Fiction

Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady (Part 29)

By Emily Ho

Editor’s Note: The author runs an ice-cream parlor on Hong Kong’s Lamma Island. When time allows, she draws caricatures and writes. The following are semi-autobiographical anecdotes blending fact and fiction.


Emily Has No Friends

“Look at Emily. She has no friends and always eats lunch alone!” gossiped one si-naai (uneducated housewife) to the others.

The group dined at an outdoor chai-chan-ten (a Hong Kong-style café with basic Chinese and Western food at moderate prices) on Lamma Island. Around them, children shouted and hit each other, risking mischievous behavior as their mothers busily indulged in a daily ritual of commenting on other people.

Without noticing the nearby gossip, Emily quickly ate her “set lunch”, hoping to open the shop on time. To her, nothing surpassed the importance of opening the shop on schedule, even in bad weather or if no customers arrived for several hours. It wasn’t about income, but rather the commitment to customers and dedication to work. She didn’t bother to join anyone for lunch or care about gossip. Instead, she minded her own business, personal and professional.

Deep in Emily’s heart, she knew her shop wouldn’t succeed without total attentiveness. That belief should last from the launch of her business until the day she wraps it up, hopefully with few regrets.


So Many Boyfriends

When Emily opened a shop she never imagined so many single Western men would show an interest in her. Generally, ice cream isn’t a male weakness.

Yet gradually Emily noticed quite a few guys visiting the shop with intentions other than just buying ice cream. As a normal woman with some romantic experiences, she certainly could sense the difference between ordinary customers and potential suitors.

Some guys stopped by several times a week and sat alone in a corner while quietly watching Emily. Others, too timid to risk chatting alone to Emily, brought other men and reluctantly purchased ice cream or fruit bars. (Usually any two males together in Emily’s shop would be a gay couple.)

One more-confident guy brought Emily hot soup and sandwiches on some winter days. Another gave her a nice traditional handicraft from his home country before returning there broken-hearted.

But none of them became boyfriends, sometimes because Emily was seeing someone else or due to their own and Emily’s subtleness. One Western guy, who always came to the shop with different Asian girlfriends, caught Emily’s attention. Later she fell in love with him, only for the whole episode to turn into a disaster.

“Look at Emily. She has so many boyfriends!” hissed the si-naai crowd.


Mysterious Woman 

Often Emily chats with male customers in her shop as a gesture of friendliness and part of her work. One day, a woman, unknown to Emily at the time, watched secretly from a nearby shop.

“It’s not fair!” the woman muttered. “How come Emily has all the men I want? I’m going to destroy her, no matter how much effort it takes. I’ll steal her men.”

While speaking, she stroked a pet Chihuahua. Her other hand held thick eyeglasses below her semi-grey hair.


Coming Soon:

Tough Times Toughen Emily (more Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady)

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