about this secret love. The most important issue for her was to finish the college program completely and then find a job.

Two years later, she received her certificate from college. At the same time, she got a job as an accountant. She thought the young teacher would forget about her when he left Taipei. Also she knew that her parents would not allow her to find him at that time.

*** 3 ***

Time passed year after year. She worked as hard as she could. She traveled to different cities once in one or two years, but she never went to the country in her dreams. She always got great promotions because she worked hard to earn her boss’s trust.

Were there any guys who tried to get her attention? Yes, possibility. She treated them as friends, just friends. She tried not to hurt someone else, especially in love. She learned how to live strong in the real world. She learned not to cry because: there were no strong arms she could lay on. Even when she hurt herself in a car accident, three times in the beginning of her driving experience, she solved those problems quickly and alone.

*** 4 ***

In that time, she tried to convince herself that she could live well even without love. But, the truth is, she had set her heart on finding her young lover. In 2000, my girlfriend started her journey to Canada, her dream country, where the young teacher came from.

I asked her how much she could remember about the young teacher. “Nothing else but a first name”, she replied.

“What did he look like”, I asked.

She thought about it deeply and then replied, “Actually, I don’t remember anymore.”

“Oh, dear, did you lose your mind? It’s impossible to find him if you just have a first name. What if it’s a fake name?”

“I don’t think it’s a fake name.” She replied.

“Did he promise you something?” I asked.

“Actually, no.” She sighed and replied, “But there’s something I want to let him know.”

“OK, OK. What are you going to tell him if you find him one day?” I asked.

“Good question. If he’s married, I’ll give him and his family my best wishes. If he’s still single, I’ll tell him -- if he should ever find someone new, she’d better be good to him. ‘Cause if she doesn’t, then I’ll be there for him.”

*** 5 ***

You know what? Two years passed, she never found that guy. She has been to a lot of famous cities in Canada, such as Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal. She sent me a post card every time she visited to a new city in Canada.

Do you think the young teacher still remembers my girlfriend? If you don’t think so, would you ask my stupid girlfriend to stop her journey and come back?

March 16 2002 Winnipeg, Canada

Vera Jye-yun Pon -- to a long lost friend

I'm so sorry, you may not find him out.

(Photos download via web)

(背景音樂: 女人花 鋼琴演奏版 下載自Vlog @ Xuite.)

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update on 17 Dec 2012 as underneath:

Time: October 2000

Location: Winnipeg MB CANADA

And, finally found you there.

You showed those pictures in class that day, which were the familiar scene in my class 12 years ago.

I asked: Have you ever been to my country before and taught English in my class?

You said: No.

I asked: Probably more or less 12 years ago?

You said: No.

I asked: Taipei, Taiwan?

You said: No.

I asked: It used to be ruled by Japan, maybe you thought that was Japan.

You said: No.

I left the classroom and lean on the wall, because I felt the world rotated at that moment. You were still stood there in the classroom and keep silent. Also, it kind likes I were brought back to the college I used to study 12 years ago.

After several weeks, all the classmates were taken to an Inuit tribe who already owned a dome-shelter in the city. We listen to the story about life-circle, the songs that sang by Inuit thousands-year long, so many musical instruments were presented by their people on the stage. And suddenly, those pictures were appeared and hang on the wall there, I saw them.

I never asked, are you trying to tell me that you were actually assigned to carry those pictures to my country? Because you don’t actually owned those pictures and you’re not Inuit. Or, it’s a joke that I spent more than 10-years to find you, isn’t it? Supposed you’re laugh-saying that I am actually belonged to the aboriginal of Inuit, not your family.

Once I heard: you did not belong to any tribe or any other family. You are yours, 100% clear and innocent.

Oh my, no one can tell why you are that meant to me. They told me that you had been to my country on 1987-1990, to attend a naval maneuvers in South-East of Asia for Canada. Is it your way to entrap? Or, the way you treat a quarry and I am not your target?

Another 10-year passed and we are all advanced age now. Lots of things changed in 10 years, I know. You are still saying that I am always sending you mind twisting puzzle, and help to narrow down the possibility for my questions.

Hey dear, if you are the one Joanne told me that you’re actually been to my country and taught English in my class, even you just keep saying No. I’d rather to see you are having good time with those friends and keep warm smiling on those photos.