Brian
When my love left Hong Kong, it was hard, and I fell into a depression. Hong Kong in 2022 wasn't the best place with the borders closed up due to COVID. There was fear in the city because of the pandemic and the changes in society caused by 2019. The only thing keeping me through was my love for my partner. When he left, things for me got worse in my mood. I realized how much my life was built around him.
A few months later, I met someone through a hook-up app. I was looking for someone to talk to and not hook up with. We met, talked and enjoyed the time together. Brian just arrived in Hong Kong and went through the 21-day quarantine at his own expense when we met. He was new to the city, and it was amazing to show someone the place that I loved. The newness of things was a fantastic feeling. At the time, I still longed for my partner.
Over the months, we grew close. I've had problems with my feet for a long time until it came to a point where I needed surgery to have one of my feet reconstructed. I would be housebound – unable to move for a month. Brian would come an hour out of his way to care for me. He bought food and kept me occupied while I recovered. He moved in; I fell for him.
He is an interior designer working in food and beverage in Hong Kong in a time of hope, before the opening when new businesses anticipated more growth, which never happened. Restaurants and bars have been crushed here, with the value of the HKD (pegged to the US) being too high for places to survive. He wasn't getting paid on time. He had his extended family to support. There was pressure, and I tried to help bridge the gaps. It was hard for him, causing a lot of stress. I tried to help where I could.
Eventually, there was no work. Brian was told we would love to hire you, but you can't speak Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin). There was a job offer in Dubai, and he accepted it. I may have pushed because I knew Brian would need to do something other than interior design to survive in HK. He would struggle to support his family, and the pay for a Non-Chinese and non-Western' person as an English teacher would be low.
He is struggling. There are messages full of sadness and loneliness while I try to support him emotionally as best as I can. I feel a bit of guilt for pushing him to go. I feel sad about his situation and understand time helps, yet I don't want him to suffer. I care and worry about him but at a loss as to how to help, how to comfort when he is so far away.
I don’t know what to do.