The Boat (04)-- summer, Autumn,1968
Li spread the paper pattern on the floor. Because the pieces were quite large, he had to place them on the diagonal so that they would all fit into the small apartment.
He followed his established work pattern faithfully: eating a 99 cent breakfast, typing, mailing job-hunting letters and it generaled activities in the mornings; in the afternoons, boat-building according to the instructions, and sometimes, picking up items needed to complete the boat. In the evenings, he fried the illegal sized fish, which now rest in the fridge's freezer compartment. He ate the fish with some of the canned food from
Gradually, the boat took shape. Li took the instructions to the lumber yard to cut a keel. When the keel from the lumberyard arrived, the driver said, "Mister, you'll never get the boat out if you build it in here."
Seeing Li’s puzzlement looks, the driver added, "when it is finished, the boat will be too large to get out of the window or the door."
Hymn.
So he rented a garage large enough to accommodate the boat for $30 a month from the super.
As the summer sun moved towards its zenith, the temperature rose higher and higher. By noon, the heat in the garage was unbearable. So, Li changed his work schedule. Boat-building now took place in the early morning or the late evening. Eating, cleaning the apartment, and answering ads took place somewhere in between.
The day became hotter. At this point, Li realized answering the classified ads were not bearing any fruit. He decided to use an employment agency. A friend mentioned that the people at these agencies worked on commission and were very anxious to place their clients because they only got paid when they found a job. The agency changed Li's resume without even checking with him to make it appeared as if he had a more substantial background. But, because he had never worked before, even stretching the truth about his experience didn't make finding a job any easier.
Only a few of the companies expressed enough interest to make an appointment for an interview. And, the second interview has never materialized.
An international trading company wanted to know if he had any familiarity with computers. That was a time that there was no application for personal computers yet. Li asked if using a computer in the school library to do his homework count. The answer must be no because no job offer was forthcoming.
A well-known underwear manufacturer asked which he thought would be better: a one-hooked, two-hooked, or three hooked brassiere. Li said he didn't know that they had hooks. The interviewer was so dumb-founded at Li's answer that he had no idea what to ask next. No job offer here either.
One of the companies asked him if he knew why a salesperson tore the price tag with codes. Li had no idea why the man is asking this kind of question. Cross off another possibility.
"Why did you study theoretical math?" another interviewer for whom Li's resume triggered no other question.
The excuse given most often by the potential employers for not being interested in employing him was, of course, "Sorry. We need a person who has a green card…" Then, with a polite smile and a handshake, they showed him the door. When they shook his hand, Li realized he was developing boat-building calluses and that his cuticles looked rough and grimy. Ah, The Chinese ritual greeting bow was so much better than American handshaking!
After a while, everyone in the apartment complex knew that an Asian was building a boat in the garage. When Li worked in his garage, there was much curiosity on the part of the other tenants. Some wanted to see his boat. Some were interested in watching him. The kids from the complex enjoyed lining up in a semi-circle to observe his progress.
“That Chinese guy and his boat are interesting.”
“How do you know he’s Chinese? Maybe he’s Japanese or Korean. They all look alike, you know.”
“I have never heard him say anything. I wonder if he understands English.”
“I’ve never seen him smile. I wonder…”
The keel, the backbone of the boat, was the only part made of wood. All of the other pieces were fiber-glass or plastic. The product had a beautiful shape. It was better looking than he expected.
Ah, the last step of the instructions. Two coats of natural, colorless, water-resistant varnish were specified; however, there was nothing to apply the kit's varnish.
Li remembered that he lived with several other Chinese students in a very run-down house before moving into the dorm. The landlord had purchased some paint and brushes and wanted the young Chinese men to paint the walls. They did amidst many protests and much horsing around. One of these students, Wong, now has a wife and still lived in the house. He sublet the other rooms in the house to Chinese students.
Li got into his little car and drove to the old house. Although his beetle was tiny and old, it served the Chinese students well: shopping for food, taking people around town on errands, and so on.
Time indeed went fast. Another summer with its oppressive heat was here. He parked his car in front of Wong's driveway, got out of the vehicle, and rang the doorbell. Quite a while passed, but no answers. The Wong's were not home. Li had not called ahead.
He stood outside Wong's house and reminisced about the day they all visited the railroad station and saw some wild leeks growing there. They had gathered the leeks and, on returning to the old house, chopped them up, wrapped them in dumplings, and sang old Chinese songs while they cooked.
He looked at the old house. Everything was the same. The gnarled old tree was still standing alone in front of the house, always providing the shade. The grass was still half yellow, half green. A white piece of paper, folded like a letter, caught his eye. Li walked across the lawn, bend down, and picked up the form to check if it belonged in Wong's mailbox.
It was an announcement from
Li refolded the paper, slipped it into his pocket, and continued his journey to obtain supplies so he could varnish the boat.
(To Be Continued)