Upside Down

Of course, I don’t have a picture. But I will help try to conjure one in your mind.

He had selected a shady spot in front of our garage, a space that gets just enough morning light that it’s neither musty nor excessively hot. There, the grass grows lushly through the interesting Chinese bricks which are designed so that green can poke through an otherwise utilitarian driveway paver. He had brought with him a newspaper and positioned it just so. Then, without seemingly a care in the world, he proceeded to do a headstand right there in the driveway space in front of our garage. We were, at that moment, just pulling up into the same space, but he remained inverted and undeterred. Bea and I disembarked from the van, and after a few moments stood openly gawking at the man who was openly performing an undeniably challenging physical feat before our eyes. His skinny A shirt was tucked snuggly into his high belted pants, his feet, suspended about five and a half feet in the air were shod with cheap plastic sandals and paired with dark socks. He gently descended from his pose, only to steady himself and then went on to regain his upturned posture. Bea and I continued to stare unabashedly (When in Rome… we have certainly been stared at for doing far more routine things than hand stands, mid-morning in someone else’s designated space.)

He eventually returned to an upright position, and our driver, who was nearly as curious as we were, but clearly not as surprised, asked him how long he could stay inverted, and how often he completed this routine. I, of course had a host of other questions, mostly why and why here. Not able to let the matter rest, I asked ayi about it inside. She explained he does it to keep his body strong and probably does it every day. I asked if she thought it strange that he selected a space in front of our garage to perform headstands and she said, not really. Do you stand on your head? I asked. No, she replied, we aren’t the kind of people who stand on our heads. And, she added, you shouldn’t do it if you are used to doing it. As if that explained everything, or perhaps she was just worried I was going to grab yesterday’s China Daily and rush out to find a semi-private, shady, concrete spot.

I wish my sister had been here to see it. I had just dropped her and my auntie off at the airport. It was the best trip of her life, she had said sincerely, as we stood in the security line waiting until the very last moment to actually say good bye. Best and probably weirdest, I think. Because, really, life here is so often so peculiar, and so unexpected. Its exciting in an I-can’t-wait-to-see-what- will-happen-next kind of way. And, just when you think you’ve seen it all, you find a perfectly sober man doing a headstand in your driveway like it’s the most normal thing in the world to do on a sunny Wednesday morning.