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Published: December 9th 2010
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I am back because I need to put something to bed, I think.
My Chinese sister and shu shu knew that I was coming but not exactly when so when I arrive, they are not here. I wait for a short while considering my next move whilst their neighbours come to look at me; something I am used to here.
No one that I want comes, so I gather my things to walk back to the house in the lanes that I have lived in. I have no idea where they are, it’s just a guess. On the way people start to recognize me. The vegetable seller rouses herself from semi sleep slumped on her polystyrene box to wave and smile, the bird and flower man says the obvious,’ you have returned’ and my self appointed bike mender almost runs to greet me and then, behind him, comes my Chinese sister. Shorter than I remember, in tight leggings, shouting and waving to me. It is so good to see her.
The house has not been opened since Patti and I stayed at Easter. A film of dust covers everything. There is a friend in the kitchen packing a
me n tracey
Roosevelt building, bund. sunset huge stack of Chinese greens into a large clay pot, placing a heavy stone on top but I don’t know why. Everyone is talking at me and then shu shu arrives. I dump the bags. Jie Jie leaves, I am being pushed around and hustled onto the back of the ebike when I would rather walk but it never happens that way. We all arrive back at the shop at the same time.
I have bought Jie Jie a very old Staffordshire blue egg cup which has a wax candle poured into it. I bought it from Greenwich market. None of these things are within her comprehension. I bought it for her to place on her Buddhist shrine next to the electric candles because I know that through her Buddhist belief, she does not own anything that she doesn’t use. I think that she is almost going to lick it but instead she’s smelling it very closely. For shu shu I bought 200 brightly packaged English cigarettes, minus the pack I gave to the taxi driver. I’ve never bought cigarettes before so it took a long time to choose. I chose them because I liked the colour of the
breakfast room
Astor house hotel just for me and about 4 other people box. Royal Blue.
I also hand Jie Jie a bag of my favourite Austrian Mozart marzipan chocolates. She tries one and judders. It’s bulging in her cheek and thankfully, she doesn’t spit it out. The taste is unfamiliar, I know she doesn’t like it and they will probably roll around in her money drawer. Everywhere the 9 cats that they own emerge, baby dog is around my feet, there is a new puppy that looks like a fluffy duster and the neighbours arrive, food is placed in front of me, 2 fried eggs and a bowl of Chinese leaves with a paper cup of boiled water. This is how I am welcomed back into my Chinese home town and it feels good. Real. Honest. Kind.
There is a hushed conversation because they know I can understand a little. It is about the house. I understand that their son is coming back from Japan and he will live in it but we realise that I will be gone just before he returns, so the keys are pushed across the table towards me and they give me the house back for 10 days.
After a while, I leave to
buy things to clean the house. Some things have changed on the lane but the sounds and smells are the same and, as usual, there is no law on Ren Min Lu and it’s almost impossible to cross it. I’m sad to see the woman who combed her twelve year old son’s hair has been moved on, her hair dressing salon, come massage parlour is a pile of rubble. I wonder where she is.
Afterwards, I go to visit an old friend. When I am nearing his house, I call his dog. I hear the dog’s bells before I see him. The white dog rounds the corner and runs very fast to greet me with his brother lumbering behind. We meet outside the newly refurbished public toilets that everyone uses here because hardly anyone has a bathroom. It used to be one building with a division for men a women and inside was an open trough with running water. Now, there are 2 private cubicles for men and women with a sink and hand dryer. I’m quite amazed at the change. In the yard to Lao Wang’s house, everything is winterly but the same. His birds are out in
the late afternoon sun, the plants are growing in arranged tiers on boxes and stones, his window is open and there is a small chain across his door which is slightly ajar. Patti’s earring is still hanging in the lock. The dog is still jumping up me when I call him. He can’t believe his eyes that I have returned but there was no easy way to let him know.
We drink tea in his one roomed house which is earthy and wholesome and cold; how can it be anything else. His large bamboo bed has neatly piled quilts and open curtains. I can hear that his other dog, his first original dog, has had yet another litter of puppies. She’s 8 years old, this is her 5th litter, she’s had about 20 puppies. These are 5 days old and they fit in the palm of my hand. I cannot understand Lao Wang much, I never really could but we drink tea and talk about dogs and why he hasn’t used the disposable cameras that I bought him and that he has a lodger in both of his tiny rooms that he lets out as houses - one pays
400rmb a month, the other 600rmb and this is what he lives on which equates to 100pounds every month; if he is lucky. I comment on the new posh toilets, we laugh and I hand him a big box of quality street. The shiny purple box looks out of place in his house but also perfectly fitting. As it turns dark, I leave to go home to clean up my house.
As I enter the lane and the alley, shu shu is sitting on his ebike at the entrance and jie jie is just locking up. I find that they have cleaned everything, every floor, door, surface, in the fridge, the sink and table and lastly mopped the yard. I almost have a tear because they are so kind to me but they are gone but not before shu shu returns to show me that he has looped Christmas lights around the old black roof tiles to make it pretty. And so, this is how I return to my borrowed house And to Suzhou.
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