Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 559

crackling of the fire in the hotel lounge, Jeanine and I became friends. We became friends for a long, long
time. We grew to become the friends who would go to yoga glasses together on a Saturday morning, the
type of friends who could swap stories about the worst first dates, the type of friend that made you feel at
home in a foreign land.
My Mother was right, the Greater Bay Area was full of monsters. Monsters who were aggressive and
ambitious, monsters who wanted the lead the best lives, but also monsters who were empathetic, loving, and
no more than people inside a scary costume.
In the months to come, I gave myself the ultimate Greater Bay Area welcome package. I stuffed myself with
all the greatest delicalies until I could no longer bear to eat a single more bite; I tried the newest technology
-Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, automated driving; I even found myself a lunch group in the office.
Turns out, Simon too -lanky, quick-thinking, witty Simon- was a foreigner from the winding villages of
Xian.
Today, as I stand in the train station again, I relived the rollercoaster of my journey: the ups, the downs, and
everything in between. My brother would love it here, the encouragement for creativity, innovation, and
development; partnered with the unimaginable technology, his dreams could literally be translated into
reality. My mother would love it here, the warming sense of community, of going on a morning walk with
the other retired ladies in the park. Of course, the hospitals and medicinal development here would most
definitely be better for her recovery too. But perhaps most importantly, I loved it here too. I loved the
office, Jeanine, Simon, even little Leanne who couldn’t pronounce my name; I loved the optimism of the
city, how it focused on the positive forwardness of the future and didn’t linger behind; I loved the
inclusivity of the region, how everyone, regardless of background, age, culture, aspirations, eventually could
find a little community to fit in with; I loved that I was able to call the Greater Bay Area my home nowthe
best home I could ever dream of.
The train rolled into the station. Like excited children exploring a world of fantasy, my dear dear Brother
and my Mother, who hadn’t aged a single second, rushed off the train into my tightening embrace. A surge
of pride filled my heart, not only would I never ever be alone again, but I could show them the
transcending beauty of my new home- no letters, no phone calls.