A Chinese-American Story of Love (Part VI - section 6)

By Douglas Wagganer

It was during the wait for our luggage check-in that I noticed a lone young Chinese woman standing near our group. She intently stood several meters away from us watching the babies. Her attention was deeply focused on looking at the face of each child in our group. It was as if she was trying to search the crowd for a particular person or face. A closer look at this woman in her mid to late 20's; revealed that she was quietly crying. There were no indications she was a traveler or maybe lost. She was apparently just there watching. I could not help but wonder if she was a young mother of a child that had been abandoned somewhere in China. Was she hoping for one last glance at a child that could be hers? Or just maybe, she was a concerned mother that was just saying goodbye to all the lost daughters of China before they departed from China for America. To those thoughts and questions running through my head I had no answers, so I just watched her as she watched our children.

When the Check-in Gates finally opened, all the people standing in line began pushing forward to have their luggage scanned. In the forward push of people I lost sight of that lone woman. The sight of that crying woman standing so close to us at the Guangzhou Airport will always haunt my mind. I will never know who she was or why she was there that night. I can only pray she gained peace of mind from watching all our interaction with tour daughters.

Luggage check-in at Guangzhou is an ordeal. Like cattle we had to quickly load everything into the scanner, then reload the baggage cart, before moving to the banding area. It seems that for a few Yuan you get your luggage banded shut with a nylon strap. The process is voluntary of course, but; the people working at that location try to intimidate you into having it done to all your bags. I choose to skip this option and my bags made the trip home fine.

We checked our baggage in without any difficulty. After that we went through the Chinese Customs and Security Gate, where a Uniformed Security Officer checked our paperwork and passports. With a wave and one nod of his head we were allowed to pass into the final departing flight waiting area. There was only time for a fast restroom break and a diaper change before it was time to board the plane.

Luck was with us because we managed to get an extra seat for Maribeth. The flight was a crowded one, so we thought we would have to hold her for the whole 11-hour trip to Los Angeles. It was after 8:00 pm, so we just put out a blanket in the seat between Jane and I. No one ever questioned us about us having an extra ticket. Our daughter just sat there making silly noises and eating a snack we had brought with us. When the Jet began moving to the runway, Maribeth began to squeal with joyful excitement. She then began waving her hands side to side in an apparent goodbye wave. All I could do was whisper to her " Yes, Maribeth Say Goodbye to China".

My daughter quit waving shortly after we took off. She then played briefly before falling to sleep for the next seven hours in her seat. While she slept I sat watching her thinking about the last two weeks. I remember thinking to myself about my many promises of some day returning to China. It was then I made myself one last promise. The last statement I said to Maribeth was still ringing in my head, when I promised "Yes, Maribeth Say Goodbye to China, but some day we will again return to see China in all her Glory".  

This concludes my Part VI. In my next article I will write about the final part of our trip home and the first few days home. Then I hope to update everyone with what has been going on with our Family since then. Thank you and until our next issue, take care.               

Douglas Wagganer
St. Charles, Missouri