An-Yang

An-Yang                                              'Shua-nging!' (Children!) The sound of her strident voice reverberates down the narrow stairwell. I remember that musty, dark, winding stairwell that led to her second floor apartment in Glendale as vividly as I did the day I established a meaningful relationship with my grandmother. Through this relationship, I have come to know her as a friend, a confidante, and lastly, a woman I admire. I was only seven at the time, and the …

…to make sure that her feet have not grown even smaller. I have an irrational fear that one day, her feet will dwindle away. But they no longer instill feelings of revulsion in me- they are a living testimony of the hardships she endured- and a life that I have never experienced. So I sit patiently and let her pat my hand, knowing full well that we still have much to learn from each other.