又中又英｜down in the mouth
發佈時間：23:00 2022-02-28 HKT
又中又英｜down in the mouth
Years ago when I returned to Hong Kong from the US to take up a new job I packed my treasured possessions in boxes. I mailed these to my elder sister and younger brother. They both have large houses to store my boxes. Last August when I returned to the US I visited my younger brother who showed me my boxes. I couldn’t remember what treasured possessions were in his home. It was exciting to open the boxes to see what I had mailed to him so many years ago. Your treasured possessions are things you own or possess that are very important to you.
I found a picture of myself with Nancy Pelosi, the most senior Democrat in the US Congress. I had interviewed her several times when I worked in Washington DC many years ago. I also found a collection of classic 19th century novels by three English writers, the Brontë sisters. Charlotte, the oldest sister, wrote Jane Eyre, Emily wrote Wuthering Heights, and Anne, the youngest, wrote the Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I have read all three books several times. Wuthering Heights remains my favourite. Since I don’t yet have a permanent home in the US I asked my brother’s wife to donate the books and some other treasured possessions. I was a little down in the mouth when I saw my sister-in-law take the books for donation.
If you are down in the mouth it means you look very sad. But I was not down in the mouth for long because I knew other people would be able to enjoy the novels. When I left Hong Kong last August I donated all my books, including books I had written for Headline Daily, because there were too many to take with me. One book I donated was the 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird by the American author Harper Lee. She is not Chinese even though her last name is Lee! It is a very controversial book that many groups have tried to ban. I will explain why in my next column.
