The unfulfilled promises that the living had, made to the dead, and the dead still, remembered it, translated…
“Woody, what are you doing!”, Jia-Jia screamed out: “Don’t nibble on the breads, that’s not courteous, you must tear it up in smaller pieces then put them into your mouth.” Woody was shocked, to the point that he’d not, dared move a muscle.
“Okay, everyone, look here.”, Jia-Jia demonstrated for everybody, and said, “Use your right hand, pick up the spoon on the far right, drink the soup.” “What am I to do, I’m, left-handed!”, Woody asked. “When you eat the European or American meals, you used both your hands, so, that, wouldn’t be a problem”. Jia-Jia said, with authority, and continued, “Pay attention! Etiquette, use three fingers to pick up the soup spoon, can’t use your fists to hold it. As you scoop into the bowls, from inside, to the out, gently, scoop up the surfaces, can’t scoop too deep.”
“Man! Too troublesome!”, another companion, Bull stated, “Who made these rules? Can’t we just, have a relaxed meal?” Jia-Jia stopped, didn’t answer right away, and Bull realized, that he’d, said something wrong, he’d fallen silent too, San-San next by lightly elbowed him.
“My dad said.” Jia-Jia collected her overflowing emotions, and acted like she was the boss, in a flair, that no twelve-year-old child should be carrying, spoken, word for word, articulately, “My father is the instructor of manners at a military school, he said, ‘without knowing the differences of cultures, it’s NOT an excuse of why we’d acted, so carelessly.” Even on the tables of the Chinese people, there are, rules to follow, like, the bowl should be held in the hands, and you must put down your bowl, and your chopsticks when you speak, don’t talk when there’s food in your mouths, some people don’t even know these basic rules.” The three companions became stumped, or, it’s, safe to say, that they were, stunned.
“I want another seat”, Bull raised his hand, “San-San always elbows me, and it’d hurt.” “I’d needed to ask my dad.” Jia-Jai replied, “Your seats were, set up by my dad, you need to ask him if you want to switch.”
“Pay attention now!”, Jia-Jia acted as the one who was passing something important down, focused on the details, “As the salad is served, you need to use that fork on the far left, the smallest, the eating utensils are set up by order in the western-style dining experiences, you use the utensils from the outside in, then you can’t go wrong. You can’t grasp the fork with your left hand, pick it up gently.”
Woody asked, “Jia-Jia, you knew so much, did your dad take you out to dine in the western-style restaurants often?”, Jia-Jia fell silent for quite awhile, said, “Nope, he’d never taken me. Dad had taught me at home, said, that if I’m no longer ill, then, he shall, take me to the real western style restaurants”. Woody, Bull, and San-San, they all, fell silent, for a very long time.
Jia-Jia had, calmed herself down, and spoken, in an optimistic tone, “Here comes the main course! Steak!”, her three companions let out a cheer together, although, nobody ever had steaks before, but, they were all, very, looking forward to it. Jia-Jia got into teaching mode once more, “The knife for the steaks, is completely different! The tips needed to be pointed inward, grasped with both hands, the fork in your left hand, clamped onto the piece of meat closest to you, and use the knife, lightly, cut off a small piece, the piece must be, very small, with elegance.” The three companions seemed to have, heard the truths revealed, and all joined in in awe.
“Your dad’s here!”, Woody was thin and taller, and he saw far off, he’d, let Jia-Jia know.
Jia-Jia sat up straight, saw her parents walk in together, and moved the three potted plants, the petunias, the hibiscus, and the pansies, and, right in front of the rock with Jia-Jia’s name carved onto it, placed down, another pot of, marigold.
So, this would be, a sort of, an unfulfilled dream of this child who’d, died too young, and, the potted plants that her parents brought to visit her in the cemetery became her friend that she could play with. This just showed, how wild the imaginations of children can be, and how they’d needed, the companionship of someone desperately.