Secret Rebel

I am so grateful to God that I had such a long childhood and teenage time, but I'm sure, so did many of you.

I am grateful because looking back at my childhood, I really enjoyed the chance to read so many story books. 

Now all grown up, and in earth terms, "getting old," I hardly finish one book a year, with the distractions of work and managing company and getting over the frustrations of life. 

I was mostly a studious and obedient girl, doing well in school, but at heart, I was a secret rebel. Why a rebel? 

I was put into a school where I sat near to girls who read English and spoke English at home. I spoke Chinese at home and was very bad in English.

But eventually my heart was determined I was going to be good in English too, and so I started borrowing books from my friends, and having my family buy English story books for me. Mom, being a school teacher, started to borrow English books from her school library for me. 

We read the books during class by hiding them in our school textbooks and reading them on our laps. Before sleep, I would do the same thing in my room, when I should be reviewing my school lessons or exams. 

So, the secret rebel grew up with the children in Enid Blyton books and other classic stories like Treasure Island, Tom Brown's Schooldays, in ancient faraway lands of magic and exciting adventures in the rolling countryside. I learned words like 'enchanted,' 'high tea,' 'scones,' 'farm,' all rather exotic and eye-sparkling to me. 

Now I can hardly remember the exact stories, but their memories still fill up a heart longing for magic,  the heart of the secret rebel.