An ordinary woman, with extraordinary life experiences…translated…
You Would've Never Imagined, that This Ordinary Lady, Who is Quite Lowkey, Had Been Acquaintances to Seven Past U.S. Presidents……….
Sandra and I shared similar background and age, so the very first time we encountered one another, it may have been forty-five years ago.
At the time, I was a waiter at the restaurant hotel in Chinatown, she worked in the ticketing booth of the theatre opposite of the street. She'd often come to where I worked to order the genuine Shanghai cuisine, the shrimps were her favorite dish. And I'd occasionally gone to the theatre to watch a movie, in the darkness with the smell of light urine, allow the sound and light on the screen, to take my back to my hometown temporarily.
illustration from UDN.com
The same time and space, we'd not met up, like most of the affinities of people of the world, brushing shoulders, and not knowing one another.
Forty five years it's been. We'd gone down different paths to life, grown up, start work, marriage, had children, painting the years.
This Event that the World Had Eyes on, an Asian Woman Put Together
As I'd gotten to know Sandra, and we'd come across one another on the streets, and smiled toward one another, that was when I'd learned that she had, many stories to tell. I'd loved hearing her talk of the past, you can't imagine, that this lowkey, ordinary woman, had made the acquaintances of seven U.S. presidents, her stories, were like American history before my eyes, but, the stories Sandra told, had the ordinariness of living and warmth that you don't hear, anywhere, else.
One of her good friends, were the American former president, Clinton and his wife.
In 1998, President Clinton visited China, Sandra was appointed to go by her boss, the secretary of state, Yu-Jiang, because of her being around the same age as President Clinton's wife, Hillary, they'd become, acquainted, after a whole day's worth of work, they'd met up at the bar, and ordered up a glass of White Zinfandel each. Those whom they'd bumped into who knew them always stated, "order something more expensive, don't go for the cheapest wines". But, they'd both loved this, cheap sort of glass, and engaged in quiet conversation before the bar, about children, about their individual families, about the hardships of being, women, they'd stopped being the president's wife and the government official of president then, but two women who are in the realms of the working world of, men, trying to find that balance between work and family, attempting to find that road that's, not quite hard for them.
The second time Clinton went for election, he'd asked Sandra to assign the seating of the guest of the inaugural. She was paid a one-time wage of $3,500, led a group of younger men and women to work. There are rarely those who would know, that this looked upon event was set up by an Asian woman. While Sandra's proudest moment, was how she'd shouldered everything alone, she'd done what she was supposed to, and not received any personal benefits.
Sandra was deeply connected with Hillary for another reason, their birthdays were only one day apart. They'd shared many birthdays together, from the thousand people banquets to the smaller family-only gathering, leaving behind the memories of day to day ordinary life.
The Clintons to Sandra were lowkey with great sense of humor, kind to everybody. One time in a photo op, as the cameraman was trying to find the angle, dragging the sitting time long, and, everybody was nervous because they are getting in the shot with the president, it'd become, a bit, awkward, then Clinton, joked, "Quickly, or, we will all, run away." Then everybody burst into laughter, and there was the perfect portrait.
Once, Hillary pulled on Sandra, to get a selfie, as they'd posted, Sandra didn't know how to use the shutter. Clinton told her, "you can't even take a selfie, I won't be in the photos with you again.", Sandra told him, "Why don't you do it". Clinton responded back, "I don't know how either!", the two of them, who don't know how to take that selfie, naturally, didn't, get that, selfie taken.
Decades had passed, as Sandra told of this, she still smiled, like she was recalling her times of youthful, playful interactions with a friend; as the days came and went, the trust and simplicity shared between them, stayed intact.
In 2016, Hillary ran for president, because of the relations, Sandra and her stood shoulder to shoulder for more than 300 campaign events. Hillary only wore American brands, believed that being American, she needs to support the American made products completely. Once as they were both getting ready for a function, bumped into one another in the halls, and, they were both wearing identical St. John's green dress suits, after they'd laughed about it, Sandra ran back to her dressing room, changed into another set.
What time left behind, were these, small things. The friendship, continued over decades.
The Two Young Ladies Left, Playing Around After Saying Hello to Her Courteously
Decades, can make people grow older, enough to watch a child grow. Sandra mentioned the only daughter of the Clintons, Chelsea, being a cute kid. As Chelsea was interviewed by the reporters, she'd told, that her biggest wish "was that my father wasn't the president". Sandra watched her from a young girl wearing t-shirt and jeans, started walking out her own path in the lonesome sun setting down.
Once, Sandra was holding a conversation with friends at a café, Chelsea who's grown up came over to say hi, and introduced the woman dressed extravagantly beside her, it was Trump's daughter. Chelsea was just like her childhood self, courteous toward Sandra, greeted her like a well-groomed young woman, then, the two young women left.
I couldn't help but think, how many children would duck when they bumped into people their parents were acquainted with, while young Chelsea chose to come up, and said hello to her.
In recent years, people slowly made exit out of politics, there's no more interactions on the business fronts, just the private now. One day, Sandra took her favorite young woman to meet Hillary, Hillary told the woman, "you're introduced by Sandra, you must be her goddaughter then", then gave the woman a gift, and they'd had a good conversation then. The pandemic came, sealed up the country, plus Sandra's age, she's no longer able to fly all over, or help Hillary with anything, but Hillary still treated her well, their connection didn't fade because of the pandemic or Sandra's age.
Sandra was proud, "I'd not taken a cent from any of the politicians I worked with, that's why I feel comfortable, walking on the streets, and living in my own, small, apartment."
Isn't it so, some people collected jewelries, some collected the cash, some, antiques, but for Sandra, she'd collected, all those colorful moments of her own, life.
She had famous friends, but she'd only wanted the light connections from those in the world. Being acquainted with someone like her, I'm proud to call her my friend.
So, this is someone who's connected with those individuals in politics, but she'd kept her humbleness, and still lived her life quite ordinarily, that's what's made her, completely, extraordinary in life!
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