Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady (Part 20)
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.
Trembling
There, Melody stood – her eyes not daring to look into Emily’s, her face half hidden by her hair. Speechless, she stayed motionless as if her feet had stuck to the floor. Slowly, with her head bowed nearly to her chest, she struggled to approach the table where her family sat.
This puzzling scene happened at a Chinese New Year gathering after the summer when Melody had helped at Emily’s ice-cream shop. Emily’s family attended, as did her aunt’s.
Once seated with Emily directly opposite, Melody held a menu high to cover her face. The menu slipped from her trembling fingers and dropped to the floor. With nothing to hide behind, Melody still kept her head low.
She wore a look of shame and guilt. But why, you may wonder. Emily linked the incident to earlier ones.
Puzzled
“Mei-mei (Emily’s childhood name), I’m going to quit,” Melody said calmly when leaving the shop one day.
Surprised, Emily tried to talk to her and asked why. But Melody’s city friends waited outside. So Emily suggested a telephone conversation when Melody reached home. “Let’s discuss it later, okay?” Emily whispered.
Puzzled, Emily wondered about Melody’s sudden decision: “Did I treat her badly? No. She’s my dear cousin. I watched her grow up. When she was little, I loved her more than anyone.”
Once when Melody’s mother fell sick, Emily had accompanied the girl to an admissions interview for a prestigious primary school. How her little fingers had trembled when gripping Emily’s hand as they prepared to meet the principal!
Another time, Emily took her to the Tokyo Disneyland as a reward for good grades at school. “I bought her souvenirs wherever I traveled,” Emily mused. “She even was a beneficiary in my insurance policy.
“Did I pay her so badly? No, but of course I couldn’t pay her a CEO’s package.” Yet the money compared well to what young people with little work experience earned at the world’s most lucrative fast-food chains. And when Melody came to work on Lamma, Emily bought her breakfast and dinner. Often they watched TV or videos together while eating ice cream and sitting on a couch.
Maybe Melody’s friends had persuaded her to quit. Young people were so influenced by their peers that they’d accept advice only from friends, whether or not it was good.
Did Melody find the job too hard? It wasn’t easy. Otherwise, Emily wouldn’t need a helper. But Melody hadn’t complained. Her working style resembled how she’d behaved when little -- very obedient and never complaining. Melody had a gentle character, like a rabbit.
Maybe there was a misunderstanding, Emily reasoned.
Overwhelmed
“Here’s your salary. Thanks for helping.” Emily appreciated her staff members, including her cousin, and always paid promptly after each day.
When Emily phoned Melody to discuss why the girl wanted to resign, she felt stunned at what Melody said: “None of my friends work for the summer. It’s my Mom’s idea to help you! And you paid me $5 less per hour than you first promised on the phone!”
Emily never imagined that anyone so dear to her would accuse her of “exploitation”. The salary was what Melody’s mother had requested and exactly what Emily had mentioned in the initial phone call. Emily clearly remembered that. If Emily had paid less, why didn’t Melody say so on day-one? She had helped in the shop for more than a month.
Emily didn’t know what else to say on the phone. Unable to accept anything that Melody had said, she needed to know the facts. Overwhelmed by confusion and anger, she headed off to see Melody in person.
Coming Soon:
Disrespect Hits Hard
(more Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady)
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