By Evelyn Kelley French
I was watering my rose garden when a special lady walked by my house.
Mary Nou lived a few blocks away. After that day, she often stopped by for a short visit when she would see me outside. I gave her some of my home-grown tomatoes.
I invited her to come into my house, and she told me a little about Cambodia. One day, she told me how she lost her own dear mother and she would like to adopt me for her mother. I said that would be fine with me.
What a special friendship that started! Mary has not only lived in Cambodia, but also Australia and Singapore. She had her own store in Long Beach and she was robbed a few times at gunpoint.
She is an excellent seamstress and alters things for me and brings me special Cambodian food. When she visits Cambodia, she always brings back a present for me. She also gave me "The Killing Fields" to watch and a DVD about Angkor Wat.
Mary is so proud of her children and grandchildren. She says America is the best country she's ever lived in. Most of the Cambodian people I have met were very successful in Cambodia and have to work very hard to get ahead in the United States.
I wonder if adopting a mother is a custom in Cambodia. It's a great custom that I hope gets started in America.
It sure was a good day when Mary Horn Nou adopted me as her mother. She is a very talented and unusual lady, who's fun and interesting to know.
I was watering my rose garden when a special lady walked by my house.
Mary Nou lived a few blocks away. After that day, she often stopped by for a short visit when she would see me outside. I gave her some of my home-grown tomatoes.
I invited her to come into my house, and she told me a little about Cambodia. One day, she told me how she lost her own dear mother and she would like to adopt me for her mother. I said that would be fine with me.
What a special friendship that started! Mary has not only lived in Cambodia, but also Australia and Singapore. She had her own store in Long Beach and she was robbed a few times at gunpoint.
She is an excellent seamstress and alters things for me and brings me special Cambodian food. When she visits Cambodia, she always brings back a present for me. She also gave me "The Killing Fields" to watch and a DVD about Angkor Wat.
Mary is so proud of her children and grandchildren. She says America is the best country she's ever lived in. Most of the Cambodian people I have met were very successful in Cambodia and have to work very hard to get ahead in the United States.
I wonder if adopting a mother is a custom in Cambodia. It's a great custom that I hope gets started in America.
It sure was a good day when Mary Horn Nou adopted me as her mother. She is a very talented and unusual lady, who's fun and interesting to know.
Evelyn Kelley French is a longtime Long Beach resident.
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