Marriages are Made in Heaven
Wearing the school uniform, Yu arrived at the food shop operated by her parents in Taichung. “Mom,” said Yu, “Give me a sandwich for lunch… quick, please! I’m going to be late.” “So why didn’t you have your lunch in school? You won’t be late if you did do so…” The mother mumbled. “I’m sorry.” You dared not to argue with her mother. After fetching the sandwich, she had to rush to school in a hurry. She’s only young once. That year she was a seventeen-year-old girl in Taiwan. That was a sunny day. When Yu was on her way home, she saw a group of people filming a movie in the street. “Action!” A man with sun-glasses shouted. Driven by curiosity, Yu stood aside and watched. Suddenly a man came into her sight— he was ordinary and was about twenty-something years old. He sat on the stairs nearby for taking a rest. You noticed that he hurt his leg. He was bleeding! Being always kind-hearted, she went in front of the man, gave him a tissue paper, and then asked him softly, “Are you alright?” “Thanks,” The man nodded and smiled, “I’m fine. It doesn’t matter.” It was about half-past six already. You could not go back home too late or else she would be punished, “I need to go now… bye!” “Bye,” the man responded. “What a lovely girl!” he thought.
It had been one week since the day Yu met the man. From that day onward, Yu went and watched the movie filming after school every day. She did enjoy watching it. But, somehow she found that chatting with that man named Paul was indeed much more fun. “Yu, why are you so late again?” mother asked. “Sorry mom,” Yu answered, “I have so many things to do in school these days.” Yu returned to her bedroom, writing her diary: “Watching the movie filming after school has become part of my daily life! Paul is so humorous! He told me lots of things today. Surprisingly, he was born in a poor family in Hong Kong; this made him not have the chance of studying in secondary school. Therefore, he started working when he was just about 14 years old. With relatively low educational level but has great knowledge in Chinese kung fu, he applied for the movie stunt man… Well, I think Paul’s life is extraordinary. By the way, he got much better now. I mean the new cut on his hand has healed up already! Thanks, God! Besides, he……”
Paul gave a bunch of red roses to Yu. “Happy birthday!” he said. Yu was glad, “thank you so much! This is my first time receiving flowers…” “Yu,” Paul felt a bit embarrassed, “Could I… have dinner with you tonight?” “Sure!” You answered, “But let me go home and get dressed first.” “Okay. I will wait for you in front of the Good Luck Restaurant. See you!” Paul said. Yu was really excited. Paul always gave her a surprise. He was great. So far, he was the only one who would give her such special feelings. “Mom,” Yu said, “I need to go out for dinner…” “With whom?” mother wondered, “And why? We have prepared something to celebrate your birthday already…” “With my friends… I mean my classmates. They have booked a table in the restaurant to celebrate with me, that’s why I couldn’t refuse them. I promise you, I will go back home before ten o’clock and then celebrate with you again…” You went out of her bedroom. She was already dressed and prepared to go out, “I need to go now. Bye, mom!” She went out quickly, leaving her mother looking at the bunch of roses questioningly, “What’s going on with my daughter?”
Paul and Yu were sitting at the table near the windows of the Good Luck Restaurant. “Yu, do you know… it has been thirty-three days since I first met you,” Paul said. “Oh, you still remember?” Yu was delighted. “Yes, I do. I remember… every moment being with you… always.” They smiled, looking at each other. After that Paul abased his head, “actually, the movie filming is going to finish within these few days.” “Oh… where will you go then?” Yu was nervous. “I will go back to Hong Kong… I may not see you in the near future. Therefore, I want to tell you something important before I leave…” Paul said it seriously, “Yu, I don’t want to be your friend…” “What?” You didn’t understand. Paul fixed his eyes on Yu, “I mean, I want to be your boyfriend!” “Boy… boyfriend?” “Yes. Because I love you… truly love you that I can no longer treat you as my ordinary friend!”
Time was still. It seemed that they were the only two people in the whole world…
You had got into big trouble. Those days without Paul were lengthy and lonely. Every time when she thought of the time being with Paul, every time when she thought of the words Paul told her on her birthday, every time when she thought of the promise made by Paul… it was really a kind of torture! Nothing would be sadder than two people who love each other so much being separated. Paul had gone for nearly a year already. These days, Yu could only communicate with him by writing letters. If it was possible, Yu would phone him. They missed each other a lot and their love never stopped growing. Sometimes, when Yu was in a weak moment, she wondered if the relationship between her and Paul could keep long. Paul was in Hong Kong whereas she was in Taiwan. She promised him she would write many many letters to him, but was it enough to maintain their love? Would their love be a “soon got, soon gone” one? He promised her he would marry her when he got enough money but was it a joke? Would it be fulfilled? Hardly could Yu see her future through a mist. Anyway, she would wait for Paul.
Yu’s mother noticed her daughter’s suspicious acts, having checked her daughter’s diary and letters, she knew that her daughter had fallen in love with a guy called “Paul”. She started questioning and arguing with Yu, “tell me!” she shouted at Yu, “who is Paul? You think that I know nothing else right?” Yu was angry too, “I want to ask you too! Why did you read my diary and letters without asking me? You never respect me!” You cried, “I don’t understand why you never give me the freedom to do what I want to do!” Mother bemused. Never could she think that her daughter would talk to her in this way. The “cold war” between Yu and her mother thus broke out. They stopped talking to each other for nearly half a month. Yu’s father, who was always a clam but a mind reader, understood everything clearly and tried to do something rebuilding the relationship between Yu and her mother.
“Yu,” father told her, “you should tell your mother what you feel. And, if it can be done, introduce that guy to your mom.” Yu was worried, “Paul will come to Taiwan again next week. He said he’s going to marry me…” “And do you wish to? Are you sure? Marry in haste, and repent at leisure…” Yu’s father was shocked, but he kept calm. “I did think about it deeply before.” Yu said, “Marriage is a lottery. Once you meet your Mr. Right, you should not give him up. I truly know what I am doing, what I am looking for.” “So bring him here,” Father promised, “I will always support you.”
A tense atmosphere. Sitting on the sofa, the mother stared at Paul. “You told me that… you are a movie stunt man?” “Yes auntie” Paul answered politely. “Maintaining a family is not easy. It is the responsibility for a man to take good care of his family… provide all the best for his family… you know what I mean?” “I have stable salaries. And, I live in a flat in Hong Kong with my mom… though it’s not very big. I have the ability to take good care of my family. I’m sure, though I’m not rich…” Paul stressed. “So have you studied in any university… or any secondary school?” Mother was being so mean. “No,” Paul replied, “but I don’t think that it’s a big problem at least, I can earn a living now…” “Fine. Do you think that Yu can accommodate herself in a strange place? If she goes to Hong Kong with you… I will…” Yu’s mother couldn’t control her emotion. She was in tears. “Mom,” Yu also melt into tears, “I know you love me so much… But the point is, I don’t want to marry a person that I know that I can live with; I only want to marry someone that I cannot live without!”
In silence. Yu’s father touched her wife on the shoulder, “let her go… she has the right to choose.” At the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom and the bridge were a good match. “Yu,” Paul said, “I will make a good match for you.” You smiled, “later, I can prove to my dad and mom that, I had made a good match too.” This is the end of this story. However, it is just a new start between Paul and Yu. Their own story will continue, until the end of their lives.
