Mr. Chen, who didn’t want his first name used, worked with Zhang’s husband in China before their families moved to Toronto in recent years. He sent this email to the Star:
As a close friend of Hang’s father, in the past couple days I’ve been witnessed how a happy family was torn apart and their dream was ruined just because of someone’s stupid craziness. I share the same complete shock, deep sorrow as my friend. I know their lives have been changed for ever.
My friend and his family landed in Toronto on the summer of 2005. They spent 2 weeks here and came back to China. They had such happy experience living here and they loved so much about this city and this country, one year later they decided to move to Canada permanently.
As every new comer, to settle down here my friend worked very hard: he came back to school and improved his English skill, worked voluntarily to get so-called Canadian experience, went for job interview tirelessly, and in the meantime took good care of his family. Finally just a couple days before Chinese New Year, year of gold pig, which means every one in this year would have a good fortune, he got a job offer. He and his family celebrated a really exciting Chinese New Year, their first one outside of China.
My family and I met him and his family regularly. Two months ago we came to their home to celebrate his son’s birthday. My 3 years old daughter played with Hang together, always happily, but sometimes, like any other kids at their age they fought for their favourite toys. While the kids were playing games, my friend’s wife, Yan Zhang, were busily preparing foods for us in the kitchen. She was famous for her good cooking among our friends and whenever friends gathered together she had good food to share. At that meeting my wife made fun of her and asked her if she was planning for her second child. She said yes they were planning for having more kids. The last time I saw my friend and his family was on this year’s Canada Day we came across their family of three, I saw both Yan and her son, Hang, waving a small Canadian flag in the crowd in Thomson Park of Scarborough, Ont.
Every new comer, including myself, knows life is not easy in the new country. However they never expect to have such crude tragedy. They don’t mind working hard to get recognized. Especially for people from China, who are not known for good English skill, they just pay more efforts than native speakers to get the same. As far as I know, most of them never complain the hardship they have. They love the community and the new country, work hard and contribute as much as they can, just because every one of them has a simple dream that in this country they can have better life, better future for themselves and their children.
For my friend all of a sudden his dream went far, far away. In the coroner’s office, sitting beside my friend, I saw none of a bit familiar on a picture of a face, which we were told was taken from the body of Yan Zhang, my friend’s wife, shown by an officer. I asked myself if that’s not Yan’s face, where was she then?
Staring at the picture for almost 10 minutes, my friend nodded his head slowly.
We proud Canadians — count me one — care about people’s well being in countries thousands of miles away, support and help people better their lives around the world. However I’d beg them do one very small thing: pay respect to every people on the street, who might come thousands of miles long way to this country for their dreams.
Be a responsible driver when you sit behind the wheel. Otherwise you just kill people, ruin their family, smash their dreams.
When I wrote this I just can’t help with tears, blurring the screen. At midnights, when I woke up, I couldn’t help but entered my 3 years old daughter’s room, quietly looked at her sleeping in a small bed, sometimes with smiles on her face, for a long while.
I knew for sure at the same time there was another father in a critical care unit of the hospital, glaring at his son’s face.