[b]Ch. 1: Hanna Discovers White Bananas[/b]
Hanna knew that I was a ghost writer and she wanted someone to write the story of how she met her new husband in 1983. She came to my place to tell me her story and then let me write it for her. Hanna speaks broken English and talks very quickly. With her limited English, she is very eloquent and colourful in her expressions. I think it would do Hanna a disservice if I tried to correct her mistakes so I have tried to write down Hanna's story just the way she told it to me. The only parts I have reconstructed are when someone speaks better English than Hanna.
You know my name Hanna Li. My real name Li Hong but nobody say my name right so in Canada I Hanna Li make things easy for you. You not mind my English, OK. I am in Canada not long time. I was 36 when I come Canada and I still look good. I no fat. My hair all black, no gray. I come from Vietnam with daughter. My husband a soldier but he die in war so I raise daughter by myself. I work hard and give my daughter food, clothes and send her to school. I don't have man or marry again. Vietnamese men only want marry cherry girl. Lady no husband like me they only want fuck and run away. I no do that.
How I get to Canada, you ask? Me, my daughter get chase out of Vietnam by Communists because my husband soldier and we go to Malaysia on boat. Very crowded and I am afraid of pirate and if there is storm, we go down in sea. But we make it to Malaysia and live in camp in jungle. Malaysia people not nice to us. They say they send us back to Vietnam. But people from Canada come and ask if we want to go there, not Vietnam. Vietnamese say Canada cold and we freeze to death. I say we dead if we go back Vietnam so my daughter and me go with people to Canada. They give me sponsor who find apartment for me and help me get job cleaning in hospital. This hard work but I used to it.
This Canada funny place. People no eat rice - eat too much meat. They no like nuoc mam on food - they say it smell like dead fish. You like nuoc mam? Canadian clumsy with chopstick and use knife and fork. I learn knife and fork in French restaurant in Vietnam so this no problem when I visit Canadian people in home. Canadian people nice. They show me how they live and how to be like Canadian. Sponsor help us and Canadian don't mind my English no good. Doctor here free but my daughter and me, we healthy. People want give Vietnamese job because they say we work hard. I know I work hard. My daughter marry after 6 months in Canada. She marry guy who here long time. He have good job and money and they get marry. I happy in Canada as my daughter has husband. I work my job and nobody give me trouble.
Only one problem. I no have man for me. Lots of Vietnamese men here for young girl but no want old lady like me. Same thing as Vietnam, only want cherry girl. Lots of white guy look for Vietnamese women but my Vietnamese friends say they no good. They too big, have too much hair and only want bad lady. I big for Vietnamese lady but white guys too big for me. I think we no look good together. I think if I go with white guy then I lose my friends. In Vietnam, only bad lady go with white guy and I good lady. I ask my Vietnamese friends what to do, I got no man. They tell me use finger. So when I go bed at night, I play with myself. I stick finger inside me but it not same as man. I think I do this because I no have man for so long time and I horny all time.
When I first come Canada, my sponsor lady make me go to school, learn English. This hard for me because English very different from my language. I still no speak good. I see white people in my school who come from a place they call Poland. They say they just like me, they run from Communist in Poland. They not soldier but they say they in something they call Solidarity. No fighting but they leave anyway. They have sponsor just like me, my daughter. They nice too because they speak English slow, not fast like Canadian. They make me say Polish word but Polish too hard for Vietnamese to speak.
Too many letter in Polish word. One Polish guy like me, same age as me and have no lady, same as I have no guy. Also he good looking guy. He very kind, not mean at all. Yes he big guy but I think he no want harm anyone. He not mean looking like I see white guy soldier in Vietnam. He say name Tadeusz Kowalski. I tell him too hard for me to say. Then he say, OK, you call me Ted like Canadian. Ted and me have fun to learn English. Ted help me learn English and he know more about Canada than me. He tell me I no die in winter like people tell me in Malaysia. He say to get warm coat and I be OK.
I find that Ted get apartment near me and sometime we meet when shopping. We go around mall we have fun pretend we have money. Ted tell me what he buy for me but I know he just make joke. Ted make me laugh many time.
After we shop, sometime we have cookie and tea, Ted have coffee, and we talk. We just friends, not talk about much. I tell Ted my family, my friends and how I be granny. Ted talk his job and he like him job and make good money. Ted still nice to me even he make more money than me. He no think I stupid because I have job cleaning and I no speak English good. I like listen Ted because him English better than me and he tell me new English word. I like talk Ted because all my Vietnamese friend married and they no have time for me weekend. I see my daughter and daughter baby on Sunday but Saturday I lonely.
One time we talk after shop and Ted say "Hanna, next week there is a dance at the Polish Hall. Do you dance? I don't have a girlfriend and I would like to take you to the dance." I not know what to do. Ted nice guy but he not Vietnamese. If he my boyfriend, Vietnamese friends no like. I ask Ted why he want take Vietnamese granny like me to dance, not young white lady. "Ted say: "I have fun with you when we shop and I like you. I want to go places with you. Besides, you are a very pretty woman and you don't look like an old granny. My friends will be very jealous when they see us together" I very happy Ted like me but I still remember what my Vietnamese friend say about white guy. My head turn around inside because I no want say yes, I no want say no. I tell Ted "I think a few days and give you call OK?" Ted say OK so I go my sponsor lady and ask her what I do.