A mid-summer night hare (1)

Hareta Shu is a typical Hong Kong girl, even though she is a new immigrant in fact. But she believes in love and she believes in society. She believes that with her own will, she can surely change her destiny. Not at all young anymore, she is in her thirties already. Her hair is a bit funny and she wears those metal-framed glasses. Well, anybody who have met her would call her amiable.

She has a three-year-old son. She met her husband, Mani Po, in high school. They immediately fell in love with each other and started sharing residence ever since. Not long after they graduated from college with a job at the Big Four, they tied the knots. But they didn’t go to the same university; Hareta went to Fu Dan University as an economics major. She even won the Miss Fu Dan pagaent in her year. Her husband, Mani Po, graduated from Sichuan University as an engineering major.

Unfortunately, Mani died a few years ago at the age of 28. The causes are unkown. But Hareta was in deep sorrow as a widow. It is not a secret that accountants at the Big Four work very long hours. This may explain why he passed away so prematurely.

So Hareta sneaked to walk pass the house of her friend’s boss, Ackley Chin, at Bel-Air again. Ackley is a Harvard graduate; his brother, Tam Chin, is a Yale Law School graduate recently made partner at a top American law firm. Ackley and Hareta are the same age. If someone with a resume as impressive as Ackley remains a single bachelor, it may seem too good to be true. Yes, Ackley has an enviable family. Apparently, his wife, Emmy Ran, is an unranked Miss Hong Kong graduated from the London School of Economics. She really has the looks and the money. Looks perfect, doesn’t she?

After losing her husband, Hareta seems to have subconsciously projected her affection and hopes on Ackley. Well, it is reasonable, especially Ackley kind of resembles the famous actor, Lawrence Ng Kai Wah. I wouldn’t call him attractive but he is definitely above average among the over-achievers in Hong Kong.

Today, Hareta unintentionally comes to Chin’s house again. Mr. Chin has a 2000-square-feet land with a lawn at Bel-Air. His house is not a mansion, with just around 700-square feet of size. His family just makes up of 3 family members: Ackley Chin, Emmy Ran and their 8 year-old son, Edison. Human beings normally avoid indulging on things that get you jealous out of natural instincts. But Hareta is strange: the more she gets jealous over this family, the more she gets clinged onto them.

Emmy is fashionable. Even though she is a bit over-sized, she has a curvy body. Her fashion sense is stylish yet appropriate. On the other hand, Hareta is a very blunt person. She wants to imitate the way Emmy talks but only in vain. Emmy deliberately talks in a baby voice and she does not only talk like that with her husband.

Hareta cannot figure out why Emmy seems to be so lucky. Why does Emmy have such a loving husband? When women are jealous, they like to pick on everything that men normally ignore. Hareta is jealous of the fact that Edison gets to go to a prestigious ESF school, while her own son cannot even get admitted into a local kindergarten. She is jealous that Emmy dresses herself like a model and does not even need to work.

This is the 321st time Hareta excuses herself in passing by their house. How she wishes to become the official mistress of the Chin family! She is jealous and obsessed with the way Emmy speaks and dresses; she envies Emmy’s degree, qualifications, body, looks and of course, her husband. She cannot wait to take everything away from Emmy.

It is summer, 14th July of 2017. Emmy again is having a good time with her son, Edison, in the lawn of her house. Hareta cannot bear to look at this wonderful scene of happiness any longer. She rents a taxi and has the driver drop her off in front of Chin’s house. There is an open area at the lawn so the Chin family can easily look out on the road. Hareta purposedly brings along her son so as to make Emmy off-guard. Hareta puts on a look of coincidence and asks Emmy for directions.

Hareta asks, “Sorry to intervene, do you by any chance knows how to get to ESF in Bel-Air? I would like to attend their admissions info session.”

Emmy says, “Yes, it is really nearby. You are asking the right person because my son goes there. If you keep walking along and turn right at the corner, you will see the school. Is there an admissions info session at ESF today? That’s strange. I didn’t hear of it. Well, I am the Committee of their Parent-Student Association.”

Hareta is a bit offended by what Emmy says. She is thinking to herself, “That’s because your son is already in. You obviously would not need to pay attention to admissions news. Are you trying to brag about your son’s school? Whatever with the Parent-Student Association, it is all an under-the-table deal. Why does my son go to a local public kindergarten? Why is he labeled as a special needs kid but your son with all your legacy? This world is so unfair.”

Hareta pauses for a while so Emmy says, “I will take you there. My son needs to get some errands done at his school anyways.”

Hareta is almost over-joyed. She never knew that Emmy could be such a pig willing to be slaughtered. That’s why people say the wives of the riches know nothing about the real world. Emmy reveals so much about herself without any defence when she does not even know anything about Hareta and her intentions. The upper circle must have never experienced any hardship to lay so easily their trust in strangers.