Celvin

BEIJING — Celvin is 20-year-old college sophomore, an English major with a penchant for cooking. He's just fallen deeply in love, and I can't imagine his desire will ever be requited.

Celvin's been mentioned on this blog, he was Three Thumbs' unnamed apprecentice at last Saturday's barbecue, the one responsible for carrying the huge cartload of supplies around the Tsinghua campus. Now let me mimic Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and tell the events of that evening from another angle.

Three Thumbs kept Celvin busy for most of the night, having him prepare wings and pre-spice each roll. Later in the evening, Three Thumbs started chatting with party guests, and left the Celvin in charge of the embers. By 10:00 the party had put away the last of the wings and Celvin was free to join the festivities. Soon he'd found Jessie, a junior from San Diego.

Celvin's English is not good, and Jessie's Chinese is basic, so they had trouble communicating. Some of my more fluent friends served as a meditator and they exchange a few pleasantries about school, their families and the weather.

At this point everyone at the party was full of alcohol and roast chicken, and their conversation was interrupted by requests for pictures. I took a picture with Three Thumbs. Three Thumbs was in a picture with Jessie. I'm in one with Celvin and a tree, and then at some point Jessie and Celvin were in a shot together. After pictures the party guests broke up, the party guests to a bar, Three Thumbs and Celvin to work their grill in front of it.

The next morning Jessie woke up to a text message.

"hello. how you doing?" It was Celvin.

Ten minutes later:

"last night very fun. i really enjoy meeting you."

Celvin sent more messages throughout the day, most referencing when he could get a copy of a picture someone took at the party of Jessie and him. Unfortunately the camera went missing after the party, taking the
picture with it. Celvin didn't take the news well:

"I can pay money," he said in one message. He doubted the camera was really missing. "But I think is this the real reason? I not think so," another message said.

Jessie dropped her phone in toilet Wednesday night, rendering it useless for two days. When it started working again, there were messages waiting.

"i very very very very very very very very very very want to see you."

Celvin had fallen for Jessie, and he wanted a meeting. He suggested dinner, as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, Jessie didn't reciprocate his feelings. She's seeing someone, and isn't about to dump him for a mediocre English student from a small town in Hebei Province. Therein lies her dilemma: She wants to tell Celvin the truth, but in a way that won't drive him to jump from a tall building.

Three Thumbs weighed in one night when Jessie stopped by his grill for a couple late wings and some advice.

"Celvin won't give up," he said to Jessie. "He is in love."

This week Jessie and I are planning to dine with Celvin. I will be there as translator, friend and protector in case Celvin decides he can't contain his love for the duration of the dinner.

I'm not sure if this is the best solution. Celvin wants to go on a date, not dine with a couple foreign acquaintances. Perhaps it would be better to avoid all contact, and figure that Celvin would move onto a new crush in a couple weeks. But this way at least he gets to see Jessie, and there's a chance that their relationship will develop into a healthy, long-lasting friendship, and Jessie's Text Message Box will never be empty again.