Honestly I don't know why I like watching Sex and the City. Maybe its because its so surreal?

I had always thought we were friends. We were about the same age. We worked at the same bu-shi-ban. Even after we left Hua, we substituted whenever someone needed a teacher to cover for a night or few nights. We went out after work either at TGIF or Tony Roma's for late saturday night snacks. We went shopping together. We talked about men. We introduced our men to the group so that we could talk more about them in later days. We shared emotionally, I thought.

We went to each other's wedding.

Gina got married first among us. Before she went to singapore, she had a reception here in taipei. We all went. It was lovely. I gave her a big hug and tugged in a red envelop with NTD5,000 in it. The money took away a big chunk of my salary. "But she will need it when she is so far away from home," I almost insisted.

Vickie got married that year in november (?). She and Paolo decided to move back to miland, italy to have a family together. We went to the city hall for the ceremoney that morning. Later we all went to her sister's house for the reception. I gave her a big hug and tugged in a red envelop with NTD5,000 in it. "Who doesn't need money when being away from home," I still insisted.

Then it seemed like things were falling apart. That was year 1999.

Faith started cutting my hours at work. I was not happy but had to deal with it. She said the bu-shi-ban did not make any money. I trusted her and let her cut my hours. I felt like a frog in the lukewarm boiling water. I stayed in the water but hated it. I knew she had to do what she had to do. It was HER butter and bread, but not mine. Of course.  

Vivian knew that I was leaving Faith's, she called and wanted me to work in her school. She asked me to be a partner. But I really could not make that decision. I had D in michigan. He was the only thing on my mind. She said, " Men are NOT dependable... Women need to be financially independant."  Then I never heard from her again.

Ann was my neighbor. We used to work at Hua for a few years. She was the first one among us to be a mother. She had her bu-shi-ban in her living room. I guess our co-dependant relationship started when I did whatever she asked me to. "Get me 5 textbooks that Faith is using. Get me some workbooks. Get me tapes...Get me..." She was the first one to know that I had made up my mind for D. I told her right there in Cave Bookstore when I looked for cookbooks to take with me. She said Fu Pei-May's are the best. 

I told the other Vicky on the phone that I was leaving. She said we needed to come out to celebrate. We went out for a movie. It was the hot, sweaty, noisy, polluted sunday afternoon in September. I told her, "What is it exactly that I'm going to miss about taipei?" We did not say anything but sat in one corner on Hua-Na-Wei-Shu square.

I flew out to michigan on 1st of October, 2000. A new leaf in our life -- D and I.

Days later? Maybe weeks? Some of my friends realized that I was physically gone. I knew they knew because I started getting emails from them. "WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG?" I wondered.  

Then the day came. In the morning of the wedding, there was one phone call from Faith. AND...? There was NO AND'S. Not an email, a phone call, a card. NOTHING from the rest of my freinds I thought we were bonded so much. That same night after the reception, I really tried one more time by sending EVERYONE the wedding pics via jpg files.

Days later? "Oh congradulations...so...how are you doing?" Gina wrote. Vickie and Vicky wrote. Krissy wrote too. Already lost track of Monica and Vivian at that time. 

I'm fine. AND...? There was NO AND'S. Out of my surprise there were no phone calls to me or to my mom? (My mom still lives in the same address til this day. ) or a card for me and D?

NIL for all these years. 8 to be exactly.

Did I expect TOO MUCH from my friends to send me a card for my wedding? some emails when I need some friendship to go through the rough patchy years away from home?

I had ALWAYS thought we were friends. REALLY.