Patrick Wong Ping-chiu called himself a super protective dad, a most loving husband, a loyal friend and a handyman. I totally agree he has all those qualities and more. When we were talking casually on the phone the other day, he mentioned how his son told him he liked to travel on business class as he could sleep better and I said, ‘Who wouldn’t?’ Sure enough he bought three business class return tickets in his last trip to North America. And we all know how much those tickets cost! With a father like Patrick, no wonder his son excelled in his studies. He is on his way to becoming a medical doctor.
When I was in high school, I was not close to Patrick. In fact, I was so busy with my other stuff, namely music, film and books; I was not paying a lot of attention to my male classmates. I also have a confession to make here. When I was in primary six, I had a crush on a boy called Nam Yuk-chuen （藍玉泉）. We had a few child-like contacts but nothing came out of the relationship. He repeated the year and that had put an end to any girlie thoughts I might have for him. After that episode, I practically gave up on my male classmates. I might have teased them but there were never any romantic notions for them. Anyway back to Patrick and how our friendship began.
You might have remembered I said I went to Canada in 1972 to begin my first year university studies. Our Munsang classmates had more than a few gatherings. An overnight camp in Wu Kai-sha, an all-night party at Irene Cheung Ming-wai’s flat in Broadcast Drive, and several dinner parties hosted by Carmen’s and Vincent’s parents. At the end of the gatherings, of course, there would be exchanges of addresses and promises to write and keep in contact. Many did write at first but they soon stopped as studies and getting on with their new lives needed strenuous efforts. Patrick persisted and we had kept contact by mail.
Some classmates, Ng Shek-hei in particular, thought Patrick was making a move on me and that was the reason he was enthusiastic when I went back to Hong Kong for the summer in 1974. If truth were told, when a man and a woman were single, there would be no telling who was making a move on whom. It might very well be I who was making a move on him.
Patrick had a successful career with Cathay Pacific as a training officer in human resources and because he could fly cheaply he was able to visit old classmates like Steve Ng Siu-pang when he was studying in England. I already said I had the pleasure of meeting him in 1976 and the three of us spent a lovely afternoon in London.
Back in Hong Kong when I visited in 1979, Patrick was kind enough to drive my two younger cousins and I to an elderly home in Taipo to visit my grand aunt. Older pictures in my cabinet showed we had outings in restaurants with old schoolmates and even a beach outing of some sort. Many of the schoolmates in the pictures had soon faded out but Patrick was around no matter what.
Flattery is never Patrick’s strong suit. He is always blunt and to the point. If you don’t know his character, you might feel hurt because of his bluntness. There might have been gross misunderstandings between those he lived with back in their single days on account of his helpful character, but he stands firm as the man you see today.
A while ago he was frantically looking for my phone number because he had heard I quit my job and was thinking of moving to Salt Spring Island. He thought of Evelyn before her departure and how he wanted to contact her but failed. I guess he was thinking there might be something wrong with me too. When we were finally connected on the phone, he was pushing for the truths. The truth was not because I wanted to opt out. Stopping work is to allow myself time of my own instead of time sold for money. Finally, I can do whatever I please, go wherever I want, see whoever is available. Since that call we have been talking a lot from time to time.
Patrick’s son is very sensitive to our bad air so he won’t be visiting here anytime soon. As the way our government progresses, there is not going to be cleaner air anytime soon as well. I could have gone to Australia for a visit, but that country has never been on my favorite list of places to go. And I don’t go to America. Therefore, meeting each other might be a touch difficult.
I remember the last time he was in Hong Kong, we were on the phone when I was at the Star Ferry Pier with a great number of teachers protesting the then Secretary of Education Mrs Law Fan Chiu-fan. We could hardly hear each other on the phone and he could not have been able to locate me in the crowd. Since then he stopped coming.
If it is our destiny to meet, we will. In the meantime, we should be happy with just an occasional phone call or an email.
To this wonderful father, husband, friend and handyman, I wish you all the very best in life.
