Shanghai

My steps on the way home were light. I hummed as I splashed through puddles, as if even Shanghai’s endless rain could do nothing to extinguish my excitement. So I have to write something more for today. Yes, in the end I gave up the advance screening and gathered instead with the brothers and sisters my father had visited before. As I headed out that morning, talking with my parents on the phone, I noticed someone emerge from the room next door with a backpack and look around. At that exact moment, a message from Q appeared on my phone: “I’m out.” I moved in with complete confidence: Good morning, Q! ...

How did things end up like this…? I found myself wishing I had never seen the GMHS announcement. Then, like CP31, it would have remained a simple regret instead of becoming something painful. I knew what the right priorities were. I had already considered the possible conflict of coming to Shanghai on Sunday. So why did I immediately say yes to Q? Wishful thinking, perhaps… If nobody had reminded me, I might genuinely have stopped gathering with them. ...