Ming’s family has been living in the apartment for 15 years, and then they moved to a bigger apartment with two bedrooms. 

Ming and Lily were qualified to retire in age of fifty-five.  They got another jobs at the same time they received the retirement fun.  This year, their daughter JJ just finished the first year in college.

Lily:                 I have a news.  I don’t know if you consider it as good or bad.  Do you remember that one of my sisters in America applied the immigration for us ten years ago?  The U.S. government just passed our application.  We are going to America next year.

Ming:             I don’t want to go.

Lily:                 It’s a chance to see the world.

Ming:              Oh, I am getting old.  We just got this nice new apartment, and JJ is going to go to the university next year.  If you want to go, you go.  I can take care of myself.

JJ:                    Mom, I don’t really want to go either.  My friend told me that it is hard to start a new life in a foreign country.

Lily:                 I want to go because it’s a chance for us to take a look how’s life in America.

                        (Lily turns to JJ.) 

                        Your major is International Business.  Don’t you want to have an education in America?  Life is always difficult at the beginning, but as long as we are three together, every difficulty will be solved.

                        (Lily turns to Ming.)

                        Besides, we can always come back.  We have an apartment and the retirement fun.

(Finally, they took care of everything is China, and flew to America in October 1, 2001.  They rent a room from Lily’s sister.  The room has a full size bed, a twin bed, a wardrobe and a bathroom.  The room is small but comfortable. 

Ming works in a Chinese restaurant as a dishwasher, and he rides a bike for an hour to work everyday.  Lily works in the restaurant as a take-out packer and takes bus to work every morning.   JJ got a driver license and goes to school everyday now.  On the weekend, she works in a restaurant as a cashier.  Every night, JJ comes and picks her parents up from work.  Ming’s family has a plan.  They work hard to help JJ to finish the bachelor’s degree, and then Ming and Lily will go back to China and enjoy their retirement life.) 

JJ:                   Mom, Melissa has a party tonight. May I go?

Lily:                 Yes, but come back as early as possible.

JJ:                   Yes, mom.

(JJ did not come back home until four o’clock in the morning.  She looked at her cell phone.  There were eleven missing calls from home.  When she got home, she decided to stay in the car because she does not want to wake up her parents.  At six o’clock in the morning, somebody knocks at the window and wake her up.)

Lily:                 Why don’t you answer your phone last night?

JJ:                   Sorry, mom.  I forgot to check my phone.

Lily:                 You should always keep this in your mind: call back home and let us know where you are.  Last night, your father walked back and forth many times to the front door and waited for you.  He couldn’t go to sleep until four o’clock in the morning.

                        (JJ starts crying.)

JJ:                   Sorry, mom.  I promise I won’t do it next time.

                        (Ming comes out to the front door with a pair of red eyes.)

Ming:              Come and have breakfast.

 

(This night, the restaurant has a two hundred people party.  Countless of dishes are waiting for Ming to clean up.  Lily and JJ come and help him out.  By the time they come back home, it is one o’clock.  Ming takes off his shoes and rests.)

JJ:                   Your feet swell, Daddy.

Lily:                 What’s wrong?  Are you feeling ok?

Ming:              My feet have been like this for a few months.  I am feeling ok, but I am easy to get tired.  (Sign)  I am getting older and older.

Lily:                 We need to bring you to the doctor.

 

(The doctor took a serious of exams for Ming.  Two weeks later, JJ brought Ming back for the follow up.)

Doctor:            I have a bad news

JJ:                   What happened?

Doctor:            Your father has a third-stage lung cancer.

JJ:                   Are you sure?

Doctor:            He has been smoking over thirty years, so the possibility is very high.  From the X-ray, you can see the mass in his lung.  It is too big to be operated.  In his cases, 30% of the patients have a chance to survive for a year.  He’ll get a Chemo Therapy and Radiation Therapy from next week.  We’ll try our best to treat him.  As his family, you should try your best to make him feel comfortable and happy.

(Ming does not understand any English word.)

Ming:              What did the doctor say?

JJ:                   He said you’ll start having treatments from next week. 

(Ming points to the X-ray.)

Ming:              What happen to my lung?

JJ:                   Something is in your lung, but you’ll be well soon.

 

JJ:                   Mom, the doctor said Daddy have a third-stage lung cancer.

Lily:                 Oh, no.  How can this happen to him.  Did you tell him?

JJ:                   Not yet.  I don’t want to scare him.

Lily:                 Good.  We should keep this as a secret and make him as happy as we can.  I know your father.  He’s not strong enough.

 

(Lily persuades Ming to quit the job.  Lily and JJ did not tell anybody what happen to Ming except their closest relatives.  JJ continually drives Ming to the hospital for treatments.  However, the size of the tumor was not changed.)

JJ:                   Dinner time, Daddy.

Ming:              I don’t feel like eating.

JJ:                   What happened to your voice?

Ming:              I don’t know.  I couldn’t speak out since this morning.  Can you cook me some noodles?

                        (JJ was told that the tumor was spited to Ming’s bronchi.  Ming’s body condition goes worse and worse.  Now he has hard time swallowing, not even with water.  Everyday, he is only drinking liquid.  His body looks boneness.  Beside, Ming can not walk.)

 

                        (One day, they come back for the follow up.)

Doctor:            Pleas follow me.  I have something to show you.

(JJ walks out with the doctor.)

I don’t want you to cry in front of him.  (Sign)  This is the last appointment he has.  I am sorry to tell you that the tumor spits on both of his lung.  His life is moving to the end.  (JJ is crying)  I know your family has financial problem.  He can join the hospice program with no charge.  Nurses will go to your house to take care of him.  He also can get a hospital bed at home.  It’s easier for him to eat and drink.

(JJ comes back with a pair of red swelling eyes.  Ming looks at her with an wildly open eyes.)

JJ:                   Oh, Daddy.

(From Ming’s eyes, JJ only see scare.)

JJ:                   I told the doctor that you couldn’t eat and move well recently, and he said he’ll send nurse to our house instead of you coming here.

Ming:              Ah…I…O…Ok.

(Ming looks down to the floor and signs.)

 

(In a few weeks, nurses and doctor have been coming to the house to give Ming the medicine and exam him.)

Nurse:             I hope you won’t feel unhappy with my question.  Does he want to spend the rest of time in the hospital or home?  If he likes to stay in the hospital, it’s time to get a room now. 

JJ:                   Daddy, do you want to go to the hospital for a few days?  Anytime you want, you can come home. 

                        (Ming looks at the ceiling for a few minutes and nods.)

 

 (Lily and JJ follow the ambulance to a hospital call Miami Heart.  The room is decorated nicely.  There is a big window with pretty curtain in front of the Ming’s bed.  At night, relatives and friends come to visit Ming.  Ming is so happy and tries to talk to them. The next morning, JJ brings a bottle of milk for Ming.  Ming drinks half of the bottle and falls asleep.  Five hours later, he is still sleeping.)

JJ:                   He’s still sleeping.  Daddy, wake up.  I brought you some apple juice.  Wake up and answer me.

Lily:                 Call the nurse.

                        (Nurses come in and check him.)

Nurse:             He’s breathing but not responding.  Try to talk to him, but don’t say anything bad.  The last thing goes away before a person die is hearing.  He can always hear you.  Talk to him. 

(Lily turns to JJ.)

Lily:                Try to control yourself.  Don’t cry.  Talk to your father as much as you can.

JJ:                  Yes.

(JJ holds Ming’s hand)

JJ:                  Daddy, if you wake up, we are just next to you.  We’re being with you now. 

(Tears is coming out.)

Lily:                Ming, Don’t worry, we won’t go anywhere.  We’ll s stay here.  We are just next to you.  You have been working hard for our family.  I appreciate everything you gave me.  I know you are tired.  It’s time for you to rest now.  Don’t worry.

 

(Ming breathes heavily and slowly.  A lot of noise comes from his chest.  The next day night, Ming passed away.  It was February 2, 2005, when Ming was sixty-two years old. )

 

The End

 (Although Ming didn’t even graduate from the third grade, he has never given up studying.  He always has passion to learn.  He reads books and newspaper to learn different words.  When Ming is twenty-six years old, he became an assistant messenger in the unit.

Years have gone by, many of Ming’s friends have introduced girls to him, but he was not interesting at any of them.  This year, Ming just turned to thirty-five.  In China, most of the people get marry in their young age.  People sometimes question Ming why he does not get marry or not even get a girl friend.)

Hua:                Son, your youngest brother is going to graduate from high school soon.  You                                 should think about to have a family now. 

Ming:              Yes, mother.

 

 (Zhen is one of Ming’s good friends at work.  One day, they are working together.)

Zhen:               You’re a nice person.  Why don’t you have a girl friend? 

Ming:              Well, I would like to have one, but…

Zhen:               I know a girl.  She’s my ex-classmate in the middle school.  She’s working at a automobile factory.   Her father is rare because he doesn’t like people to visit him.  I hope it won’t brother you.

Ming:              Ok…

Zhen:               Ok what? Ask me something. Come on.

Ming:              What’s her name and… how old does she?

Zhen:               Her name is Lily.  She’s twenty-seven years old.  She’s a nice girl.

Ming:             Can, can you introduce her to me?

Zhen:               Sure.  We’ll go to the GZ Park this Sunday.  Do you want to come?

Ming:             Yes, why not.

 (Ming and Lily starts dating each other a few months after they met, but they are too shy to hold hands.  They walk far away from each other each time they go out.)

Hua:                Somebody told me you got a girlfriend.

Ming:             Yes, mother.  Her name is Lily.

Hua:                Tell me something about her family, son.

Ming:               She’s twenty-seven, and she’s working at a automobile factory.  She’s living with her father in a nice house.  All of her sisters and brothers are in America.

Hua:                Not bad.  Maybe you can move to her house after you get marry.

Ming:              But his father doesn’t like people to brother him.  Besides, I think she should live with us…

Hua:                But do we have enough space to for you to get marry?  Plus, I think your brother is getting married soon.  You should think about it.

Ming:             Yes, I will, mother.

 

(One day, Ming visit Lily’s father.)

Ming:              Uncle, Lily and I are getting married next month, but there’s one thing that I concern about.  That is… we only have a tiny room…

Wong:             It sounds ok.  As you know, a Chinese custom says that a girl should live with her husband’s family after she gets married.  Besides, I don’t like noise in my house.

Ming:              Sure, she’ll live with us.

 

 (Ming and Lily got married in November 1978.  Ming had shared the same room with his youngest brother Tim, but now Tim has to move out of the room and sleep in the dinning room.  The other brothers sleep in the garret.  In Ming and Lily’s tiny bedroom, they only can place a full size bed and a small wardrobe.  The rest of their property has to be placed under the bed.

One of Ming’s brothers is going to get marry soon, and he always complains in front of Ming.  Lily feels inconvenient about living with so many people.  However, the only thing she can do is stand for it because they have no choice.  Soon, Lily got pregnant, and a baby girl was born in 1981.)

Tony:               Your baby is always crying at night. I can’t sleep.

Ming:             I think it’s because there’s no window in the room.  It’s too hot for her.

Tony:               Can you do something to stop her?  Maybe you can bring her out for fresh air.

Ming:              At night?

Tony:               Better than bother everyone here.  Another thing is I am going to get marry soon, and there’s no room for me.  I think we should rearrange this house.  We can make it as six parts and one part for each of us…

Ming:              Six parts?  Then we don’t even can place a bed…Mother, how can he say that.

Hua:                Maybe you can move to your father in law’s house.  I heard there’re plenty of rooms there.

Tim:                Can you people stop complaining?  How can you do that to him?  He’s our brother and your son.

Tony:               Shut up, kid!  You don’t know anything.

 

                        (Ming is sitting on his bed and weeping with a broken heart.)

Lily:                 What happened?

Ming:              They said baby’s crying brother them.  Tony wants to make this house as six parts because he’s getting marry soon.  They want to kick us out.  I have been working so hard for this family. Is this what I should desire?

Lily:                 If they want to do it, let them do it.  We have no choice.  We have nowhere to go. 

Ming:              Sorry, I brought you such a hard time.

Lily:                  It’s not your fault.  As I am not working now, I can stay with you while you’re working.

Ming:              Are you sure?  There’s no place for you to sleep, and the machine room has so much noise…

Lily:                 I am ok of it.  It’s better then stay here.

 

(Since then, Lily always walked back and forth on the street when the baby is crying.  At night, Ming brought Lily and the baby back to the factory.  Guangzhou’s weather is always cold at night.  Lily puts many clothes on the baby and herself and sits in the machine room.  She hugs the baby and fall asleep.)

Mr. Lee:         Who are they?

K:                    They are Ming’s wife and daughter.

Mr. Lee:         Why do they stay here?  This is s a machine room.

K:                     Please, Mr. Lee.  Ming’s house is too small for them.  Please let them stay.

Mr. Lee:         We’re building up a new dormitory across the street.  Maybe they are qualified to get one.

K:                    Oh, Thank you, Mr. Lee.  I’ll tell the good news to Ming.

 (As soon as Ming got the key, he moved everything to the new apartment.)        

Ming:               We’re free now.  New life is ahead.

(The new apartment is on the fifth floor.  There is a dinning room, a bedroom, a kitchen, a little bathroom and a nice veranda.  From the veranda, they can see a large stadium across the street.  Ming plants many greens and flowers in the veranda.  Every morning, they stand there, breath the fresh air, and enjoy the sun raise.