Let’s Go Shopping at the Fish Market

Translated…

It was, a rare day.

Early in the morn, I’d, accompanied my father-in-law to his field, carried in, a lot of, freshly picked, green leafy vegetables, I sat with my mother-in-law in the backyard, picked out the vegetables, and carried on in conversations.  We had, stir-fried some of the vegetables we’d picked for lunch, had fried salmon too, heated up some salted pork, made taro porridge, had a simple lunch, as we’d, cleaned up after lunch, I’d asked my mother to take a walk with my, to the piers.

not my painting…

“I hadn’t been here for so long, there are, so many ships now”, my mother-in-law inquired.

“There are more on the other side,” answered the father of my child.

And so, the father of my child led us, around the fish markets, walked around the outside parameters, then, entered into the market itself.

“Whoa!  So this, is the crowds are, there was, almost no one outside, they’re all, cramped, in here!”, my mother-in-law hollered out.

“Yeah, see if there’s anything you want!”, I’d told her.

With the coming of the crowds, my mother-in-law was drawn first, to the milkfish, about two feet in length, very fatty, and, the scales shone very brightly too, priced at a hundred dollars.

My mother-in-law sighed, “there’s a lot of fish bones in it, otherwise, it would fit perfectly.”

not my photo…

We’d turned the corners, and my mother-in-law, stopped, she saw some white pomfret, “Don’t know how much these sell for…”, she’d, mumbled to herself.

The woman in charge of the stand seemed to know what my mother-in-law was thinking of, quickly, she’d, walked to her, took one up, then, sliced it open by the gills, “six for a thousand”, the fresh insides seemed to be, vibrating still.  

“How about this, auntie, I’m about to get off, I’ll give you the few extras I still have, I’m going home now”, then, she’d, started, packing up the fish for my mother-in-law, but, my mother-in-law seemed pleased by her behaviors.

As we moved about, the father of my child reminded my mother-in-law, to get some of my father-in-law’s favorite, raw fish steaks, as my mother-in-law made her way through the spiral shells, she’d picked up some, for my father-in-law.

“Your father loved this,”, the way she’d stated it, there was, a lot of love between them.

Before we headed home, we’d turned into the supermarkets to shop, added to the dinner menu, in the evenings, she’d, stewed the cabbage, eggs, stir-fried some veggies, broiled some noodles, with the cooked fish, very satisfying meal it was.

For me, who loved the kitchens but can’t cook at all, it’s been, a wonderful day.

So, this woman accompanied her mother-in-law shopping, and, by being right by her mother-in-law’s side, she’d felt, more connected to her somehow, and sometimes, love flowed, in the moments that you’re least aware, and you are brought, closer together.