Somewhere else

February 2003


Again, the following evening, we started to talk about weddings, Maggie had a new idea.

‘Honey, do you think we need to marry in Hong Kong? You know will be expensive, and we will have to wait’
‘I thought we chose Hong Kong, because it is quicker than marrying in the UK’
‘How long will it take in UK?
‘Remember, I told you, when I made some enquiries, I was told it was a 6 to 12 month waiting list.
‘I can’t believe. As we always say in Hong Kong, the western women don’t like to marry. We always think the westerner just live together only. So how will there be a wait list?’
‘Sorry babe, but you are wrong, western women do like to marry, it gives them more security. Marriage is still very popular here’
‘Ah, the westerner women just want to have the baby, then they can get the man’s money. I hate that sort of woman’
‘I don’t believe any women play tricks like that’
‘Honey, I can tell you they do. A friend of my sister, living in US, had a baby, then divorced the man. When she get his money, she go to live with another man. Honey, you have to be careful, otherwise the woman might do that to you, get pregnant on purpose, just to get your money. But you know, I will never do that, I am not that type of woman. You know I am not the money minded woman’

I assured her that I did know that, and tried to change the subject, but not before telling her once again that she was wrong about ‘western women’. ‘See’ she replied, ‘from out point of view, westerner women are not family oriented, they only care about money’ Then…..

‘Honey, you know we could get married somewhere else’