Where My Heart Is

                                

          I was driving around the town, along the river…no purpose. I felt exhausted after a
whole day of classes. Pretending I was driving somewhere in Europe, by the ocean, through the Black Forest then along the Rhine River. Imagining the houses on the ridges of the rolling hills were castles…then I saw a new building in a small, shabby alley. There was a real estate sign outside. I stopped the car, walked in, people there greeted me. I asked: “Do you have a unit where I have a view of the river?”

          “Sure, let me show you.”

          We took the elevator to the top floor to look at the apartment. When I walked through the door, I found myself looking at a big open space which included the dining room, the living room and the balcony. The view from the balcony was so magnificent. I was stunned. It was as if I were dreaming.

          It was twilight. The sunset caused a pink hue which blended with the clouds as far as you could see. The water in the river was running rapidly from the mountains towards the strait. Across the river the hills were covered with a haze due to a light mist which caused the lights on the bridges to be dim… It took my breath away. I stood there speechless. I didn't hear what the agent was babbling about. Finally I told him: “Beautiful.” Then I left.

          The first thing I did when I got back to my car was to call my brother. “Come here and bargain the price down for me.” I said.

          “What are you talking about?” He puzzled.

          “I WANT this house.”

          “What house? Are you out of your mind? Aren't you gonna move to the US?” He recoiled.

          “Yes, but this place is mine.” I said it firmly.

          My brother and sister-in-law came. They did an excellent team job as usual. I got my apartment in three days without telling anyone else even though I’d never considered buying a house in Taiwan.

          I was so occupied the next couple of months. At first, I’d flown to the US on the next Friday to tell Mick what I did. That was the first time I knew how much I’d been spoiled rotten by him. We went to Borders and Barnes & Noble. We sat there with a cup of coffee, read and bought tons of magazines and books on designing and decorating… to take back with me to Taiwan on the following Sunday. Then I had the contractors come to do what I wanted to fulfill my dream. I went there after my classes every day. I looked outside from the balcony for hours and danced as if I were a princess. I did as much as I could for the DIY part. I had a big toolbox from Mick that included everything you could think of including electric drill, saber saw, a level… It even surprised the carpenter who worked for me. To top it off, he was more surprised that I actually knew how to use the tools and did a pretty good job.

          This is unusual for even a man who grew up in Taiwan. We’ll just simply call someone to do the job for us because it’s cheap relative to the US. I remembered one time I got a flat tire while I had four of my students in the car. I just played cool and changed the tire in 15 minutes without even blackening my hands. Can you imagine how I became a “Hero” in front of them? HA, it’s not that easy to have the teenagers treat you as their Big Sis. Alright, I confessed. It was just a coincidence for Mick had shown me how to change the tire a couple days before that happened. I’m not sure if I can do it again now since he is always there for me.

          Back to the reality, the fact is Mick hates the weather in Taiwan. He visited Taiwan much more often before we were married. As you know, “Men are all alike.” How many times has he gone back to Taiwan with me after we were married in these ten years? Four times out of twenty. He’ll say, “Sweetie, you know the humidity there kills me. Besides my stomach can’t really enjoy the food even though you know I love Chinese food…” What else can I say? That’s true. It is so easy for him to get diarrhea in Taiwan, a bad one. What else can I say? Except… “Men are all alike.”

          Yes, my home is here in California. Yes, I do like the weather here. Yes, I do enjoy the carefree life we have. Yes, I do love our big backyard. Nevertheless, do you know where my heart is? Somewhere across the Pacific Ocean, sometime in the future, somewhere sometime with the one I love, the one who loves me, sharing my dream…

The view from my balcony.