I wore jeans to my oath ceremony.

[mcdull 474]

"Honey, you sure you don't want to change?" My husband yelled as he was jumping out of the shower.  "You look gorgeous in that cheongsam!"

 

"I am 100% sure!" 

 

My husband was baffled. Why would I wear jeans at a such solemn event? on this very day I became an American?

 

little did he know,  I wore it to honour my aunt, who was killed by the Chinese communists over a pair of blue jeans.

 

My dad escaped the Chinese civil war and arrived in Hong Kong, left behind two other  siblings who remained in communist controlled China. Dad worked few odd jobs so that every time we visited our relatives, we would be able to bring necessities, be flour, rice, clothes, radio or even salt and sugar.

 

I still remember my dad's loud cry when upon returning to China, he learned my aunt had committed suicide, over the very pair of jeans he brought her from Hong Kong.

 

Only when I grew up, I heard the story from my cousin that auntie Mui lost her life to the heydays of cultural revolution, when every single wrong doing could land you in jail and every little mistake earned you a good beating.  Jeans in all the madness became a gesture of contradicting  supreme leader Mao and a symbol of supporting American Imperialism.

 

So her very friend and comrade stripped her and did the unthinkable and unspeakable in public.  My aunt couldn't take the humiliation and took her own life the same afternoon.

 

As years go by, all my families escaped communist China and landed in Hong Kong, Aunt Mui was gone, but she was never forgotten. 

 

And that is why I wore jeans, a indisputable symbol of Americanism at my oath ceremony, and if aunt Mui is above there somewhere watching over me, she knew I did it for her honour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trudi 1,317]

I want to say that's a beautiful tribute but it doesn't sound right.

I'm certain your Aunt would have been cheering you loudly as you took your oath

 

Congratulations!

[debbiedoo 2,339]

why did you not tell your husband why you were wearing jeans?

[mcdull 474]

6 minutes ago, debbiedoo said:

why did you not tell your husband why you were wearing jeans?

I like to drive him crazy, and i do that almost every day.

[tamcloud 92]

A beautiful and fitting tribute. May her spirit always smile upon you. And may you continue to drive your husband crazy.  

[debbiedoo 2,339]

i think it would have been more poignant if he knew why, but whatever.

 

i am sorry about your aunt. 

[mcdull 474]

3 minutes ago, debbiedoo said:

i think it would have been more poignant if he knew why, but whatever.

 

i am sorry about your aunt. 

Honestly, because I really decided to wear jeans the last minute, I was going to wear my national clothes.  And I didn’t want to explain because we were already running late. 

 

I did tell him later.  

[Teemo 252]

8 hours ago, debbiedoo said:

i think it would have been more poignant if he knew why, but whatever.

 

i am sorry about your aunt. 

 

8 hours ago, mcdull said:

Honestly, because I really decided to wear jeans the last minute, I was going to wear my national clothes.  And I didn’t want to explain because we were already running late. 

 

I did tell him later.  

She clearly wrote it like that for literary effect. I'm sure it would have come up at some point

[TBoneTX 43,048]

A noncontributory post and an accidental repost of it have been removed.

[Dashinka 23,236]

Great story!  Congratulations on being done!

[EmilyW 1,222]

I really needed a happy story today.  Thank you for providing it @mcdull.

 

And wherever Aunt Mui is, I'm sure she's whooping it up.  In jeans.

 

Bonus points for annoying the husband.

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

OF COURSE someone had to manage to find such a minor detail to harp on negatively, despite the positivity behind this post. Never fails.  Not to mention - for all anyone knows, they had a conversation about it in the car on the way there, but I'm pretty sure that's entirely NOT what this story was about.

 

Congratulations, firstly, on your pending naturalization. What a milestone! And what a beautiful story and recognition you served in light of it. Best of luck to you and your husband, may he continue to sometimes question your convictions (it's one of my favorite parts of marriage, myself - driving the guy crazy  - I believe it keeps things interesting. )

 

 

[Idd1989 27]

Ugh. 

[KazuriSana 324]

22 hours ago, mcdull said:

and if aunt Mui is above there somewhere watching over me, she knew I did it for her honour.

She sure was up there watching! She probably shed a tear or two! You honoured her well!!