Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady (Part 35)
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.
Goodbye, Farewell
“You take care, Emily,” said a tearful Western mother on Lamma.
“You too.” Emily tried to hold back tears when bidding farewell. “Write to me when you settle down.”
This familiar episode unfolded in front of Emily’s shop after Hong Kong’s SARS experience. Although the shop had started just a year earlier, some customers were Emily’s good friends. They (mostly families with children) came for ice cream weekly in the summer and sometimes in the winter. They chatted with Emily about their children and daily lives while the youngsters enjoyed ice cream at a “children’s table” or played in a “ball tent” especially for junior customers.
“That’s what an ice-cream parlor is for,” Emily thought, feeling content despite still-poor sales. She appreciated the community members who supported her business. Without them, she knew the shop definitely could not survive.
“One day when I make money, I’ll reward my loyal customers,” she decided.
But SARS had sent the economy downhill and affected everyone. For the expatriates with attractive employment packages in Hong Kong, the news turned extra bad. Many bosses laid them off to cut costs.
“You will be missed,” Emily told her departing friends. She’d miss their friendship and their business.
Local Market Turns War Zone
Even after Hong Kong and its people (thanks to the profound professionalism of medical workers) defeated SARS, the economy remained in bad shape.
Many already-sacked workers tried to run their own businesses instead of waiting endlessly to be hired. A few chose remote locations like Lamma where the costs looked lower. They didn’t realize that shop-owners there already struggled as the widespread frenzy for fresher air and healthier lifestyles abruptly ended.
Without warning, the local shop-owners and newcomers on tiny Lamma Island declared a big war. Emily had no intention for her shop to be defeated. She stood ready to fight no matter what!
Coming Soon:
Good Girl or Bad? Weigh the Options (more Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady)
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