Now it is different

February 2003

‘Babe, I am saying for example only. Hopefully it will be much less than that, but you see what I mean? How can we go and get married and then be forced to part?’
‘You still don’t know when you can come over, right?’
‘No. The business here is very busy, but in Hong Kong, the business is quiet. They expect to win a big contract, if that happens, they may need me quite quickly, otherwise it could take some time’
‘I never know this when I met you. Then I think you are living in Hong Kong already. Now it is different. I love you already. Well honey, you never know, maybe your company will get the project soon, and then we can go to Las Vegas’

Then I asked her if she’d heard about the illness in Guangdong.
‘No honey, we haven’t heard of that, but is not surprising, the people of Guangdong are so dirty. Never know how they can live like that’
‘I doubt they get much choice. Anyway, I am not sure this illness is caused by being dirty’
‘What is the causes of that then?’
‘I don’t know. I just mentioned it, so that you can be a bit more vigilant. If you get another cold, or flu, you should go straight to the doctor’
‘Ok honey, but I am ok now’

After that, the story went away, and we didn’t talk about it again.

The next I had the following note:

‘I will talk to mother and sister, and tell them that we will get married at Easter’

I wrote a quick reply; ‘Babe, please do not talk to them, until we have had chance to speak’

But then I decided to call her, even though I knew she would still be at work, in case she hadn’t received the email.

Strange form of pneumonia

February 2003

‘Would you be happy with that?’
‘Well, nothing is perfect honey, and we don’t have to wait and is much cheaper I think. You know I don’t need expensive wedding’
‘I know, but I don’t want you to feel disappointed afterwards’
‘Honey, I understand, but don’t worry, once we register I will be happy enough…… So what do you think?’
I thought it was an awful suggestion; ‘Well if you are sure’

That evening, working late, I was idly reading the news on Yahoo. A report caught my eye. There were sporadic reports from the Guangdong province of southern China that hundreds of people were falling ill with what was described as ‘a strange form of pneumonia’.

I copied the report and sent it to Maggie, asking her to watch out for any flu like symptoms. It was less than a fortnight ago, that we had been traveling in Guangdong.

I was a bit surprised the following morning that she had ignores the note. Instead she sent me details of websites and information about weddings in Las Vegas.

That evening she asked me ‘Can you get the leave, at Easter? That is a holiday for you guys, isn’t it?’
‘As far as I know’ I said and then I asked her what she was planning, saying that I still didn’t have a date for my transfer to Hong Kong.
‘I think at least we can register, that is most important’

‘Are you saying that we go to Las Vegas at Easter, get married, and then continue to live apart, until I am able to come to Hong Kong?’
‘Not good huh honey?’
‘It would be horrible, what if I can’t move for another 6 months? Then what?’
‘Honey, I never think it will be that long. You never tell me that.