Cheung Chiu Shan
"Ng Wai Chu !" I called out to Wai Chu.
By coincidence, Wai Chu and I were walking toward each other when I saw her at the ground floor level of Times Square. She looked at me but did not say a word. Standing in front of me was a friend I had known for more than half a century. Wai Chu, my classmate since first grade, seemed to have stood the test of time. Her complexion vibrant and glowing, she had hardly changed over the years.
I shook hands with Chan Kwok Wong and Cheng Ping Fong. Bing Fong said, "You admired and praised me for the beautiful orchid painting I did in class." He sat behind me during the first year I attended Clementi. I was surprised that Bing Fong would remember the positive statement I made forty-seven years ago.
I met Fung Kwong Hon, Tsang Cheuk Wah and several classmates from the other classes for the first time. As I was still listening intently to the classmates' friendly chat, the lunch gathering came to an end. I couldn't believe how quickly time went by. Everyone got up, then left. Sitting at the table all by myself, I felt a sense of disappointment and expectations unfulfilled.
I came to the reunion because I wanted to reminisce about the past with my classmates. The reunion was over before I had a chance to talk to most of them
A few days later I asked Wai Chu to make phone calls on my behalf. I wanted to invite everyone to a lunch gathering before my return to Hawaii. The classmates who were present this time include Yin Tek Shing, Sung Kee Cheong, Fung Kwong Hon, Tsang Cheuk Wah, Cheng Ping Fong, Pang Yik Ming, Ng Wai Chu, and Poon Fung Kwan.
As soon as Sung Kee Cheong saw me, he gave me a nice firm handshake and said, "It has been forty-four years." Sung Kee Cheong loved old movies. When I told him about my favorite movie "The Magnificent Seven," he said he practiced throwing knives at a door in his house after watching the movie. Listening to him, I could visualize a teenage Sung Kee Cheong throwing knives with his parents looking on disapprovingly. Life is so strange. Kee Cheong and I never talked in high school, yet the reminiscence of an old movie could bring us so much closer at that moment.
Fung Kwong Hon talked about how he scared the girls in his class by putting insects in their stationery boxes. I was captivated by the way he described his mischievous acts. At the end of the gathering, I told him how much I enjoyed the vivid description he gave on playing tricks on his classmates. Then he said, "I am in insurance business." He just gave me the reason why he could put into words his recollection of the past so well.
Pang Yik Ming said her classmates had developed a close relationship because her teacher had the foresight to recognize the importance of a boy sitting with a girl. As a result of the arrangement, her classmates and she had a wonderful high school life. They studied together, went to parties, and got to know one another very well.
How I wish I were in her class. When Wai Chu said she didn't attend any parties in high school, Tsang Cheuk Wah jokingly replied, "The next time there is a party, we would definitely invite you."
Thank you so much to the classmates who attended the lunch gatherings and gave me such a delightful and unforgettable experience. My special thanks to Wai Chu who was instrumental in arranging the lunch gatherings. Last but not least, I would like to express my deep appreciation to Winch, our webmaster, for his initiative and tireless efforts in developing and maintaining the Clementi 1962 website. Without the website, we would never have been able to meet again in our lifetime.
I thoroughly enjoyed the little time we shared and hope to see you all again on my return visit in the not too distant future.