JENNY: Look, I’m telling you, I’m going to be a dancer.
AMA: We say—you can do both. Combine skills.
JENNY: That’s ridiculous.
POPO: Be first dancing dental technician.
JENNY: I don’t wanna be a dental technician!
POPO: Dancing dental technician very rare. You will be very popular.
JENNY: Why can’t I be like Chester?
AMA: You cannot be like Chester.
JENNY: Why not!
POPO: You do not play violin. Chester does not dance. No hope.
JENNY: I know, but, I mean, he’s a musician. Why can’t I be a dancer?
AMA: Chester—his work very dangerous.
JENNY: Dangerous?
AMA: He just receive new job—play with Boston Symphony.
JENNY: Yeah. I know. He’s leaving tomorrow. So? What’s so bad about Boston?
AMA: Conductor—Ozawa—he is Japanese.
JENNY: Oh no. Not this again.
AMA: Very strict. If musicians miss one note, they must kill themself!
JENNY: Don’t be ridiculous. That’s no reason why I can’t be like Chester.
POPO: But Chester—he makes plenty money.
JENNY: Yeah. Right. Now. But he has to leave home to do it, see? I want a career, too. So what if I never get married?
AMA: Jenny! You must remember—you come from family of See-goh-poh. She was a great evangelist.
JENNY: I know about See-goh-poh. She was your aunt.
AMA: First in family to become Christian.
POPO: She make this family chosen by God.
JENNY: To do what? Clean teeth?
AMA: Jenny!
JENNY: Look, See-goh-poh never got married because of her work, right?
AMA: See-goh-poh was marry to God.
POPO: When Di-gou arrive, he will tell you his testimony. How See-goh-poh change his life.
AMA: Before, he is like you.
(To Popo)
You remember?
POPO: Yes. He is always so fussy.
JENNY: I’m not fussy.
AMA: Stubborn.
POPO: Complain this, complain that.
JENNY: I’m not complaining!
AMA: He will be very happy to meet you. Someone to complain with.
JENNY: I’m just telling you, there’s no such thing as a dancing dental technician!
AMA: Good. You will be new discovery.
POPO: When Di-gou is a little boy, he never play with other children. He only read the books. Read books—and play tricks.
AMA: He is very naughty.
POPO: He tell other children there are ghosts hide inside the tree, behind the bush, in the bathroom at night.
AMA: One day, he feed snail poison to gardener.
POPO: Then, when he turns eight year old, See-goh-poh decide she will bring him on her evangelism tour. When he return, he had the tongue of fire.
JENNY: Oh, c’mon—those kind of things only happened in China.
AMA: No—they can happen here as well.
POPO: Di-gou at eight, he goes with See-goh-poh on her first evangelism tour—they travel all around Fukien—thirty day and night, preach to all villages. Five hundred people accept Christ on these thirty day, and See-goh-poh heal many sick, restore ear to deaf, put tongue in mouth of dumb, all these thing and cast out the demon. Perhaps even one dead man—dead and wither—he rise up from his sleep. Di-gou see all this while carry See-goh-poh’s bag and bring her food, ah? After thirty day, they return home. We have large banquet—perhaps twelve different dish that night—outside—underneath—ah—cloth. After we eat, See-goh-poh say, “Now is time for Family Devotions, and this time, he will lead.” See-goh-poh point to Di-gou, who is still a boy, but he walk up in front of table and begin to talk and flame begin to come from his mouth, over his head. Fire. Fire, all around. His voice—so loud—praise and testify the miracle of God. Louder and louder, more and more fire, ’til entire sky fill with light, does not seem to be night, like middle of day, like twelve noon. When he finish talk, sun has already rise, and cloth over our head, it is all burn, gone, ashes blow away.
(Joanne enters, pulling Chester behind. He carries a suitcase
.
)
JOANNE: Look who’s here!
POPO: Chester—good you decide to come.
JOANNE: He looked lost. This house isn’t that big, you know.
(Exits)
AMA
(To Chester)
: You come for reunion with Di-gou. Very good.
CHESTER: Uh—look, I really can’t stay. I have to finish packing.
AMA: You must stay—see Di-gou!
CHESTER: But I’m leaving tomorrow.
JOANNE
(Simultaneously)
: Can someone get that?
JENNY
(Simultaneously)
: Too late!
POPO: Di-gou!
AMA
(To Chester)
: You must! This will be Di-gou!
(Wilbur crosses with basket, now full of chicken bones.)
WILBUR: I’ll get it. Chester, good to see you made it.
(Exits)
JENNY: He almost didn’t.
CHESTER: I’m really short on time. I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow at the airport.
POPO: Chester! When Di-gou arrive, he must see whole family! You stay!
(Chester pauses, decides to stay.)
CHESTER
(To Jenny)
: This is ridiculous. I can’t stay.
JENNY: I always have to. Just grin a lot when you meet this guy. Then everyone will be happy.
CHESTER: I don’t wanna meet this guy!
(Wilbur enters with Hannah and Robert, who are Chester’s parents. Hannah is Popo’s daughter. She is five years older than Joanne
.
)
WILBUR
(To Robert)
: What? What do you mean?
(Ama stands on a chair and begins to make a speech:)
AMA: Di-gou, thirty year have pass since we last see you—
WILBUR
(To Ama)
: Not now, Ma.
AMA: Do you still love God?
ROBERT
(To Wilbur)
: What do you mean, “What do you mean?” That’s what I mean.
HANNAH: He wasn’t there, Wilbur.
(To Ama)
Auntie! Di-gou isn’t with us.
AMA: What? How can this be?
ROBERT: Those Chinese airliners—all junk stuffs—so inefficient.
AMA: Where is he?
POPO
(To Robert)
: You sure you look close?
ROBERT: What “look close”? We just waited for everyone to get off the plane.
AMA: Where is he?
HANNAH
(To Ama)
: We don’t know, Auntie!
(To Chester)
Chester, are you packed?
AMA: Don’t know?
CHESTER
(To Hannah)
: No, I’m not. And I’m really in a hurry.
HANNAH: You’re leaving tomorrow! Why aren’t you packed?
CHESTER: I’m trying to, Mom.
(Robert pulls out a newspaper clipping, shows it to Chester.)
ROBERT: Look, son, I called the Chinese paper, used a little of my influence—they did a story on you. Here—
CHESTER
(Looks at clipping)
: I can’t read this, Dad! It’s in Chinese!
ROBERT
(Takes back clipping)
: Little joke, there.
AMA
(To anyone who will listen)
: Where is he?
HANNAH
(To Ama)
: Auntie, ask Wilbur.
(To Chester)
Get packed!
CHESTER: All right!
WILBUR
(Trying to explain to Ama)
: Well, Mom, they said he wasn’t at—
AMA
(Ignoring Wilbur totally)
: Where is he?!
(Robert continues to study the newspaper clipping, points a section out to Chester.)
ROBERT: Here—this is where it talks about my bank.
CHESTER: I’m going to pack.
HANNAH
(To Chester)
: Going?
CHESTER
(To Hannah)
: You said I should—
HANNAH
(To Chester)
: You have to stay and see Di-gou!
(Wilbur makes another attempt to explain the situation to Ama:)
WILBUR: See, Mom, I guess—
AMA
(Ignoring him again)
: Where is he?
(Robert continues studying his clipping, oblivious
.
)
ROBERT
(Translating, to Chester)
: It says, “Great Chinese violinist will conduct and solo with New York Philharmonic.”
CHESTER: What? It says what?
HANNAH
(To Chester)
: You came without being packed?
(Ama decides to look for Di-gou on her own and starts searching the house.)
AMA: Di-gou! Di-gou!
WILBUR
(Following Ama)
: Ma, listen. I’ll explain.
HANNAH
(To Chester)
: How can you be so inefficient?
CHESTER
(To Robert)
: Dad, I just got a job playing in the violin section in Boston.
AMA: Di-gou! Di-gou!
CHESTER
(To Robert)
: I’m not conducting, and—
ROBERT
(To Chester)
: Ssssh! I know. But good publicity—for the bank.
HANNAH
(To Chester)
: Well, I’ll help you pack later. But you have to stay ’til Di-gou arrives. Sheesh!
CHESTER: I can’t believe this!
AMA
(Continuing her search)
: Di-gou! Are you already in bathroom?
(Exits)
HANNAH
(To Ama)
: Auntie, he wasn’t at the airport!
(To Wilbur)
Why didn’t you tell her?
WILBUR
(Following Ama)
: I’m trying! I’m trying!
(Exits)
ROBERT: It’s those Communist airlines, I’m telling you. Inefficient.
HANNAH: We asked at the desk. They didn’t have a flight list.
AMA
(Entering)
: Then where is he?
WILBUR
(Entering, in despair)
: Joanne, will you come here?
ROBERT: They probably left him in Guam.
POPO
(To Robert)
: We give you that photograph. You remember to bring it?
ROBERT: Of course I remembered.
HANNAH
(To Popo)
: Mom, it’s not Robert’s fault.
POPO
(To Hannah, referring to Robert)
: Should leave him in car.
HANNAH: I tried.
ROBERT: In the car?
HANNAH: He wanted to come in.
ROBERT: It’s hot in the car!
AMA
(To Robert)
: Suffer, good for you.
POPO
(To Hannah)
: You cannot control your husband.
ROBERT: I suffer enough.
HANNAH: He said he could help.
POPO: He is wrong again.
AMA: What to do now?
(Jenny exits in the confusion; Joanne enters
.
)
JOANNE: What’s wrong now?
WILBUR: They lost your uncle.
JOANNE: Who lost him?
HANNAH: We didn’t lose him.
AMA
(To Robert)
: You ask at airport desk?
ROBERT: I’m telling you, he’s in Guam.
JOANNE
(To Hannah)
: How could you lose a whole uncle?