Inspiration Words: Candy and Surreal
Anne looked around her at the hotel room in Hunan province. Samantha sat on a chair staring at the door where Becky had just walked out.
“Can you believe our little Becky is a bride?” Samantha said the words as if she was in shock.
“Definitely not. I will always see her as my little sophomore, the only one who came to that hideous reading class faithfully.”
“I know! You know she was in the first class I ever taught? Walking into class, I was so nervous, and I remember she was sitting there in the first row with a pen and a notebook already on her desk, ready to learn.
“Students like her can change the whole feeling of a class. In that IELTS reading class, I felt like no matter how much I tried to help them, it was hopeless. I don’t know what I would have done if Becky weren’t in that class.”
“Yeah, and I’m really glad we were able to start having weekly lunches with Becky. I feel like, after a few weeks, she became a friend, not just a student.
“Man, we would talk for hours! Those lunches gave me a whole new perspective of our students. They might struggle with class materials sometimes, but outside of class, they’re so excited to communicate.”
“Okay, but here’s the big question,” Anne paused and glanced toward the chair where Becky had been sitting. “Do you think she really loves this guy? I mean, everything happened so fast.”
“I know what you mean; it makes me wonder if she is only doing this because her parents just really wanted her to get married.”
“I know; she always hated going home for the holidays because her parents would ask if she had a boyfriend. She would always say she was just trying to focus on learning English, and a boyfriend could wait.”
“Do you remember that one year she came back from the National Day holiday, and she said her mom had dragged her to a restaurant to have dinner with some guy who was the son of her mom’s friend?”
“I will never forget that story! She felt so uncomfortable that she ran away to the bathroom and didn’t come out for twenty minutes. When her mom went to check on her, she pretended to have diarrhea. So awkward.”
“Becky is such a special girl. I really hope this is what she wants. And this guy had better be good to her!”
Anne checked the clock—11:45 p.m. “If we want to go see Becky in the morning, we really should go to sleep soon!”
“But we still have so many things to talk about! I want to hear all about Johnson!”
“I’m sure there will be time tomorrow! If I start talking about him now, we won’t go to sleep for another two hours, at least!”
The next morning, Anne and Samantha hurried up to Becky’s room, but by the time they got there, the room was already crowded with bridesmaids in matching dresses. When they arrived, someone let them in, and they saw Becky sitting on the bed with a bright red dress spread out all around her. A photographer squeezed between everyone, trying to take pictures, and Becky smiled at her previous foreign teachers while still posing for the pictures. Peacocks were sown into the top half of the dress, and a large strip of fabric lay across the bright red skirt with more peacocks. A golden headpiece circled around her black hair that was secured in a bun.
“Where is the guy?” Anne whispered as she gave Becky a quick hug.
“He’s not here yet. He’s supposed to come to the room and give us red packets, but don’t let him in until he has given us lots of red packets with money inside!”
The doors closed, and everyone in the crowded hotel room became more excited as all the bridesmaids started talking.
“I think he’s outside,” Samantha said to Anne, trying to peer around the wall that led to the doorway.
Red packets were passed around the room as the groom pleaded for entrance, but the bridesmaids refused. Only when had given several dozen red packets and sang a song and done some push-ups was he finally allowed to enter. Once inside, everyone made a place for him to kneel in front of Becky, who still sat on the bed, surrounded by her skirt. She smiled graciously the whole time as the photographer snapped dozens of pictures.
Anne and Samantha studied the groom. He was thin and not very tall, but Becky was shorter than he was. His black hair was slightly long and just disheveled enough to make them think he wanted it that way. His hands were shaking when he took her hands in his own.
“Make a speech!” Someone called out.
The groom tried to smile, but his lips shook, and Anne felt a little sorry for him. Finally, he began the speech.
“Becky,” he looked into her eyes, “from the moment I saw you, I have loved you. I love meeting you on the way to work and walking to the subway with you every morning. I love that you always buy me a baozi (bow dze; steamed buns) and soy milk because you know that’s what I love, and you know I wake up too late to have time to buy it for myself. I love spending lazy Saturdays with you in our favorite coffee shop, and I love watching TV shows with you for hours while we laugh together. There is no one in the world I would rather spend the rest of my life with than you.”
Anne and Samantha could only understand snatches of the declaration, but Becky translated it for them later, and they all smiled at the adorable little speech. During the conversation, Anne focused on the groom’s smile and trembling lips. He almost cried, and Anne could see that he meant the words.
Maybe she could trust this man with her dear friend. Becky was more than just a previous student. Becky was the person who had helped her to navigate the difficulties of first-year teaching. When she had been confused and frustrated, Becky had been there to translate things and offer advice. When she went to the office with her questions, and they told her to just ask the students for help with administrative things, Anne always went to Becky. And Becky had been there for her. Becky had been one of Anne’s first students in China, but more importantly, Becky had been her first friend.
After the speech, everyone went to the cars that were lined up outside of the hotel. The groom took Becky on his back and carried her to the car, according to tradition. The cars snaked through the city, passing the old district of the city and the ancient city wall. Anne assumed they would end up at the restaurant for a big celebration meal, but instead, they first stopped at another hotel.
This room was full of balloons, and the bed was covered with a bright red comforter. Someone told the children in the room, presumably nieces and nephews, to look for the candy, and they soon found candy under the comforter, along with lots of dyed eggs.
Anne and Samantha stood off to the side, a little uncertain about what they should do. They smiled and took the candy the children offered them, feeling it was a little like Easter with candy and dyed eggs. Becky and her groom smiled for more pictures, and Anne smiled too as she watched them. Being here in a new place with such good friends from her first years in China felt a little surreal, and Anne still found it hard to grasp that her little Becky was getting married. But Anne could see that Becky was happy with this guy, and that was the most important thing.
They headed to the next hotel for the big dinner and celebration. They talked with Becky’s friends and family, trying to understand the Chinese that was tinged with a local accent. They smiled at everyone, even when they didn’t understand, and tried to look like they knew what they were doing (although they usually didn’t). They didn’t get much more time to spend with Becky, but as they saw the new couple raise their glasses for a toast, it was easy to see their love for each other.