[Diary of the Absurd Life in 1997:
All Entries]

TH: Diary of the Absurd Life in 1997, in 28 sections, was written originally in Chinese by Mary Wong and serialised in Ming Pao 明報 in 1997. The pieces, translated into English by Chris Song, are serialised in Cha beginning from Monday 25 September 2023.

.

The Relationship
Up and Down the Stairs

14/28

.

On a Saturday afternoon, Ming had promised to come over after work. We’d eat something together and then head over to Kwong’s boss’s house for the annual grand party. It was his way of rewarding his staff for a year of hard work. This event was the one company activity that she didn’t need to organise. Yet, her boss had told her to arrive precisely at four o’clock, clearly intending to saddle her with additional tasks.

Four o’clock came and went. Ming was nowhere in sight and hadn’t called. Irritated, Kwong considered leaving without him. Just as she was putting on her shoes, he appeared, out of breath and looking worn out. There wasn’t time for explanations. She gave him a nudge and a curt look before locking the door behind her. Making a face at Ming, I followed her downstairs. He kept his explanations to himself, waiting for the right moment.

“Damn! Forgot my wallet!” Kwong said as we reached the end of the street. Perfect, a golden opportunity for Ming to make up for his tardiness. But the dark circles under his eyes gave a hint about what he was hesitating to say. Before I knew it, she had run back to fetch her wallet. As he looked at her walking off, he apologised to me, explaining he’d been up all night filming and had fallen asleep on the sofa. He regretted not telling her that. Did he have to explain every little thing? He just wouldn’t give in.

It took Kwong longer than usual. Grabbing the hem of my clothes, she muttered, “A slight detour and a three-storey stairwell reveals your insincerity!” She made a face to him, a specific, code-like facial expression, which triggered uncontrollable laughter from him. It was as if they’d both been waiting for this moment to break the silence. What had she been contemplating during that walk up and down the stairs?

How to cite: Song, Chris and Mary Wong. “The Relationship Up and Down the Stairs.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 8 Oct. 2023, chajournal.blog/2023/10/08/stairs.

Mary Shuk-Han Wong 黃淑嫻 (author) is a Hong Kong writer. Her short story collection Surviving Central (中環人; 2013) received the “25th Secondary School Students’ Best Ten Books Award.” Her essay collections include How to Live the Sad Days (悲傷的日子如何過; 2021), Against the Grain (亂世破讀; 2017), and From Kafka (理性的遊藝：從卡夫卡談起; 2015). She has also published an online poetry collection, Cave Whispers (絕地抒情; 2022), in collaboration with Hong Kong composer and photographer. She was the co-producer and literary advisor of two literary documentaries: 1918: Liu Yichang (1918：劉以鬯紀錄片; 2015) and Boundary: Leung Ping Kwan (東西：也斯紀錄片; 2015).

Chris Song (translator) is a poet, editor, and translator from Hong Kong, and is an assistant professor in English and Chinese translation at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He won the “Extraordinary Mention” of the 2013 Nosside International Poetry Prize in Italy and the Award for Young Artist (Literary Arts) of the 2017 Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. In 2019, he won the 5th Haizi Poetry Award. He is a founding councilor of the Hong Kong Poetry Festival Foundation, executive director of the International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong, and editor-in-chief of Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine. He also serves as an advisor to various literary organisations.

---