what goes in, to finding that job, from online…
From the thoughts of a parent, translated…
Since the start of the summer my daughter had been hollering about finding part-time work, although I’d hoped that she could visit places, or learn something new, but, I couldn’t, force it on her. At the start of July, I’d gotten a call from my daughter at work, said she was headed to work at the noodle stand close to our home, and, there was, that sense of excitement in her voice, she was, ecstatic.
As I got off work, I’d made it over to the noodle stands to see her, I saw she lowered her head, with her bangs, clamped up, the owner of the stand was teaching her how to cook the noodles. As I walked closer, I saw her thighs, looking especially pale, in the steams, don’t know why, but I’d, felt, a bit, sorrowful, I’d, quickly, made my way into the house.
As I got in, I’d immediately LINED her, “Seeing you work like this, I felt, a bit, sad”. She’d replied, “What do you have to feel sad about?”, her no-big-deal attitude reminded me of what happened in my own high school years: the depth of autumn, the weather was already, colder, one day, dad dropped by the school to see me, it was the very first day we all wore our winter uniforms, the previous evening, I couldn’t find the black jacket that went with the set, so, I’d put on a thinly long-sleeve shirt. After school, dad had, found that black jacket for me, told me, “I saw only you didn’t have your jacket on, and it pained me”. Back then, mom had passed away two years ago, and my dad, who’s usually forceful and authoritarian had, poured his heart out, other than feeling shocked by his gestures, I’d not felt cold, just because I didn’t have my jacket for the day, I’d pondered inside, “What have you got to be sorry about?”
from the papers…
Then, in a blink of an eye, a dozen years had passed, my husband and I took our daughter to live in the States for six years, then returned, back then, she’d become, very estranged from the language, sometimes, as she did her homework, she’d, started, crying, and, she’d, tested the waters all by herself, and got all the way, up to the first ten high score makers. I’m really in awe of how much she’d achieved, but felt, a bit bad too, my daughter was like a piece of clay in our hands, being pressed to round or flattened at our wills, we’d taken her all over the places, and she’d not had any negative emotions at all, only worked really hard, to adapt herself, making my job as her mom easy, not knowing how to love her fully and properly. And now, seeing how my daughter started, adapting herself in the workforce, interacting with strangers, this sense of sourness that rose up to the surfaces, made me understood, just how my own dad had felt back then.
My good friend told me, “Your child is part-timing, it’s a good training for her own independence!”, recalling then, after my part-time work for half a day ended, dad’s face sunk, he’d asked me, “Did I ask you to make the money?”, ever since, I’d not dared to work, and just, followed my dad’s “just master your studies”. And yet, the times are different now, most of my daughter’s friends would start part-timing in the summers, and, she’d secretly, bought the résumé pages, sent the résumés in online, gone to the interviews, she’d taken, a first step to finding employment now. And before she comes home from work, she’d inquired about what I would like to eat, and bring it home for me, I’m truly grateful, for how she’d, grown up, glad, that she won’t become, a leech in the futures to come; after the sourness inside, I’m more able to look upon my child’s coming-of-age with gladness, and that sourness became the sweetness from the fruits of her hard labor.
filling out the applications online…
So, this, is on a young woman’s coming of age, she’d decided to start working, and, this is on the mother’s watching her daughter become someone who is slowly, learning, to take responsibility for herself, and it’s a very good thing, when one’s own child strikes out on her/his own like this, because it’s a first step to their independence!
Life, the Obstacle Course 