Assignment 19: Joshua Pe

Nearly every day from first grade to seventh, my dad would pick me up from school. He would ask me how my day went, what I learned, the usual. I always told him “good” and “stuff.” He’d keep reminding me to study well in school, and I’d say, “yeah, I got it, I understand.” And he always repeats these words: “Education is the tool to your success.”

Now my dad is a hard worker. He’s owned a Chinese fast-food restaurant for 20 years. His dad owned it before. He’s managed the place, taking inventory, ordering ingredients, paying the bills, hiring and training, and he’s also worked in the kitchen doing long hours, burning himself, cutting himself, smelling like chow mein and friend rice. He told me that he doesn’t want me to work 12 hours a day, every day, every week, every year in the kitchen. That’s why he always repeats those words.

He got a basic high school education; nothing more, nothing less. His younger brother, my uncle, went to UCLA, then to NYU, and now he’s teaching in Shanghai. His younger sister, my aunt, also went to UCLA and is working in a bakery to make things work. The both received a good education, but have ended up in different paths. My dad prefers if I do something more than bake breads and cake, so he always repeats that advice.

And I’ve followed it completely. I’ve put education first. In elementary school, when he picked me up, I did my best and was recognized by the teachers. In middle school, I did the same, even when I moved away from my dad and he couldn’t remind me all the time. Still in high school, I’ve strived to maintain a 4.0 and continue taking rigorous courses. And after I graduate high school, then go to college and get a degree, I’ll apply my education.

My dad texts me or calls me from time to time. Often he’ll be at work still, and I’ll be out of school. I can hear the sound of clashing pans and hot oil and fire in the background. He’ll ask me how life’s been since the last time he called, how school is. I tell him the same thing, and he repeats, “Education is the tool to your success.”