My English Conversation Partner

Zhang, Zhang, Zhang. Though I had known you for only three quarters of an hour, I’ll always remember this day we met…

Well, it was a Friday, if my memory serves me correctly. I arrived at the front of Fischer College, saw no Zhang, and took a seat on the steps. I waited as ten minutes passed. I waited as twenty minutes passed. I even waited as this huge passing line of middle school kids began mocking me. Really, I didn’t mind waiting, but after about forty-five minutes he came and introduced himself as if he arrived right on time. I offered to take him out for lunch.

To teach English to a man six years older than me was quite amusing, but soon I was touched by his sincere eagerness to learn. I tried to explain that, back in high school, I had once taught an ESL student enough English to pass his English Ohio Graduation Test. “You’re lucky to have me,” I said jokingly, but seriously, too. He grew silent, and from the look on his face it seemed as if he was not gettin' what I was sayin’. After that short moment, he just reached in his pocket and gave me a small red box. Inside was a cute necklace.

So just like that, I never saw him after that day. He never showed up where we planned to meet (which is okay; like I said, I don’t mind waiting). I called him now and then, but every time he never answered. Once, it seemed like he did pick up, I could even hear his presence on the other end, but suddenly the call must have dropped. I redialed right away but then what I heard was something like “This line doesn’t exist...” or whatever. I don’t know. Life can be so mysterious.

I guess this necklace he gave me is the only thing I have to remember him by.

I wear it every day.

(This blog is long, and you should stop here, but I would like to mention another strange thing that happened later that day) I was relaxing in a hot tub while enjoying a smoothie, and this woman in her fifties sat next to me and mentioned what a good-looking boy I was (which I know is not the least bit true). She took my hand, examined my pinky knuckle, and told me that a lot of girls would be coming my way. I would break up with one when I’m 19, another when I’m 25. I don’t know how she was coming up with these numbers. She then turned my hand over to read my palm, and I saw that she had a concerned look on her face. “You’re very stubborn, and when you grow up you're gonna be bad with your money."

Eh?