Birthday present

By: Michelle Tang

In the little country Taiwan, in my grandmother’s little home, in a little side bedroom stood this gorgeous vintage Singer sewing machine. I loved playing with the pedals, turning the wheels, sewing imaginary clothes on it. Grandmother promised me that when I turned twenty, she would surely buy me my own sewing machine.

And every year, she would remind me playfully, that my twentieth was coming up.

However, a week before that fateful day, I was caught up in all the university searches, the essay writings, the test takings. I told my grandmother, “Don’t buy one for me, I don’t have the time to learn a new hobby.”

And so, she didn’t. I was glad because it wouldn’t have gotten the attention it deserved. But now, I sometimes imagine that the Singer Sewing machine is still sitting in the little side bedroom, in her little home, waiting for me to go

Retro by Jodhbir Mehmi