Michael loves living in Chinatown. He loves the shops, the alleys and the restaurants. But most of all, he loves the people: the grocers and cooks, the men who sit on benches outside, the old women who play Mah Jong inside and his best friend, Grandpa Doc. When Michael's mother says they are going to move, he is devastated. How can he leave? Chinatown has always been his home.
In summer Michael would go into the little store where Grandpa Doc straightened his jars of herbs and boxes of powders. Michael would sit on a high stool and sniff the air. The smells of star anise, ginger and sweet licorice mingled with the conversation as Grandpa Doc talked about the old country. Once Michael asked Grandpa Doc how he could be happy when he was so far away from the China that he loved.
"There's no such thing as far away when you carry a place in your heart," Grandpa Doc said, laughing at Michael's frown. "In here." The old man lifted both hands to his heart.
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