distance up the road. We'd never seen inside before. A little bell attached to the door tinkled as we entered a wonderland of red and black carved and lacquered screens, wall plaques and statues. From the back came Mrs Chang, shuffling to the front counter in her tight fitting blue cheongsam.
"Table for three?" she enquired with eagerness.
"Just some takeaway please," Dad replied. She handed Dad the menu as my eyes and Doug's took in all the shiny painted red and black surrounds. Hanging over the light bulbs dangling from the ceiling were different brightly coloured paper lanterns that gave the room a soft diffused glow. Dad and Mrs Chang exchanged friendly smiles as he studied the menu. Doug and I peered at it from the sides, not convinced cat wasn't hidden somewhere in the listings. If you haven't eaten cat before and it is served somehow, how would you know, we surmised in whispers to each other.
"I'll have eight fried dim sims, a beef with oyster sauce, a chicken chop suey and a large fried rice. Will that do four people, Mrs Chang?"
"How about sweet and sour pork as well? Should do."
"Fine."
After fifteen minutes of banging and clanging of utensils, Mr and Mrs Chang came out from the kitchen with a box containing our order. Dad paid the bill and Mrs Chang rang it up on their old cash register. Handing Dad the box Mr Chang added,
"I put in some soy sauce for the dim sims and some fortune cookies. No charge. Thank you. Please call again." Both of them gave several little bows.
"My boy Shen goes to school with your boys. You're Doctor McNally, yes?" asked Mr Chang.
"Yes. And these are my sons, Pat and Doug." They smiled at both of us.
"Shen's a little older. Ten. Different class."
"I didn't see him at the pictures. He's not sick is he?" Dad enquired.
"No not sick, but the other boys make fun of him because he's Chinese. Actually, Aussie Chinese. Third generation. Born here."
"Do they make fun?" Dad asked of both of us. We nodded.
"Steve Wood and some of his mates," offered Doug.
"Why doesn't that surprise me? What do they do?" Doug and I squirmed like worms thrown on a camp fire rock.
"They call out when he goes past, 'ching chong Chinaman'. And pull their eyes like this," Doug demonstrated, finishing with a little laugh.
"You find that funny, Dougal?" 'Dougal' – okay he might be in for it, but that didn't immediately mean me as well. I made sure I kept a serious look on my face.
"No sir. It's not as if they bash him up or anything."
"Doug, do you call him those names?"
"Sometimes. Everyone does." I waited. Was Doug going to dob me in as well? Dad looked at me, but said nothing. My red face was always a give away.
"I'm very sorry that this is happening to Shen. Is he here?" Dad asked.
"He's in the kitchen," replied Mrs Chang before calling out something to the back of the shop in Chinese. Shen peered through the thin strips of beaded curtain that separated the restaurant from the kitchen before parting them and joining his parents. Dad moved close to Shen, who remained looking at the ground.
"Shen, I'm Doctor McNally. You already know Dougal and Patrick." O-oh he used both our full names. We waited.
"Dougal would like to apologise, wouldn't you, for calling you names. Dougal?" Doug shuffled his feet a bit then spoke.
"I'm sorry I called ya names."
"Patrick?"
"I'm sorry as well."
"Now shake Shen's hand, but only if you truly mean what you just said." Doug moved first and shook Shen's hand, followed by me.
"I think we'll see some different behaviour from now on," Dad confidently predicted to the Changs. Mr Chang got a bag of prawn chips from under the counter and gave them to Doug.
"For your honesty and kindness." Both he and his wife bowed to Doug and me.
The bell had tinkled and the door just closed behind us when Dad turned to both of us.
"I want you to go out of your way to include Shen in your games at school."
"He's not in our class," I answered.
"Doesn't matter. Do you forget so
"Table for three?" she enquired with eagerness.
"Just some takeaway please," Dad replied. She handed Dad the menu as my eyes and Doug's took in all the shiny painted red and black surrounds. Hanging over the light bulbs dangling from the ceiling were different brightly coloured paper lanterns that gave the room a soft diffused glow. Dad and Mrs Chang exchanged friendly smiles as he studied the menu. Doug and I peered at it from the sides, not convinced cat wasn't hidden somewhere in the listings. If you haven't eaten cat before and it is served somehow, how would you know, we surmised in whispers to each other.
"I'll have eight fried dim sims, a beef with oyster sauce, a chicken chop suey and a large fried rice. Will that do four people, Mrs Chang?"
"How about sweet and sour pork as well? Should do."
"Fine."
After fifteen minutes of banging and clanging of utensils, Mr and Mrs Chang came out from the kitchen with a box containing our order. Dad paid the bill and Mrs Chang rang it up on their old cash register. Handing Dad the box Mr Chang added,
"I put in some soy sauce for the dim sims and some fortune cookies. No charge. Thank you. Please call again." Both of them gave several little bows.
"My boy Shen goes to school with your boys. You're Doctor McNally, yes?" asked Mr Chang.
"Yes. And these are my sons, Pat and Doug." They smiled at both of us.
"Shen's a little older. Ten. Different class."
"I didn't see him at the pictures. He's not sick is he?" Dad enquired.
"No not sick, but the other boys make fun of him because he's Chinese. Actually, Aussie Chinese. Third generation. Born here."
"Do they make fun?" Dad asked of both of us. We nodded.
"Steve Wood and some of his mates," offered Doug.
"Why doesn't that surprise me? What do they do?" Doug and I squirmed like worms thrown on a camp fire rock.
"They call out when he goes past, 'ching chong Chinaman'. And pull their eyes like this," Doug demonstrated, finishing with a little laugh.
"You find that funny, Dougal?" 'Dougal' – okay he might be in for it, but that didn't immediately mean me as well. I made sure I kept a serious look on my face.
"No sir. It's not as if they bash him up or anything."
"Doug, do you call him those names?"
"Sometimes. Everyone does." I waited. Was Doug going to dob me in as well? Dad looked at me, but said nothing. My red face was always a give away.
"I'm very sorry that this is happening to Shen. Is he here?" Dad asked.
"He's in the kitchen," replied Mrs Chang before calling out something to the back of the shop in Chinese. Shen peered through the thin strips of beaded curtain that separated the restaurant from the kitchen before parting them and joining his parents. Dad moved close to Shen, who remained looking at the ground.
"Shen, I'm Doctor McNally. You already know Dougal and Patrick." O-oh he used both our full names. We waited.
"Dougal would like to apologise, wouldn't you, for calling you names. Dougal?" Doug shuffled his feet a bit then spoke.
"I'm sorry I called ya names."
"Patrick?"
"I'm sorry as well."
"Now shake Shen's hand, but only if you truly mean what you just said." Doug moved first and shook Shen's hand, followed by me.
"I think we'll see some different behaviour from now on," Dad confidently predicted to the Changs. Mr Chang got a bag of prawn chips from under the counter and gave them to Doug.
"For your honesty and kindness." Both he and his wife bowed to Doug and me.
The bell had tinkled and the door just closed behind us when Dad turned to both of us.
"I want you to go out of your way to include Shen in your games at school."
"He's not in our class," I answered.
"Doesn't matter. Do you forget so
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