I love my independence. I love being off on my own, doing my own thing at my own pace, and dictating whatever course of action I wish. That being said, there are drawbacks to being away from home.
On Labor Day yesterday, my family and my sister’s boyfriend’s family met for the first time ever. They made lunch and played Mahjong afterward.
So, a bit of a back story. My sister and Bobby (her boyfriend) have been dating for almost eight years now. We’re Asian, of course, while Bobby’s family is White. My parents moved to the US in 1982 and thus do not have perfect English. Bobby’s folks on the other hand has been in the US for quite the many generations.
A couple weeks beforehand, my mom occasionally e-mailed, text-messaged, or called me telling me how nervous she was about the exchange. She said she wished for my presence during that day, to help the conversation flow smoothly. I laughed both inside and out at how silly she was being.
I’m almost positive that Bobby and my sister don’t read my blogs, so here goes some no holds barred comments:
I love my sister, and I love Bobby. I’ve seen them through thick and thin, through different lens, and watched them grow as a pair. For a couple years now, I’ve already considered him a brother. I’ve met his family and been to his house on many occasions and they’ve welcomed me like there was no morrow.
Not being able to see the two families touch gloves is severely disappointing. Not being able to witness the awkwardness, the cultural barriers, the shy exchange of words, and the transition of skepticism to acceptance saddens me. It’s unfortunate that they’re bonding over food and fun without me. Here I am, off doing my own thing 399 miles away from home (according to Google Maps), only hearing what went down on that day through electronic medium.
A shame indeed.
All went well that day, with a couple minor infractions that are laughable hours later.
Andy Cheng 