April 11, 1955 - Vancouver
Saltwater City
We entered through White Rock. The procedure at the border was just a formality. “Welcome to Canada,” they said. My paper father, Mr. Suen, met us at the station and took us to a restaurant—the Bamboo Garden on Pender Street—and showed us a decent hotel where we could stay in Chinatown. Mr. Suen had a barbershop on Hastings Street. He had a wife and daughter back in China. The daughter (who was supposed to be me) was a child born of his wife’s previous husband, Mr. Wong, who had died. After they went back, they couldn’t return to Canada for some reason, so their relatives took their papers to a broker and sold them. I hear they are still in China.
We have been here for two days, and tomorrow we will take another train into the flatlands to rejoin Wayne’s father and mother.
We entered through White Rock. The procedure at the border was just a formality. “Welcome to Canada,” they said. My paper father, Mr. Suen, met us at the station and took us to a restaurant—the Bamboo Garden on Pender Street—and showed us a decent hotel where we could stay in Chinatown. Mr. Suen had a barbershop on Hastings Street. He had a wife and daughter back in China. The daughter (who was supposed to be me) was a child born of his wife’s previous husband, Mr. Wong, who had died. After they went back, they couldn’t return to Canada for some reason, so their relatives took their papers to a broker and sold them. I hear they are still in China.
We have been here for two days, and tomorrow we will take another train into the flatlands to rejoin Wayne’s father and mother.
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