丑呆猫

 

It was midnight, but Ann could not fall asleep at all.  The storm howled all day that made her really bad headache.

 

 Wearing pajamas, she paced to the living room, collapsed into the sofa like a soulless puppet, and glared at the rain pattering on the dark window. Recently, her husband often came back home very late.

He said he was playing tennis with Jomar, a Vietnamese businessman, and it was the only way he could relieve his depression.

 

He graduated from Beijing University —the best university in China, a genius at documentary producer, and also a passionate husband who promised that some day he would earn a pretty penny for her. Ann believed that her husband was the best man she had ever met. 

 

She still remembered that how excited they were when they received the landing paper. It was a raining day. Walking with an umbrella, they dreamed their new life in a new country in the future.

 

Time goes by quickly; the maple trees around the city had been flowery four times.

 

Because of her experiences, perfect English, and hard working, Ann became a well-known reporter of a Chinese news paper in Vancouver . Thought the pay was not good, it was not bad for a new comer.

 

 Also, by being a voter or a volunteer during the elections, she learned and experienced the real freedom and democracy that was why she wanted to be a Canadian.

 

But meanwhile, her husband felt not good due to could not find a better job except being a labor in some places.

 

Once he got a chance to be an assistant cameraman in a studio. At the first day, the English film maker asked him to pick up “a cosmetician”; he didn’t understand what “a cosmetician” was.  He must like a fool at that day he knew. They had never called him again and he didn’t want to be there any more either.

 

In fact, there were many places for new immigrants to learn English. Her husband had been Pearson Adult Learning Center for two months. It was really helpful but one day he said it was too hard to study after hours.

 

Facing at the wedding picture on the table, she realized that she had not seen his smiling for a long time.

 

He kept saying:

 

“ Canada doesn’t need any Master of Arts; it needs labors!”

 

“ Vancouver is the best place for the haves or the have-nots, not new comers.”

 

“My classmates must laugh me if they knew what I am doing.”

 

“Don’t tell my mother we live in a basement.”

 

He dreamed to be a millionaire like Jomar: living in a grand house in West Vancouver , driving a convertible BMW, and playing tennis all the day— they met by playing tennis.

 

He had been invited several times to go fishing by a luxury boat with Jomar this summer.

 

“Jomar said he has more than forty containers in the harbor!” He told Ann when he came back.

 

After that, he couldn’t abide any more the smelling of their place. The carpet always emitted an unpleasant odor.

 

“I’m telling you, sooner or later, I will earn a large sum of money like Jomar—for you!”

 

As if only money could rebuild his confidence, but she had never asked him to make more money.

Before long, Jomar gave this apartment to them. It was a real dream place that had two bed rooms and a 180 degrees ocean view on Beach Avenue . Her husband said it was a reward for helping Jomar doing business with China .

 

Though she was very glad to see he could development his own potential, she felt very surprise.

 

It was already 12:30; he supposed to come back soon.

 

Ann turned on the TV with a sigh. There was no good news like her paper.

 

RCMP found another marijuana house in Surrey .

 

A black car crashed into the Fraser River from Pattulo Bridge .

 

A Chinese new comer jumped from an overpass in Toronto yesterday. He had tow doctorates but could not find a good job. No letter left.

 

“Audience love to see tragedies, don’t they?” she thought.

 

“Bang, bang, bang…”

 

Suddenly, some body knocked the door.

 

“Huh, you finally come back!”

 

She ran fast to the door, and opened it happily.

 

 Two police officers standing there:

 

“Is David Lee your husband?”

 

“Yes, he is. What’s happened?” Her heart pounded.

 

“I’m sorry. We found his body in a Meth lab after a fire.”

 

“What??? You didn’t mean he is dead, do you? Oh, No!!!”

 

Like a sudden thunder hitting in her brain, it made her could not think, speak, or just keep her feet. She collapsed to the floor, and then fainted, no matter how the police officer exclaimed at her face.