Anniversary Pumpkin

Five years and a few weeks ago, I was teaching kindergarten in Taipei and John was trying to get me to go out with him. With Halloween approaching, he offered to bring me a pumpkin that I could carve with my students. On pumpkin delivery day (hereafter referred to in Tsien/McLean family lore as "Pumpkin Day"), John planned to drop the pumpkin off mid-morning so I could take it to school with me that afternoon. To reciprocate, I offered to pick up a Taiwan-style breakfast of shaobing youtiao, dou jiang and fan tuan (clearly I was no longer openly shunning his advances).

At the appointed hour, I was walking back from the breakfast vendor and John arrived - sans pumpkin. He had left the pumpkin at home. Oops. He assured me that he had already arranged with his mother, who would deliver the pumpkin to him in Taipei later in the morning, and that he would rush it over at lunch time so that it would still be in my hands in time for school that afternoon.

As it turns out, pumpkin in hand, it was on the walk to school that afternoon that I finally agreed to give the relationship a try.

To celebrate, somewhat belatedly, the fifth anniversary of this moment, I would like to dedicate the following pumpkin to John. In doing so, I give him 100% credit for envisioning the future that we might share together. Real life is even better than we dreamed.