At a Chinese Bank with Ms. Wang and her middle-aged manager

I sat across the table from the accountant, a lady in maroon and blue uniform. I can’t see her face because of the mask, and I wonder if she was smiling underneath the cover, or if she would be relieved from having to show any facial expression. There are two other ladies right next to her desk in identical uniforms and similar glasses. I’m starting to have a hard time differentiating them - even their headbands are the same.

I tried to see her name from the little gold tag in front of her uniform - her last name is Wang, and she has a beautiful first name, symbol for the essence of the Sun. An image of a burning setting Sun came into my mind instantly, I was curious if her parents wished her a life of passion, or maybe her essence needs support from the fire element. Parents still do that even in my generation, the baby’s name is picked after carefully consulting an expert in I-Ching and Yin Yang, supposedly the name would help the baby go through this life time with more ease and help them avoid certain tragedies. My name was set to help me avoid some karmic injuries, but apparently any name could only help a little, so I grew up with quite a bit of physical pain and bleeding here and there.

“Can you show me your account information?”

“Oh, yes, here they are…”

…

“Please check the information carefully. You gotta be really careful, this cannot contain any misinformation.”

The procedure went on smoothly. Ms. Wang followed the protocol with such precision and efficiency, as if the whole thing has been imprinted in her memory over and over again, and the actions are almost becoming streamlined. Now all the ladies even look more similar to each other. The manager, a middle-aged man also in the same colored uniform, lingers in the space behind the ladies’ desks. I suppose he’s some kind of supervisor role. His finger is needed from time to time, whenever the protocol gets to a certain step, he has to step up and press his finger on a little machine, or else we cannot move forward.

In fact, this manager is thinking about the meal he’s going to enjoy after he finally gets off work. He wonders if his action really means anything. It looks silly sometimes, he thinks, maybe all the clients are looking at me, laughing inside why a bank’s manager does such a silly job - walking around pressing my finger on little machines. He gets paid nicely, of course, good enough that his wife and child can buy something luxurious once in a while. Maybe there’ll be pork broiled with potatoes for dinner tonight…

“Okay, now take off your mask and look at the camera.”

I pulled down my mask, and stared into the camera coldly. Or did I do a funny face? Would she have laughed a little? Maybe she’s the kind of person who laughs only with her friends, and would stay straight faced with any stranger, especially at her work space. She handed my card of identity to the lady next to her desk, and I saw her smile for the first time.

“Darling, would you go make a copy of this for me? Thanks so much!”

Oh, so there is a hierarchy here, the lady who ran off could be an intern, or she just started working here. How long will it take for her to become one of the others? I remember when I first started working at this clothing place, the training takes one month, but after some days you are behaving just the same as all others. You all like the same things, appreciate the same music, go to the same place after work, smoke the same cigarettes…

I think Ms. Wang could be into outdoor activities. She would travel to places all over the country whenever she has a vacation, and would share the things she buys with her colleagues, along with stories of her fantastical adventures and the people she would meet. She also enjoys opera and the traditional arts, but unfortunately she doesn’t have someone who’s willing to go with her each time. She dreams of an encounter at the opera house that would lead to a long-lasting friendship. Of course, her boyfriend is so busy with work, but he promises to come with her whenever he has time. And now she’s thinking whether she should go to the sea next month… Or maybe she should go back home and visit her parents? But they always talk so much about her age and marriage…

I was having a conversation with her in my head, and felt really ecstatic that nobody else shared these stories with me. The conversation gave me a sense of connection wit this stranger, as inaccurate as the content could be. Who knows? Maybe if I actually spoke up, she would think me crazy or meddling in her personal life, and I wanted to seem as polite as I can, since the standard for politeness is like building a high wall around our hearts in this modern society. Or maybe she would have responded warmly, and found something delightful from the short conversation we would have. I would never find out.

“Please take your cards and identity card with you. Enjoy your day.”

To the last second she maintained the same facial expression, trained by the thousands of clients she’s seen on this post. Or maybe she was smiling a little behind her mask. I still wouldn’t know, she was wearing a mask.

"You have a nice day too." I smiled and stood up. Now this experience is just like any other, and I no differnt from any other client she has seen that day. The manager stood behind her and they both watched me as I left the little cubicle, and the next client walked in.

"Hi! Can you show me your account information?"