Watson's Pharmacy in Harbor City, Hong Kong
(Photo culled from http://hkchcc.org/watsons2.jpg)
I think that most kids, and moms, would agree.
A kid getting lost in a public place can be a very traumatic experience.
Let's ask Scottie to beam us back to 1988. Hong Kong. Kowloon Island.
My mom and I had gone to Hong Kong to with her pals from school and their respective families. We stayed in the posh condo of one of my mom's friends in Old Peak Road, which, I would later discover, was an area that a number of the city's wealthier residents, and expatriates, called home. To this 5 year old, it was a place with a playground, wide open spaces, and other kids, with whom I could interact and have fun with.
The very young me was baffled by the fact that hardly anyone spoke any English. During one of our evening's in Hong Kong, I got a hold of the landline telephone in the condo we stayed in, dialed my grandma's (Philippine landline number), with the intention of sharing with my grandma the many wonders I had seen while abroad (Toys R' Us was certainly one of the highlights). You can imagine how shocked I was when I heard the voice of a seemingly frantic woman, speaking a strange language, on the other end of the tellie. I was shocked and subsequently, confused. So, I wasn't in Kansas anymore- that much was certain.
Anyone who has been to Hong Kong will tell you that the city is crowded- really crowded. Fast forward to Migi and Mom at Watsons near the Tsim Tsa Tsui clocktower and Ocean Terminal (remarkably, that Watsons branch remains open, a grim reminder of when, for a brief. dark, moment, I felt truly alone in the universe). Mom was looking a nice little ornaments while some toys caught my attention. Next thing I knew, mom was gone and a pretty Chinese lady began speaking to me in caring tones in, well, Cantonese (to the 5 year old me, it was gibberish, Klingon, a lot of onions in palm oil...what mattered was that I was alone). Mom was nowhere in sight. I felt like crying, and just when I was about to shed some saltwater, my mother appeared. We were both relieved to say the least. She asked me where I had drifted off to. I said that some toys had caught my eye. She advised me to always hold her hand and stay close, and so for the rest of the trip, that is exactly what I did. I love my mom- and you should love yours, too.
When I think of Hong Kong, I think of Teresa Teng, of dimsum, of Toys R Us, and of family. I look upon these memories with a smile. I also remember being lost once and feeling very, very, distressed. Thank goodness for good fortune, and the concept of happy return trips. Mom and I did go to Hong Kong again in 2010, and we managed to visit Disneyland, too.
See, things have a way of working out in the end.
MC
