[fiction] A Huge Black Umbrella

by Wendy Fei

Bonnie never imagined that the next time she met the man who had so much influence on her would be at his funeral. She had not even had a chance to thank him for his help, nor had she talked with him one last time. Funerals always seem to come with the rain. It was raining heavily, and raindrops made a thumping sound as they fell down, just like the thump on Bonnie’s heart. In spite of holding on to her huge, old black umbrella, Bonnie’s body was still drenched in the merciless rain. Even so, the physical chill was nothing compared to the coldness and sadness in Bonnie’s heart.

It suddenly occurred to Bonnie that the first time she met the old man was also a rainy day. On that day, the sky seemed to be torn open and the rain poured down like a cascade. That was the third month after Bonnie left China and came to the United States. It was also the hundredth day after her parents left her for ever. She finally broke down. She felt that the road before her was totally dark, and the only light for her was to give up her life and follow her parents to leave. Therefore, she snuck off to the sea and wanted to end her life there. But what she didn’t expect was that there would be a person on the beach in such awful weather.

“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our beloved Jackson. As a Chinese…” Bonnie woke briefly from her daydream to hear the old man’s daughter still recounting her condolences.

Yes, the person on the beach was the old man, who was also Chinese like Bonnie. It was the sight of the old man with his dark hair and yellow skin that made Bonnie hesitate that day at the beach. She didn’t want one of her own countrymen to see her death; she wanted to leave the world with nobody’s attention. Perhaps anticipating Bonnie’s intentions, the old man walked over and placed a huge black umbrella over her head. The moment when the rain was blocked by the huge black umbrella was the only warmth Bonnie had felt in three months. Therefore, she began to talk with the old man, and told him what had happened to her in that period of time which she had never mentioned to anyone.

She spoke of the experience that is still a nightmare for her to this day. At that time, she had no choice but to emigrate to the United States, because her parents had died in a serious car accident. Their blood flowed like a river. She shouted wildly, but no one answered her anymore. There was nothing beside them, but a huge black umbrella covered with blood, but no one to hold it up for her again. Her only relative, an uncle, had emigrated to the United States many years before. The first time Bonnie met him was when he took her to America. During those three months, Bonnie was dragged into the pit of hell. For one thing, her English was terrible, and she couldn’t understand what people were saying. It made her feel like she had lost her hearing. In addition, she didn’t know anyone in the new continent. And all the property her parents left her was in the hands of her uncle, but her uncle did not pay much attention to her because of his own children. Even worse, she was raped by a man she didn’t know. She was afraid to tell anyone what she had been through, so she had to suffer alone. However, it was very hard for her to get over, and she was trapped in that cage. Therefore, she chose to end her life on the same stormy day as the day her parents left because she thought that it was the only way to flee.

Fortunately, she met the old man that day. The old man talked to her a lot. He told Bonnie: “There is no such thing as an insurmountable obstacle in the world. An umbrella can protect against any rain and storm.” The old man redeemed her and brought her out of the dark cage. She gave up the decision to kill herself and became friends with the old man in the end. It was the huge black umbrella and the old man that made her feel warm again and gave her hope for life.

With the help of the old man, Bonnie forgot those dark days gradually. Once again, she saw the road ahead and the light. She began to struggle to adjust to life in the United States. And she succeeded to get back the property her parents left her from her uncle.

Afterwards, she succeeded to go to Cambridge, where she met the man. She believed that this was the beginning of the sunny days, and that she would never need the huge black umbrella. But again, the goddess of fate played a trick on her.

It was at a party for Chinese students that Bonnie met the man and fell in love with him at the first sight. The man was the brightest star at the party. Bonnie pursued the man for several months, and then they finally became lovers. Later, after Bonnie graduated from college, they got married. Everyone around them thought that Bonnie’s husband was a perfect man. He was a well-known lawyer, had a very high income, and was very considerate to his wife. In the eyes of outsiders, Bonnie was someone who had it all by marrying her husband. In the beginning, Bonnie thought so, too. Therefore, when she moved to a new house, she didn’t take the huge black umbrella that the old man had given her. She believed that her husband would shelter her from the storms in the future. But then everything changed. Bonnie’s husband did not allow her to go out to work. And because Bonnie was not a virgin and she had been raped before, her husband would often beat and abuse her.

When Bonnie lost her first child because of her husband’s violence, she couldn’t take it anymore. She fled their home and decided never to return to the cage. She strolled through the streets, and was drenched by a sudden shower of rain. At that time, a huge black umbrella appeared over Bonnie’s head. It was the old man! He had heard about Bonnie’s ordeal and came to help her. “There is no such thing as an insurmountable obstacle in the world. An umbrella can protect against any rain and storm.” He told Bonnie again what he had told her years before. Although Bonnie’s body was wet from the rain, her heart was particularly warm. The rain stopped soon. Looking at the rainbow in the sky, Bonnie smiled gradually. Although she had met a man who was violent, the return of the old man let her feel the warmth and hope of the world once again.

Outside, the rain was still falling, with no sign of it stopping. Like the curtain of rain, Bonnie’s vision was blurred by the mixture of tears and rain. “The most important thing that Jackson left to me is this huge black umbrella. Without it, I would have died many years ago. It is this huge black umbrella that makes me feel the existence of hope and warmth in the world. I want to share with you my story with Jackson. …” Clutching the huge, old, black umbrella in her hand, Bonnie choked up as she spoke to people at the funeral about her memories and gratitude to the old man.

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