Saurav Karki
Mr. Wang was not only my mentor; he was also my best companion. I hadn’t seen such a humble personality in my past years. May be the reason I admire him was: we used to smoke a lot; the most common subject we utilized to enjoy. I was delighted in smoking for fifteen continuous years, and smoking with Mr. Wang was crucial time spent, between those years.
One day, when I was in my desk, he approached towards me and told, “hey, look! Look at my gift for my sweetheart, for her birthday.”
It was a charming small shimmering ring. I speculated it was a precious stone.
That’s pretty sexy ring.
I grinned.
“A diamond ring, her all-time favorite.”
I acquired it for her online.
“Oh, wow! she could be a fortunate girl”, I told him.
“Hey, Mr. Wang, is it your girl’s birthday today?”
He gestured with smile.
“Oh, sorry!”
“Convey my best wishes to her”, I said to Mr. Wang.
After returning thanks from her side, he handed me a cigarette.
We smoked.
Let’s party tonight. He offered me.
Chinese are unquenchable drinkers. That was my thought in the past about mandarins. How could I compete with them without being knockout, remain in sober. That used to be my concern. But I noticed, he was nothing in front of me, he used to take a short sip and talk a lot, more differently than most of other Chinese individuals in our camp.
It was not more than 30 minutes; he rapidly inquired me,” hey, buddy, do you have a girlfriend?”
I was faltering to share my story with him. The reason was, I was upset by telling same thing to Mr. Zhyang. I was mortified from interior.
I was moreover beyond any doubt, in case I told I have one. He might insist to see my girlfriend photo. Or he might want to hear a few curiously occurrences from my cherish story. And he would definitely catch my lies. By the way he was exceptionally smart man.
“I used to have one in the very past. But now I am single.”
I gave him my short and quick reply.
Thank God, he was not surprised. He smiled and said, “I think you ought to find someone. Life is always interesting when you are together with your sweetie. But make sure, select it wisely.”
He suggested me with fractional authority on me.
I simply nodded.
Sometimes, we utilized conversation on almost assortments of subjects from society to culture. Most of the time, He was more fascinated by mine than I intrigued in his.
I recalled, one day, to break my boredom in my frenzied work schedule, I asked him to tell me about Chinese people and their mindset.
“What do you need to know?”
He was not too fast to inquire me.
Anything that sounds great.
I reacted him in an apathetic tone.
After a while, he appeared to be like thinking in his intellect. I was bored.
I quickly asked him this time, “hey, tell me about the purposes of life of most Chinese individuals. May be their opinion about life!
“Well, there are tremendous variations, as China is large country with diversity. Most of the people of my hometown have not yet seen the Capital City, in their lifetime. It’s a fact. I can tell you a few most common things of the individuals from my local hometown in China.
There are as it were two purposes of life of Chinese People. One is to wed a young lady (love of life), and other is to build a house of their cherish. He reported me with this articulation, a light reality from his claimed thought.
” Nah, I don’t believe”, It is very strange.
“You’ve got rights to doubt”, he said.
I didn’t contend with him.
In spite of the fact that I hadn’t accepted him at that time, Chinese individuals here appeared to me like as he told me. A few were like destitute. A larger part of them were single, matured and depressed. That could be clearly observed on their confront. They were committed to the work and obligation, all day and all night.
There was an old Chinese. I forgot his name. I recollected he was so little that people used to call him ‘Mashiney’ (tiny). Somebody used to call him ‘Makhuji Man’. And this tiny man, continuously carrying anchoring agent, had lost his genuine title in the dust of the same Anchoring Agent. He was not married. He was working distant from his home (I don’t know if it exists or not).
For why or what reasons was he working? I didn’t know. A little bit distinctive, this youthful man, Mr. Wang, a lanky young Engineer, used to say that his sweetheart is holding up for him at the little city of China Province. She had set some demands in front of him. And her terms are: He ought to build a house, a sweet house for her. Only them she will be prepared to wed him.
“Aren’t you amazed after listening this?” Mr. Wang gazed at me, looking for my response.
I paused my breathe, then released it persuasively out from my nostrils.
“No, I am not amazed. Young ladies from any parts of world would have same thought.” I said.
But Mr. Zhyang had specific and clear thought. He was our Interim Boss. One day he told me, “Do you know ‘Sobo’ (He used to call me in short)-I am here in Intern. I hardly get ten thousand Nepalese rupees. They give me bread and bed in extra.”
Is it? It is as well difficult for me to accept this.
I was shocked after hearing him. A man in Intern, is Our Boss right presently and
he has been provided with insufficient salary.
“It is very astounding.” I told him.
“Yes, I am new in this Company. We always have an internship system in new Company. This is Chinese government Company. I have long experience and after Intern, everything will be all right. It won’t be very long. Moreover, I have big house, with beautiful wife and Children. That’s why there’s nothing to worry approximately.” He explained.
I was surprised.
In the camp, I had encountered with the first man, Mr. Zhyang, who was more optimistic and not worrying, with responsibilities of family in his head.
May be Mr. Zhyang is a very lucky man in comparison with fellow Chinese!
I used to think at that time. After all, he was my one and only verified source of information, with whom I used to have profound discussions on various matters at that time.
One day, Ganesh, our Chinese interpreter, shared his one year experience living in Shanghai with me, “When China started receiving international tourists, young ladies in China began to become insane in fondness of the visitors.
This was a few decades back. And for sure, Ganesh was not the witness for he was not dwelling there during that period. I think he might have learned it from Shanghai dwellers.
“Same case is applicable for Philippines and Vietnam as well. In Philippines numerous ladies have settled with outsiders. Same thing has gone for Vietnam. ” I included.
When I shared Ganesh what Mr. Zhyang felt about me after I explained my love failure to him. Ganesh made a brief self-claimed recognition.
Firstly, young ladies were exceptionally less in China. Furthermore, due to girls’ weak inclination with Chinese boys, there appears to be less chance for boys of getting their culminate coordinate or adore of their life. Also, Chinese boys with no girl become despicable character. They become joke. Interestingly, in the event that someone’s accomplice leaves him or get marry with other at that point, it is unfortunate and disastrous for him.
Possibly Ganesh had generalized more than truth. But this made me to think. Is something like this happens all over China? Is this pertinent to all Chinese?
Whenever I had queries and uncertainties in my mind, I always needed to discover out Mr. Wang. He was continuously there to help me, to calm me.
He had a dream, very comparable like me. I think our wavelength had matched. We both had a demanding sweetie indifferently in our claimed time.
“Mr. Wang! How often do you remember your girl? I find you an awfully active man.” I asked him one day.
Gracious, there is always a time left to think about her. Particularly I miss her when the weather is most pleasant.
On the same day, we received a news while we are talking. The Mr. Wang rushed out to his jeep as quick as he could. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. Yet I speculated something awful must have happened.
In the beginning, different news were heard and one was that a Chinese driller fell out the drilling machine and got injured. Another day, I heard he was dead. On the incident day, we worked only half a day. I heard; the next day will be a probable holiday. But it was again rumored that the driller is in coma, so no holiday will be given. And then time flew as previously. Thereafter no one cared.
I took intrigued in asking Mr. Wang to satisfy my curiosity about that incident.
He gave me a bad look. He didn’t utter a single word.
Meanwhile, Ganesh told me, “These people don’t share confidential things with unreliable people. They comply as commanded by their boss. That’s why no one is talking.”
Few weeks later, we heard that, the man was well recouped and went to his homeland to spend time with his family and companions, and to rest. He will join his group soon.
For the first time, Mr. Wang had not shared me something. I was so disappointed with him.
Time healed my emotional complain about Mr. Wang. We began to participate in our area of interest more passionately than before.
A lot of time passed after that.
After a long period, I found Mr. Wang, accidentally, in our most common network, in social media. It was Yesterday.
“Hi”
“Hey. Mr. Wang. What’s up? I messaged him.
With a thumb sign and short ‘ fine’, he replied.
It had been a long time; we had departed with each other after the project had been shut down temporarily. I had moved out before Mr. Wang, and I heard, he had left the country after some time.
After few months, I also heard, he went to Pakistan, for his next project. There after, continued, a long contact-less separation between us.
“Are you married?”
This was the first straight question; Mr. Wang asked me, after some formalities and greeting, during our chat.
“Yes, I am married with two kids.”
I enthusiastically replied.
He wished me with a thumb.
“What about you, Mr. Wang?”
He was a bit slow to reply.
“Are you happily married?”
“NO”
‘No’ was only his reply.
“Why?”
After few hours……
“After Project Completion, I planned to marry.”
He added.
“OK”
The conversation closed…….
Where is Mr. Wang’s Girlfriend?
Did Mr. Wang build a home for her?
Is she staying with him right now?
Why didn’t he get married with his sweetheart in these long, a long time?
I have some typical questions for him.
Today, when I revisit our chat history, I still want to ask him. But I can’t. A couple of time I tried typing letter to Mr. Wang but again erased it. I don’t know the reasons. I am reluctant to inquire. Possibly I have lost my closeness with him with time. My connection with him has ended up so formal with the passage of time. There is now a long gap in our associations.
