I’m back after a hiatus. There were seismic changes and all in quick succession. Physically fatigued and mentally worn out, I had no time to think; much less to write. Such fervent planning, selling, buying, packing and unpacking that I felt bereft of any emotion, focusing only on the tasks ahead. It all began when I requested for a transfer from Hong Kong to India.
After the macro planning of moving countries came the piecemeal planning. Taking photographs of my furniture, uploading it on various websites, drawing up a price list and the slow, systematic, dismantling of my life. As I had inherited my landlord’s furniture I didn’t own much but what I did was precious and cherished. But if you separate the owner from her belongings, you’re just left with objects. Life can be brutally transactional.
My hot pink IKEA sofa, my romance chest, my movie style lamp, my Indonesian wooden bar cabinet. Yes that’s right, I owned a bar cabinet with lots of very expensive glasses, imagining I would be hosting many soirees. I’m not a drinker but I am a dreamer.
It also involved some paperwork. As you know it’s not my forte. (https://pausetoponder.com/2013/09/05/staying-true-to-form/). Between the termination notices and other formalities, it didn’t allow me to feel melancholic about the inevitable farewells.
I attempted writing this piece but words escaped me. I felt strongly, but strangely, I felt empty. One Friday evening, I opened my refrigerator and thought I’d seek aid from alcohol. A glass of wine perhaps, like shown in the movies. There’s a saying in Italian “ In wine there is the truth”. Alas, instead of coherent thoughts I welcomed sleep.
Why? I wondered. Life changing events and I felt nothing? I probed. Perhaps my instinct for self-preservation had kicked in.
Leaving Hong Kong was rather difficult. It’s a transient city but I grew up in that city. It took a lot from me but it gave me so much more. Wonderful friends, heaps of fun, lasting memories and lessons. It was a defining period in my life where I wandered off and then reclaimed myself.
I’d spent nearly seven years in Hong Kong. A few more months and I would be a permanent resident. Hong Kong. Have you realized how different a word sounds depending on how your world changes? How easily some names that meant so much at one point, that would roll of your lips so naturally, now sound unfamiliar?
In response to immigration officers, I’d say I live in Hong Kong. I’d rush to airport gates announcing a flight to Hong Kong. My last two passports were issued in Hong Kong. My photo identity was my Hong Kong Identity Card. In response to where I was from, Hong Kong was the most appropriate response. After all my business and personal travels, I’d land in that city and wait for the airport express train to swoop in and carry me swiftly and safely to what was then, home.
I had packed my bags for Hong Kong with trepidation. Everyone assured me that I would love it and I did. How could I not, the vibrant city envelopes you in its heady mix of money, shopping, friends and travel. It’s off-the-charts sexy and it also has a soul.
It must have been my unending enthusiasm because when I landed in the month of February it was unexpectedly cold, bleak and uninviting. I was cooped up in a service apartment for a month with no friends but plenty of time. I was lonely initially but not sad. I began to revel in the anonymity. Getting lost in the labyrinth of gleaming and imposing buildings.
The early years are not something I want to forget entirely. But they’re also something I don’t remember easily. The memories have been folded neatly and pushed in the far corners of my heart. Once in a while I’m reminded of them, accidentally. Chancing upon old scanned documents in folders long forgotten. Unearthing USB’s with photographs. On rare occasions I cave in. I remember them, deliberately. Like today.
It would be dishonest if I write this chapter on Hong Kong without mentioning my former husband. My former, laugh-out-loud hilarious partner. He’s not a person, he’s an experience. He kicks the door open to announce his arrival. One of the most creative people I know with talents that never cease to end. He can cook, sing, rap, dance, act, play musical instruments and play sports. A photographer par excellence. He ran marathons, reviewed movies, programmed music channels, created cartoons and last I checked he was into rowing and also sang in a choir! He is a living example that it’s never too late to attempt anything.
We shopped, made new friends, partied, traveled, binged on our favourite TV series and experimented with international cuisines. We enjoyed all the firsts that come with living overseas. In a foreign land we leaned on each other for companionship, resulting in a closeness that wasn’t sustainable. Eventually we had to pull apart. We got confused. We got temperamental. We got lost. We lost each other. It was as if I had subscribed to an entertainment channel. Scratch that, a bouquet of channels. Perhaps our combined energies were self-destructive; waiting to explode.
I was desperately sad in the months that followed. It was the void that hit me first. I tried every trick in the book to fill this void but I was just sinking into irrelevance. I hit the malls with a vengeance,tried Zumba and became post-break-up thin but I slowly realised that only I could fill this void. I had to be autonomous in my unhappiness. Not by staying busy but by staying strong.
To fill this void, along came a new companion. Anxiety. It hung around me in a heavy air. I tried to outsmart it but I couldn’t. It linked arms with me. It accompanied me to meetings, picnics, parties and in bed. I accommodated it, because anxiety kept me on my toes. It kept me in check. It made me more efficient. The longer it stayed , the better I got at handling it.
Finally, I was in a good place. There’s a line in one of my favourite books The Kite Runner:
“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”
Perhaps I had forgiven myself for what I considered a failure. Soon I began to love my life and my independence. My ex and I often found our paths crossing but never our lives. He met the girl he would marry and months later, I met my future husband.
Our friendship grew organically. We didn’t say I love You’s. We didn’t need to. We just knew. If my ex had given me wings, my husband provided wings and roots. I call him my anchor. However, marriage meant leaving Hong Kong and my solitude. How ironic that the very thing that scared me at first was now invaluable. Solitude teaches you more about yourself and I highly recommend it in large doses.
In May, my ex-husband and I met for lunch possibly for the last time. For a man of flamboyant entries, his exit was quiet and full of grace. We caught up, cried softly (blamed it on spicy Sichuan Chinese food), reminisced about traversing the peaks and valleys of Hong Kong, literally and figuratively. He left on the 14th of June for the States and two weeks later I bid adieu to Hong Kong. Thus ending this glorious chapter.
Six months later, I’m back in India. Furniture sold, MPF and bank accounts closed, taxes cleared and correspondence addresses changed. There’s no trace of my life back in Hong Kong except for what survives in memory.
‘Do you miss Hong Kong?’ asks everyone. ‘No,’ I reply feeling faintly disloyal. Although I miss everything about it. Friends, colleagues, weather, food, gym, infrastructure, governance and yet I’m happy. Pure, unbridled joy. Sorry Hong Kong, just because I didn’t think I was lonely didn’t mean I didn’t feel lonely.
I’d left as a young, carefree girl and I’ve returned as a wise old soul. ‘Life takes you places, love brings you home’.
Beautifully and elegantly put Rashmi! Love the piece and glad you have found your peace! Hugs…
LikeLike
I love the play of words Monica 🙂 Thank you so much, for a while I thought I had perhaps lost your friendship. Thank you for proving me wrong.
LikeLike
Great to see you back on the blog.What a story and so beautifully said.
I read and reread it.”Touching” would be too emotional a term, but I dont have anyother word to describe what I read.Welcome home !
Delighted to see you happy.
Love you
Dad
LikeLike
Thank you so much dad. Nice choice of words especially the welcome home message 🙂 I await your comments eagerly knowing that atleast you will take the time to read and appreciate. I wasn’t sure how you would react to this one and feared you might find this inappropriate. I know I married the right person because I married your son. Thank you for your unwavering support. It means the world to me.
LikeLike
This one really pulled at my heartstrings….. Could feel every emotion as you passed from one stage of your life to the next….keep writing my darling….you’re truly an inspiration
LikeLike
Thank you Mel. I wish I had put so much effort and thought in our essay writing class in school. Ms. Lopez would have been proud. Thanks a ton.
LikeLike
Beautifully written Rash…you have are gifted with transporting emotions into words. Keep writing.
LikeLike
Hi Nish, Maybe we Virgos are better in articulating feelings in words rather than in action 🙂
LikeLike
Times Immerorial piece. 🙂
Baatein bhool jaatey hai hum,
Par yaadein toh yaad aati hai…
I love the last line Btw. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you, I wish I could take credit it for that one but it was someone’s what’s app status message which stayed with me.
LikeLike
The grace and sincerity with which you’ve put across this one,amazes me so much..!!
You inspire me in more ways I can think of.
Love.
LikeLike
Thanks Jaya, I’m glad I can inspire someone in ways other than fashion 🙂 This has been the most difficult piece to date.
LikeLike
Beatiful and heart warming. I love the way you write. Thank you for sharing your feelings…
LikeLike
Thank you for your call Sheetal. I don’t think you’ll ever realize how much your friendship means to me.
LikeLike
Dear Rash, I read this piece with my heart cracked open. I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you and I hope there is some way to repair that… I am so proud of who you always were and in awe of who you have become. You write beautifully. It feels like one of those forever favourite songs that tugs your heart wide open… You are so very special and I am so happy that you have found your rock. He’s fantabulous, much like yourself. Thank you for sharing, thank you for proving without a shadow of doubt that the universe loves people that give it their all… and that “the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is how to love and be loved in return”, but not like in the movies, it’s all about loving… yourself. (Well I guess Kjo got it half right!) xoxo
LikeLike
Wow I don’t know what to say Miss Malini except thank you. I know it sounds contradictory but you were never there and yet you’re always there. Any time of the day and night. I don’t understand why you’re reading this at 4.20am! Thank you so so so much, I have to learn more about blogging from the reigning queen 🙂
LikeLike
I read this with my heart cracked open. I love you and am in awe of the things you have felt, done and become. I love you, thank you for sharing your everything. 💕
LikeLike
Welcome Back Rashmi, in so many ways. This is so well-written, you poured your heart out on this one. I hope you write a lot more this year
LikeLike
Thank you so much mon Ami.I remember you sitting on my sofa reading one of my articles in my first apartment in HK and encouraging me to write more often 🙂
LikeLike
So peacefully put… Have been searching for words to describe the essence that I get from it and all I can think of is peace. You are at peace finally
LikeLike