PARENTS
he,
came to America
aged 11 washing people’s socks
slept in class
a paper son with false papers
bought back in the village
because America restricted aliens.
I have a cameo photograph of him.
New York Chinatown. 1939.
out with the boys on Sunday
(america only let the guys in)
hey! That dude was some snappy dresser.
during the war, they let him work
the navy yards
as an apprentice steelwelder
but when the soldiers came home
laundry customers called him,
Charlie.
she,
came in 1950.
classified: refugee from China
from the feudal backwoods of Kwantung
her marriage arranged
to New York rush hours.
speaking no English
she worked in sewing factories
till her back gave out.
they,
raised a family
in the backroom of a laundry,
10’ x 14’, Queens, New York, 1950’s.
there were:
1 folding table
6 folding chairs
1 convertible sofa
2 folding beds
1 baby crib
3 metal cabinets
1 black and white TV.
1 sink
1 refrigerator
1 kitchen range with 2 burners
no heat. no hot water.
to earn money:
a customer brought in a dirty garment
received a ticket
returned in 3 days.
in the meanwhile
the garment was sorted
marked in an inventory
picked up by a commercial laundry
washed
returned the next day
re-sorted
starched
hung to dry
rolled to iron
ironed
packaged
shelved with the other bundles.
in the ‘50’s, one made
a nickel for each piece.
he: worked 6 days a week, 16 hours a day.
she: raised children, cooked, cleaned, sewed, worked in the laundry when she had time.
he: couldn’t take it. he gambled with the boys.
she: told him to quit, or she would leave.
they: in the end (though it was not this simple) put down a mortgage
on a little house.
the customers called him: Charlie
and her Mrs. Charlie.
he passed away from cancer
50 years old.
the relatives said he was a good man.
she misses her best friend,
continues the laundry
watching the children leave.
she hopes they graduate from college, marry,
have happy lives, grandchildren for her/him.
legacy:
the clarity of our own vision
what we choose to do with our own lives
will bear fruit to that
work/spirit.
ksrilata 