Translated…
After Bob retired from the Veteran’s Associations, he’d come to our community to work as a guard. He was originally from Anhui Province, his full name was, Shui-Sheng Ba, he’d lived in the army his whole life, but, he’s, secluded in nature. Although I’d passed by the security guard’s office daily, we are still, not the least “acquainted”.
That year, the residents of our community thought, that Bob was elderly, and weakened, and, gave him some severance pays and decided to not hire him to work again, but, he’d taken the money, then, refused to leave, in the end, they’d reached an agreement: that Bob won’t be paid, and the security guard’s office is his to live in.
The name of our community is “Wishful Villa”, but, there’s NO tap water available to use, and, every time it’d rained hard, or when the typhoons hit, the electricity would go out, and, the motor in the wells stopped working, we have no water OR electricity, and everybody returned back into the cities, and, leaving just, Bob who’s homeless, my mother who couldn’t live outside of her apartment set up for her handicaps, and me, who is her caretaker.
Once, the strong typhoon had, severed off the roads. I’d needed to, walk out, climb over the mountains, to get our daily needs, and, I’d bought a separate portion for Bob too, so he won’t starve.
After we’d gotten acquainted, Bob would ask me to bring him things as I went off the mountains.
At the start of the year, I’d found Bob, who’d originally smoked just one pack of cigarettes now needed two packs. And I’d chatted with him, and found, that the leader of the “Retired Servicemen Council”, was urging him to start living in a nursing home. And he, who got pressed, got annoyed, and smoked one cigarette after another.
Actually, two years ago, Bob had once, lived in assisted living too, but, in just three days of living there, he’d flagged down a cab, and came back to his old home.
Seeing how he’s already eighty-six, sight deteriorating, with achy knees, it is, hard, for him, to take care of himself, and so, I’d, entered into the troupe to try to convince him to live in a nursing home, I’d coaxed with him, “Mr. Bob, it’s a hard to come by chance, that there’s a single’s suite at the nursing home, why don’t you treat it as going on vacation, and, if you can’t get used to living there, then, you can always, come back, I will run your errands just the same!”
After he’d agreed to check into the nursing home, Bob gave me a final mission: getting him a brand new cell phone (his original one had gone out, and there were no batteries available anymore), so he could stay in contact with me.
Surely, after he started living in assisted living, Bob started calling me day and night, like a young child who missed home for being away at camp; and I’d always tried soothing him, that after my mother’s nurse’s aide is well-trained, then, I shall, go visit him in Changhwa.
But, things didn’t go as I’d planned, my house became a training center, the Indonesian nurse’s aide came, trained for four months in miming, then, transferred away; followed by a Filipino nurse’s aide, who spoke fluent English, but, it was, her first time away from home, and worried about her own father who’s amputated and her young son too, couldn’t have the mind, to look after my mother, in no more than one month, the agency sent her back to the Philippines again.
During this time, Bob had, stopped calling, I guess, he was, already, used to living in the nursing home then………
A few days I’d gone to the post office for some business, the person at the counter started, “Mr. Su, did you know, that Shui-Sheng Ba, whom you’d mailed the letters out for a lot in the past has passed away?”, I was stunned, then inquired, “How did you know?”, “The servicemen retire counsel told me!”
I’d become, fazed, walked home, and, took care of my mother’s daily living needs, and, I’d heard Mr. Bob’s reminders on the phones, “Do take good care of your mother!”
I want to tell Mr. Bob right here, “Mr. Bob, I am taking your reminders to heart, I will, take good care of my mother. I hope you’re well now.”
So, this, is the connection of the man with the elderly security guard in his community, he’d struck up this friendship with the man, and, the elderly saw him as his family, and, they’d connected, and now, the middle-aged man is living with the loss, of this amazing elderly man whom he’d, befriended.