Awakenings

As the dishes were being washed, dried, and stored away in the cupboard by one of his daughters, he rummaged in the garage for his toolbox and materials. Always a fanatic about order, the flat metal rods, 13 by 10 plastic squares, saw, tape measurer, nails, and drill were neatly placed on the kitchen dinner table. Propping his knee up against one of the chairs, he measured the rod and began sawing the metal until it reached a satisfactory length. He continued this process with a lot of grunts and sighs, until four rods were appropriately cut. This was just the beginning process of one of his new project: making frames for pictures and artworks.

Never an idle person, he keeps himself busy even after long hours at work. Often times, he would neglect dinner until the fish tank was cleaned and the plants were trimmed. That’s just his mentality: once he gets his mind set on doing something, nothing and no one can stop him.

Three summers ago, the house was renovated after a flooding incident. Fortunate enough to live adjacent to a constructor worker, the neighbor provided this man with the labor and knowledge to refurbish his home. Taking a few hours off work daily, he would stay home to supervise the young workers, ensuring that everything was positioned correctly. Not only was he a fanatic about order, but control as well. During that month of construction, an all too familiar sight was his assistance in restoring the house. If not pasting the kitchen floor tiles or the bathroom wall tiles, he was busy measuring the space between the walls and the stove, estimating the size of the new kitchen table that could fit in that space. Even after the workers had left for the day, he would remain in the basement, inspecting the changes done. If not satisfied, he would take things apart and re-arrange them to his liking. If he lacked the appropriate tools, he would leave the mess for the next day and instruct the workers as to how the pipes should be organized what needs to be redone. The workers had always threatened to quit if he did not stop hindering their progress, but they never did. Perhaps they found it amusing that a man of his status would find interest in construction work. Perhaps it was their youthful arrogance, silently hoping the bathroom foundation would crumble, to prove their point that a factory worker does not know enough about construction work.

Unbeknownst to those workers, this factory manager has more than five years of experience building houses. At the tender age of 16, he had moved to a friend’s relative’s house to learn to be an architect. Harsh economic conditions forced him to forgo school and work full-time to generate income for his four brothers, mother, and father. The commute to his new home required eight to nine hours, and only permitted him to return home every few months. Although he never finished what would be considered junior high school in America, he proved to be a fast learner. From that job, he not only gained architectural skills, but also domestic skills. To repay the family for housing him and to prove his gratitude, he would cook their meals and clean their house, developing his need for order and control.
A year later he moved to another home, three hours further than the previous one and continued to learn the art of architecture. At this job, he became close with four friends and half a year later, they launched their own construction business. Together they tore down old small buildings and created designs for the new ones. With few employees, labor mostly fell on these five men. This lifestyle kept him busy and limited his love life. Without any courting experiences, he found a wife only through an arranged marriage, an unstable marriage full of arguments, fights, and threats of divorce.

Generating little income, the small business was terminated and he moved to Hong Kong with his wife. There he learned the Cantonese dialect and worked two jobs in order to support his new family. Working seven days, he was at his first job from 7:45AM to 4:45PM. Returning home for a short lunch, he would go to his second job from 5:30PM to 11:30PM. This busy schedule made it difficult for him to spend time with his wife and three daughters, causing him to detach from his family—something he grew accustomed to (even in later years, when he has more leisure time that can be spent on family outings, he chooses to stay home).

The financial and educational opportunities America can provide for the children proved to be too tempting and in June of 1996, the Huang family moved to New York. Never having completed his junior high school education, and not knowing the English language, the only option possible was to work in a factory. Again, his job consumed his life, but this time, his wife’s as well. Working more than twelve hours a day, they would often return home, only to find their daughters already fast asleep. Hoping to build closer family ties, they transferred to another factory with slightly less demanding hours and an easier commute, allowing them to return home in time to prepare dinner. Working the whole day, this dinner was the only opportunity for the Huang family to get together, and overtime, it became a tradition- dinner must be eaten together.

As the years passed and his daughters grew, they were able to take care of themselves, relieving him of some of his parental duties. Although factory work is not ranked as one of the top ten highest salary job—factory workers aren’t even paid by salaries, but by pieces completed—it did help the family sustain itself and even live a moderately comfortable life. Never emotionally close to his family, he never felt the need to reveal the initial hardships he endured to keep the family going. Occasionally during dinnertime, the only time he would actually talk, he would allude to his early independence, but he would not specify. Even his wife, who he has been married to for over twenty-five years, does not have a full understanding of his background.

Part of being young is taking things for granted, and forgetting that the parents were also once young. The adolescents forget that parents too, were once their age, and shared the same experiences they did. When they are asked to run an errand for their guardians, they tend to grumble and complain about the sacrifices they have to make. But they fail to see the sacrifices their parents had made to get them to where they are now.

Those daughters failed to notice their father’s particular interest in construction. They never questioned his obsession with participating in the renovation of the house three summers ago. They never asked about his childhood and early assimilation into the working field, despite the hints at the dinner table. This man could’ve easily been a successful architect in New York City, given his experience, adept skills, and swift learning abilities. The one ability he doesn’t have and needs, the comprehension of the English language, took away his opportunity of becoming an architect. To be reduced from the intellectually challenging task of drawing up blue sheets to the mentally exhausting, mundane task of sewing fabrics, he must have suffered a major ego blow. Perhaps that is why he withdrew from his family, and chose to spend more time alone than with other people. But his daughters never noticed, and they never asked.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 3:16 am and is filed under