An unforgettable Sunday, March 4 1990

An unforgettable Sunday, March 4 1990

Vincent Chan

3/18/2010

In an early Sunday morning, March 4, 1990. When the air was still cold, the sun wasn’t fully awake, and the street lights were still mocking the stars as the stars left them behind. When the bells of the church was ringing, and early birds were singing. Me, dressed in a pair of brown cowboy boots, a pair of weary blue jeans with a smooth snake skinned black belt, a brown and white stripped blouse with the right arm ripped out into sleeveless, and a weathered brown ivy cap roams around the town with my unlighted cigarette. A virtuous lady called my name. I turned to her and asked “Isn’t it a nice day. You wanna hang out later?” and she replied with a smile “Ya, I got time. Too bad you don’t, cause someone’s waiting for you over at the jail.” “Oh, got it”. As my eyes locked on to the lady and my body walking to my taxi I shouted “I’ll be back soon! Wait and let’s go for a movie or something.” But she didn’t hear anything. Soon, I’m in front of the spiky, thick, and heavy looking gates. And here comes this guy with his white Nike backpack towards me. A coffee skinned, middle-aged and bold headed male walking like the backpack weighs a hundred pounds. He was pretty big; I bet he is above 7 feet tall. With jacked up arms like machine guns and hands as big as a Frisbee plate, he smoothly opened my door and squeezed into my little yellow cab like a baby in his mother’s stomach. I asked him “Where go?” but he kept silence. So I asked again, “Sir, where should I take you” and he finally said “To 44 Godz rd.” He had a really low voice, listening to him is like listening to music with subwoofers only. “Okee Doo Kee!” Said I and stumped my feet on the gas and we took off. Being a taxi driver time is everything. The faster you finish a case the more cases you can handle in a day. Especially when you’re trying to hook up with someone, a girl will never stand waiting for a boy, when it’s normal for boys to wait for girls. What happened to the equality of male and female? Anyway, thinking about time I asked, “Hey! How long have you been in that metal cage?” And he replied “Twenty years exactly”. It was a reminder for me that it was my birthday today and I was exactly twenty years old as well. So I laughed “Dang~ you got in that God damned place the day I was born!” Suddenly he asked to stop at a drug store to pick up some medicine for his cold. I heard that in the jail here, they wear you out by sending everyone into a really cold room with almost no cloth on so you catch a cold and have less energy to escape from the jail. As he came back with a white bag as big as a Big Mac we took off. I said “You gotta be really sick to have so much medicine”. He didn’t reply and the car went silence again. We got to 44 Godz rd. and in front of me is this massive trash land, with broken and tilted stones everywhere. I’m guessing that it’s some kind of a grave yard for people who can’t afford the cash. I asked “Where are you going after this? I might be able to pick you up.” As he walks away from the car lightly and in a distance he sobs “No where, I’m not going anywhere or anywhere to go.” I drove back to the shop and I saw the virtuous lady walking around in a circle right outside the shop. I parked in front of her and said “Are you missing me? It’s my birthday today, you got anything special?” She anxiously said “Oh shut up, go to the hospital quick! I think your grandmother is in trouble.” Without a thought I exploded like a bomb and in less than a second, I came in my grandmother’s room and saw everyone there holding hands.

It was an unforgettable night, as the crows screams outside in the tree, wild dogs killing each other for food, and trash fighting each other for space on the street. My family and I were in this big, white and quiet hospital holding hands while surrounding my grandma in case she needs any assistance. I can hear people crying outside the room and weak and hopelessness conquered the entire hall way. As I was panicking my grandma pulled me next to her. She touched my face with her powerless hands, smiled and whispered “Take care”. As she closed her eyes slowly leaving nothing behind but her smile, I burst into tears while leaning on her. Nothing was on my mind but prayers for my grandmother living in the better place.

Soon everyone left, and my grandmother was taken away. I drag myself back to my apartment and sat on the couch. I haven’t eaten anything today and I don’t feel like having any. For over an hour I did nothing, but to sit there staring at my grandmother’s photo. Later on I took the TV remote control and hit the power button as I didn’t feel like closing my eyes yet. The news was on and it said “A black male about 7 feet tall died from poisoning suicide. We soon found out that he was Brown White, and not so long ago as he was just released from jail somehow ended up next to his mother’s grave dead. The police are still searching for more explanation for the death of this man. And now let’s talk about tomorrow’s weather…” I hit the power button again. I felt sick and dizzy. I was powerless, and I was paled all over my skin. I crawled on the floor to my kitchen seeking for some water to drink but I can’t. I can feel the loneliness of death, more than that, I started to think of ways I could die from it. I was still on the ground shaking like I was being shock by electricity. I started to breath heavily and I’m losing my hearing ability and my sight. Something was telling me that I’m about to die. And suddenly, in all these torching water came in my mouth. As I regained my consciousness I saw the virtuous lady next to me. She saved me from death and loneliness! My heart started to fill up with love and thankfulness. She leaned my head next to her heart and wept “Please don’t do this again. I love you and happy birthday to you.” So we got married the next Sunday and everyone’s face was red but in tears. I’m sure that grandma is smiling as always to about how things turned out, and that people wasn’t weeping about her for weeks and it ended quickly. I bet she is laughing right now up there watching me enjoying my life. It was an unforgettable Sunday as I soon buried both Brown, my grandmother, and a little cross I made for myself reminding me that I was so close to the end of my life.