Talkin' with Mama
I could hear her voice so clearly. She was in Cici's bedroom talking with her. How can that be? I wondered. Papa, Cici called me, let's talk to Mama.
So I went to Cici's room and there she was with her laptop, speaker turned high, with Ping's voice coming through as clear as a bell. Cici and I had finished eating dinner and the day was threatening to darken. Ping was eating breakfast at our home in Guangzhou, talking with her family in Houston. Her Mama was in the room with her, so she could hear all of us talking.
Mama admires you very much, Ping told me as we talked. She said she knew when she first met you that you are a good person, and you have proved it. We told her that Cici is a U.S. citizen now. Is she happy about that, Mama wanted to know? Yes, Ping said she told her. It makes her very happy, and she loves her Papa very much. Now that kind of talk will swell a person's head.
Ping took two of the large packages of shelled pecans from Costco to Mama. She took five boxes of Hershey's chocolate bars with almonds and a large package of mixed bite sized chocolate bars, all for family and friends. She took about ten boxes of flavored teas in tea bags, also for family and friends. And then for sisters and girlfriends there were those 14 bottles from Victoria's Secret. I think she also had some workout clothes for the nephews. I suspect that Mama is enjoying some of the chocolate and some of the tea, and she was happy to see her baby daughter and hear from her only granddaughter.
I took a break from reading Puddn' Head Wilson last night and read another book. One that I have read probably at least a dozen times now. I told Ping about it as we talked. This is our story, I told her. I enjoy reading it very much. Yes, she agreed, I also read it, part by part, and I love our story. After our friend in Guangzhou translates our book to Chinese, we will have someone read it to Mama. We think she will enjoy hearing our story.
That's our Chinese Mama.
So I went to Cici's room and there she was with her laptop, speaker turned high, with Ping's voice coming through as clear as a bell. Cici and I had finished eating dinner and the day was threatening to darken. Ping was eating breakfast at our home in Guangzhou, talking with her family in Houston. Her Mama was in the room with her, so she could hear all of us talking.
Mama admires you very much, Ping told me as we talked. She said she knew when she first met you that you are a good person, and you have proved it. We told her that Cici is a U.S. citizen now. Is she happy about that, Mama wanted to know? Yes, Ping said she told her. It makes her very happy, and she loves her Papa very much. Now that kind of talk will swell a person's head.
Ping took two of the large packages of shelled pecans from Costco to Mama. She took five boxes of Hershey's chocolate bars with almonds and a large package of mixed bite sized chocolate bars, all for family and friends. She took about ten boxes of flavored teas in tea bags, also for family and friends. And then for sisters and girlfriends there were those 14 bottles from Victoria's Secret. I think she also had some workout clothes for the nephews. I suspect that Mama is enjoying some of the chocolate and some of the tea, and she was happy to see her baby daughter and hear from her only granddaughter.
I took a break from reading Puddn' Head Wilson last night and read another book. One that I have read probably at least a dozen times now. I told Ping about it as we talked. This is our story, I told her. I enjoy reading it very much. Yes, she agreed, I also read it, part by part, and I love our story. After our friend in Guangzhou translates our book to Chinese, we will have someone read it to Mama. We think she will enjoy hearing our story.
That's our Chinese Mama.
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