The boys' tuxedos

What an ordeal this has been. For those of you who do not already know, my sister, Annie, is getting married at the end of the month. Jack, Jed and Huck will be in the wedding so we need tuxedos for them. I decided to have them made by my tailor, of course. I mean, when in China...

So, at the end of March, Xing Ayi, Tom and I took the three boys to the tailor to have them measured. I took a picture of a tuxedo. I explained what I wanted and Xing Ayi did the same. I even pulled out the satin fabric from her display and showed her where on the tuxes she should use that material. She assured us she knew what she was doing. She said she'd make the tuxes and shirts and bow ties for each of the boys. I was very excited about it.

A few weeks later, I asked Xing Ayi to call to see if they were ready on the day Xiao Shi had specified. They were not. She said to come back the next week. I picked up the the tuxes only to find she'd made black suits. They looked nice but they were not tuxedos. There was no satin at all. Even the buttons were just regular buttons. Also, Jack's was too long in the arms of the jacket and shirt. So a few days later, Xing Ayi and I went back to the tailor. Xing Ayi told her what she'd done wrong. We assumed she couldn't change the lapels but said we wanted her to change the buttons. Xiao Shi apologized and said she'd fix it and I should come back the following week. Yesterday I went back and picked up the tuxes. She had changed the lapels, so I was very happy about that. But the buttons were unchanged. It's no coincidence that the one English word Xiao Shi knows is "sorry."

At that point, I gave up. I had had it. BUT I got home and Xing Ayi expressed her surprise and dismay that the work had not been completed. I couldn't deal with it, though, and told her to forget it.

Then I talked to good 'ol Mom and Dad. They said I should insist she change the buttons. They said that I am too agreeable and am being taken advantage of by her. They said I should take the suits back and when I told them I had had enough of dealing with it my Mom said to have the driver do it. So, in the morning, I asked Xing Ayi to phone Xiao Shi. She was firm and insisted she do the work today. At 2:00, Xiao Shang took the tuxes to the tailor. She said to come back at 5, to which he responded, "no, do it now, I'll wait." He returned at about 3:00. The tuxes are finished, they look great. Now on to the shoes...

If only I didn't have to go back tomorrow to pick up a shirt she is fixing. It was supposed to be finished yesterday but, surprise, it wasn't.

We have a great lifestyle in China. It's wonderful to have an ayi, driver, chef, access to a tailor, etc. But, we do have to live in China to get it and sometimes we get tired...