My Siblings

Remembering the loved ones who had died, translated…

When my eldest brother died so suddenly, I’d started recalling the memories that I had already forgotten.  Back then (in 1956), the government workers could have the rations enough for four children, and so, my parents had four of us.  An eldest sister, plus the three of us, younger boys.  My sister was the apple of my parents’ eyes, with the flair of being well-brought up, had always excelled in school too, but back then when she was only able to get into Jingmei All Girls’ High School, it was heart wrenching for her.  And in the end, she’d managed to get her doctorate, and taught as a professor.  What was worth mentioning, was that she’d wanted to attend military school, plus, my mother was also, a retired servicewoman, and the funny thing being, the two women are professional soldiers, but none of us men is one.  

We had strict rules, and all of us followed the rules precisely, but the three of us boys who were closely aged, we’d partied very hard all the time!  Back then, because of the legendary youth baseball league story, kids in the elementary years are all very intrigued by the sport, and, whenever we could, we’d placed a brown paper bag, or made gloves out of papers, without a bat, we’d used bamboo sticks.  Dad was amazing, on one of our birthday, perhaps?  He’d bought two plastic baseball gloves, along with a REAL baseball bat for us three.  The bat supposedly belonged to my younger brother, him, being so young, fearing that the older kids won’t allow him to play, and the bat became his specialty insurance.  He’d even slept with it next to him!

The three of us brothers all excelled in our separate areas, my eldest brother is good at art, he was so very talented in his elementary school years, most talented in water colors, and his styles, mature for his age, and the pieces he’d entered for competitions, the teachers thought that someone else made them for him, and so, he’d only taken home the trophies for the in-person competitions, but he just enjoyed drawing, not cared at all about winning the trophies.  After middle school, he was restrained by our father who’d held really traditional values, who’d constantly told him to study harder in school!  It’s such a shame that he didn’t continue to shine in this area he loved so much.

My younger brother was, not really good in school, but ever since he was little, he was really talented in the kitchens, I remember how once when he was in the second grade, the adults were not at home, and the four of us were placed in charge of cooking the meal for that evening.  And my youngest brother stood on the stool, and, ordered the three of us around, like we’re his sous chef!  In the end, he’d managed to get a degree from the cooking majors in a technical high school, but it seemed, that the traditional belief of “studying is the best way!” had damaged him, he’d often felt he couldn’t measure up to the rest of us, and ended up, giving up on himself in his studies, and became a “bad” kid.  If he was born in this day and age, when the restaurant businesses are up and running, maybe he would be a hell of a lot happier!

I guess, I’m the most spoiled rotten of all my siblings, although I’d always been slim, but, I’m the one with the best health.  My childhood dreams were to become a professional sports player!  Any chance I can get, baseball, table tennis, volleyball, basketball, even Judo, I’d excelled in.  But fate ALWAYS has a way of stepping in at the key times, to make sure that I didn’t perform well at tryouts and competitions.  Plus because of how traditional my parents were, I can only keep studying the academics.  As I got older, I’d wanted to become a writer, but my parents didn’t approve, and, that’d made me into who I currently am, and it’s still very difficult to tell, if it were a good thing, or a bad one, that I’d turned out this way.  You only get this one try at life, there’s no rewind, all you can do, is to keep on, marching forward is the thing!

Recalling our childhood, my older sister and I were probably the healthiest, we were both heavier when we were born, causing my mother to have difficulties delivery us both, and it was told, that because it took too long, for my mother to give birth to my eldest sister, that when she’d come out, she didn’t cry at first, after the doctors worked hard at resuscitating her, she’d come back to life again!  As for when my mother was giving birth to me, she’d passed out because of the pains, a third birth being so difficult, and I can only deduct that I was huge!  As for my older and younger brothers, they were born, naturally, weakened, had a higher chance to fall ill, and now, they’re both gone already.  I just hope, that the deceased don’t have any regrets, and the families and friends who are still alive live happily!  Life is unpredictable, and it will eventually come to an end, but, being alive is a blessing on its own, you can have NO regrets, if you learn to cherish the present moment!

And so, this, is from someone who’d bore witness to the events, the goings on of life all around him, and, he is right too, on that you need to cherish your todays (a present???), and just live every day to the fullest you know how.

 

 

 

 

 and no, still not mine, picture OR kids!