FATE

THIS WAS A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE FOR ME. THE NEXT DAY LI AHN WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET ME IN THE HOTEL LOBBY. SHE DID NOT. HER FRIEND TOLD ME LATER THAT SHE LEFT ANSHAN EARLY IN THE MORNING BY TRAIN FOR DALIAN. SHE SAID SHE TRIED TO CALL MY HOTEL ROOM BEFORE SHE LEFT- I DID NOT KNOW- I WAS NOT IN MY ROOM.
MY PLANS WENT UP IN SMOKE, I WAS HOLDING HER ENGAGEMENT RING - I NEEDED TO SPEAK WITH HER SO VERY MUCH AND SHE LEFT. I FELT A MIXTURE OF BETRAYAL, ANGER AND BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT.
WHY WOULD SHE DO THIS TO ME? THERE WAS NO REASON- ABSOLUTELY NONE. I LOVED HER AND BY HER OWN WORDS AND E-MAILS TO ME, SHE FELT THE SAME.

I SPENT ONE MORE DAY IN ANSHAN BEFORE I  LEFT FOR SHANGHAI AND THEN HOME TO NEW YORK. THE FLIGHT HOME WAS LONG AND LONELY.
GOING HOME, THE AGENCY SAID THE LADY FROM MY FIRST VISIT IN JUNE WANTED TO SEE ME. IT WAS  SMALL CONSOLATION. HER , HER DAUGHTER AND ME HAD LUNCH TOGETHER. ALL OF US KNEW THIS WAS GOODBYE. SHE GAVE ME A NICE GIFT- A JADE PILLOW. I WILL KEEP THAT AS A REMINDER OF ANSHAN.

ANSHAN IS A VERY NICE CITY BUT IT WAS TAINTED BY THE MEMORY OF WHAT HAPPENED THERE.

UNEXPECTED FAREWELL

TO CONTINUE- WHEN I SAW LI AHN , I WAS THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH. WE SPENT THE AFTERNOON IN THE PARK IN ANSHAN, ME, HER AND HER FRIEND WHO SPOKE ENGLISH  VERY WELL AND ACTED AS AN OCCASIONAL INTERPRETER SINCE LI AHN'S ENGLISH WAS NOT VERY GOOD. WE CAME BACK TO MY HOTEL, AND AFTER RELAXING
FOR A WHILE ,WE WENT OUT TO DINNER AT A WONDERFUL RESTAURANT IN ANSHAN.
WHEN WE ARRIVED, LI AHN'S CLOSE FRIEND JOINED US AT THE TABLE- I SUPPOSED SHE WANTED TO SEE ME UP CLOSE. OUR MEAL WAS DELICIOUS, WE HAD DONKEY! IT WAS MY FIRST TIME EATING DONKEY- APPARENTLY IT IS A POPULAR DISH IN CHINA- NO- IT DID NOT TASTE LIKE CHICKEN-HA! IT TASTED LIKE WELL- DONKEY  WE ALL HAD A SEVERAL ROUNDS OF COLD CHINESE BEER. WE WERE ALL FEELING HIGH FROM THE BEER AND THE GREAT FOOD.

AFTER DINNER, ALL OF US TOOK A SLOW WALK BACK TO MY HOTEL. IT WAS GETTING LATE AND I ASSUMED I WOULD SEE LI AHN TOMORROW MORNING BEFORE I LEFT FOR NEW YORK, WE KISSED PASSIONATELY IN FRONT OF THE HOTEL AND SAID OUR  WAN AN- THAT IS CHINESE FOR GOOD NIGHT.

I TOLD LI AHN BEFORE WE PARTED THAT NIGHT- THAT I WANTED TO TALK TO HER IN THE MORNING ABOUT SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT. IT WAS.
BEFORE I LEFT NEW YORK, I HAD BOUGHT A VERY NICE ONE CARAT DIAMOND RING FOR HER. I WAS GOING TO GIVE IT TO HER IN THE MORNING AND ASK HER TO COME TO NEW YORK ON A FIANCE VISA. WE COULD THEN GET MARRIED SOON AFTER.
I WANTED HER AND HER 14 YEAR DAUGHTER TO COME TO AMERICA- I KNEW WE COULD HAVE A GREAT AND HAPPY LIFE HERE IN THE STATES.

I SLEPT GOOD THAT NIGHT- NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS TO COME THE NEXT DAY.

LIFE IS FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS- THIS WAS A 180 DEGREE ONE.

EPILOG

I RETURNED TO ANSHAN IN AUGUST, 2008. UNINTENTIONALLY, IT WAS AT THE START OF THE SUMMER OLYMPICS IN BEIJING.  I DID NOT PLAN THAT, IT WAS JUST THAT LI AHN HAD SOME FREE TIME AND SHE WANTED TO SPEND IT ALL WITH ME,NATURALLY I JUMPED AT THE OPPORTUNITY AND I ARRIVED IN SHENYANG AIRPORT AROUND THE 12TH OF AUGUST. SHE WAS NOT AT THE AIRPORT WHEN I ARRIVED, THE HEAD OF THE CHINA LOVE AGENCY WAS THERE TO MEET ME. RIGHT THEN I HAD A FEELING SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT. HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT LI AHN WAS IN ANOTHER CITY NEARBY-DALIAN. HE DID NOT KNOW WHEN SHE WOULD ARRIVE IN ANSHAN TO SEE ME-BUT IT WOULD BE SOON. THOUGH I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED- I HOPED THAT THIS WAS NOT A PERSONAL SNUB BY HER ONLY A CONFLICT OF SCHEDULES.
 I SPENT THE NIGHT AT A PLAIN BUT CLEAN HOTEL IN ANSHAN. THE NEXT DAY, THE AGENCY BOSS INFORMED ME THAT LI AHN WOULD BE COMING FROM DALIAN TO SEE ME IN THE EVENING. MY MOOD SOARED HIGHER THAN A 767 JETLINER!

IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, I WAITED IN THE HOTEL LOBBY FOR HER.
SHE ARRIVED AND SHE SMILED SO BEAUTIFULLY AT ME. WE  EMBRACED AND KISSED AND FOR ME- THE WORLD WAS MINE- I HAD EVERYTHING I WANTED OUT OF MY LIFE.
I ASSUMED SHE FELT THE SAME WAY.
LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT THE CLOCK WAS RUNNING OUT ON OUR TIME AND OUR FUTURE TOGETHER.