Fiction

Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady (Part 43)

By Emily Ho
(Ending section one in her Memoirs)

Editor’s Note: The author (email: icecreamladyhk@gmail.com) runs an ice-cream parlor on Hong Kong’s Lamma Island. When time allows, she draws caricatures and writes. The following ends an initial collection of semi-autobiographical anecdotes blending fact and fiction.


A Note to My Dear Readers

One year has passed since I started writing my semi-autobiographical memoirs. As I recall, I didn’t think of reaching nearly 100 anecdotes as I’ve done now. Even when first telling friends about writing my memoirs, I wasn’t sure how far they’d go.

Really, I didn’t know what it would be like. To me, the idea was kind of surreal, which may reflect my way of doing things – always starting with an idea, but not much more thought. That’s like how I started my ice-cream shop.

According to a Chinese saying, “A ship will turn straight when it nears the pier.” Perhaps I believe in intuition.

The Chinese consider 99 an auspicious number. Gau (nine) sounds like everlasting, and “double nine” could mean ever-everlasting. That’s the number of anecdotes I’ve written.

Marking the first anniversary of the Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady, I think it’s time for me to take a break. But I promise to resume writing. So many things remain untold.

Maybe I’ll continue to publish online, or maybe a more traditional publisher will appreciate my writing. With so many “maybes”, I’d rather not think too much about what I’ll write later. Let’s just let the ship reach the pier.