EDWARD
Edward Chang was born on 20 May 1980 in Taipei and raised in Southern California. He studied at the University of California, San Diego, where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and economics. Edward served in a U.S. Army aviation regiment in Operation Iraqi Freedom. After his deployment, he received a master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Southern California and a law degree from Loyola Law School. He lives in Los Angeles, where he practices law and spends his free time wrestling his dog, Ludwig. His first novel, Chinks & Mortars, is available as an ebook, on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. He previously blogged about his time in Iraq (see here) and shares another experience below.
“Cigalette?” Muhammed offered, withdrawing a pack from under his wind beaten shirt.
“No, no thank you…”
Feeling silly for thinking him a terrorist, I reciprocated Muhammed’s friendliness in the best way I knew how – excessive conversation. As we whizzed back up the road in my Hummer, I began blabbing like an eager kid. For his part, Muhammed only had to nod and smile to keep me going, which he did in generous helpings.
I spoke to Muhammed about the warm morning and how I thought I was finally getting used to the desert heat. I told him I was from Los Angeles, and that I had been to Disneyland, and then I asked him if he knew what Disneyland was. Sometimes when you get away with talking too much, you say really silly things.
He smiled and popped a cigarette in his mouth. Finding no lighter on his body, he simply sat back in the passenger seat and pretended to smoke.
“I was thinking just now how it must be like to be one of you. I know that sounds really wrong, but I can’t help but think that. I was pretending I woke up at the butt crack of dawn to come over to this base to build our fence and make an honest day’s buck. Only, I don’t know what happens next. What happens at the end of the day when I go home? Do my friends make fun of me for working with the Americans? I wonder if you go back to some place awful and bombed out, or if all this really doesn’t affect your real life so much.” Read more...
