articles
China Elevator Stories
Hiding Our Love And A Romantic Morning Walk
My fiancé and I try to keep our relationship a secret.
09/11/2013
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
Shortly before Spring Festival 2012, the company I work for in Shenzhen invites all employees on a trip to the countryside. We visit Zengcheng, a small village not far from Shenzhen.
My fiancé and I have kept our relationship a secret, avoiding being seen together too often by our co-workers, except during lunch, which we usually have together.
On the bus to Zengcheng, we sit right next to each other. When some of our co-workers board the bus, they give my fiancé a high-five. Many of them assume he has been chasing after me without us actually being together. Despite the engagement ring my fiancé bought for me in Hong Kong now adorning my finger—a clear sign we’re engaged—our co-workers don’t seem to have noticed.
Zengcheng is set in a beautiful and romantic location, making it hard for me to stay away from my fiancé. It would be a wonderful place for a honeymoon in China.
After dinner, all the employees gather on the second floor of the restaurant. Our boss gives a speech, and we play some games. Later, we watch the Spring Festival fireworks. The evening is then ours to spend as we wish. Most of our co-workers drink alcohol and play card games or Majiang. Since it has been a hectic week, my fiancé and I decide to return to our separate rooms, which we each share with another person.
We exchange text messages, debating whether to take a walk together. Ultimately, we decide against it. I watch TV—a rare indulgence for me—and decide to go to bed early.
Just as I’m about to fall asleep, someone knocks on my door. I ignore it but can’t sleep because of the noise from drunk co-workers outside. A bit later, there’s another knock. This time, it’s our supervisor, who wants me to open the door. He’s the same age as my fiancé and not much older than me. He must be drunk because he doesn’t usually talk to me. I get up slowly, but by the time I open the door, he’s gone.
When I return to bed, I receive a message from my fiancé saying that our supervisor wants him to come to my room. They’re trying to create an opportunity for us to be together. I laugh at this—they’re acting like teenagers after a few drinks. Eventually, the noise outside subsides, and I’m finally able to fall asleep.
The next morning, I wake up early. When I switch on my phone, I find a message from my fiancé asking if I want to go for a walk. A few minutes later, we meet outside. We stroll to a nearby river and, as the sun rises, we watch our bus driver fishing. Women from the village are washing clothes in the river. My fiancé tells me that this is how people used to wash clothes when he was little. Back then, the laundry soap was made from plants, so it didn’t contaminate the river.
The women tell me that washing clothes this way is hard work—not only does it require a lot of strength, but the river water is also very cold.
When the women head home to prepare breakfast, my fiancé and I continue our walk. We hold hands and take pictures of the stunning countryside. For a while, it’s just the two of us.
When it’s time for breakfast, we return to the hotel.
After breakfast, we go for another walk, but this time we don’t hold hands. We wander into a nearby forest and find a clearing, where I climb a tree, and we share a kiss. A little later, we head back to the bus that takes us to Shenzhen.
Have you ever had to hide your relationship from your co-workers?