The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 10)

Image by kiquebg from Pixaba

This is the 10th part of the story. The previous 9 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

“Well, my husband is very different from other men. You know I’m an anthropologist. An unemployed anthropologist is still an anthropologist. If he had agreed to accompany me to Australia, Singapore, or Indonesia to be an anthropology professor, he would have been a perfect husband, but he couldn’t. He said he would be jobless if he went with me. So I had to stay here and worked in Ivy Training Center instead. Anyway, this just shows you that even the most lovable man can be un-supportive at times.” Lulan says.

“Oh, poor Lulan. You could be a great anthropologist. Instead you are here tutoring kids, not doing what you were trained to do. What a waste of human resources.” Ayun says.

“Tell me about it. There are so many former professors and doctors doing menial jobs in the Asian immigrant community here.” Lulan says.

“What do you mean your husband is different from other men? I mean his refusal to be an accessory to your professorship is exactly what other men would do. So he behaves just like other men, doesn’t he?” Ayun says.

“You are absolutely right about it. I had always thought that he was such a treasure that he was beyond the limitation of common men until he told me that he would not go with me if I went overseas to be a professor. For this incident, he did behave just like other men, although I think it is due to the unavoidable influence of other men. It is not really in his nature.” Lulan says.

Ayun hides a smile–how convenient for Lulan to say that her husband’s good traits are all due to his lovable self while his undesirable part is due to the influence of others.

Lulan continues, “however he is different. He doesn’t feel that he should be the family provider at all or the king of the hill. He is perfectly happy with my academic pursuit, provided that he doesn’t have to sacrifice his job here to move with me to a new place. He has no problem when I talk about the matrilineal society of Japan before the 8th century, the ancient Taoist priestesses who presided over all ceremonies and daily activities, the inordinate number of beheaded women politicians in Tang Dynasty, Genghis Khan’s daughters who were slaughtered due to their rise in political prominence. Other men won’t be able to listen to my talk with composure or tolerance. Some would get angry immediately; some would pretend to be polite about it, but in their heart they hate it. And they make sure that their wives will never invite me back for future parties. Anyway, my husband was brought up away from our civilization, on an island where the locals don’t need to work hard for food or fight fiercely for territories. This is why my husband can comprehend the world in a special way and he can also talk with my son so well. There are so much love and communication between them.”

“Really? How about we do a picnic together. I mean our two families so that my husband Tram can learn something from your husband…” Ayun says.

“Well… Tram is a great engineer, a wonderful provider, a good husband, a very decent human being, but he is conservative. I’ve never really talked with him, but I know the type. He won’t be able to tolerate my conversation. If I talk about women carrying men into the house during wedding ceremonies in certain tribes on Java Island, he is going to freak out.” Lulan says.

“Well, you are right. And how terrible it is if my son Andy grows up just like my husband Tram? I feel that the two are not really communicating, but Andy laps up everything Tram says about engineering, gaming, science etc. Andy is on the verge of becoming a teenager and he has developed this penchant, in the last six months or so, to look up to male figures and to distance himself from me. I know it. I just feel that he and I are not as close as before. You know there’s a bully in Andy’s school–named Big Bull–but Andy didn’t tell us. He used to tell me everything, but then he stopped. For a while, Andy came back home, telling us some imagined tales that he beat up Big Bull or teamed up with others to frighten Big Bull. Tram were so happy to hear such a story from Andy and were proud of his son, but then I heard from other parents that Big Bull was a bully. It really didn’t add up that Andy could win over Big Bull. It’s impossible. Why did Andy make up stories like that? I somehow felt that Andy thought he should make Tram proud of him and thus he created some fake anecdotes to make Tram proud.” Ayun says.

“You should go to talk with Andy’s teacher and the bully need to be stopped.” Lulan says.

“I questioned Andy, who insisted on his fake triumphant stories. So I don’t have something to rely on to complain to the school. If I get my hands on some evidence, I will definitely complain, not only to the teachers, but also the school board, or even the local politicians, or any listening ears. I grew up with bullies in schools and at home, and I will not tolerate the same thing happening to Andy. However I am very upset that Andy is not so open to me as before. I don’t know what to do.” Ayun says.

“Are you being over-worried? I mean teenagers will do all kinds of things to upset and humiliate their parents. Don’t let it bother you so much.” Lulan says. Lulan looks at Ayun and wonders about what Ayun has told her–how much are revealed and how much are deliberately concealed. As far as Lulan knows, Ayun is not a person who is open. She communicates the minimum to provide a coherent image and story, but she is not open. Instead she likes to do little maneuvers to get her way, and make her husband and son and her friends listen to her. Of course everybody does it to certain degrees. A wife and a mother has to have some strategies to ensure the smooth running of the household, but Ayun has pushed a little beyond the normal boundary. It is natural that as Andy grows up, he has become a little wary of Ayun’s manipulation. Of course Ayun doesn’t like it.

“Over-worried? Of course not. I am appropriately worried. What will you do if you were me?” Ayun asks.

“Well, I will just tell Tram and Andy honestly what I think of them.” Lulan says.

“Really? Will you? Can I tell Tram that I don’t want his son to grow up like him? Can I tell Tram that he mistakenly considers the process of digesting and analyzing and communicating as fear and anxiety; that he pretends he is brave while he sweeps things under the carpet?” Ayun asks.

“Yes, for once in your life, be upfront and straightforward. Tell them as it is. Out of your comfort zone.” Lulan says.

“OK. I am quite inspired now. I will. I will throw caution to the wind and speak the unspeakable…I will go back home and tell Tram to his face.” Ayun says.

(To Be Continued Here)