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After I left the Lucky Company I heard some stories about my former boss, Mr. Chen. It was the tragedy of an upstart. |
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In summer 1947 Chen immigrated to New York to reunite with his parents who come before. He was a smart and adventurous youth. He learned eagerly and worked hard. Two years later, Chen could speak English fluently. During the Korean War, he had been in the Army. Afterward he served as a police officer in a police station for ten years. |
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New York is a city of opportunities. Chen knew New York City’s society so well that he had the self-confidence to start his own business with a small capital. He ran a meat store and easily gained his first keg of gold. Then he got a loan from the bank and ran a cutting factory, a garment factory, and so on. After a few years, Chen became one of the rich and famous men in Chinatown. |
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The wealth and triumph made him lose his mind. He thought he would look for something more stimulating. He began to play the stock market, began to gamble in a casino, even to date other women and tell lies recklessly to his wife. He boasted that he was the luckiest and most successful man in the Chinese community. |
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Good times don’t last long. Chen’s stock speculations failed and he lost a lot of money. Then he tried to win some money from gambling, but lost more and more. He sold out his properties to pay his debts. “Misfortunes come on wings and depart on foot.” Really, Chen’s business was in the red. The good friends around him before disappeared. Chen could not face the cruel reality. He became impatient, easily got mad at other people, and lost self-confidence. |
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Good times don’t last long. Chen’s stock speculations failed and he lost a lot of money. Then he tried to win some money from gambling, but lost more and more. He sold out his properties to pay his debts. “Misfortunes come on wings and depart on foot.” Really, Chen’s business was in the red. The good friends around him before disappeared. Chen could not face the cruel reality. He became impatient, easily got mad at other people, and lost self-confidence. |
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Good times don’t last long. Chen’s stock speculations failed and he lost a lot of money. Then he tried to win some money from gambling, but lost more and more. He sold out his properties to pay his debts. “Misfortunes come on wings and depart on foot.” Really, Chen’s business was in the red. The good friends around him before disappeared. Chen could not face the cruel reality. He became impatient, easily got mad at other people, and lost self-confidence. |
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