Seeking Dragon Lady
Soon after moving back to
She sits by herself and is always there. BINGO is a weekly pastime for her. My BINGO life moved into my family life the first time we went to visit The Red Palace Chinese Restaurant at Tanglewood Mall. As we walked in to the foyer of the restaurant, there she was, “The Dragon Lady,” dressed is a silk gown –smiling and ushering us firmly to our seats, “You sit here.” In the few times we’ve been there since, she’s always been there ushering us to our seats with a regimental precision. Every time I work BINGO, she’s there, sitting alone in a corner.
A few times, I’ve crossed “The Dragon Lady” and found her to be surly and combative. These were times when the BINGO caller may have misspoke a number or when the program may have been edited unbeknownst to her. “She not call N42. Then she call N44. But she no call N42. So I get BINGO. No call.” Yes, I’ve brokered such conversation with “The Dragon Lady.”
Today, I went to BINGO as an outsider. My daughter graduated from high school last June, and I no longer have any children that require me to have a BINGO obligation. Yet today, I went anyway because I thought there was a need. It turns out that there were a lot of people there, so I wasn’t really needed. But before I left, I decided to go out on the floor to sell a few instant scratch tickets.
There she was…”The Dragon Lady.” She was just unpacking her stuff for the long evening of BINGO ahead. So I decided to engage her in conversation.
“Hello! How are you?” I asked.
“Okay. Long time no see.” She replied.
I explained that I don’t get to work BINGO so much these days.
She then launched into her litany of complaints.
“These people are driving people away by raising prices on the games. I pay $130 to play today. These computers cost too much (computer BINGO machines) and they keep making them cost more and more. It’s not right and people talk. That’s why this place got no people here no more. People whisper and talk.”
“I hear you.”
I work at “The Red Palace. And we know how to treat our customers.”
“I know…I’ve been there. You were the hostess at the Tanglewood restaurant?”
Yes, but we sold it so we have just Valley View restaurant now. That one bad food but use our name. Not good. Valley View good Red Palace.”
“I’ve been to both. I didn’t realize that they both were from the same people.”
“I own it.”
“I knew you worked there, but I didn’t realize you owned Valley View and Tanglewood Red Palaces.”
“Sold Tanglewood. They use our name. Not good food. Go Valley View. Snow crabs on Thursday and Friday. Very good.”
“I really didn’t realize that. “
“Yes. Grandson start restaurant in Moneta called Jonathan’s.”
“No way…Jonathan’s? I had no idea. Jonathan is your grandson? My mother-in-law lives right there. And everyone there knows about this restaurant.”
“Jonathan’s good place to eat.”
I guess it just goes to show you that even though you may be acquainted with someone for a long time, unless you actually engage him or her in a real conversation, you most likely won’t uncover his or her story. I feel like I’ve only just scratched The Dragon Lady’s story. Where did she come from? How did she get to
It’s possible that I’ll never find out.
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