Portland Monthly Magazine May 1991

Your Maine Opportunity

HebronAcademyisanindependent,coeducationalcollegepreparatory,boarding (9—PG)andday(7-PG)schoollocatedtenmilesfromLewistonandAuburn,forty minutesfromPortlandandeightmilesfromNorwayandSouthParis.Hebron transportationisprovidedformostdaystudents.Ourdiversestudentbodycomes fromsixteenstatesandnineforeigncountries,withamajorityofstudentscoming fromthestateofMaine.

Hebron'scollegepreparatorycurriculumchallengeseverystudenttobethebesthe orshecanbe.Weoffereightadvancedplacementcourses,adiversefinearts curriculumandacomprehensiveandvariedcompetitiveandrecreationalathletic programonour1500acrecampus.

Thecloseknitcommunityoffacultyandstudents—witha1:7facultytostudent ratioandastrongadvisingsystem—ensurespersonalattentionforeachstudent.

TheAdmissionsstaffwelcomescampusvisitstoseeournewFineArtsCenterand meetthefacultyforournewMiddleSchool.PleasecontacttheAdmissionsOffice forfurtherdetailsaboutourprograms.

Applicationsarenowbeingacceptedforthe1991-1992schoolyear.

207-966-2100

BUCKSPORT, U.S.A

AhandymaninHoustonchoosesatoolfromhisSears’catalog...amother inKansasCitycooksdinnerfromarecipeinGood Housekeeping...anoil riggerinAlaskafindsoutaboutthelatestmiddleeastconflictinthepages ofNewsweek...andanavidfaninNewJerseyanalyzestheprospectsof ourOlympicrowingteamwithhelpfromthepagesofSportsIllustrated.

Whatallthesepeoplearoundthecountryhaveincommonisalittlepiece ofBucksport,Maine—heldrightintheirhands.

BecauseatChampion’sBucksportmill,weproducepublicationpapers usedinmagazinesandcatalogsallacrosstheU.S.A.

Our 1,200 employees and four paper machines produce almost 450,000 tonsofpaperayear,continuingtheinnovationsthathavemadeusleaders inlightweight,coatedpaperproduction.

BucksportandChampion.We’reallover,andwe’regoingstrong.

by Kevin LcDnc

Translations

I'VE BEEN LIVING in an unlrans latedcityinanuntranslatedstate. 1 am talking about the names of businesses around ns. For example. HuShang, roughlv translated, means “TheLakePeople"Iadmitthat1miss nothavingpicturedabreezyChinese lakewhileeatingHuShangsSzechuan spicy shrimp and cashew chicken all thesevears.Pagoda,tomvastonish¬ ment. means “Gates to Heaven"—those ForestAvenuepeoplewillnevergive uponthatgatetheme,willthev?ButI'll thinkoltherestaurantm<nocolorlulb whenIeatthere.Saco'sWuNan(sav Zaniroughlytranslatedmeans"Ghost Mountain." Panda Bear, very roughly translated,means"thatOrientalres¬ taurantoveronForeStreet."

ThomMcAvoy,anew'stafferalthe

magazine who comes from MiIIiikhs et. burned off some more log w lien b walked in with a rare eailv edition . Thoreau's The Maine HoodsTinsgo' edged edition with .in old given cowi includes an index of populai Maine Indian names Klaadn is the Inn spelling for Kalahdm. and it means "Highest Land " Mallau'ainkeai’istin "place whole Iwo rivers meet Piscutac/tiis means 'branch of <i nvei icn during the phrase Piscataquis Rivci . numbing forav into Dada Penobscot means Tockv rivet ' .Se/x/uo means “large<ipenwatei

Thom sacs gI< iw i ig up a Me Docket was like living m a tu.u k am! while science In lion movie town, wi Millinocket means Place <>1 Islands IfvondrivetheresavsTin>m.va hi 'llsee the islands

Mv biggest surprise came with the word schooner "School means tn rush, and hence schoodic fromllns and nuke Hi place where walei rushes >. and that schoon means the same and that the Marblehead people and others have derived the words scoon andscootfromthe11idians.and hence schooner " I can hear it now The word speeds through the ocean waler rushing under ils hull

(♦A PLACE FOR RIBS-)

cQie cQieater^lt(£Moiimoutli

/ASister’sGift

To TheEditor:

[want to commend Elizabeth Peavey andPortlandMonthlyMagazineon"A Sister'sGift,"thefinearticleconcern¬ ingDebHall’skidneytransplantin purApril1991issue.I’minaposition to readagreatdealonorgandonation, and I’ve seldom read anything that moreeffectivelyconveyedthemean¬ ing of donation to the individuals involved.Itisimportanttonote,how¬ ever, that Deb was fortunate in the sensethatshehadasisterableand willingtogiveherakidney.Manypeo¬ pledonothaveafamilydonoroption andmustrelyonthosewhoseorgans andtissuesaredonatedafterdeath.

TheKidneyFoundationofMaineisa leaderinpromotingorganandtissue donationinthestate.Thesadfactof the matteristhatthereisachronic shortageoforgansfortransplantation. People in need remain very ill and sometimesdie,simplybecauseofthat shortage.Medicalresearchismaking transplantationmoresuccessfulallthe time, butthatgoodiscompromisedif theorgansaren’tavailable.

Indicating one’s wishes to be an organ donor is simple. Either put a donorstickeronyourdriver'slicense or carryadonorcard.Ineithercase, discussingyourwisheswithyourfam¬ ily isessential.

Pie Kidney Foundation of Maine relies totallyonprivatesupportforour *orkinpatientservices,community education,andresearch.Ifreaders wishtomakeacontributionorwould likemoreinformationonbecomingan Organ donor, they may get in touch withusat772-7270orP.O.Box1134, Portland, Maine04104.

I'mpleasedtoreportthatDebHallis doing verywell.She’sbackatworkand h anactivevolunteerwithus.She’s been giventheGiftofLife,andIthank Jouagainforsharingthismedicalmir¬ aclewithyourreaders.

Sam Beal ExecutiveDirector Kidney Foundation of Maine Portland

NewYorkPublic CompleteLibraryOrdersBackFileOfMagazine

To The Editor:

Request shipment complete back file of Portland Magazine, from April 1986forward.Pleasebillin’triplicate with purchase order this form. Thank you.

The New York Public Library Grand Central Station New York, NY

PolandSpring

To The Editor:

Ifoundthestory"ASister’sGift’’a remarkable story. Being from a family with a brother who had acute kidney failureandneededakidneytransplant, Ifeelthisstoryallowedthepublicto understand what exactly happens when an organ transplant is per¬ formed. The way the story was told broughtbackthememoriesofthetest¬ ing,thewaiting,thetears,andthejoy. Fortunatelytherewerefivesiblings,all in good health, so we were hoping for at least one perfect match. We were fortunate and had two who matched identically. The operation was per¬ formedjustbeforeChristmas,1989and was successful. We thought this was "ABrother’sGift”forlife.

Maine’sCityMagazine

To The Editor:

Portland Monthly Magazine is a great local magazine, and 1 look for¬ ward to every issue. Keep up the good workwithyourinformativearticlesand insight to the people of this coastal region!

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j Laser Cover Separations and image assembly In Vision I Graphics. I-800-228 6299 Cover ponied bv Spectrum Ponting & Graphics Im 1 XOO-622-5S85 PORTLAND Monthly Magazine is published tn 1oltn and Nancy Sargent 578 Congress Street Portland. ME 04 101 All correspondence should be addressed to 578 Congress Street Portland. M E 94 I h I Advertising Office 578 <‘ongrrss Mr.< r Poitiand ME 04 101 ( 207| 775-4339

Subscriptions Inside I S $2” lor 1 year S32 fur years $40 lor 3 years Outside I S add $h

Newsstand cover date May publ Apri <91 vm 6 Su. 3. copyright 1991 PORTLAND Months'. Maga/mc is mailed al th'rd class mad rates Portland ME 'HlVl (ISSN 0887-5340 .< Opinions ex pressed hart■<lesarc those of authors and do not represent editor.a 1pint lions of PORTLAND Month!-. Ma.'az nv Responsible onh for ihat portion of a< • ad.vrt. sr mer:iwinchi» printedincorrectlyandasi-onpmsal:on*»•wllruna corrc(toinmthelolIo ao-cssueN..tLr:th.-.issue mav tie reprinted m whc - ' m p.)-- wiiho;;' wtit’et' permission from tin pubi'sfiers Submissm-s wel¬ come but we idK’ - no responsibility !o< unsoi-t ned materials

PORTLAND Monthly Magaz.ne is pub 'tie-: -mes annually b; Colin and Nam abar gen ’ ’»■ ' ^ress StreeIPortand*:thnewssiandvo-.vrda''-s►■nrua ry Marsh April S'as Summerguole hit'. A ig-.s 1bep lember October November ln-(.rmb<.o .md'A > •••rg.rdt

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MeetElisabelleCarpenter,picturedinhermother's— Nu Carpenter's—Vietnamese grocery store on Washington Avenue. No one's more refreshing than the courageous new refugees who are changing theface of Portlandwiththeir...

BRIGHT LIVES

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN LEDUC

December 8, 1982, 2:30 p.m. Itisawarm,overcast afternoon in Can Thu, South Vietnam. Running along the city’scrowdedstreetsisasmallgroupofschoolboys. Laughing and yelling, they toss a soccer ball to one another as they run to the neighborhood park. Stopping to await a bus, the boys talk about the upcoming game, girls, and school. "Huy...Huy Troung,” a voice echoes from around the street corner. “What?” yells Troung. “Come with me...” the voice responds. “No, I am on my way to the park to play soccer,” Troung answers. “Come with me now,” demands the old man as he approaches the boys. “But father, my game...”

“Ihavenotseenmyfamilysincethatafternoon,”Troungtells measwetalkoveracupofteaatSaigonThinhThanhrestaurant

EMILYL.MU1I2

“Cat Nap. Waldin Ames and Jinx"

on608CongressStreet.Tearsswellin. Troung’s eyes as his thoughts gain shape, color. "In Vietnam, you can trustnoone,notevenabrotherora cousin," he says slowly. "My father tellsnooneofmydeparture.Ifhetells* anyone—even family—someone ■ mighttelltheCommunists,"hesays.J “Iwas18yearsold.TheCommunist ; armywascomingtoputmetoworkin< thecountryside.So,Ileftbeforethey( came! My father paid the boatman two » Tell to take me to Thailand," says Troung.ATell,heexplains,isathin, sheet of 24 carat gold the size of a businesscard.Itsvalueisabout$600.] “PeoplepayfiveorsixTell,somepay< 15Tell;italldependsontheboatman, he says. “Pure gold—nothing less is accepted by the boatmen," he says. Troung’s escape from Vietnam led himonatreacherousvoyagebyseato

“Myfatherpaidthe boatmantwoTellto takemetoThailand,” saysTroung.ATell,he explains,isathin sheetof24caratgold thesizeofabusiness card.Itsvalueis aboutS600.

Thailand.Packedinwith75otherrefu¬ geesinasmallwoodenfishingboat“7 meters long and 4 meters wide," says Troung, mentally launching it in the restaurantwithhishands,"Isqueezed my way toward the bow.”

Cramped and with little food or water,theboatsailedoutoftheSouth China Sea, around the south coast of SouthVietnam,andthroughtheGulfof Thailand toward the refugee camps. "Yourelyonnoone.Youthinkonlyof living, and freedom. The voyage was horrible.Fivedaysandnights.1never wanttoseesuchthingsagainIwantto live,therewasnotenoughfoodforall. To live I must eat and drink, no one shares food, if you were to share food...wewouldalldie."Hestops,sips histea.“Ifyouweremybrother,and therewasoneglassofwater,youdrink half and 1 drink half, we would both

lie.Onlyoneofuscandrink.Iwantto ivc.Imustdrinkthewater,"hestates. EnteringtheharborwatersoffThaiand.hissmallboatwasrammedbya mailgroupofThailandpiratefishtnncncalledthe"ThaiParade.""Iwas wared.Thecollisionmadeaholein thehuHoftheboatnearmyhead.AllI multi see was ocean and sky." The Paradethenenteredhisboat,raped mien,andstolealloftherefugees' clothing.“Wewerestrippednaked." Troungremembers.

Accountsofbrutalities,torture,and deathabound.Troungtellsofhisclose Inend.ayoung,beautiful17-year-old gid named Thu. When her boat was attackedbytheruthlesspirates,the menandboyswereforcedtojumpinto theocean.Thepiratesthenharpooned oldmenandboysalikeastheirheads bobbed up, out of the water. Young girls were raped as their mothers lookedon.Babieswerethrownintothe ocean; old women were forced to jump. As victims came up for air.

TheSundial bin, builtc.1S91, ’etainsitsoriginalcharmdespite Malrenovation.Decoratedin countryVictorianantiques,each roomhitsaprivatebath,TV,A/C, phones.Allfloorsareaccessible byelevator.Openyearround. Allmajorcreditcards accepted

SundialInn

48BeachAve.

P.O.Box1147

Kennebunk, ME 04043

1-207-967-3850

Huy Troung and his of Thinh’s Saigon Congress Street.

pirates harpooned them in the back of theirheads.Thu.theprettiestofthe girls,wasrapedandbeatenby30men.

Alongwiththeothergirls,she was thrown into the ocean Theboatwasdestroyed.Cling¬ ingtoafloatingpieceofwreck¬ age, Thu managed to hide among the bodies in the bloodstained water.

Afterarrivingattherefugee camp in Marut, Troung's task was to petition the United Nationsforrefugeestatus.His uncle, who had been a Cap¬ tain in the Vietnam War, was now living in Portland, Maine with his wife. After gaining refugee status Troung needed to receive permission from the United States Embassy to livewithhisauntanduncle.In

the meantime, Troung waited ...read...learned English... and waited. Two years and four camps later. Troung's name finally appeared on the list of refugees to be brought to America Itiscommonforrefugeestolivein

SundialInn MAINE KENNEBUNK BEACH,

friend Thmh inside the kitchen Thmh Thanh Restaurant on 608

camps for 5, 10, or more years before receiving acceptance into a host country. David Agan, director of the Refugee Resettlement Program in Port¬ land,explainsthatthereare15million refugees worldwide. Since opening its doors in 1975, the Resettlement Pro¬ gram in Portland has assisted 3,000 people. In 1990, 145 refugee families were settled within the Portland city area. Refugees from Cambodia, Viet¬ nam, Laos, Poland, Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, and Romania, the Soviet Union, and Ethiopia have come to Portland to rebuildtheirlives.

The United Nations has established a Refugee Resettlement system. In orderforarefugeetobeacceptedinto ahostcountry,thefollowingcriteria mustbemet.First,arefugeemusthave an “anchor” or sponsor in the host countryinwhichheisseekingrefuge. Second,arefugeemustfallwithinthe “Quota Guideline" established by the host country. A quota guideline is a number of refugees from a specific nationalitythatthehostcountrywill accept. Third, people seeking refuge must meet the criteria of “refugee status" as defined by the United

Nations.Bydefinition,arefugeeisa “person who cannot return to his home country based on a wellfounded fear of persecution.” The key phrase “fear of persecution” is based on political, social, and religious factorsthatdirectlyresultintheneed to flee one’s country. People seeking refuge to a host country for economic reasons are considered immigrants.

Rorn

Sem, aricefarmerfromCam¬ bodia, moved his family from his hometown of Kompop to Battambang, Cambodia because there were greater profitsingrowingmorericeintherich, fertileBattambangland.Asfatewould haveit,theKhmerRougeinsertioninto the countryside prevented Sem from attaininghisearnings.Forcedtosave his family, Sem trekked across the Cambodian/Thailand border. To reach freedom, Sem and a group of 20 fam¬ ilies walked through the mine-laden jungle. “All along the journey people steppedontheminesandwerekilled,” Sem reports. At one point Sem’s family was surrounded by Khmer Rouge guer¬ illas. Sem hid his wife, weak from pregnancy,inaricefieldfortwoweeks

whileshegavebirthandregainedher strengthbeforecontinuingtheirjour¬ ney.

Safelysettledinarefugeecampin Thailand, Sem had to receive an “anchor” or sponsor. Like thousands of refugees in his camp. Sem had no contacts outside of his village. He wroteletterstonumerouscountriesin hopes of being accepted under the quotaguideline.HepetitionedAustral¬ ia,Austria,Canada.Denmark,France, Germany, Holland, the United States, and more, only to be rejected. Two children and four years later. Sem received an American sponsor from Portland. Shortly thereafter. Sem moved his family to Maine. Sem and his wife Hearn Chann are janitorsattheUniversityofSouthern MaineinPortland.Semisalsoapan¬ time carpenter. His children attend school here. It is his hope that Ins eldest son, now a senior in high school,willcontinueonwithschoolat USM. His daughter Mom, who was born in the rice fields during their escape from Cambodia, is an honor student at King Middle School. Sem s voungest son. who was born shortly

Rom Sem with his sons Rm. Bory. Samorn. Robert, and daughter Mom in the Buddhist Temple

afterarrivinginPortland,isnowfive yearsold.Robertisinkindergarten. "Robert?”1askhim.“Whydidyougive your child an English name?" Sem answers,"IamhappytocometoAmer¬ ica,soIgavemysponsorRoberta’s nametomynewbornson."

Thethemesoffamily,language,education.work,andfreedomplayamajor roleinthelivesoftherefugeecom¬ munitiesofPortland.Fiveyearshave passedsineeTroungmadethefinalleg ol his journey to America. Knowing Iha!hewillneverseehisfatherorfamilyagain,Troungsaysthatheishappy intheUnitedStates.“Allthepeopleare friendlyandhelpful."Aswetalk,Thinh approachesourtable.SpeakingViet¬ namesetoTroung,heentersintoour conversation.Iask.“Howlonghave youIwobeenfriends?""Fiveyears," repliesThinh.“Weworkintherestau¬ ranttogether."

"IworkedforThinhforalongtime, ‘thenIwenttoschool,"saysTroung. "Where?"Iask."WestbrookCollege.1 'graduatedwithadegreeinBusiness Administration,"Trounganswers."What doyouplantodowithyourdegree?"“1 hopetodosomethinginsales.Right now am intheprocessofmovingto tCarolinatolivewithmygirlfriend." "Do youplantomarryher 9"Icontinue. Trounglaughs,andlikeany27-yearOld American man, he jokes, "Who knows...what do you think?” We all laugh.

:Changingthesubject,Thinhtellsme he hasjustcelebratedhisfirstyearin business.CuriouslyIask,"Howlong didyousavetoownyourrestaurant?" Thinhshakeshisheadnoandreplies, :"Friendsgavemethemoney.Iworked rin the factory before. I am a hard worker. My Vietnamese friends know how hard I work, they trust me. They gavemethemoneyso1couldhavethis restaurant.""Whataboutthebank?"1 •coax. "No,no,thebankwillnotgive ।memoney.BanksdonottrustVietnam¬ ese. I work hard, and have my friends.Now1canhelpmoreVietna¬ mese who come. 1 can give them Work,"hesaysproudly.

NiiCarpenter and Michel Boca,whoownNu’sMarketonWashing-

ton Street, live upstairs, above their store.Michelisanintelligentman.He is Vietnamese and French, speaks five languages. “Language is very impor¬ tant,"hesays."Itisthepathtounder¬ standingpeopleofdifferentcultures.”

Nu’s four-year-old daughter, Elisabelle,countstotenformeinGerman, French, Vietnamese, and English while Michel, Nu, and 1 talk. “The Vietna¬ mese people do not consider me the same as them,” Michel admits, “be¬ cause 1 am French Vietnamese, and havenotlivedinVietnam.Theydonot sharepersonalorculturalstorieswith me.”NuThiLeisfullVietnamese.The eldestofsixchildren,ThiLewasborn and raised in Phuoc Vinh, South Viet¬ nam. “I am old Vietnamese,” she says. "Not like the new refugees who come toPortland.”

Older Vietnamese refugees come to Nu’stobuyfolksongsfromtheirhome¬ land. Duy Khanh, a songwriterand sin¬ ger.ispopularamongtheoldergener¬ ationandisapersonalfavoriteofThi Le."Muchofhismusicissad,”ThiLe tellsme.“Nostalgicsongs,"chimesin Michel. “He sings about the war, love songs about his girlfriend, wife, and longing for home.” says Thi Le. "When 1listentohismusicIthinkofhome.” She places a tape into the recorder. “This is my favorite song," she says, ‘"24GioPhep'—‘24-HourLeave’.Itisa loveballad.”“IgiveyoueverythingI have,youaremylife,1liveforyou,” Khanhsings.“Sad,sadsongs..."inter¬ ruptsThiLe.

During the Vietnam War, Thi Le worked for the 101st Airborne as head waitressintheOfficer’sClubandMess Hall.ShefledVietnamin1972withher American husband, Henry Carpenter, andtheirson.“Duringthewar1listen totheradioandhearthatwekilledthis many VC, and are winning," she says. “When I came to the United State and sawpicturesofAmericanskillingvil¬ lagers, I cried for days and asked myself, how could this be?"

Le This mother, three brothers, and two sisters remain in Phuoc Vinh. “My mother sent me a videotape. She is so old,andshedoesnotlookasIremem¬ bered," Thi Le explains. “1 have not seenmyfamilyin19years.1wouldlike toreturntoVietnam,butIcannotwork

hardenoughtoraisethemoney.”"Isit safeforyoutoreturn?”Iask."Yes,Iam an American citizen now, so the Com¬ munists cannot harm me," she states. “I can come and go as I please." She reaches under the glass counter. “My sister and brothers send letters, tapes,andpicturesoftheirchildren." Holdingasmallpackofenvelopes,Thi Le takes out pictures of her family. “This is my sister Tam Thi Le. She wantstocometotheUnitedStates,but Itellherno.Thetripistoodangerous, stay home, have love with the family, and be happy,” she says in a solemn voice.Noonesaysanything.“Itisbet¬ terthatthechildrencometotheUnited States,” she believes. "Children can learn the culture, speak English, and haveahappierlife.”

Rom Sem turned the upstairs of a house he bought into a Buddhist Tem¬ ple.Theonlytempleofitskindinthe area, it draws Cambodian families fromalloverthestatetoworship.“It makes the people feel good in their heart,andgivesthempeace,”hesays. Sem plans to build a permanent tem¬ ple from the small donations he re¬ ceives from worshippers. “It will take me many years before I raise the money," Sem says. Meanwhile, Sem continuestobuildanewfutureforhis family. “My hope is that my children will attend college and someday get good-paying jobs,” he says.

Knowingthateducation

is the route to economic success in American society, Vasile Dorin Rusu, from Romania, has walked into an ironictwistoffate.EducatedinBuch¬ arest, Romania, Rusu received a Mas¬ ter’s degree in hydroengineering in 1966 from the Institute of Petroleum, Gas, and Geology. For 10 years Rusu worked as a hydrogeologist in Buchar¬ est. Narrowly escaping Ceausescu’s military crackdown, Rusu fled to Greece. There he was awarded politi¬ cal refugee status from the American Embassy. Seeking "freedom, a second chance to succeed in life and be happy," Rusu arrived in Port¬ land in 1988. Eager to resume his career,Rusudiscoveredthathedidnot possess the required ’Education Cre¬ dentials.’"Thereisverylittleworkin

Portland."hesays.“IwastoldthatI needed an American Education to work as a hydrogeologist.” “Were you discouraged?" I ask. "Yes. but I have many nice American friends who help me."herespondsinabroad,uplifting voice.

After learning to speak English through a course sponsored by the Refugee Resettlement Program, Rusu began to build upon the necessary ‘American Credentials' he needed to secureajobinhisfield."Itakeclasses at the University in hydrogeology and engineering,"heexplains,"butbefore I went to the University 1 learned to drive a tractor trailer" "You drive trucks 9” 1 ask. "Yes,” he answers. Puzzled. 1 inquire “Why?" Rusu shrugs “Why not? Besides," he continues, “I learnmoreEnglishdrivingtrucksthan I do in the classroom." Laughing, he exclaims, “Now I know American lingo.Ten-four,BigBird!"

Designed to “train for successful achievement on the Driver Examina¬ tion of the Class B Maine License." truck driving education is one of a number of “Occupational Training Courses" offered through “Project

Improve," which is operated by the Diocesan Human Relations Services Refugee Resettlement Program. An¬ other sample of education and skill¬ developing courses offered through Project Improve is a "Food Service Course.” Its function is to “train limited-English speakers to work in food service jobs." After successful completion and job placement, the refugeeswillhavethe"skillstheyneed to rise rapidly on the Food Service Career Ladder" according to Project Improve's brochure.

With English, college credits, and theabilitytodrivetractortrailersunder hisbelt,Rusu,the10-yearprofessional hydrogeologist,withluckandthehelp offriends,landedanentry-leveljobat thePortlandCityWaterDistrict.Armed withhis‘new’skills,Rusuispossibly the most overqualified water meter repairmaninhistory!

“1 am taking more courses for my American credentials,” he says. “What areyourgoals 9”Iask.“Willyoureceive a degree 9”“Yes.Fornowabachelor’s, someday my Ph D," he says. Rusu talks about his concerns for his mother and marrieddaughter,bothlivinginBuch¬

arest.“No.theydonotwantIo,eaw Romania." he says Rusu watches the turbulentpoliticalclimatemRomano quiteclosely,buthehasnointentin return.Likemainrefugeeslivingin Portland.Rusuresignshimselftothe politicalstrifeoccurringinhisiounin “Romania'.’"hebrightens."Sure 1Tins wereoneofthenationsparticipat.:... theGulf,youknow...Butoncethevgot toMexico,theydidn'tknowwhichway toturn!”

Instead,heisdedicatedtopursuing new freedoms and achieving happi¬ nessinhiscountry”1willbecomean American Citizen.' he beams Maytie someday, after Romania becomes democratic.Iwillvisitmymother”

Takingeven

thesmallestpoht icalstanceagainstaCommunistgov eminentislifethreatening.AskGebregziabher Alemayhou A political refugeefromEthiopia,Alemayhouwas arrested,imprisoned,andtorturedon fiveoccasionsbetween1971and198S A high school teacher from Makale. TigayProvidence,Alemayhouwasfirstimjxisoned by the Soviet-sponsored Derg GovernmentduringtheRedTerrorin 1974.SincetheCommunisttakeover, arbitraryimprisonment,torture,and murder have become a routine and predominant feature of the Derg regime.Asadistrictadministratorof Wukkro. Alemavhou was arrested in 1985fornotfollowingSovietmilitary orderstoseekoutandarrestmembers oftheTigayPeople'sLiberationFront (TPLF). who lived in his district Throughout two and a half years of imprisonment,Alemayhouwassevere¬ lybeatenandtorturedSeatedupright on a cold cement floor. Alemavhou wasboundattheanklesandwrists.A soiledsockw'asforcedintohismouth tomufflehisscreamsashisbodywas hoistedtotheceilingOncesuspend¬ ed,hewatchedhiscaptorsbeatthe solesofhisfeetwithanoxwhipFor hoursonend.sometimestwo.ttire*•or fourdavsinarow.thetorturecon tinned.Unabletospeak,andbarely able to breathe. Alemavhou w ds allowedtosignalhisadmission*>fguilt byraisinghisindexlingermresponse totherepetitivequestionArevoua TPLFcollaborator’

Above:PallHill,DavidAgan,andEllenMcKenzieofPortland’sRefugeeResettlement Program.Right:HydrogeologistVasileRusu.

Alemayhou never surrendered. “I showedthemmywill,mystrengthto outlastthebeatings,”hesays.One jnorninghiscaptorstookhimintothe prison courtyard. There. Alemayhou was confronted by a squad of armed guards.Aninterrogationensued.Alemayhou denied the repeated charges olcollaborationwiththeTPLF.After sometime,guardsfiled10ofAlemay¬ hou'sclosestfriends,formerstudents, andcolleaguesinfrontofhim.Lined upinsinglefile,onebyone.eachcom¬ radewasshotinthebackofhishead ISAlemayhoustoodfastindeclaring hisinnocence.

Although the days of tyranny are

AllersomeIime. guardsfiled10of Alcmayhou'scloses! friends,fromersiudcnls,andcolleagues In Ironlofhim.Lined upinsinglefile,one h\one.eachcomrade wasshotinIheback ofhisheadas Alemayhou(pictured lell).stoodfastin dethiringhis innocence. overforAlemayhou,hestilllivesin fear.Inordertosavehislifeandto protectthelivesofhisfamily,Alemay¬ hou hadtoleavebehindhiseldestson andadaughterinEthiopia.Hischild¬ renarehiddenawayfromtheDergmil¬ ilia.Alemayhouhasneitherseennor heard news of his children’s well¬ beingsincehisescapein1988.“Some¬ day, Ihope,after1becomeanAmeri¬ can citizen. maybe my family can be reunited,"heexplains.InthemeantimeAlemayhouwatchesthepolitical progress of the Ethiopian Peoples RevolutionaryDemocraticFront(EPRDF). The EPRDF has won control over the northern provinces of Tigay, Wolloo, *nd Gonder,butthebitterfightingcondinuesinotherareasofthecountry.“If > PDRF succeeds in overthrowing

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Photo Right: Abrahim Habibzai rests next to the wall mural he painted in his Afghan Restaurant on Exchange Street,

the Dreg government, democracy will at last come to Ethiopia." Alernayhou claims

The light for democracy continues tota self-proclaimed Mujahadeen Free¬ dom Fighter from Afghanistan Muham¬ mad Abrahim Habibzai plays an active role in his countrymen's fight to overthrow the Soviet puppet government. Arriving in Port¬ land as a political refugee in 1983. Habibzai has become a respected businessman and owner of the two very fine Afghan Restau¬ rants in Portland A member of the Pro¬ Afghan resistance, Habibzafs duty is to dis¬ tribute an underground newspaper to Muja¬ hadeen comrades living throughout the United States. The newspaper originates in Afghanistan and is smuggled by Mujaha¬ deen supporters to refugee camps in Pakis¬ tan.FromthereitisdistributedtokeyMuja¬ hadeen members in Great Britain, Germany, and the United States. Once Habibzai receives his copy, he consolidates

ArrivinginPortland asapoliticalrefugee in1983,Habibzaihas becomearespected businessman and ownerofthetwovery fineAfghanRestau¬ rantsinPortland.A memberofthePro¬ Afghanresistance, Habibzai’sdutyisto distributeanunder¬ groundnewspapertoMujahadeencomradesliv¬ ingthroughoutthe UnitedStates. newsworthystoriesintoasmalleredi¬ tion. He in turn delivers the revised editionto1,500otherAfghandistribu¬ tors throughout the United States and Canada.

Habibzai shows me a copy of the latesteditionoftheMujahadeenFree¬ dom Fighters newspaper. Habibzai hesContinued on page 43

New Orleansstylefood. WatchforTheBigEasy'sBigOpening onForeStreetsoon.

Semi-ProFootballTeamreturnsto Maineaftera20-yearhiatus.Intheir inauguralseason,theteamwillface nationallyrankedsemi-proteams fromallaroundNewEnglandThe LionswilltametheWorcesterTigers intheirfirsthomegame,July20,in Auburn.934-4007or985-9870.

ThismaybeWillowbrook'sproudest year.OnMay15,the19th-centuryvil¬ lageunveilsan1894carouselthathas beenfaithfullyrestoredTheArmitageHerschellNewfieldcarouselboasts24 horsesand4chariots.Itistheonly barrelorgancarouselinthecountryin whichtheorgan,notatape,produces themusic.Theoriginalsteamengine powersthecarousel.OffRouteIIin Newfield 501 Washington Avenue. Daily specials,sandwiches,calzones,pizza, meatballs,andspecialtystuffedgrape leaves.AcrossTukey'sBridge,through theunderpass.775-6624 Locatedat44WashingtonAvenue, nexttoNu'sMarket,thisnewrestau¬ rantoffenncOrientalcuisineisslated toopenlatethisSpring.773-9734

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*Route201inTopsham,skatesfar I>beyondtherink.Inadditiontoskating asusual,RollerWorldhasexpandedto includedinnerandmusicalperformanIceswithvariedthemes.OnThursdays, \it'sCountryMusic.OnFridays,it'sTop 40.Saturdaysit'sOldies,andduring thedaytimeonSunday,there'sachemfreedancepartyforages16-23.The all-you-can-eatfish-frymealsforS4.99 alsoincludefreeadmissiontotheeven¬ ing'sentertainment.AdmissionisS2.50 Vyou'renotdining.Forinformation, QU725-6077.

It'ssproutedat222St.JohnSt.inthe basementoftheoldMaineCentral Railroadbuilding.Offeringfreshsalads, etc.,justliketheoriginalon575Con¬ gressSt.879-0592and774-2686.

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Theonlyrestored,operationallightship inexistence,isdockedatMainWharfin Portland.OpenSaturdayat10a.m.to4 p.m.;Sundaynoonto4p.m.AdultsS3; children$1.50;childrenunder12free; maximumtotaladmissionprice for any onefamily$7.Callinadvanceforgroup tours.775-1181.

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Kalahdiiihasahead) impressedwillicrab cakes,pan-hied oystersortrout.New Englandpotroast, richsoupsandslews (recentlyadelicious, thicksquashsoup), chickenpotpie.baked beanswithporkchops andgarlicsausage, meatloafina barbequesatire,and vegetarianIrealslike buckwheat pasta withliddleheads.

DAN AND GRETCHEN are cov¬ ered with plaster dust. They are sitting in the alcove of theirnewrestaurant,Katahdin,finish¬ ing up some business with their banker, who is asking and answering questionsforthem.OccasionallyGret¬ chensiftsthroughthepileofpaperson her lap. Just as often she and Dan exchange looks and smirk—restaurant moguls, these ain't. They look more like two kids who have just opened a clubhouse.

Andthatispreciselythefeelthat Katahdinhas.“Wearestrivingforcom¬ fortandfun,tomakeitseemlikeyou’re visiting friends for dinner. We want everybodytopickafavoritechair.This isthe’90s:Ithinkwe’reallsickof pretense.”

Business

"SomanyrestaurantsontheEastCoastwere doingregionalcuisinefromotherpartsofthecoun¬ try:Cajun,Tex-Mex,California,etc.andIjustsaid thisisNewEngland.WhynotdoNewEngland regionalcuisine...?”

Chefs Daniel Peters and Gretchen Bateshavekickedaroundthenotionof openingarestauranttogetherforyears. Anyone who enjoyed fine dining in Portlandhasmostlikelysampledtheir cuisine.Theirrestaurantbackgrounds includeGardner's.34Exchange,Cafe Always,andtheSwanDive,wherethey firstworkedtogether.Betweenthem theyhave35yearsofgourmetcooking experience—or,astheyliketosay, “snottypretentiousness."

Anditisthispretentiousnessthey willbestrivingtoavoid.Themenuat Kalahdinisdescribedas“inventive New England cooking,” something theyexperimentedwithlastsummerat IheTide'sInninKennebunkportwith greatsuccess."Somanyrestaurantson the East Coast were doing regional

cuisinefromotherpartsofthecountry: Cajun,Tex-Mex,California,etc.andI justsaidthisisNewEngland.Whynot do New England regional cuisine?" Dan throws his hands up in the air sarcastically. “What a novel concept." Butitwasthisconceptthathelped them form theirdream They have been asked repeatedly what compelled themtowanttoopenarestaurantinan alreadyrestaurant-saturatedcityina less-than-stableeconomy."Itjusthap¬ pened.Weneverthoughttoaskifthis was a good time. We just knew some¬ howitwouldbethisyear,eventhough we didn’t have a clue how it would come about."

And then last summer the space at Spring and High Streets became avail¬ able. Gretchen recalls that Dan came

charging into the kitchen and said, “Guess what’s for lease?!" Her reac¬ tion? “Eeeewwh." He persuaded her to at least go look at it with him. The minutetheyenteredthefetid,decrepit buildingtheybothgrinned.Itwasright. Danhadthefloorplanlaidoutbythe time he drove home. From the start there was simply never any quetion.

As a person who thinks the oven in herkitchenissolelyforthepurposeof hiding dirty coffee cups when com¬ pany drops by, I am always curious about people’s interest in cooking. Dan’s inspiration stemmed from his childhood, where he attributes much ofhis“intuitive"cookingtohisgrand¬ mother. “My father came from a poor

Gretchenrecallsthat Dan came charging intothekitchenand said.“Guesswhats forlease?!’’Her reactIon?“Eeeewwh.’’

family in northern Maine and Canada; he moved to Gorham, established a business, and one by one took in fam¬ ily members. There were as many as 20 people living in our house at a time, and my grandmother cooked all day. At every meal there'were three kinds of meat, homemade breads, biscuits, and pickles—alllaidoutonaharvesttable for all these people. I just assumed that’showeveryoneate.”

“I’msojealousofthat.Ilearnedto cook out of self-defense. My mother's greatestsourceofinspirationwasthe/ Hate To Cook cookbook. Food was no bigdeal."

“We ate simple food," Dan con¬ tinues,“butitwassogoodbecauseof the care that went into it. My grand¬ motherreliedmainlyonherwoodstove— particularlyforcanning,becauseelec¬ triconesdon’tdoitright.Shewould openthedoorandstickherhandinto gauge the temperature. 1 do that with thegrillwhenIcook.Somuchofitis instinct.”

Although Gretchen took a one-year chef’s course in Boston, both assert thatthebulkoftheirtrainingoccurred inworkingenvironments,thattheonly realwaytolearnistodo.

Wicker&Rattan

This notion of New England cooking defined the motif for Katahdin. The name, Dan claims, just came to him, and Gretchen liked it right away. "We wanted to operate on an emotional ratherthananintellectuallevel.The name represented simplicity, the out¬ doors, country. And everything seemed to evolve from there. We wanted an atmosphere with a sense of humor ...somewherebetweentheinsideofthe tackiesttraileryoucouldimagineand Sunday dinner at Grandma's."

TheyenlistedthehelpofMarkPhilbrook and Tom Odle, design consult¬ ants from Freedom, Maine, who, upon first entering the site, claimed they wanted to “throw up." Dan and Gretcfiengavethemthebasiccriteria andtheyhelpedflushitout."Basically we wanted to bring the outdoors in through light and color We were striving for a look that Portland has never seen."

Thiswasataskthattookmorethana couple of cans of paint and some new lightingfixtures.Themainstructureof the building was constructed in the early19thcentury,andin1905astore¬ front was added that housed a green¬ grocer.inthe1930sthetwostructures were connected to form a bar called “The Silver Dollar," which was owned by professional wrestlers. (The upper floors were purportedly used for a brothel.)Itwasatthispointthatthe buildingbeganitsdecline.

A succession of seedy bars pro¬ ceeded to occupy the space, and it becamethesiteoffrequentbarbrawls, drugbusts,andpolicecalls.Notonly did the building grow to become an eyesore, but it had also made the neighborhood unsafe.

The first chore was to gut the in¬ terior. When Dan and Gretchen were finally able to sign their lease last summer,theysaythattheyranupfrom theirlawyer’sofficeonFreeStreetlike two kids. “We didn’t have any tools withus,sowejuststartedknockingout ceilingtiles(whichweresofilthythey were covered with fur; with broom handles. Everything was a mess. The j basement was knee-deep in garbage— :andtherestaurantwasn’tmuchbetter. । We’ve been covered with dirt and Ibreathingplasterdusteversince.”

Soon the sledge hammers and crow¬ barsstartedtofly.Enlistingthehelpof friends,theyhavedonetherenova¬ tionsontheirown.Dansaysthathe wouldn't have had it any other way, thatcreatingthespacetotheirown specifications was as important as developingthemenu."Besides,"Gret¬ chenadds,"wewouldneverhavebeen abletoaffordthisifwehadn’tdoneit ourselves."

Firstthediscodancefloorwasre¬ moved:layersofwalls—insomeplaces sevenlayersthick—wererippedout; windowswereinstalledandtheentry¬ waywasreturnedtothecorner,repli¬ catingthefacadeasitlookedin1905; theceilingwastakendown,exposing thebuilding’soriginalshell.During theserenovationstheydiscovereda wildlife mural which dated back to 1953andstirredsomelocalinterest. "We thought it was irreparable. The wallwasfullofholesandthethingwas black.Whenwefounditcouldberes¬ tored,itwasperfect,itjustaddedtoour theme."

Their theme of bringing the out¬ doorsinworks.Thestorefrontendis openandairyandfulloflight.Ablue skywithcloudsispaintedontheceil¬ ing As you move to the rear towardsthekitchen,theceiling,which isafullstoryhigherthaninthefront, has been painted with a night sky, repletewithmoonandstars.(During ourmeeting,however,therewassome concern about the stars. They had envisionedonlyafew,buthadwound upwithwhatDantermed"ahenhouse floorlook.”Somepaintingout,appar¬ ently,wasinorder.)

A bar painted in faux flagstones Stands in the center of the room, inviting—in a hunting lodge kind of way—youtohunkeruptothehearth. Thetabletopsarepaintedafunkyblue knottypine,eachwithatrompeI'oeil vegetable. Two odd-sized service doorshavebeenboxedoutwithbarnyardfacades.Thefinishingtouches includeartifactsthatDanandGretch enhavecollectedoverthemonthsat fleamarkets,antiqueshops,andthe towndump,includinghappygolucky, intentionallyunmatchedFiestaplates mdsilly-funsaltandpeppershakers thatdifferfromtabletotable.Gretchen

Business

laughs as she recalls how she flirted with various dump masters as she hauledintruckloadaftertruckloadof refuse."ItoldoneIwasredecorating mylivingroom.Afteranumberoftrips, particularlywhenwestartedcartingin theheatingducts,hesaid,‘Hey,Lady, how big is this living room, anyway?’ Hetolduswe’dbettergetapermit...but hegavemethatpicketfenceupagainst thewalloverthere."

The menu, which changes frequent ly, lias already impressed with such itemsascrabcakes,pan-friedoysters or trout, New England pot roast ("the way it was meant to be done"), rich soupsandstews(recentlyadelicious, thick squash soup), chicken pot pie. baked beans with pork chops and gar¬ lic sausage, meatloaf in a barbeque sauce, and vegetarian options such as buckwheat pasta with fiddleheads.

Face it, the joint’s going to have personality.

The most important design aspect to Dan and Gretchen, however, is a hole inthekitchenwallthatoverlooksthe dining room. "That’s Dan’s end of the line."Gretchenexplainsaswetourthe kitchen.“Wehadtoputthatholethere so he could watch what was going on—otherwise he’d always be out in the dining room and nothing would ever get cooked." They both readily agreethatGretchenisthecontrol,Dan thewildone.“Icalmhimdown.It’sa perfectbalance."

They are understandably anxious to prove how this balance works. "We want to offer healthy, good food that peoplecanaffordandtomakethebest use possible of Maine products—root vegetables, berries, fish. Il always upset us to know food costs and then seeanentreepriceof$22,say,fora piece of chicken. We know that we can doalotofthesamekindofcookingfor lessbecausewewon'thavethreeextra people making parsley sculptures for each plate. We want people to be able to go out and eat good food more than onceortwiceayear,tohavemorefun.”

"We're not casting anything in stone right now. We want to wait and see what our patrons want."

DanandGretchenareexcited."Every¬ one has been so nice. The whole neighborhood is happy to have us here...anditisaneighborhood.Wehad offersforspacesintheOldPort,butwe didn'twanttobethere.Thisishometo us. We know our neighbors. And it’s just that kind of homeyness that we wanttoestablishatKatahdin.Ithink people have seen how hard we've workedandwanttosupportthateffort. So much of our stock and equipment have been given to us. People drop bv every day to wish us luck. We've had nothing but support and encourage¬ ment every step of the way." This is. after all, New England...and there’s nothingaYankeelikesbetterthanhard work—except, perhaps, a hunk of pot roastfordinner.

One can't help but wish for success for these two people who have worked sohardtorealizetheirdream.

Just don’t let me catch anyone sittinginmychair.

—Elizabeth Peavey

City Beat

ThePeople

Kenny Ng Speaks Out

“Ihavebeensociallyresponsibleright along.EventheovertimewagesIpaid underthetablewerehelping employeestosendmoremoneybackto theirrelativeswhostillstrugglein theirbrokenCommunistcountries...”

celebrated HuShang restaurant, was thown from Ins 'horse' as the Year of the Lamb began (1991), characterized as a timeofobedience,docility,ofnotleadingbutfollowing Now,insteadoftakingcharge,Ngischargedwithattempt¬ ingtobribeFederalAgentRobertLibbytonotlisthisprop¬ ertywhichhasbeenseizedbytheInternalRevenueService. ThearrestofNgonFriday,March24,1991,inPortlandwas theculminationofthefindingsofagrandjurythatNghad allegedlyattemptedtobribeagentLibbysometimeinlate 1990orearly1991.

After Ng, the elder of two brothers, opened HuShang Chinese restaurant in 1979, he soon realized tremendous successinthebusiness.PeoplefromalloverPortland,and Maine in general, thronged to dine at HuShang, which, loosely translated, means "Lake Folks."

Special dishes were prepared for special friends of HuShang.

OR CHINESE people, the Year of the Horse (1990) was supposed to be a very good year. This was to be the year to proceed with important family mat¬ ters,unfetteredbyusualbickerings.Itwasalso supposed to be a good time to be aggressive in matters concerning business.

However, as Chinese people have practiced for thou¬ sands of years, all things must be done in moderation and withaneyetowardapositivefuture.

Kenneth Ng, founder and former owner of Portland's

Business meetings and hyperbolic 1980s business deals were discussed over authentic “classic Chinese cuisine"

The Maine press heaped praise upon HuShang and Ng yearafteryear.In1979,MaineTimeswrote."AChineseres¬ taurantofthefirstclasscalledHuShang...servesfirst-rate Northern Chinese food...” Again in 1980, Maine Times wrote thatHuShang,“afirst-rateChineserestaurant...hasestab¬ lishedareputationforconsistenthighquality."Nottobe outdone, the Maine Sunday Telegram wrote in 1982: "...and Continued

City Beat

thefoodiseverybitasappealing,fresh,anddelightful..." Even this magazine awarded HuShang the title of “Best OrientalRestaurant"asaresultofareaders'pollin1987. Twoyearslater,atthetopoftheheapofPortlandrestau¬ rants. HuShang was called "Best Ethnic Restaurant" by the Maine Sunday Telegram. "HuShang," wrote the Maine Tinies, "has changed the entire gastronomic landscape.”

What caused such a stir (no pun intended)?

The VIPs who frequented HuShang, lured by the acco¬ lades bestowed, ranged from businesspeople to lawyers, judges,andpoliticians.IsitanywonderNgfeltsoprivi¬ leged? Few people in society, except for the Michael Jacksons and Madonnas of the world, generate as much public¬ ityasdidthisloneChineseestablishmentanditsfounder.

Ng made many friends. He hired many people to work in hisrestaurants,justblocksapartonBrownStreetand Exchange Street. This was good for Portland, too.

In1986,theyearofthe“Tiger,”characterizedbyafero¬ cious,unendingenergylayinginwaitforopportunity, Kenny Ng pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Apparently, he failed to properly pay HuShang’s many employees, opting instead to sometimes pay overtime wages ‘under the table.' This error of judgment cost Kenny Ng two years in prison in Petersburg,Virginiaaspartofafour-yearsentence.His brotherHenry',whoinformedauthoritiesofthetaxevasion, spent two months of a six-month sentence.

Where did the idea to do business this way come from? Which 'friend' had advised them that this was a way to increase volume? This behavior was not consistent with the meticulous manner in which HuShang was operated.

These actions seemed so perverse in the face of the affa¬ ble wav in which patrons were greeted and seated.

Now. some time later, in 1991, many of these same friendsandpatronsareleftwithasenseofshameandsor¬ row.SeveralChinesefamilieslivingintheGreaterPortland area with the same last name, Ng, complain that they are called and asked about money owed. Embarrassed—and at other times angry—responses echo that "I am not that Ng.”

T■ hat Ng—Kenny Ng—is standing up in his office at 31 ■ Exchange Street, leaning against a doorway of the i building he owns which will, in all likelihood, be put up for auction soon by the Internal Revenue Service. The lightsareout.Insidetheofficeisanightmareofforms, boxes of paperwork everywhere, one a box of old guest receiptsfromtherestaurant.Ngwearsbluejeans,white sneakers, a modified gray pea coat, and a purple and blue turtleneck.Theonce-magnificentlyrestoredVictorianbuild¬ ingissufferingfromneglectandvanishedtenants.The carpetsaredirty.ThewindowtoKen'sofficeisscarredwith brokenglass.

Justfiveyearsago,thisbuildingwasascleanasawhis¬ tle.alivewithprosperoustenantslikeBody&Co..Maine Color Service, and Macomber Inc. festooning the exposedbrick walls with Brody Awards.

But this is 1991. At 39, Ng is still young and good-

"1

looking,withdramaticblackhair,buthisfaceandeves carry' a weight made more unbearable by a largelv unsyin- i pathetic town and a series of events which are sucking him j down.

"'['his town is not Boston or New York. Kennx Ng savs m a dejected voice. “What hurt me most was, I'm a minontv fourtimesover.One.I'mChinese.Two.Iwasnotbornin thiscountry.Three.I'mnotfromMame.Andfour.Iwas doingunusuallywellinashortperiodoftime.From(lav ( onewhen1wasdoingwellIfeltanunusualreactionfrom the community. Endless compliments, congratulations as well as envies and jealousies developed about the success at HuShang.”

Regardingtherecentbribery'charge.Ngwantspeopleto knowthatitoccurredonlyafterextendedinterviewswith LibbyoverthecourseofIwoyearsinLibby’sFederaloffices inPortland,andthatthechargewassuccessfullvinitiated byLibbyonlyafterNghadreachedastateofdepression resultingfromincrediblepersonalandfinancialpressures: “We talked manv occasions to solve mv tax problem. I had been meeting regularly with him since the summer of I9SS. I'mnothingrightnow.1guessIhavealong,lonelybattle"

WithtearsinhisevesNgsaysthatfallingfromthehigh path"isalittleharderwhenyoudoithereinPortland: “You never know what people will do What I needed more than finances was moral support. It seems that manv MainersonlyrememberthatIevadedtax.buttheyforget how many taxes I paid before and after mv tax problem, revenue I created, and people we gave work to. since day one.Ihavebeensociallyresponsiblerightalong.Eventhe overtime wages I paid under the table were helping employees to send more money back to then relatives who stillstruggleintheirbrokenCommunistcountries

“AllIwantisafairtrialinthenearfuture."hesavs.allud¬ ingofftherecordtomitigatingfactorsthathebelieves couldsurprisinglyaffecttheoutcome.JeffreyDenner,a Bostonattorney,isrepresentingNg.

“Right now I'm in prison—within myself." Ng continues.

City Beat

l!r>ioSlavaway(fromPortland')asmuchaspossible.A mailtownlikethis,anyjuicystoryattractspeople."

OfNg'smanydeepregrets,oneistheimpactofhis iclionsonthelocalOrientalcommunity.“Frommyheart— notbecausetheyaremyownkindofpeople...it’sjustsuch ismal!minoritygroup,andIwishmyproblemdidnot illccltheirreputation.It'sthenewimmigrantswhoarewilfc;toworkextrahardforthemselvesandforthecountry, Aetherit'sChinese,Cambodians,orVietnameseinPort¬ landorallthewavbackIothePilgrims...Ihaveavery hw.illfeeling.Idon'tevenliketowalkdownthestreet here."

Ngsinglesout“SpencerHeavyDutyTruckPartsinScar¬ borough(forbeing)very'kindtomeallthroughthis,also Wu-XanrestaurantinSaco,thepeo¬ plealHuShangintheOldPort.Miss CarolPowerofMarkStimsonRealty inFalmouth,andSteveCrainof AudioDesign.Inc.,inWindham.I'd likeIothankthem."

KennyNgdoesIrvtoreachout. butlewpeoplearelistening.Oddly enough,thepersonwhomosthelped IothrowKennyNgfromhisplaceat thelopwashisbrotherHenry. ’Henrywasnotallowedanywhere near31ExchangeStreet,"saysa formercoworker.

HenryNghadcooperatedwith iulhorities.Heturnedhisbackon family,unheardofintheChinese familytraditionally.

Liter.thebankholdingthemort¬ gageontheBrownStreetHuShang, Henn'splace,foreclosed.Now HuShangonBrownStreetsitsquiet, ilw.waitingforanewownerasa tvstillofanauctionheldonMay9.

TheyearIliketoremember 9"A irgrellulsmileappearsonKenny Ng'slace..."1981."

He shakes his head when money comes up. “Honest to God1neverlookatmoney.Inevercounted.Imeasured WvessbyhowmuchqualityserviceIcouldgivetothe publicWhenIhavealotofmoneyIdon'tenjoylife, period."

- He listens down below his window to this summer's new cropofExchangeStreetshoppers,looksdown,anddisap¬ pearsintodarkintrospection.He'sbarelyhere—aman Handingbesideanaircraftdoorthat'sblownoff.

HuShangwasatthetopforover10years.TheNg's wereatthehelm.ItisnowMay,1991,andChau Nguyen, the man who cooked for HuShang, is now runningtheshow,alongwithhisbrotherLe,who ReiherpayKen$3,400permonthinrent.

'TireIRSdemandedmorethan$902,000asof30April

1990—after I'd payed them approximately $1 million since 1986, when my tax problems started," says Ng. Ng needs therentalincometopayoffcreditors“onebyone,littleby little,"especiallythosewhowillnotextendcredittoChau and Le. He needs the money to pay his long overdue tele¬ phone bill so that Le can have the “new" telephone. (207) 772-1000, given to customers who call and instead listen to a recording that says, "The telephone number you have dialed has been disconnected”

BeforeleavingHuShang,Ngpartitionedoffalargepartof what was HuShang, leasing the partitioned section to a Subway sandwich franchise.

SincelastJuly,ChauandLetogetherhavebeentryingto recapture the luster of HuShang that shone so brightly inthePortlandsky.Con¬ vincedthattheycould,they changed the name ever so slightlytoconfusecreditors and banks but not so much to confuse the loyal Mainers and Bostonians and others whostilltrektoHuShangto get authentic “Northern Chi¬ nese Cuisine."

Ng, who originally came totheUnitedStatesfrom HongKong,travelstoPort¬ landfromhisplaceinsec¬ lusion in Massachusetts to collecthisrents.Hehidesin theshadowsofthelast building he owns. 31 Exchange Street.

“Heismyfriend."saysLe of Ng. “He helped my brother and me when no one else would."

The last people to work with Kenny. Lorna Goodell, his manager, and Joanie Gagnon, “a longtime loyal employee and good friend," are the only reminders that Ng had woven a Chinese-American tapestry of success from the fibers of hard work and long hours. Now the tattered remainsliestrewnalloverPortland,thehomeofthe"Lake Folks."

HuShang may never be the same without Ng. But people whoatetherebeforethefallstillcometotalkaboutthe shameandsorrowofitall.

Since HuShang has undergone management changes, a name change (to HuShang. Old Port Inc.), and a change to the building's use, the lounge has nowbeen converted to a dining and banquet room and there is no longer a “happy hour." ■ —ByLarryGreene

Acadia Repertory Theater

Acadia Rep opens its 19th season with Noel Coward’s/Vma/eL/YesJuly 5 through 14; Painting Churches, Tina Howe's witty and touching play con¬ cerning a successful young painter’s feelings about her eccentric parents, follows on July 15-28; an Agatha Christie mystery, Unexpected Guest, playsfromJuly30-August11;andHar¬ vey. everybody’s favorite giant, tippling, invisible rabbit, runs from August 13-25.

Also included in the season is "Guest Artist Week," August 27-September I. featuring Jackson Gillman and Friends, who provide vaudeville and variety entertainment. Acadia Rep will close their season by re-running PrivateLives September 3-15.

Forchildren:Kipling'sJustSoStor¬ ies. Thursdays from July 4-August 29; Pinnochio, Wednesdays July 3-August 28; and Treasure Island. FridaysJuly 5-August30.Children'sshowsareat1 p.m..ticketsare$5foradults,$3for children.

Adult performances begin at 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, with a 2 p.m. matineeonthelastSundayofeachrun. Tickets are $10, $8 for students and seniors.AcadiaRepertory'performsat the Masonic Hall. Route 102, in Somesville on Mount Desert Island. Box office:(207)244-7260.

Mad Horse Theatre

Archangel.Portland’ssistercityinthe SovietUnion,issendingustheTheatre Victor Panov for the summer season. The exchange was established last December when the company visited Portland and Mr. Panov and Mad Horse’s artistic director, Michael Rafkin,foundtheirtheaterstobe“very' sympathetic."

Whilefulldetailsarestillpending concerning dates, the 17-member Rus¬ sian company is expected to arrive sometime at the beginning of July and mount a two-week run of the following productions: The Poisoned Tunic, a northernRussianfolkplayentitledIf YouDon’tLikeIt,Don’tListenToIt;

Remembrance, a ceremonial play on thesubjectofdeath;andPinter’s The Dumb Waiter, which was also pro¬ duced by Mad Horse in this last season.

This program will include lectures, workshops, and symposiums. For fur¬ therinformation,call(207)797-3338.

BiddefordCityTheatre

Here,it’s Peter Pan through Max IT with Thursday and Friday perform¬ ancesat8p.m.andSaturdayandSun¬ daymatineesat2p.m.TicketsareSI2 foradults,$10forchildrenandseniors

The 96-year-old Victorian Opera House will also host the annualMiss Maine Scholarship Pageant onJune

modern farce which has been a big hit on Broadway, follows on July 8-20; JohnRaittstarsinMan of La Mancha July22-August3;NeilSimon’sRumors runs from August 5-17; andAnnie Get Your Gun rounds up the season from August19-31.It’sabitdelightfulthat thetheaterhastakenspecialpainsto announcethatthisisthefirsttimethat Annie Get Your Gun has played there in59years.

Performances begin at 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with 2:30 matinees on Wednesday and Thurs¬ day. Tickets are $18 for all perform¬ ances, and there is a group-rate dis¬ count available. (207) 494-5511.

Biddeford City Theater

Hackmatack Playhouse

Celebrating their 20th season in "The Old Barn,’’ Hackmatack Playhouse is reviving shows that have proven pop¬ ularinthepast,aswellaswelcoming back a number of veteran Hackmatack actors.

They begin with that traditional summer musical,Fiddler On the Roof,

OgttiiqtiilPlayhouse

Thisgranddaddy(orgrandperson?)of Maine summer theatre embarks upon its59thseasonthisyear,openingwith themusicalcomedyWhere's Charley? June24-July6.Lend Me a Tenor,a

whichrunsJune25th-July7.Stalag17, a “comedy/melodrama” concerning the lives of American prisoners in a German war camp, follows July 9-20; the Cole Porter extravaganzaAnything Goes runsfromJuly23-August4;Ghost Train plays from August 6-17; and on August 20-September 1 they fringe the surrey of their season with the foot¬ stompin’ Rogers and Hammerstein hit Oklahoma.

Sanford Stage Company

Sanford Stage Co. offers the following selectionofoldchestnuts:Arsenicand OldLace,May3-19;ByeByeBirdie,July 11-27;PlazaSuite,August8-24;KissMe Kate,October11-27.

Evening shows begin at 8 p.m., matin¬ eesat2p.m.Ticketsare$8foradults, $6 for children and seniors. Group ratesareavailable.(207)324-9691.

Portland Performing Arts Center

Abrams & Anderson hit the stage on July 18, 19, and 20. This improvisa¬ tional comedy duo has kept audiences cracking up with their creative humor anduseofaudiencesuggestionsfor12 years.Ticketsfor Abrams & Anderson, Part XII: The Summer Blockbusterwill be available through the PPAC box office—(207) 774-0465—and are $12. Forinformation,call(207)772-8059.

Maine State Music Theatre

Located on the Bowdoin College cam¬ pus in Brunswick, the Maine State Music Theater begins its 33rd season June 11th, with Andrew Lloyd Web¬ ber’s family musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which runs through June 22. Charles Abbott,thetheater’snewartisticdir¬ ector,bringsRogersandHart’sretel¬ lingoftheMarkTwainclassic,ACon¬ necticutYankeeinKingArthur'sCourt, uptodatebyincluding1990stechnol¬ ogy; this show runs from June 25-July 6.Hello Dolly followsfromJuly9-20; the Twain motif continues with the presentation of the award-winning musical BigRiver. This adaptation of the Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer saga will have a three-week run from July 23 through August 10.

The Music Theatre will conclude its season with the premiereof a romantic musical comedy entitled Love Is Spoken Here by Jacqueline Reinach and Stanley Ralph Ross. While the theaterintendstocontinuetorelyon the old standards (which is the trend with many summer theater compan-

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Events

ies),theyseethisseasonasthebegin¬ ningofanewdirection,todebutnew musicalsandtoinjectlifeintoregional summertheater.

Evening performances begin at 8 .p.m.;matineesareat2p.m.Tickets .rangefrom$13to$21,withaSenior ■ discount for matinees. Season sub¬ scriptionratesarealsoavailable. ■Furtherinformationcanbeobtained ■bycalling725-8769.

In addition to the above perform¬ ances,theMaineStateMusicTheatre will present two children's shows, <slatedforJuly29andAugust19,oneof which will be a musical version of (SloneSoup.

TheTheatreProject

^ArtisticdirectorAlMiller'sseason 'startswithTomGriffin'spoignant The BoysNextDoor June27-July30,foljlowedbythepopularfavoriteTBAJuly ■18ththroughAugust3rd;nextisthe 1corporate-takeoverdrama Other Peo;pie'sMoneyAugust8-24.

(Thetheaterisparticularlyexcited about a new exchange program with .Russianchildren’stheater.Thecom;panywillpremiereanoriginalmusical ;versionofCinderella on May 30, which vwillcontinueonMay31andJune1,2, 56,and7.Theshowwillthentourthe ?SovietUnion,inturn,aRussianchild> ren's company will return with the ensemble, be housed by । Brunswick families, and bring with ■themaproductiontobestagedatthe CTheatreProject.Detailsarcstillpend; ing, but phone (207) 729-8584 for ?Information.Curtaintimeforthelisted 'performancesis8p.m.;ticketsare$10, L$8lorstudentsandseniors.

r i •TheWatervilleOperaHouse

The Waterville Opera House embarks fuponitsfirstsummerseasonwiththe :followinglineup:OnJune22nd,jug; gler Randy Judkins and musician SBruceJohnsonwillperform;AzticTwo j Step appears in July; and Abrams & r.Anderson head north and inland on JAugust10formoreimprovisational

comedy.

Also slated at the Opera House are four TBA productions by the Last Laugh Theatre Company. Further de¬ tails should be available by calling (207) 873-3321.

would it?

Friday and Saturday shows are planned, but another night may be added for overflow reservations. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. The cost is $30 to $35 per

Port Star Productions At the Scoolhouse Arts Center at Sebago Lake

Port Star Productions

PortStarProductionspresentsawest¬ ern version of Two Gentlemen of Verona. The gentlemen’s travels take them from Verona, Maine to Milan, Missouri. The production will include cowboys, outlaws, saloons...well, you getthepicture,pard.

The show runs from May 23-June 9, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees at 3 p.m., at the Schoolhouse Art Center at Sebago Lake.Forfurthers,call(207)624-3743 or (207) 775-0514.

Mystery Cafe

The murder-mystery dinner theater company will presentKillingMr.With¬ ers intheBaker’sTablebanquetroom. Inthisparticularproduction,abusload of tourists en route to Vegas get stranded in the desert at the “Last Chance Pump and Grill." If 1 told you any more, it wouldn't be a mystery,

person. For reservations, call (207) 883-1035.TheBaker’sTableislocated at434ForeStreet,intheOldPort.

Lakewood Theatre

Set in the bucolic wilds of Madison, Lakewood will present what they term "their most diverse season to date," opening with the contemporary British bedroom comedy Move Over Mrs. Markham, which runs June 13-15 and 19-22;nextisthatoldfamilyclassic Cheaper By the Dozen, playing June 27-29andJuly3-5; Cabaret runsJuly 1l-13and\1-IQ,Frankensteinwillchill audiences July 25-27 and July 31August 3;Pirates of Penzance follows August8-1l;next\s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest August15-17and21-24: Never Too Late (I’m running out of verbs) arrives August 29-31 and Sep¬ tember 4-7; and finally, the season ends with Jack Sharkey’sMeanwhile, Back on the Couch, which plays

September 12-14 and 18-21. Performances are at 8 p.m., mati¬ neesareat2p.m.everysecondWednesday of the show’s run. Tickets range from $9 to $14. The season will also includeoutdoorbandandstringconcerts. Gotallthat?Ifnot,call(207)474-7176.

The Theatre at Monmouth

Maine's official Shakespeare company celebrates its 22nd season by welcom¬ ingbackitsoriginalfoundingdirector, Richard Sewell. The company will present, in repertory, the following productions: Two Shakespeare offer¬ ings, King Lear and A Comedy of Errors;DesertFire, a drama by Roger Holzberg and Martin Casalie concern¬ ing the relationship between two World War II veterans who were present during atomic testing, one of whom has contracted cancer; andThe LiarbyPierreCornielle.

The season opens July 5 and runs through August 31. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with Wednesday and Saturday mat¬ inees at 2 p.m. The theater will also stage a children’s production of The Musicians of Bremen during the month ofAugust,withTuesday,Thursday,and Sunday matinees. Tickets are $16, $14 for matinees, students, and seniors. Children’sshowswillbe$5foradults, $4forchildren.

Performances are in the elegant Victorian Cumston Hall, which, by the by,isair-conditioned.933-9999.

Camden Civic Theatre

Maine summer theater suffered a loss withthefoldingoftheCamdenShakes¬ peare Company. Last summer was their final season, and even then they had onlystagedtwochildren’sproductions.

i The demise has been met with surprise

■ and sadness by many.

Camden will not, however, be with¬ out theater this summer. The Camden Civic Theatre offers the following lineup: The Lion in Winter opens the season June 7 and runs the 8th, 14th, and 15th; next is A. R. Gurney'sLove

Letters,inwhichthelifelongrelation¬ ship between a man and woman is chronicledthroughadialogueofcor¬ respondence;itplaysJuly12,13,19, and 20; Cabaret followsonAugust9, 10, 16, and 17, with matinees on the 11thand18th.Reservedseatsare$8, $7 at the Camden Opera House.

The New Surrey Theatre

ArtisticDirectorBillRaitenantici¬ pates his season to begin the second weekinJulyfollowingatriptoLenin¬ gradtobetheguestsoftheAndreyev Balaika.Thetrip,whichissponsored bythetheater,isslatedfortheendof Juneandisopentothepublic.

His 1991 season will consist of Who’sAfraidofVirginiaWoolf?;Chris¬ topher Durang’s sharp-witted Laugh¬ ing Wild; the one-woman show The LastFlapper,whichisbasedonthelife and times of Zelda Fitzgerald; and lastly, Marsha Norman's emotional drama 'NightMother.

The New Surrey Theatre will also hostaseriesoflecturesbyVeniamin FilshtinskyoftheLeningradInstitute and a concert of Russian chamber music this summer.

The season will run from July 12 through August 25 at the Blue Hill Town Hall. (207) 374-5057

Grand Auditorium

The Grand Auditorium of Hancock County will present a production of The Music ManMay17and18at8p.m. andonMay19at2:30.Ticketsare$10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for children 10 and under.

On July 25, 26, and 27 The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Hancock CountywillstageRuddigore,themus¬ icaltaleofacurseputonafamilyin whichpaintingscometolife.Whilethe Society,ofcourse,stressesthesinging, theyareparticularlyavidaboutthesets forthisproduction,whichwillenable thesetransformations.Curtainis8p.m.

TheGrandexpectstoofferanumber of presentations this summer. (207) 667-9500

Dance

AmericanBalletEast,17BishopStreet, Portland,presentsCanCanParisian,The HolbergSuite,andBrittonwiththe AmericanBalletEastOrchestraatthePort¬ landPerformingArtsCenter,25AForest Ave.,through May 18 Boxoffice:774-0465.

Music

TheBath-BrunswickFolkClubpresents ScottishperformerTonyCuff,thelead singerfortheband“Ossian"andanin¬ novativeguitarist.OpeningsetbyFinn McCool. May 18. 8p.m.attheCurtisLittle Theater.ChocolateChurch.804Washing¬ tonStreet.Bath.Ticketsare$7advance,$9 althedoor.729-3185.

TheMid-CoastJazzSocietypresentsthe MCJSJazzFestival‘91,attheChocolate Church,Bath,on June9. Centerforthe Arts,804WashingtonSt.,Bath.442-8455.

TheChocolateChurch.804Washington

Street,Bath,presentsmulti-talentedsinger/songwriterChristineLavinon May 11. 8p.m.$12adults/$l0seniorsandchildren. On June 1 theChocolatechurchpresents Banjo Dan & the Midnight Plowboys. NewEnglandBluegrass.Tickets$10/8at theCurtisLittleTheater.442-8455.

TheMaineMaritimeMuseum.Washington Street.Bath,presentstheSecondAnnual FestivalofTraditionalSeaMusic May 31-June2. Mini-concertsandworkshops onSaturdayandSundaywithanall-hands concertonSaturdaynight.Presentersfrom U.S.,Canada,andBritishIslessingshanties andforebittersontheshipyardgrounds. 443-1316,563-1484

ChuckKrugerProductionspresentsThe Colby Camerata on May 18, and The Old Time Radio Gang/ Al Hawks on June22, attheWaldoTheater,Waldoboro. 832-6060.

Galleries

JoanWhitneyPaysonGalleryofArt.West¬

brookCollege,716StevensAvenue.Through June9: TwoAlumni:NorikoSakanishi, WC '66, and Carley Warren, WC ’51. Warren,wholivesinDenver,makeslarge woodandsteelsculpturethatusear¬ chitecturalimagerytoevokememoriesof familiarplaces.PortlandresidentSaka¬ nishi'sworkevidencesherinterestinstruc¬ tureandinsurface.Tuesdays,Wednes¬ days,Fridays:l0a.m.-4p.m.,Thursdays:10 a.m.-9p.m.,SaturdaysandSundays:Ip.m5 p.m. Closed holidays and between exhibits.797-9546.

BowdoinCollegeMuseumofArt,Walker ArtBuilding,Brunswick.ArcticAcqui¬ sitions’89-’9O,ongoing,atthePearyMacmillanArcticMuseum,HubbardHall. Tuesday-Saturday,10a.m.to5p.m.Sundav 2-5p.m.725-3003.

Elements Gallery, 56 Maine Street. Brunswick,presentsthrough May 25 Paperworks.Hand-madepaperwallart andconstructions.Groupshow. May 29July 6: Watershed 5th Anniversary Show;groupshow,gallerytalks.729-1108.

Continued

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In Maine’s White Mountains

Events

MaineMaritimeMuseum,243Washington Street,Bath. May 24 markstheopeningof theexhibitionBigBoatsMadeSmall.A celebrationoftraditionallifestylesonthe watersofMainethroughtheworksof severalminiaturistsfromalocalizedregion ofCoastalDownEast.443-1316.

O’FarrellGallery,46MaineStreet,Bruns¬ wick,presentsnewpaintingsbyJacqueline De Costa Barrett through May 25. 729-8228.

JonesMuseumofGlass&Ceramics,Douglas Hill,Sebago,opensfortheseason May 15, withSpecialExhibitions“ACurator’s Choice,"and“Marbles.”787-3370.

TheMuseumofArt,OlinArtsCenter,Bates College,Lewiston,presentsPortraitsof Trees,anexhibitionof40photograghsby TomZetterstrom. May19-August1 7.786-6330.

TheMaineStateMuseum,StateHouse, Augusta,willpresentamajornewex¬ hibitiononprehistoricandIndianpeoples oftheregionentitled12,000Yearsin Maine.Thecomplexexhibitwillfeature severalthousandsignificantartifactsand specimansdatingfromMaine’slasticeage tothenineteenthcentury. Opens May 18. Also, this summer the Museum will open anewexhibition CreatingtheStateof Maine,1760-1842.289-2301.

TheArtGalleryattheCenterfortheArtsat theChocolateChurch,804WashingtonSt., Bath,ispleasedtoannounceatwo-person exhibitofpaintingsbyCharlesGoodhue and sculpture by Ann Weber through June1. 443-4090.

HobeSoundGalleriesNorth,58Maine Street,Brunswick,presentsAnitaBartlett through May 25. Also MelitaBrecher, May29-July6. 725-419I.

GreenhutGalleries,146MiddleStreet,Port¬ land,presentsoriginalartworkbygallery artistsRichardSaltonstall,NancyBrown, SarahKnock,MattJames,ThomasCon¬ nolly. Ongoing. AspecialshowofPortland City Scenes by Duncan Slade May 23June 23. Openingreception May 23, 5-7 p.m.772-2693.

NancyMargolisGallery,367ForeSt.,Port¬ land,presentsfurniturebyJamieJohns¬ ton;ceramicsbyBarbaraDiduk,James Watral,andEricJensen;andjewelryby Michael Good and Ronald H. Pearson. Ongoing. 775-3822.

Christine'sGallery,attheYarmouthMarket¬ place, 24 U.S. Route One, Yarmouth, presents original works by Theodore Jeremenko.846-6128.

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Indulgeinthe luxurious splendor ofMaine’sHistoric castleoverlooking thesea.Graciously decorated with antiques, each charming bedroom hasaprivatebath; some have fireplaces,some have harbor views. Norumbega is open year round and is theperfectsetting for romantic weekends, elegant weddings, and small meetings and seminars.NorumbegaisontheNationalHistoricRegister.Inquire about our "Murder by the Sea” Mystery Weekends. Oneof“the year’s Top Twelve Inns” —Country Inns Magazine, February1991

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Events Miscellaneous

PortlandPublicLibrary.5Monument Square*.Portland,presentsRightsCourt: TheFirstAmendmentonTrial.ThreenoonItimeprogramsinwhichopposingat¬ torneyspresentcasesandyouareamemherofthejury May 7. 14,21,and ; Solitude, a lecture bv Dr. Calvin MacKenzie.commentator,writerandptofessorofethicsandgovernmentfromColbv College,aspartoftheAnnualbrownHag iLectureSeries.Noon. May 15. inthePines Room.TheBillofRights throughMay 30.<> bicentennialCelebrationbyIlie IUnionofMaineVisualArtists871-1700.

iSouthworthPlanetarium.USM.9(5Fal¬ mouthStreet.Portland,presentsseveral Astronomy(ATouroftheSolarSystem, TheBirthandDeathofStars,TheMars i Show, Introduction to the PlanatI erium, What’s Up and Where,) and LaserLightShows.PublicEveningShows areFridavandSaturdays.Doorsopenat 6:30.Astronomyshowsal7p.m..Laser¬ lightshowsat8:30p.m.$3adults;$2.50 childrenandseniors.Childrenunder5not admittedtoeveningshows.CallthePlanet¬ ariumoffice.780-12'19.forshowshedules.

WindhamMillChurch.Windham,presents House Tours of 8 Antique Homes May 18 fromI0to3.andquiltshow892-2979.

ITheKennebunkKennebunkportChamber I of Commerce presents The Victorian AffairWeekendduringVictoriaDayWeek¬ end May 17-19. Activitiessuchastra¬ ditionalMay-Poledances,silentmovies, open-aircarriagerides,authentictrolley rides,andhistoricalwalkingtoursand manyopportunitestosampleperiodfares willbeoffered.967-0857.

Trout Real Chowd'ah' ButtermilkBiscuits Mashed Potatoes with Lumps & Skins

IBltaePlat®Srpe-cnaS $9.95 changes every couple of days

Fried Chicken Cobblers Homemade Ice Cream Tin Roof Sundaes

Open For Dinner Corner of Spring &

MaineWritersandPublishersAlliance, MaineWriter'sCenter.Brunswick,presents SpringWorkshops.StudioPoetrywith CarolynPageandRoyZarucchion May11. SuddenFictionwithNicoled'Entremont May 11. PoetrywithGaryLawlesson May 11. Getting Published with Richard Grant May 18. 729-6333.

MaineMineralogical&GeologicalSociety presentstheannualRockhoundRound¬ upattheUSMGym.FalmouthSt..Portland. Goldpanning,silversmithing,sionecuiting andotherdemonstrationsaswellas20 mineralandjewelrydealers.Doorprizes andraffles,includinga5,000caratamethvst. June 1 & 2 878-3618.774-1738.

TheMaineAudubonSocietywilloffer guidednaturewalksatitsScarborough MarsliNatureCenterforgroupsofallages. IWalksarescheduledTuesdaysthrough Fridaysuntiltheendoftfieschoolyear.The feeisS3perpersonwithaminimumol$l5 pergroup.781-2330.

Refugees

Continuedfrompage20 jlalesforafewseconds,theninterprets theheadlinesforme:"Thisstory'is aboutalargecelebration."fiereads. ’Dearestfriends,afewdaysagoon February15th.AfghanFreedomFight¬ ersheldthe12thanniversaryvigilat Samkanay Peshawar. Twenty thousand Afghanresistorswhodiedinthebattle at Heratin1979againsttheRussians wrehonored One thousand Freedom Fightersspokeabouttheheroeswho slixxlupandgavetheirlivesresisting theCommunists. Leaders spoke about theheroismofresistantFreedomFightters and continued their pledge to resisttheSovietsWewillnevercome togetherwiththeCommuniststoform a jointgovernment.”theyvowed.'Asad Will."Habibzaiends."Doyouthink

theresistorswillsucceed?"Iask."I hope so. yes," he says. "Two million Afghans are trapped in the Pakistan desert. They are unwelcome, and have noplacetogo.”

Unlikethoseinthedesert.Habibzai isassuredofsafety.SecurehereinPort¬ land. Habibzai has prospered. Similar tothousandsofotherrefugees.Habib¬ zai came to America seeking new free¬ doms and a chance for a better life. Forgoing the opportunity to receive citizenship, Habibzai has elected to make his move to Portland imperman¬ ent.Instead,hehaspledgedhisalle¬ giance to the Mujahadeen. When the Soviet puppet government topples, he willrejoinhiscountrymeninAfghanis¬ tan.Inthemeantime,Habibzaibuildsa securelifeforhisfamilyinPortland. Habibzai is fortunate.

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Waiting OnThePayoff

New Fiction By Dan Domench

AFTER A CREAKY and painful awakening, he got the idea that a haircut might help. Man, he was queasy. Pulling onhisjeansgavehimthespins.Buthe hadn’tdrankmuchlastnight.Itwasthe BBQribs.Porkwasclogginghisbrain, plugging the back of his eyesockets. He stepped out of his room, onto the bricks, and bumped into a chattering couple striding up hill toward the ocean view. Summer people with their stupidbrightshirtsblastinginthesun¬ light.Hehadtosquint.Wheredidpeo¬ ple get the money to waste on useless shirts?

Money. He would need five dollars. He checked his wallet. Seven bucks. Enough for the cut and coffee. The gravitywasbadthismorning.Hetried torideit,letitcarryhimdownthehill toward the barber shop.

It was like a dream. The air in the shop seemed foggy, smelled of motor oil and talcum. A game show on a small black and white TV filled the room with bursts of hissing applause. He picked up a tabloid, read about a Queen’s niece sleeping with a grave¬ digger,thenitwashisturnandhesatin the warm chair. The clippers were red hot.Thenoiselikeaviciousjunebug

circlinghishead.Metalteethchewed. Hishairfellinclumpsanditstarted working.Hefeltabitbetter.

Then through the dirty window he watched fat Paulie leave George's Tavern,crossthestreetwavingatcars, weaving like a hungover traffic cop, waddle closer and closer, bump throughthedoorway,andstartin.

"Christ Almighty, Sam. You cutting thatkid’searoff?"

Pauliehadtocallhimakidandtalk like he was his dad. He focused, enjoyed Paulie’s ugliness. The man lookedlikeafrog.Asagging-facered¬ eyedstagnantpondtoad.Hisskineven had green splotches in the shape of knownlakes.Sebagowasunderhisleft sideburn. Moosehead dominated his rightcheek.

Therewasablipinhischest,nota painexactly,butakindoftremor.He knew masticated BBQ park was moving throughhisveins,stuffinghisarteries like a sausage. He might die in the chair. Paulie’s bloody bug-eyes swel¬ lingoutoftheirwateryholesmightbe thelastlivingthingsheeversaw.He resistedtheurgetoturnandhugSam. "Snakehadhishandsfulllastnight." Paulie grinned like someone in pain and his right eye drifted upward and

away. Paulie blinked hard, regained control of his face. "Wilma came in, meaner than usual and half-drunk. Closingtime.Snakeboughtasix-pack and dared her to go home with him.”

The clippers razzed "Shedid.SomeandDickclosedup andwentovertoSnake’strailerwitha bagofcats."

Abagofcats?Whatthehellisabag ofcats?

"We could hear Wilma and Snake arguing in the back bedroom, so we opened the front screen and dumped the catsin."

Oh cats Real cats "Snake's mutts howled and chased the screaming cats around, and we heard stud breakingupsoweranbackIo ourcar,waitingonthepayoff. IthoughtforsureSnakeand Wilma would run out of the trailerkickingcatsintheair"

Sam took a step back, ad¬ miredhiswork,thenbrushedhairoff hisnecklikeslappingpaintonafence post.

"Butthecatsanddogskeptfighting on and on. So me and Dick snuck back up to the trailerand we hearSnakeand Wilmakissingandgoingatittearing offeachother’sclotheswhilethecats are running around the freakin dogs andspitting.Thelightsstartedgoing onintheothertrailerssowetookoff.

Now Wilma comes in this morning, orders tomato juice in Snake's beer like she’s making him breakfast, and she’s holding Snake's hand and says they'reengagedlikethey'reteenagers inloveinsteadofacoupleofbums."

He was up and paying and looking inthemirrorathisbuzzedhairandhis skinnyarmsstickingoutofhisblack T-shirt and then pushing past Paulie andoutintothesun.Toodamnbright. A gray overcast would be nice. Maybe some ram. He had two bucks left

He headed down the hill toward a diner that didn't allow smoking That made it easier to borrow cigarettes. There was a certain generosity that smokers had when gathered in an agi¬ tated circle outside the door of a restaurant

Halfwaydowntheblock,hewatched theChristguyputdownhislife-sized cross and walk into Toot’s corner store. He'd never been close to the crossbefore.Sawitwasmadeoutof4 by1cedarbeams,heavy-looking,but theChristguyhadaddedawheeltothe bottomsohedidn'thavetodragit.An inflatedbouncylittletire.

ThreekidsinCatholicschoolunilormsgrabbedthecrossandrandown thehillwithit.TheChristguyjumped outofthestore,chasingafterthekids, makingangrynoises.

Thedinerwasnotthatbusy.There wereafewotherunemployedguyslike himself,alonghairedartistwithpaintsplatteredclothessketchingtwoin¬ tensepoetssittingacrossatablefrom each other, scratching out stuff on notepads.Wincing.Sweatingcoffee.A competitionofsomekind,maybe.

He sat near the window. Cappy came in. His white hair poofing out fromunderayellowhatwithagreen anchor patch glued to the brim. He woreapurplehankerchiefknottedon hisneck,abrightred-stripedshirt, crispsea-bluejeans,orangevest,and deckshoes.HelookedlikeaBroadway show,likeanyminutehewouldstart singing upbeat sea songs. He eased himself down near a couple of gray hairedladiesallwrappedupforaferry rideiotheisland.

Cappy was deaf and yelled when he talked,"Iseeyouladiesaresetfor shipping. Oh and yesterday didn’t a spankingsqualloutofthesoutheast turnmyspinnakerintoaballoon.”

He used to work with Cappy, whose name was Phil, a short-order cook from Albany who drank himself down todishwasherbutnow’wasnothingif hewasn'tanoldseasalt.Buttheguy wasahitwiththeolderladies.Never alone.

Maybe that's what would happen to him.Startwearingsomekindofoutfit.

Through the window he watched a guywithagoateeandawhitecockatoo onhisshoulderwalktowardthediner. Thenaguyridingabicyclewithahorrifindcatonhisshoulderveeredtoward the guy with the parrot. The biker sloppedinfrontoftheguywiththe parrot, tried to make friendly con-

Fiction

“The fisherman sounded like the devil would sound if he had his own radio show.”

versation, one pet owner to another. Theparrotscreechedatthecat,ruffled hisfeathersoutineverydirection,dug his claws into his owner’s neck and twistedhisclawsintohisowner'sneck and twisted his beak into his owner's skull,burrowingawaytosafety.

Then he heard a deep rattling voice behind him. A tall, spooky-looking fisherman was herding a crew of three young guys into a corner booth. He

watchedtheirreflectionintheglass. The fisherman sounded like the devil would sound if he had his own radio show.

“You’renotdoingittherightway,” hegrowledathiscrew.“Thereisonly onewaytodoit.WhenIfirststartedout 1wastoldtherightway.Itriedtodoit the wrong way. But it didn’t work. I Continued on page 48

Peter Raszmann

PORTLANDInstant PRINTING

Fiction

Continued from page 45 finallyhadtodoittherightway.See this..." The fisherman dug a piece of shiny wood out of his pocket. Itlookedlikeapartofadoorframe.

"There was a guy. Had to do things his own way. He had to go and get his own boat. He used to speed out of the harbor and when he got near his brother’s boat, at the last minute he wouldsteerheadon,collisioncourse. Right before the crash, his brother would hitch port and he starboard. They’d barely miss each other. It seemed nothing more than a harmless game.Butitwasn’tright.”

Thewaitressstoodbehindthedevil, decidednottointerrupt.

“One day this do things his own way bigshot borrowed someone else’s boat. He motored near his brother, at thelastminuteturnedstraightathim, but his brother didn't recognize the borrowed boat. He didn’t turn.” The devilheldupthepieceofwood.“This piece of deck was all that was found floating. Understand? Do things right orsuffer.”

There was a pause broken only by the fading scream of the cockatoo owner outside.

The devil smiled with stern satis¬ faction.“Iknow.1wasthebrother.I drowned. I’ll have the pancakes.”

The waitress blinked. The three young guys didn't move. The bacon greaseintheairstartedtoreactwith the BBQ pork in his system. He choked. He had to get up and go. He walked back up the hill toward his room, propelled by the bitter coffee andastrangefeeling.

He slammed his front door, looked around his tattered room, broke, nothing to eat, but his nerves were alivewiththefeeling,likehewasabout to remember something, like he was standing near to something incredibly valuable. But he owned nothing. Just thriftshopfurnitureandafourdollar manual typewriter. Yet he started to laugh, giddy with hope, because sud¬ denly he was sure of it, somewhere in this very room there was something he I could sell. □ —By Dan Domench

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