These, are the things, your kids will remember, from their times with you when they are, younger, translated…
Perhaps, it’s because I’d traveled alone, to a strange place where I didn’t know the language. All the way, I’d witness a ton of conflicts, and moments of warmth, it’d made me realized, that there was, a softer soft close to the left of my chest. To a place where nobody knows me, without my business title, nobody knows my level of education, no car, no house, that was when, I’d realized, that it’s, the simplest things that happens between people that we should, pay more attention to. “People are a social organism, we need to help each other out.” As I’d arrived back home, I’d, let my lecturing nature take over with my sons.
“So, you need to be kinder to others.” “But, it seemed, that it’d only, lasts very short with you.” My youngest said, unwillingly, “I’d recalled I’d asked you, if you can do it all over again, which one you would want to be, an astronaut, a teacher, or a firefighter?’ you’d told me none, you just want to be a good dad. And now, do you think, you’re, a good dad?”
If my son doesn’t grow up to be a reporter, this world is going to be, a better place. That, was what I’d felt back then.
A couple of days later, we’d gone to Zhubei, to visit their uncle. My sons and their younger cousins, ranging from elementary to high school, four boys and girls across the ages, played together in their uncle’s study, there was, this sort of, craziness that, transcends the ages from their being together playing.
“Daddy, I think you and mommy are, amazing!”, as I was relaxing at a corner in the living room couch, my youngest came abruptly, and hugged me.
“Ahhhhhhhhh, why do you say that?” It’s quite rare, that my son felt I was, great, I’d asked, and, tossed my hair back, to play the character of a loving father.
He’d started telling me, how back in the study, how he’d found the assortments of books I’d bought for them: The USS Sayer Attack Manuals, the Chinese Jokes Collections (and all these books, got passed down to their younger cousins since a few years ago). He’d felt surprised, as to why we’d, agreed to buy those, useless reading materials for them from back when? “I think those books were, too childish, looking at them right now!” he’d told me.
“How so? I’d even bought the Yugio game cards for you when you were younger.” I’d recalled, that back when they were in the younger grade years, sometimes, we’d, allowed them to stow away some coins inside their pockets, to walk over to the small bookstore at the entrance of the streets, for them to see if they want to buy the cards for the Yugio games. The knock-offs only cost $10 N.T., while the copyright ones are $150 N.T.’s each. I’d recalled, that those two ten-dollar coins became, covered in sweat, from his tiny sweaty palms.
“Yeah, how come you’d, bought those, junks for us?”
“Yeah, that, is exactly how we’d, managed, to raise up two wastes like you guys!”, the two of us, started, hugging on someone else’s couch, and, started, ranting about things.
“I’d still think, you’re, an amazing dad.” He’d stated. Ahhhh, perhaps, other people wouldn’t, feel this way.
But son, at least, you’d still think of me that way, that would be, enough.
I will, work hard, to keep myself up, to your standards, at least, for, a little while longer.
And so, this, is how this son saw his father, and, this man must’ve been there, as his own sons were growing up, every step of the way, for them, to be so connected with each other, now that, the sons, are older.
Life, the Obstacle Course 