Jing-Mei June Woo: Susu! A-yi! How are you doing? Sorry, Im late.

... I dont know if I can take my mothers place at the table! She even got offended when I told her that my friend thought we were slightly similar! Its no good. I need to hold back my tears. Last time they saw me, I was bawling my eyes out! Sigh*I can do this. Deep breath! Deep breath! Calm down, June. You can do this. (deep breathe)

Eh? We wash the dishes right now? Guess Ill follow along. Haha, yeah! That must have been really nice to go back to China and visit even though my Chinese isnt good, ha ha... (The aunties and I walk into the empty Hsus girls old room with a mahjong table. The smell of camphor fills the air as we sit down at the mahjong table. I dont know how, but I know where my mom sat at, at the East) U-Uhm, I sorta played mahjong with my Jewish friends back in college... Ah! Well then maybe I shouldnt play. I think I may sit this one out, a-yi. No? I-I guess you have a point. Alright, lets wash the tiles through and through. Still, I was nervous. Mom used to berate me for asking what the difference was between Jewish mahjong and Chinese mahjong. She would explain in Chinese proverbs, explaining that you must use your head to play the right moves. Nevertheless, I still ask. So whats the difference between Jewish and Chinese mahjong? Eh Okay, Ill watch you Auntie Ying. I sort of get it, but yeah. Ill try to follow along. The aunties start talking about small events that occurred in their everyday lives. Then Auntie Ying hits a touchy subject about Auntie An-Mei. Was it on purpose, or was I the only one that knew?...We started playing another round. Eh? Me. U-Uhm. Its okay. You can call me June or Jing-Mei. American or Chinese? It doesnt really matter anymore. Apparently its becoming trendy for American-born Chinese to use their Chinese pronunciation as names. And, I didnt go back to school anymore. T-That was about 10 years ago Auntie Ying wins this round of mahjong, so we all start again. Its getting late. I think I may leave now. Xie-xie for tonight. I try standing up, but Auntie Lin forces me down. Uhm, thank you so much for tonight I think Im a bit tired. No, I really must go now, thank you, thank you! ! The other aunties look uncomfortable. I sit back down again, and Auntie Anmei fetches a small snack and shuts the door. The babies in Kweilin I think Ive heard that story before WHATTTT?!!! Im shocked. My s-sisters?! I-I The aunties are smiling at me. I open the envelope and inside A check? M-My sisters sent me money?!

Th-thanks for the money. Thank you so much. S-See my sisters?!!! I could only repeat that to myself over and over See my sisters, tell them about my mother. I hardly knew anything about her. What am I going to say to them? She was my mother! They all start talking at the same time, encouraging me to tell my sisters about the life my mother lived and her character. I slowly start to feel empowered. Sigh* Right, I will tell them everything. Im going to tell my sisters everything about my mom. Everything: the way she lived, the way she carried out her duties, how she talked. I WILL tell them about my mother. Thanks, aunties. The aunties are smiling, but they still look troubled. We go back to playing mahjong and making small talk. Its as if nothing happened. I continue adding in small comments too, yet my heart is still shocked and full of uncertainty. Here, the East, where my mother once sat is where the Joy Luck Club first began.