1
Jaime Lo, Small and Shy
Jaime Lo is small.
Jaime Lo is shy.
On Monday afternoons,
Jaime likes to draw robots
and penguins.
Jaime draws in the mornings,
Jaime draws at night.
She draws cat.
Mother.
Sister.
And brother.
And, at the end of the day,
Dad hangs her pictures
on his wall.
That's what Jaime loves the most.
One day, Jaime's father announced
that he had to go to Hong Kong
to find work.
"What's Hong Kong?" Jaime asked.
Hong Kong is where
Mom and I came from,
before we came to Canada.
Hong Kong is busy.
Hong Kong is hot.
Hong Kong is a big city,
on a small island.
And, ai yah, the noise!
Why can't you work
here in Canada?
Jaime, I wish I could,
but things are very hard
right now.
One day, you will understand. Be good
to your mother, sister and brother,
and I will see you again
in eight months.
Jaime Lo is small.
Jaime Lo is shy.
She plays in the leaves,
and pounds on the piano.
She's fast at math,
but slow in gym.
On Halloween,
Jaime dresses up as a robot.
But at the end of the day,
Jaime misses her dad.
Every Saturday, Jaime's father
calls home,
to tell her stories
about Hong Kong.
When it's night time in Toronto...
it's day time here.
The city is full of taxies,
and people drive
on the opposite side of the road.
For every Canadian dollar,
you get almost six
Hong Kong dollars!
And there are mountains everywhere.
And no snowstorms, ever!
I wish I could be in Hong Kong too.
I wish all of you were here...
...to see these things with me.
But when are you coming home?
On Father's day, I promise.
That's so far away.
Please, be patient Jamie.
For now I'm sending you...
...a small surprise in the mail,
And I think you'll like it.
And sure enough,
the next week...
Jaime received a large package
in the mail.
Jamie Lo is small.
Jaime Lo is shy.
She sets the table
all by herself.
And gives her mom
a back massage.
Jaime decorates
the Christmas tree.
And is the star
in the school play.
Jaime still thinks of her father
all the time.
It was a week before
Father's Day.
And Jaime was getting excited.
But that night...
Jaime...
Your father is very busy.
And won't be able to make it
back for Father's Day.
When he's coming home?
I don't know Jaime.
I'm afraid we're just going
to have to wait a bit longer...
...before we can be together again.
But Jaime couldn't
wait any longer.
He wants to talk to you.
Jaime didn't want
to speak with her father.
The house was quiet.
Jaime didn't come for dinner.
Jaime forgot to feed the cat.
Jaime wasn't anywhere
to be seen.
And one by one, her pictures
disappear from the wall...
On Father's Day,
Jaime's dad received...
...a large package in the mail.
Jaime Lo is a little less small.
Jaime Lo is a little less shy.
Jaime likes to trade her lunch
with friends.
And play soccer at the park.
Jaime likes to dream
about going to Hong Kong.
But most of all...
Jaime loves to spend time...
...with her whole family.