Even Jesus can’t help me Chow Man-hoi, Stuwert Delon
Chow Man-hoi moved into the public rental flat only two years ago, but it has become so messy and dirty that it is hard to bear, only one side of the room provides some breathing space, with scores of bamboo plants. “I have no time to clean the house – I have so much on my mind,” Ah Hoi says.
Seven years ago, he said that taking care of his ex-wife and son was his life-long responsibility. Since then, the weight on his shoulders has only increased, so much so that he can hardly breathe.
“My ex-wife has mental health problems," Ah Hoi says. "I am responsible for taking care of her until she finds another man. In court that was what the judge said, and it is also generally accepted in the world.
” His ex-wife comes to his flat every other day, she will look for food to eat or toiletries she can use. If his ex-wife comes when his wife is at home, the two will quarrel.
What worries Ah Hoi the most is the sons he had with his ex-wife. The elder one, who is 30 years old, has just married a Vietnamese woman he met through a marriage agency. “I am scared that my son will ruin his health and will be cheated. It would be very tough for him if she left him.
” Ah Hoi hopes he can stay healthy himself. “Then I can take care of my ex-wife and my son.” However, he sleeps more than a dozen hours a day because of the side effects of his mental illness drugs. Ah Hoi smokes one-and-a-half packs of cigarettes a day and likes to drink either strong tea or rice wine. He also buys herbal medicine at a mainland Chinese department store to boost his energy levels.
“My current wife looks after me, then I can take care of my ex-wife and my sons,” Ah Hoi says, summing up his relationship with the two women. It is easy to see why his wife complains, as she takes such good care of him, like a servant, while he keeps saying that he has to look after his ex-wife.
Who does he love, then? “My current wife, of course," Ah Hoi says. "I love her and I am grateful to her.” He says his current wife is the most valuable, important person to him. But his former wife will always be his responsibility. “Even thieves follow a moral code," he says. "A man has to live up to his responsibility.”
“I believe in Guanyin and I believe in Jesus. But none of them can share my burden when it comes to responsibility.”