Story Key:
- Jiao-An is a female Chinese name meaning “Beautiful Peace”. In this story, Jiao-An McMillin is a 43-year-old, Chinese-American mother of two, married to David McMillin. They live in a townhouse in Novi, Michigan. She has an undergraduate degree in English from Stanford, University but is currently unemployed, biding her time by raising her children so David can go to work and school. A third-generation American, her parents immigrated to America from Guangdong Province in China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. Her family stayed in California; but, when Jiao-An met David at Stanford University (during her freshman year) and got married, she decided to give up her life in California, so David could pursue his career in Michigan at Detroit Diesel. When she’s not being a mom, however, she enjoys reading romance novels and classic literature.
- Heng-Guang is a male Chinese name meaning “Eternal Light”. In this story, Heng-Guang McMillin is a 16-year-old sophomore at St. Peter’s Preparatory High School in Wixom, Michigan, the eldest child of David and Jiao-An McMillin. Being of Chinese and European origin, he is tall (about 6′) and has black hair and almond-shaped eyes. He loves playing soccer, hates playing piano and has just learned to drive, getting his license after his birthday in October. And, like any good Chinese mother, Jiao-An watches his grades carefully to make sure he only gets straight A’s. Unfortunately, Heng-Guang dies suddenly in his sleep, for no apparent reason at all. Our story begins with Jiao-An’s discovery of his death.
- Jue-Ai is a female Chinese name meaning “Jade Love”. In this story, Jue-Ai McMillin is the nine-year-old daughter of David and Jiao-An. Also being of Chinese-European origin, she has long, black hair and almond-shaped eyes; but still only being a child, she’s still growing. She is currently attending elementary school at West Catholic Elementary School in Southfield, Michigan (fourth grade) and loves to wear her shiny, bright green shoes just about everywhere.
- David McMillin is a 44-year old Christian, Irish-Catholic, Caucasian, American man. He is married to Jiao-An, a Chinese woman, and is a father of two, Heng-Guang and Jue-Ai. But, because he is not yet fluent in Chinese, he likes to call them by their American names: Lana (Jiao-An), Aaron (Heng-Guang) and Amy (Jue-Ai). He lives in Novi, Michigan with his family, works as an electrical engineer at Detroit Diesel and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree online in mechatronics from the University of Michigan. He is tall (about 6’2), with brown hair and green eyes.
- Note: It’s important to note the cultural significance of this story. In Chinese culture, the family is the most important unit. It’s so important that Chinese people actually put their surnames before their first names, signifying how the group is more important than the individual. So, for example, Jiao-An’s maiden name would be written “Chang Jiao-An”. Within the group, males are the most important, because, traditionally, names, lineages and property were passed down through them. Therefore, families hoped for sons, not daughters, and passed down the lion’s share of their wealth to their oldest son. This son, then, in accordance with filial piety, had a responsibility to honor his parents. This meant he had to get married, have sons, take care of his parents when they were old and continue the sacrifices to his ancestors after their deaths. It’s a reverse psychology from American culture, where parents owe their children everything; in Chinese culture, children owe their parents everything. To some extent, and especially with China’s One Child Policy, this tradition continues to go on today. For example, a couple years ago, Amy Chua, a Chinese-American “tiger mother”, shocked American parents when she told Time magazine of her “strict” parenting strategies. In all reality, however, this is how Chinese kids have been growing up for centuries. Therefore, to a Chinese woman like Jiao-An, the death of her eldest son is more than just terrible; it’s life-altering.
- “你确定吗?” or “Nǐ quèdìng ma?” is Chinese for “Are you sure?” During their conversation, while written in English, Jiao-An and Jue-Ai are most likely speaking Chinese. Like many ethnic groups who grow up in the United States but are not necessarily originally from the U.S., parents may stress teaching their “mother-language” to their children, which begins with informal conversations at home.
- This story is based on actual events. Please see this article for details: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/detroit-catholic-central-high-school-sophomore-david-widzinski-dies-in-his-sleep-of-unknown-causes.
The Rose 