There are three women in this world who were born in the same year, in the same place. Their birthdays fall in January, February, and March. When they grew up, they entered the same university in the same year. Now they all live in the same country, the United States, though in different cities: H in Dallas, Z in Atlanta, and L in Los Angeles.
They share something else as well.
At the beginning of the previous year, the world began to change in ways no one had expected. And these three ordinary women found themselves facing something extraordinary: all three of their mothers passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the many restrictions at the time, none of them was able to return home. Each carried her profound grief quietly inside.
One evening, a phone call and a few messages on WeChat set a journey in motion—the first trip any of them had taken in the fifteen months since the pandemic began.
A few days later, the three women came together in Los Angeles and began what would become a journey of healing.
By the time L picked up H and Z at the airport, it was already dark. They headed straight to their hotel by the sea. Soon afterward, L’s good friend B arrived.
B was a little younger than the other three. As soon as she entered the room, she began boiling water, tidying things up, and spraying disinfectant over the blankets, sheets, and pillows. Suddenly, the three older women had the comforting feeling of being looked after.
It felt warm.
It felt good.
They opened the door to the balcony. Nearby, everything was dark. The sea breeze brushed against their faces, carrying a faint taste of salt. Somewhere out of sight, seals let out their piercing cries. In the distance, scattered lights shimmered along the edge of the bay.
The next morning, no one was in a hurry. They got up slowly and took their time getting ready. B made coffee for them, one cup at a time.
Then the women went for seafood.
The seafood market wasn’t far, so they strolled there along the waterfront. On the way, they saw a seal stretched out on a floating buoy more than a meter across, while sailboats drifted slowly by.
At the market, they chose two large crabs, which were steamed for them right away. They also picked out a large sea urchin, its long spines sticking straight out in every direction. The taste was intensely briny, but for women who loved seafood, eating it was pure pleasure.
Full and happy, they headed south to see the fields of flowers.
The Flower Fields in Carlsbad cover roughly seventy acres, with broad bands of ranunculus in one color after another spreading across the land. The women took photograph after photograph among the flowers.
And when they stood facing the setting sun, looking far into the distance, they grew quiet and thoughtful.
Because Mom was on the other side of the sea.
Another night passed.
The next day, these ordinary women went shopping for clothes at an outlet mall. Soon they were walking around cheerfully, shopping bags in both hands. Only after they had finished did they realize how hungry they were.
Once again, it was B who pulled out her phone, scrolled around, and found a Japanese restaurant that looked both good and reasonably priced. So off they went for Japanese food.
After another satisfying meal, they continued south to La Jolla.
There, the seals seemed to own the beach—plump and round, lounging about as though they had nothing in the world to do. Waves crashed against the shore and gusts of cold wind swept in from the sea, but none of that stopped the women from eating delicious ice cream outside.
Oh, it was cold.
Then they discovered a tempting Italian restaurant. L said she was hungry again, so they sat down once more. The restaurant lit the outdoor heaters for them, and soon there was another delicious meal on the table.
Over dinner, B, who for the past two days had mostly been quietly taking care of things and enjoying the food, finally became talkative—perhaps helped along by a few sips of red wine. She began telling stories about a trip she and L had taken to Peru several years earlier, and everyone listened with delight.
Another night passed.
The women returned to the flower fields, hoping to buy flowers. L, H, and Z wanted to bring flowers to their mothers.
Unfortunately, the flower shop there had no ready-made bouquets, so they went to a store instead.
There, they found a pot of blue hyacinths. Hyacinths can symbolize deep affection and everlasting remembrance.
There were three clusters of blossoms in the pot.
Just right for their three mothers.
They drove back to the sea.
Here, the water was calmer. The tide rolled gently toward the shore, wave after wave, then slowly slipped away again.
The three women plucked the petals from the blue hyacinths and scattered them over the sea.
“When I was little, Mom told me that the sea was my hometown.”
Sea, surely you know what is in their hearts.
They have entrusted their longing for their mothers to you. Please carry it far away, toward the distant East.
Because all the waters of the world are connected.
There is a great river in that distant East called the Yangtze, and another called the Yellow River. And yes, the hometown of these three women standing by the sea lies far away, on the banks of the ancient Yellow River.
They are only three ordinary women, living ordinary lives.
The mountains are high. The sea is deep. The road home is long.
Day after day, month after month, they entrust their longing for their mothers to the sea, carrying it in these blue petals.
May the day come soon when they can finally fly back to their hometown and cross to the other side of the sea to see their mothers.
The blue hyacinth petals they had scattered over the water were carried back toward shore by the waves. There, they became entangled with strands of green seaweed, unexpectedly forming a blue-green wreath.
L looked at it and said, “That’s our mothers answering us.”
Then they left the sea behind and drove north.
Along the road, they spotted sunflowers and a strawberry field. They turned around, pulled over, bought tickets, and before long, the women’s round, smiling faces were appearing in photographs beside the round faces of the sunflowers.
Flowers everywhere.
The three women were smiling again.
The sun was shining.
It was time to move forward again.
Life goes on.
The days pass, one after another. Some are good. Some are not.
Isn’t that what life is?
