Arranged Marriages

Just because a marriage is arranged doesn't mean it is loveless. After spending a whole lifetime with someone, it'll be very unlikely that love and affection doesn't come. Feelings are bound to develop after being with someone for so long, and I think that in a way, they might be even purer.

My grandparents on my dad's side were in something very similar to an arranged marriage. There were no matchmakers involved, but they didn't marry out of love. In Mao's communist China, their landlord families were condemned, and so they were both pretty much outcast and had no choice but to marry each other.

My grandfather has a more traumatic past than my grandmother: his family was also killed by the Japanese, and he suffered from malnutrition growing up. As a result, he doesn't really speak a lot and mostly communicates with grunts.

But anyway, my grandmother just left for China two days earlier - just as a vacation.

My grandfather waited the entire night for my grandmother to call him. When she finally did, he realized he didn't know how to pick up the call - literally. Haha, my grandparents are clueless when it comes to technology...

She called him again, and by that time, he understood how to pick up a call. When he answered, she laughed and said, "I just knew I would have to call you twice, you old man... You're too helpless without me around."

Their phone conversation was short and very practical, just asking questions about if they were sleeping well, eating well, no troubles, etc.

When they hung up, to my surprise my grandfather turned to me. He hardly ever talks to me since his Mandarin isn't very clear. He said: "This is the second time in my life ever that your grandmother has been separated from me. I miss her." After that, he just sat back down and resumed his painting.

In a strange sort of way, it was kind of touching. After talking to my grandmother, he seemed much happier. I had always assumed that he never really cared for her...