Shocked to learn a family friend passed away, he was in his prime time!
He was one of the first few people I got to know when I first came to this country. He even offered to sing for our wedding reception with his daughter. At that time, we lived in the South, hot and humid, sweet and friendly people, spicy and tasty food, jambalaya, fried chicken, devil’s eggs… I was new to the country, and a whole new world with new surrounding and new faces.
He was a very sharp guy with good sense of humor, shaved head, grin behind the glasses, a little bit built like Bruce Willis. He stunned me with his boldness: with his legendary story of his conversation to his boss in a meeting: ” You either are lying or stupid because it doesn’t work that way. So which is it?”
When he described how tight a space the hotel bathroom was he once stayed in, he said, “my knees were behind my ears.” That vivid picture will stay with me forever!
When we first came to the Bay Area, job hunting, even though he was sad to see us leave, he still gave a “helpful” interview tip at the end of his lecture to my husband, “Don’t forget to use deodorant before your interview. ”
When I first created my China tour website, I asked his opinion on the proposed names of some of my tours, he pointed out, “China Delight Tour sounds more like a dish on Chinese restaurant menu than a tour.” He had his way to communicate and made an unforgettable impression.
He had a keen eye and sharp tongue, right to the point, maybe that’s why he had quite a presence, and made impressions wherever he goes.
Many pieces of memories twisted with his smile behind glasses, teasing glitterings of wisdom with his signature shaved head. Now, he is part of remote memories with the deep south, the hot jambalaya, white gardenia, and rich evergreen silhouette all soaked into that hot acquainted land.
I’m sad to hear about his passing. Even though our roads no longer crossed each others, he is part of my memory with the beginning of my new world, and the departure from the South.
Life is such a journey, you meet people along the way, they come and go, that interaction tells both of your life stories, and the journey you shared exclusively frames its own scenery. Treasure those beautiful acquaintances, a moment frozen into time and space, like a rainbow, only hanging up for a moment at the right time and place. People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a life time, you never know.