There are times I am convinced Anna’s mere presence activates my gout. Other times I wish to hug her. She is taking over my kitchen – my Indian restaurant. She wields her knife like a Shokunin chef, commanding the respect … more »
fiction
Holding The Holy Bible in his hands, Hardy Ko feels overwhelmingly flattered. All afternoon, he could not help but read again and again the inscription:
To
Hardy Ko
May this Bible bring you
comfort and joy
From
Miss H. Andrews… more »
May shrugs her left shoulder to keep her bag from slipping, glances up across the classical vinyl section in search of wayward Mimi, and then back down to the slim cardboard sleeves, hoping to alight on something rare, something that … more »
You told your grandmother that you would be away from home for three years. You would fly from the jungles of Borneo to Singapore for an overseas students’ orientation. Thence to Heathrow, London on BOAC’s student airfare with stopovers in … more »
Relau, 1998
The water is a murky green, infected with moss and dirt. Sam looks at his reflection in the man-made pond, his short hair and round face next to June’s. Her long hair falls over her sharp face, both … more »
Tala was pregnant, but then she was not. Three times this happened. The first time she was pregnant, she was two days late, and peed on a stick. The first vertical line appeared and then a second. There were no … more »
The death of Benjamin occurred curtly past the midnight of November eleventh. Twelve years, a short amount for those of his kind has lasted longer than the love of the young marriages told about in the stories by my grandmother. … more »
Perhaps Rose was right and she was being, as her cousin put it, “ingloriously cruel.” Or was that vainglorious? Vaingloriously?
Didn’t matter. She wasn’t really listening. And Hien was a prick, had always been such a prick, and … more »
Everybody loves Chinese food, right? Chop suey, chow mein, sweet ‘n sour chicken balls, chicken fried rice—all the staples of Chinese-Canadian cuisine to eat in or take-out. So, introducing the eggroll would be readily greeted with open mouths. You’d think.… more »
Her voice sliced through bar chatter. “A shot and a beer.”
She pointed to the special on the board. The bartender nodded, sanctioning Kareena’s boldness with the movement of her half-ponytail.
“Do you take credit?”
The woman’s look of approval … more »