My Girlfriend Helping Someone Out

nope, not my photo…

Observations from life, translated…

The shopfronts in Taipei are very expensive, in order to save up on the rent, there would be vendors, setting up stands in front of my girlfriend’s shopfront, doing small businesses.  One day, a young man who was tanned came to the front of her shop, and set up a hat stand; my girlfriend saw how he’d often just had two pieces of breads for his meals, and, being too shy, he couldn’t sell his hats very easily, she felt bad for him.

That day, my girlfriend had, ordered an extra lunch, gave it to the young man, said that the shop ordered an extra serving.  He felt bashful, taking the meal from her, and told my girlfriend, that he hadn’t made any money in two weeks.

Afterwards, my girlfriend would order lunch for the young man almost every single day, and slowly, she’d gotten to know his backgrounds.  He was from Kaohsiung, his parents both passed away when he was quite young, didn’t get a chance to get too much of an education, and, his only sister committed suicide because she was unlucky in love.  He’d rented a suite in Taipei, because he couldn’t pay for his younger sister’s place inside a tower for her urn, her ashes are still, in the living room of their old house.

After my girlfriend heard his tale, she felt bad for him, because she too, came from the distant agricultural areas alone to Taipei to work, and, during which time, she’d had her trials of life as well.  She’d decided to help this younger guy, not only did she lend him the money to help him bury his younger sister, when her friends came to her shop, she’d redirected them to his stand too.

One day, he came to her shop, all excited, with a bag in his hand, to see my girlfriend said, “Older sister, I’d had this yummy food at the night markets!  I’d bought a portion for you!”  My girlfriend was busying about the shop, asked him, “What’s so tasty at the night markets?”  he stated, “It’s ‘tu-fong’!”, my girlfriend was confused, and picking up the bag, she’d started laughing, told him, “It’s a catfish, not a dogfish”, but the her younger brother couldn’t speak Chinese without his accent, kept getting the pronunciations wrong, made my girlfriend laugh out loud.

And, just like this, six months passed, my girlfriend did some careful calculations for this younger man, told him, that the cost of living is very high in Taipei, life is really difficult, she’d consoled him to get back to Kaohsiung and find work there, he could save up more money more easily.  As her adopted brother heard her words, he’d started crying, without any family left, he’d started seeing my girlfriend as his real sister already.  He’d cried and told my girlfriend, he’d already saved some money already.  My girlfriend told him with this persistence, that he needed to be good at a skill, that way, his future won’t have any troubles.  Later on, my girlfriend introduced him to a friend who works in the plumbing sector to him, and bought him a used car so he couldn’t have to walk everywhere, and, just like so, her “adopted brother” went back to Kaohsiung.

Another six months later, my girlfriend got a call from him, he’d told her, “older sister, I’m very well right now, I also have a girlfriend too!”  My girlfriend laughed at him, “Are you sure she loves you?”, he said, “yes, I don’t have that much money, nobody’s going to scam me!”  Hearing how energetic his voices is on the phones, my girlfriend felt happy for him, because she was, changing a person’s life, and, her younger “adopted” brother would call her up, every single month, to tell her how he is doing, being clumsy with his words, he’d still used that exact same expression, “Sis, sis, I’m very well right now!”

And so, this woman had, helped changed a man’s life, she’d given him support of the emotional kind, he’d just lost his family, and was in need of a shoulder to cry on, and this man’s girlfriend became the pillar of strength for this younger guy, gave him a ton of help, and, they were strangers from before, and now, they’re like family members to each other, amazing how bonds can form out of the blue, isn’t it?  And, all it takes is still a JUST a kind thought too!

not my picture still…