"October 8, 1993 Waiheki Island, New Zealand" "Once, you were happy to pass by clapping your hands walking across the grass leaves burst forth from the trees words spring from your lips leaves you linger, the machine starts rushing forth, plunging into the smoke seen from afar it's a bucket upside down" "dee !" "so many delicate fish deedaledee !" "dancing in the air deedaledee !" "carry ing the trees into the sky dee !" "Sam, papa's come to see you" "Sam, I'm your papa, come here I want to talk to you your mom wants to take you away from me" "Sam, I'm your papa" "Come here" "Sam, Sam, come here I want to talk to you" "What's he talking about?" "He says he want to talk to you" "Sam, come here, Sam, come here" "Sam, do you hear me?" "I'm your papa !" "Reimi, you can't take him away !" "Come here, I'm your papa !" "Sam, come here listen to your papa !" "Hang on !" "Somebody must have legal custody" "Well, that's just it We don't really know" "Sam has been with the Petersons for the last two years" "How come?" "Mr and Mrs Gu went off to Europe" "They left Sam with the Petersons" "As far as the school is concerned" "They are his legal guardians" "They warned us" "Something like this might happen" "They said the mother might take him too" "Now come on, settle down !" "Stop !" "The boy's going to have to stay at school" "We're going to have to get a lawyer to see who gets custody, ok?" "Uncle, he says Sam is staying here" "Sam is my son you can't split us up !" "Sam !" "Come back !" "Sam" "Now take your hands off !" "Now stop this bullshit or I'm gonna have to take you in, ok?" "Arrest !" "Ok, you understand?" "If you don't leave the police will put you in jail" "Arrest !" "Understand?" "It's up to you !" "It's up to you !" "A father can never be separated from his son lt's time to go back to class now" "Come on, come on, Larry , back to school now" "Come on !" "Every one back to school" "A father should never be humiliated in front of his son" "1966's beijing" "Find all the black material, black poems black paintings, and the four olds !" "Come on !" "Hurry up !" "Destroy them all, every one of them !" "Down with the counter revolutionary Gu Gong" "Down with the counter revolutionary Gu Gong" "Gu Gong must surrender or he'll be destroyed" "Gu Gong must surrender or he'll be destroyed" "Gu Gong, tell the truth !" "!" "Look in all the cupboards !" "All counter revolutionary black books must be destroyed !" "Find them and burn them all !" "We'll defend" "Chairman Mao's revolutionary road with real action" "Hurry up !" "Gu Gong, let me tell you" "You are a filthy counter revolutionary" "You'll be damned forever !" "We'll defend Chairman Mao with our lives" "Gu Gong must be struggled" "Counter revolutionaries are bad elements" "We must be vigilant at all times we must not relent !" "You write black poems so this is a black pen, burn it !" "Down with Gu Gong !" "Little Red Guards take Gu Gong outside and parade him on the streets !" "Move" "Don't take my papa away !" "Papa !" "Down with Gu Gong !" "Down with Gu Gong" "Don't let anyone see this, put it away" "NEXT YEAR (1967) SHANDONG, china" "Little eunuch, my dear old fella" "Come here, let's see if you're healed yet" "That old soldier's quite skillful at castration" "Let the waterfall of light dye my skin black" "The sun bakes the earth like toasting a piece of bread" "The sun is my rope puller its ripe of strong light pulls me every day to the end of my journey" "Son, you mustn't use the word Sun randomly" "We'll write poems together, we'll be together forever, right?" "(The World of insects)" "Here you must study hard !" "OCTOBER 8, 1993 WAlHEKl lSD NEW ZEALAND" "Sis, they won't let me see my own son !" "It's because they can't understand you" "Sis, you can teach me English" "Then I can talk to my son and I can look aft er him lf you were serious, you could have learned it lf you'd learned English, this wouldn't have happened" "Reimi said she'd teach me how to drive, I'll go see her !" "Hello, Mr Gu How are you today?" "Reimi, my wife, I'm looking for Reimi she promised to teach me to drive" "You'll have to slow down, dear, I can't understand a word you say" "Reimi she she promised to teach me to drive" "Reimi You're looking for your wife?" "is this the place?" "136 ls this a heater?" "Yes lt's so different from China's lt's beautiful !" "Look, our bedroom !" "1979's china" "Cigarettes !" "Cigarettes for sale !" "You drew many sketches why throw them away?" "You're difficult to draw, the drawing doesn't do you justice" "Can we talk about your past?" "What's this?" "A black out in a train station?" "My past is like this an unforeseeable darkness" "Dark nights, long dark nights !" "Your past is a little similar to mine" "Maybe this is the common past shared by our generation the dark night has given me dark eyes yet I use them to search for light" "You're a poet, and some kind of a philosopher I've never met anyone like you" "So now you have is that lucky?" "Or unlucky?" "Of course it's lucky !" "Maybe it's my good fortune for life" "Attention, all passengers and comrades" "The No 65 express train from Beijing to Shanghai will arrive soon" "That's my train" "Here's my address, drop by when you're in Beijing" "You've no civic consciousness !" "You just drop your rubbish anywhere" "What would happen if every Chinese was like you?" "The whole country would be covered in litter !" "Here's all your rubbish, take it !" "Don't push, collect your things and go to the exit" "You said gazing at me you're far away" "But now I'm very near !" "You're near when you're watching the cloud, but I'm not a cloud I'm Cheng, which means a castle" "A castle can be touched" "But clouds nobody can touch clouds !" "You're not touched by acloud, you're surrounded by a castle" "Will there be a day when you stop gazing at me?" "Gaze at me, forever not sometimes at me, sometimes the cloud" "Forever I'll look at you forever" "Modern poetry is more suitable for expressing rich texture and for expressing the molten depths at the center of one's thoughts" "And now we have a crisp but modest theory" "There're only two words to describe modern poetry don't understand" "But what don't you understand?" "is it the rare passing of the light from the meterorites?" "Or the chemical structure of the meterorites?" "Nan, is Gu Cheng in?" "Yes, he's having a heated discussion with the old school" "Look at you,you're soaked through !" "You'd better change before you go in I've got dry clothes for you" "Mr Gu, I hope you can give a seminar in our country" "A seminar?" "Really?" "To talk about what?" "Misty Poems?" "These poems are like a drug to many young people" "The so called sub conscious and the molten depths at the center of one's thoughts is actually promoting deviant behaviour it's a drug to ignorant young people" "A kind of murder with or without form" "Yes, it's murder !" "Pollution of one's mind !" "Murder !" "The Cultural Revolution is over please don't try to put dunce caps on us !" "Alright?" "Are you Gu Cheng, the guy who said The Yellow River is like a spread out yellowed shroud?" "Be careful what phrases you use !" "Insulting the Yellow River is insulting the Motherland I haven't finished with you !" "I need the toilet !" "The toilet's over there, that way !" "Poetry ?" "It's rubbish !" "You look more like a shroud to me !" "I'm sorry , I'm looking for the toilet" "Rubbish !" "There're no toilets in people's homes" "They're out on the main street !" "Yeah, you're right" "Don't worry , it won't bite !" "Mr Gu Cheng, I'm writing my graduation thesis" "The subject is A Study on modern poetry I'd like to ask you a few questions" "Come in" "How're you?" "I appreciate this" "Sit down" "Did you write this?" "Do you write while you sleep?" "Many of my poems come to me in my dreams" "So you don't write during the day?" "I dream during the day" "You dream in the daytime?" "How's that feel?" "Grey is the sky grey is the road" "Grey the buildings and the rain" "All is a sea of grey, of death" "Now there're two children" "One bright red one pale green" "A fly !" "Can you write a poem about this house fly?" "A swarm of flies gather Buzz Buzz Buzz a meeting is held in the air looking for a safe landing place, to escape the fly switch eyes burning red from heated debate, a great plan resolves to land if possible on the switch," "side by side with the dreaded enemy" "Reimi, my wife" "Hello, I'm Lee Ching from Beijing University I came to ask Mr Gu for his advice on modern poetry" "Sit down, I'll make you some dumplings" "You must stay and have some too" "Thanks" "Great Khan, I just wrote a few lines but I didn't know how to end it, listen to it I close my eyes" "Autumn wind comes from nowhere that's where l get lost" "The ending can correspond with the beginning" "Let me try I open my eyes" "Autumn winds are already a shadow of the past I wish I could come here every day to study and listen to your poems" "Fine, we'll have plenty of time for that" "This is a small place but it's big enough for the three of us" "Let's eat" "What is it?" "We're leaving now" "We just got our papers this aft ernoon" "We have to go to the airport now I envy you twoC pair of love birds, flying together now you're leaving Beijing" "Flying across the Black Sea, the Mediterranean" "Don't be sad, our little dove" "Once we've settled down, we'll come for you" "You'd better mean it, you must come for me I'll be waiting, I'll be waiting forever !" "This means a lot to me lt could get broken on the way" "Please look aft er it for me" "But aren't you coming back?" "I love you I love you !" "1987's GERMANY" "The next poem is I'm an obstinate child I'm an obstinate child maybe my mother spoiled me I'm obstinate I want every moment to be coloured like pastel crayons I want to draw on pristine white sheets of paper" "to paint clumsy freedom to paint an eye that never weeps I'm an obstinate child I want to paint away all misfortunes I want to paint the wind and mountains each higher than the last paint the hopes of the people of the East" "a clear horizon a feather and a leaf that belong to the sky a pale green apple, a pale green evening" "How can I contact you?" "can I have your phone number?" "No" "Here, you see, it's very natural, it flows" "Do you have a correspondence address?" "Can I have your address?" "This is my card" "Call me if you need anything in Germany" "Next year, 1988" "Gu was invited to lecture in New Zealand 1988's Waiheki Island, New Zealand" "What is this?" "It's a search and rescue dog" "Search and rescue dog?" "I'm Old Wong !" "drop by anytime !" "Fine, thanks" "Hi !" "How are you doing?" "Fine, thanks" "You just arrived?" "Yes" "He asked if we've just arrived" "Yes, my husband, Gu Cheng ls this the search and rescue dog?" "Gu Cheng, I love your poems" "He said he loved your poems" "Thank you" "Thank you" "Be careful" "Careful now" "This is the garden of Eden, a beautiful fairy land" "You know, I've been dreaming for 20 years of a place like this" "This is it !" "There aren't just two people in the garden of Eden, there're three !" "Three?" "Feel him, he's moving, he's jumping with joy" "Gu Cheng, Reimi, how're you?" "This summer has suddenly ended for me" "When you disappeared round the corner, I felt a chill" "This world is made up of numerous sorrows and destructive storms" "Push !" "Come on now, push, harder !" "Come on, you could do it" "Come on, push harder !" "The baby's coming" "That's it" "Come on now" "Just a little more, come on" "Here comes the baby !" "Congratulations !" "You have a lovely baby boy !" "Be good now, do a pee for me" "Gu Cheng, you can't do that !" "It's not hygienic !" "Please tell me, Great Khan of the Chicken Kingdom" "Gu Cheng's been in New Zealand for two years, why doesn't he take on a teaching post instead of locking himself away in the house?" "The university's in town, it's too noisy l need a serene environment in order to write my poems of the heavenly kingdom" "But this child can't live on eggs alone" "We need rice !" "Be good now" "Come down to earth and make some money !" "Without money, the whole family and your son will starve to death !" "Come in, come in !" "Sam, look who's here !" "Come in Sit, sit, please" "Look how happy he is, he loves his auntie" "He does, now come to auntie" "Here, do you like it?" "Yes We have beautiful weather today" "Oh, it's been raining for so long" "Go and make some tea, go on !" "He's very healthy" "We have Chinese tea, you have to try some Chinese tea" "Excuse me" "Hello?" "Da Yu !" "Yes fine, we have our own house lt's big, it has a big yard too where we keep chickens and grow vegetables" "We baked them fresh" "We baked them all this morning" "Just serve them with hot butter and fresh desert they are quite delicious" "What did they say?" "It's for us?" "Oh, thank you, thank you" "We baked them for your family" "We can't take it it's embarrassing" "We must, or they'd think we don't like them, that we're rude I don't mean that ls he mad at us?" "No, no !" "He's a poet" "Try some Chinese tea lt's very good" "We bring it from China" "The baby's sleeping?" "Yes" "Baby's sleeping He is very happy ls he good?" "Yes" "So many eggs here !" "Are they for them?" "Yes, right, I" "We have many 30 chickens" "My husband makes chicken farm ln New Zealand, we're not allowed to raise so many chickens lt is against the law, you know" "What do we do?" "It should be alright I've asked Ching er to come and help me" "What's going on?" "Whose idea it is to get Ching er over here?" "What are they talking?" "It's my brother's good girlfriend from China" "She'll be coming to live with them lf my husband's girlfriend came to live with me !" "well l guess, a mother'd do anything for her child I don't know" "What are you doing with the chicken in the house lt's for you" "No, thank you I've got a dog I can't I have a cat Cat and chicken can't get a long with" "This isn't a pet, it's for eating !" "For eating !" "The cat comes first" "Too much Too much Thank you very much I think we've gotta go now" "Thank you very much very kind but sorry" "Come again You come again" "Thank you, thank you for coming I think I'll go too ls Ching er really coming?" "Ching er's coming?" "Gu Cheng I like white houses" "Can you draw this, as a souvenir for me?" "This fairytale white house should have three windows" "One belongs to me" "One belongs to Reimi" "And this one in the middle belongs to you right in the middle between Reimi and myself" "Gu Cheng, Ching er is here" "Really?" "The white house in my dream?" "If it's not white enough for you, I'll give it another coat tomorrow I missed you so much I nearly jumped into the Hou Hai to catch your reflection !" "Gu Cheng's reflection is your reflection too" "Your two reflections are always overlapping !" "Reimi, thank you for inviting me over it was all thanks to you that I was able to get a passport so soon I'll do whatever you ask me to I'll never say no to you" "Why won't you say no?" "You silly" "Don't be emotional keep your passion in your thoughts" "Come, I'll show you around, this is the toilet" "This is the bedroom for Gu Cheng and myself" "This is the backyard, we grow vegetables there and keep chickens there !" "This is wonderful !" "Let me show you your room I decorated this room for you" "This is so tranquil !" "Look !" "the oil splatters on the wall are like raindrops, it's gonna pour any minute !" "Don't be silly, you're a guest, sit down !" "This is simple" "Look at that !" "Just one umbrella, it's not enough" "The umbrella is for the ladies" "You two walk in the rain with the umbrella, what a pretty sight that will be" "And you?" "Him?" "He'll be watching us in the rain" "Reimi always knows me best" "Ok, the sun's come out, we don't need the umbrella now" "Let's finish the dumplings, I'm starving" "You go and sit down, I'll do it" "Gu Cheng, come here" "What's up?" "I'm sorry , I broke this I put it back together with glue lt's ok, now it has your love in it too !" "Her love letters and love poems to you carried a clear message" "She said if she couldn't come she'd die" "That's why I asked her to come lt's fine, we both have company now" "Gu Cheng, I've run out of soap, can you get me some?" "She's calling you, go on !" "Hurry up, go on !" "Ching er, the soap is in the first drawer, help yourself" "Reimi left early for town this morning" "Here comes the cake !" "Here's the cake !" "Let's light the candles !" "What a beautiful cake !" "Sam's another year older now" "Let's take some pictures, come on !" "Come on !" "Doesn't this idiot proof camera have an automatic button?" "What's wrong?" "If everything could control itself, we won't have any more wars !" "Did you hear what your mom say?" "Stop the nonsense !" "Let's cut the cake !" "Come on" "This is paradise on earth its citizens are the crowing cockerels and egg laying hens" "Each one of them has a name, d'you know that?" "Can you tell who's who?" "Of course, look" "These here are the Gang of Four," "Later on we'll go pick mushrooms, then pick seashells on the beach ln the aft ernoon we'll sell spring rolls in town," "Old Wong from the fastfood shop says he'll buy our spring rolls" "Great !" "The three of us will create our own Garden of Eden" "What Garden of Eden?" "It's the Land of the Amazons that he really dreams about !" "Excuse me, one of your neighbour's just complained about the noise your chickens are making" "Normally" "We'd turn a blind eye" "But in this case she is on the right side of the law" "How many chickens do you have?" "One, Two, Three" "You're going to need a resource consent from the council" "Otherwise I'll have to ask you to reduce the amount of chickens" "She says it's against the law to keep more than 12 chickens, our neighbours have made a complaint ls that all she meant aft er saying all that?" "Get her to sit down inside the house, I'll bring her the answer" "Go inside Talk Sure" "We have tea" "Thank you" "We're new immigrants" "Sorry , we don't know the rules I'm sure we can sort it out quite simply" "One thing is for sure, you Chinese are certainly fond of your chickens" "She says we seem to like our chickens a lot" "Yes, like we liked the Gang of Four" "China four, chickens" "You don't seem too upset about your chickens" "You can keep more than four, you know lf you want to keep more than four chickens you have to apply to the council to get a resource consent" "That's not difficult, you just have to fill in a form and" "Oh no !" "Calm down, Mr Gu !" "You are crazy !" "Gu Cheng" "I want to love once the little green bug loving the wet flower" "I want to die once to walk on the edge of death, and see a fading rose" "Thank you, thank you very much !" "Ok, bye !" "Three pieces One piece" "Reimi, how are you?" "Good, good" "Let me take this I, I have to" "No, you take a seat You need to practice this more oft en" "Just relax, ok?" "Thank you" "Let's find your daddy, come on !" "Here, let me hold you" "What's up?" "Come, daddy's here !" "What's wrong Sam?" "Come, be good now" "Don't cry , I'll play with you later" "Nobody knows who the real wife is" "He has two women" "Two women !" "He is really an artist !" "What's up?" "Why're you cry ing?" "We're broke, the money we make doesn't even get us enough to eat" "Look at us !" "We're like beggars, even the foreigners are laughing at us" "People in the Garden of Eden won't starve !" "Forget your Garden of Eden, we might as well go back to China" "That's fine by me, nothing here means anything to me" "What did you say?" "You're crazy !" "We have a car, a house and a peaceful life here !" "Can you live like this back in China?" "Look at your son, he can go to school here" "He'll have a bright future in this place" "So because of Sam, we can't go back to China?" "Right !" "Yes, because of him, you can't go back !" "No you can't !" "I want him to grow up here, to learn English here" "He is the burden for your Heavenly Kingdom" "He's the little devil in your Garden of Eden !" "Great Khan, I wasn't mad at you" "Please forgive me" "Sam is our" "Send him away !" "Great Khan, you can't do that" "Give him to that Maori woman, don't want to see him again !" "No problem I know what it's like" "When you're try ing to write" "Children can be a nuisance" "Don't Worry I'll look aft er him" "Please take good care of him" "When Gu Cheng is better" "We'll take him home lt's ok" "He's tired, we take him to bed first" "Yes You're right" "Let him get to sleep before you leave him" "Reimi, hi, how're things with you?" "Gu Cheng I suspect he's got a mental problem" "He sees me as his mother now" "He's even jealous of his own son" "What?" "That sounds serious" "What'd you plan to do?" "I'm really sick and tired of living here" "Tending to the vegetables and chickens, it's no different to working on a farm in China" "Listen, even if you don't think of yourself, you must think about Sam" "Tell you what, come for a holiday in Germany" "You need some time to yourself then we'll see I'll take care of the tickets and hotels, or you can stay in my house I've got plenty of space here I thought love was a promise," "but I got nothing only saying I love you, I love you !" "I'd like to be able to believe to believe in something, somebody, even a little !" "but nothing can make me believe death is the only guarantee, but nobody's willing to kill me" "Ching er, I have something to tell you" "Gu Cheng and I have decided to go to Germany" "Germany?" "He never told me !" "It can't be helped, we have no money" "Gu Cheng has accepted an invitation from Germany" "He'll be a lecturer there, and he'll write" "Can I come too?" "No !" "The invitation is for Mr and Mrs Gu" "Never mind, we'll only be away for a year" "Besides, you haven't got your residency yet, you can't leave" "Listen, why don't you talk to Michael this evening?" "Ask him if he could help you" "He's a nice guy I've spoken to him about this ls residency so important?" "The ghost of midnight walks very gingerly" "He fears he may trip and become a human" "I've got a letter today lt's from Germany, d'you remember Da Yu?" "He's worked very hard to get you the Heinrich Boll Stifung grant" "The only condition is that you lecture there I'm not going to Germany I won't bow to US dollars or Deutsche Marks !" "It won't be long, maximum two or three months" "No !" "I'm not going !" "I like it here" "This is my garden of Eden, my Land of the Amazons I'm not going to Germany !" "We have no money !" "Your chicken farm has failed !" "We can't get by with making a few sketches and spring rolls !" "We're gonna starve soon !" "I told you to get a license for the chickens, why don't you?" "You should write !" "Writing is what you do best !" "I don't write for money, I can do other things for money" "Can't you do it for your son, for me?" "I guess you're prepared to starve to death here I'm sleeping at your sister's, you think about it" "DarlingA !" "love you !" "I want to marry you !" "Bulging green eyes like two teardrops they are like forever unlike the human world a world full of change" "Reimi told me you decided to go to Germany" "You think I should go, too?" "Can I say no?" "I think you should see the outside world" "Listen to the voice of the Chinese yearning for freedom I love you, you're the only man I love !" "I want to marry you lf you divorce Reimi, I'll be your only wife then I love you, too," "this place can take all three of us" "My darling, I love you !" "Aft er you get your residency, you'd better not come back to the island or Gu Cheng will go mad lt'll be embarrassing for you, too" "Don't worry , I swear I'll never come back, and I'll never see him again" "Today, I return Gu Cheng to you" "Once again, Gu was invited to lecture in Germany 1992's GERMANY I'd rather die !" "I called New Zealand, she wasn't there !" "Tell me, has Ching er found another man?" "Next Year (1993), Gu returned to Waiheki Island from Germany" "THE DAY ON OCTOBER 8, 1993" "Mr Gu Mr Gu" "Reimi Reimi" "What're you up to?" "What've you up to?" "Reimi" "Your wife?" "You're looking for your wife?" "Come over to my car Come on !" "You want to drive?" "Here you go" "Come on, Keys, Keys !" "Down there !" "The clutch is there, it's a manual" "Gear stick, go !" "You don't know how to drive?" "Mr Gu !" "Wong, can I use your phone?" "Sure, go ahead" "Your husband was looking for you" "When?" "I don't knowl he tries to get people to teach him how to drive" "Have you seen Ching er?" "No No?" "She left right aft er you went off to Germany, I haven't seen her since lf you remember, I asked her to marry me once" "She refused, snotty girl, isn't she?" "At least with me she can get a residency" "You can't buy groceries with a residency" "Come on many people're willing to pay a lot of money for it !" "I have to go to the lawyer's office" "Tell Cheng to wait for me for his driving lesson" "Meanwhile, he can read these road code" "But they're all in English" "Can you translate it for him, please" "You're going to the lawyer's?" "I'm going to Germany tomorrow" "Germany?" "Give me your address there" "You've only been back for two weeks, and you're leaving?" "Will you take me with you?" "You're emigrating again?" "I'm divorcing Gu Cheng" "Divorce?" "How's he gonna live?" "What about me?" "I can't live with him !" "Enough !" "No wonder he was looking for you" "Beware of those Salty German sausages !" "Have you seen Reimi, my wife?" "Go away, I haven't seen your wife?" "I know she was here, I know what you've done with her !" "What have I done?" "Be careful what you say, bastard !" "Your wife came here to sell spring rolls, understand?" "She had to do that to make money to feed you !" "Your foolish guy !" "What do you think this is, the garden of Eden?" "Your wife and Ching er barely have enough to eat !" "So stop moaning, what do you think you are?" "A poet?" "Ching er's run away?" "Of course she's run away, she's smart she'd rather go with a foreigner than to starve with you !" "Just watch it !" "Reimi promised she'd teach me how to drive" "Drive?" "Isn't it too late to learn to drive now?" "Get lost, you're crazy !" "Don't ever come back, you scare my customers away !" "Well Mrs Gu, under New Zealand law, lf you want to get a divorce without your husband's consent," "You have to live apart for at least two years" "Aft er that you can apply for a dissolution whether he agree or not I've already suffered ten years I want to be apart from him now ln China it doesn't take a long time" "Maybe that's something you could look at then getting a divorce in China" "You left China together, didn't you?" "Wasn't it to build a new life here?" "Isn't that what you want anymore?" "He's changed" "He won't work, he doesn't write enough to buy food" "We have no money, we are different now I want to divorce now" "And I want the custody of my child" "Hum Look, Mrs Gu," "Unfortunately your husband's signature is on these papers as well" "You're going to have to get him to come and sign the new guardianship documents" "Mrs Peterson will have to come in too" "I want to take Sam to Germany For a vacation I'm getting a divorce and moving to Germany" "Please Can you help me?" "Look, I'm sorry Mrs Gu, but your divorce has nothing to do with it" "The problem is you've signed the custody of Sam over to Mrs Peterson and you'll have to cancel that arrangement, you know, formally before you can take him away" "Why?" "Why do you want ?" "How can you do this?" "Sam is my son" "Don't I have the right to make decisions for my son?" "Yes, but we are just following the decision you and your husband made some time ago lf you want to change the custody arrangements, you must see Mrs Peterson talk to her" "And you'll need your husband's signature too" "Look, I'm sorry about this, but, well" "You're in New Zealand now Same rules for every one I'm sorry" "Ching er !" "I swear I'll never come back, and I'll never see him again" "Today, I'll return Gu Cheng to you" "Why'd you keep following me?" "You want to help me find Reimi?" "Come on then !" "Ching er, I thought you said you'd never come back !" "you promised me, why are you back here now?" "I need to go back for some things" "You now have everything, even Gu Cheng's heart" "He'd even die for you, what more do you want?" "Aren't you satisfied?" "You don't understand him I'm just something to pass time with in the cold war between you two" "What d'you think I am, a puppet?" "Something you can manipulate?" "When you're happy I'm up on a pedestal, when you're not, you just throw me into the corner" "Or maybe I should say I am a substitute that you two share" "We've been very good to you, how could you say that !" "It's not true" "You're the one who's not being truthful !" "I'm only a toy that you use to please Gu Cheng" "Without me, at most he'd blow up for a while express his feeling by writing, or go mad for a few days" "Sure, he wants me but, he can't lose you" "He can't live without you !" "You're right, he's like a child" "A child needs a mother I'm a woman too I, too, want someone to care about me someone to protect me I promised you that I'd return him to you I thought you two were doing fine in Germany" "Gu Cheng once said, you can leave and come back but the feeling never comes back" "I need a double room" "Not a problem And the guest's name?" "Chen" "Mr and Mrs Chen?" "Yes" "By the way, I saw your husband a while ago" "He was looking for you I love his poems" "The dark night's given me dark eyes" "He's quite a philosopher" "Thank you" "Reimi" "Where have you been?" "I want you back, to rebuild our Garden of Eden" "You'll be the only one in your garden of Eden" "Who'd want to stay with you, unless they want to starve !" "Reimi, I do love you !" "I love you, too but you're like a child who never grows up always living in a dream I'll do whatever you say !" "Remember we used to be so happy" "The first time I met you, the first time we fell in love" "Are you sure you want to leave me?" "You said we'd never be apart !" "Enough !" "I'd rather die !" "I'm tired of hearing that !" "I can't just die like this, I need your help !" "I want to write down everything about me and Ching er" "Truthfully, and honestly !" "I will write down everything, then kill myself !" "Sure, I'll help you" "You're both my wives I love you, I still do" "(You're both my wives)" "(l love you, I still do )" "Enough !" "Do you want to learn to drive or not?" "Yes, I do !" "Wait outside, I want to talk to your sister" "Don't tell him this, I'm leaving tomorrow," "Da Yu will be here tomorrow" "That soon?" "What about Sam?" "Gu Cheng can't afford to bring him up I'll take him with me," "Da Yu will treat him like his own son" "What about Ching er?" "Will she stay with Gu Cheng?" "I've heard that she's tired of living hand to mouth, she's run away with Michael" "She only loves a successful Gu Cheng, not a self inflicted suffering Gu Cheng !" "You two must discuss this, I have to go and pick my son up from school" "Slowly, so slowly the world abandons me the sun sinks into the west, leaving me bereft the shadows lengthen as an endless road" "What're you doing?" "Come on !" "Let's start the lesson now, I don't have all the time in the world !" "Because you're hurry ing to see Da Yu, right?" "Alright then, forget the lesson !" "I won't divorce !" "Great Khan" "You must accept reality, no one would listen to you" "What'd you think you're doing?" "Put it down Gu Cheng !" "I love you too much" "This is the only way that can bring us back to our happiest times" "You have to give me back my last 10 years !" "I want to learn to drive I'm a dead person who cannot rest I would do things a living man does live like the living do this iron shovel has dug too deep not only has it destroyed my life" "it has cut through the roots to the depth of my existance and my dreams" "What have I done?" "Who have I killed?" "Reimi" "I'm not saddened by the knowledge that death is upon me in the pine forest, my wish lies in peace the sea below it from a distance resembles a pond specks of aft ernoon sun follow me my time of life has come to an end all be it a lifetime is long" "but I shall take a break in the middle passersby say the branches are lower passersby say the branches are fuller" "Gu Cheng's last poem" "He wrote it for the boy" "You might like to keep this for him" "Your name in Chinese means tree That's right" "This is your father's last poem written for you"