How the mother had, kept the worries away from getting to her son who’s away, serving in the armed services, translated…
The first time I’d written a letter, I was in the fifth grade, back then, my fourth uncle went to the external territories to serve his army terms, he’d written home to tell us he was okay, my grandmother had me read to her, and written a reply back to him.
Ever since, it’d been, this way, my grandmother would dictate, and I’d written according to what I heard, sometimes, I’d, added in my daily life, like my placements in the exams, and how well I’d done in the art and calligraphy competitions too. My grandmother had a lot to say, mostly surrounding the topics of eating well, dress warmly, take good care of your health, that all of us are well, and need not to worry. And, in the end, she’d reminded me to add, “Don’t forget, to serve your country”.
My fourth uncle was only ten years older than I was, he’d apprenticed in the sculpting industries after he’d graduated out of the elementary years, until he’d started serving his army terms. he’d rarely come home, but, he knew exactly what was going on at home, for instance, how his father loved gambling and drinking, and lived carelessly; and how the house kept accumulating up the debts by the month; how his younger sister was very weak, gone to see the doctors often, and took her medication regularly like her meals. Every time I’d gone to send the letters, I’d believed, that my fourth uncle would serve his country right, and still, I’d doubted that he’d believed, that everybody here at home was fine.
My younger sister is a medicine cabinet, but, just like me, my younger aunt was, a difficult child, cried every single day, like if she’d not cried for a day, then, she wouldn’t be the youngest child. Once, she’d squatted in front of the urn used to keep the water for cooking in the kitchens and cried hard, said that her stomach ached, just cried endlessly, for so long, until the sun showed its slanted rays into the house, illuminated her face, still cried. Everybody was away, I’d consoled with her, crying and not, you’ll still ache, why not stop crying, mom is almost off work, she’ll take you to the doctor’s tonight. And yet, she’d still cried, started howling, sounded like the dogs howling late at night, so long, so painful, to the point, that I’d gotten annoy4ed, and lost my temper, I’d wanted to scream out of anger, on how little I knew, to help her out. In the end, that very night, my youngest sister got her appendix taken out, and felt, that strong sense of guilt, that came out, of nowhere.
Then it was my mother, she too had, appendicitis, don’t know how long afterwards.
During the time when my grandmother was hospitalized, she was so weak, that she’d, needed me to wipe her tears, and her snot away, for an entire month, she’d not recuperated. Later on, I’d heard her told, that she’d felt the cramps for a long time, thought it was nothing, and just, kept working as an ironing lady, until she couldn’t take it anymore, she’d looked awful, and my grandfather noticed it, had my father take her to the hospitals, and, it’d delayed her treatment, and she had acute peritonitis.
All of these, annoyances that caused anxieties, all occurred when my fourth uncle went away to serve in the army, and, “Everybody is fine”, seemed to be the format of the letters from home, between my grandmother, my uncle, and I, so smooth, so natural, and maybe, it’s, easing to the one who’d read.
Letters came to and from, my fourth uncle told us of his life in the armed services, of the weather, that everything is fine, that there’s no need for worries. And I’d still gone with my grandmother’s dictations of “don’t forget to eat more food, take care of yourself, everybody at home is fine, don’t worry………
Once at night, I’d written a letter to my uncle on my own, because my grandmother cried. Grandmother had always been tough, had only cried, when my third uncle died from a car accident, and when my grandfather died of illness.
That evening, my neighbor, Ming’s great grandmother stumbled in from walking across the rice paddies into our living room. She’d entered into the hall, called out my grandmother’s name, walking toward the kitchen. She’d sounded, unfriendly, and so, I’d, followed her, my grandmother was originally sitting by the door, using the light to sew, as shed’ heard my neighbor’s great grandmother call, she’d pulled out the long bench under the dinner tables, and asked her to sit. And, before my grandmother had the time, to place the bench right, Ming’s great grandmother barked out, when are you going to pay for the rent of the land, you’d, stalled for so long. Grandmother asked great grandmother to sit, she’d ignored her. My grandmother kept apologizing to her, Ming’s great grandmother ignored her, with her hand on the backdoor, a hand on her waist, staring my grandmother down. Grandmother kept saying she was sorry, that she’d not made the payments, and yet, Ming’s great grandmother kept grilling, and grilling her. My grandmother who was normally articulate couldn’t even speak in complete sentences now. It was heartbreaking for me to watch, and I’d, wondered, how it’d, turn out at the end, and so, I’d, squatted down by the stove, to boil up some water. The elderly started cussing at my grandmother, her pitch rose higher, and higher, she’d spoken, faster, and faster, I’d heard my grandmother cried. At the end, Ming’s great grandmother returned back to her home, leaving my grandmother, crying, I’d suddenly felt, that she was, all alone, it’s, so sad, but, I’d not gone up to her to soothe her, just ran out to get my younger siblings for their baths. At supper, grandmother didn’t say anything, neither did I tell my mother, or even, my father what had happened.
That very night, I’d written my fourth uncle, in very plain words, that everybody is fine at home, no need to worry, but, the neighbor’s grandmother came over to collect the rent for the land, grandma didn’t have the money to pay, and, Ming’s grandmother started yelling at her, made her cried, then at the very end, I’d told my uncle, to serve his country well.
So, from this, you can see, how the grandmother didn’t want his son to worry about what’s happening at home, while he’s serving in the army, that all he needed to do, is to serve his country, do his duties as a soldier, and nothing else, while the grandmother was facing the hardships of not having enough money to make ends meet at home, and this showed how the elders tried to keep their kids from worrying about the matters at home, while they’re away.