Who has the right to the kids during this holiday season, should we, flip for it??? On how the children get, CAUGHT, in the middle, of their parents who are, no longer, together! Translated…
As the streets became rowdy again because of a brand new year, the local surrounding atmosphere too, was affected, by this, red breeze as well.
“Sis, won’t you come home with day this New Year’s Eve?” “But I’d already told our maternal grandparents I’d be there, and made the food orders already!” “You didn’t tell me, you can head back to maternal grandparents’ on the second of the New Year.” Here comes, my nightmares.
If the system of marriage is to keep the couples bound to one another, then, blood relations, is to bound the children to you.
My parents were divorced, they’d lived separately, a very long time, their relationships with one another, severed off already, but, my relationship with them both are still, intact. So, who do we spend our New Year’s Eve with? The New Year’s? Do we stay with our father’s family on the second of the New Year? Other than being forced to choose between our parents, sometimes, even when the choices are made, it made, no difference at all.
“You are your mother’s child, of course you should, stay with mom, mom loves you the best.” (isn’t dad my dad?) Or there’s “You carried your father’s last name, not mine, why don’t you, go with him then!” (am I not your child, if I don’t carry your, last name???)
My younger brother and I became like the chips, tossed to and from our parents, betted on as they wished to, they’d, scheduled us for the New Year’s. The fifth, sixth of the New Year, isn’t as important as the second of the New Year, New Year’s Eve beats New Year’s Day, like whoever gets the most number of days, is the bigger winner. During the holidays, the children couldn’t have a say, they can, only, O-B-E-Y.
how the kid feels…
If the memories of childhood is a long river, as I walked by the riverside, I’d gotten my head and limbs smashed with the rocks that were, tossed at me, and even if I got injured, I couldn’t, fight, after all, the wounds had already, set in, they’d, started, aching all over my body. And, even if I got smashed with the rocks, I’d still had to, make my way across the rivers. No, like someone crazy, going from one side to the other, then back, running down these shores called, “mom” and “dad”.
After so many years, my younger brother and I, are growing up, as are, the years, added on to our elders, their bodies started, aging, and, it’s a count down to how many times we will see them, and I can finally understand, why my parents always, fought over us, hoping that we would, spend a little extra time with their, separate parents.
My maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather had died, and, they couldn’t split up the assets evenly nor sort through the final affairs amicable, the adults were, no longer on each other’s good sides now. Finally, we, the children, don’t need to go to either one of their homes for the holidays, there’s no spending lunches in my paternal grandmother’s in Zhongli, headed back to Taipei for maternal grandmother, in the evenings, we’d, all get, “shipped back” to Zhongli again, to make another round of supper, nor do we need to, shove two tables’ worth of foods into our stomachs, do the dishes for the two sets of meals. Without the two elders, there’s, not that air of anger that flowed between my parents, even when they weren’t, speaking, to one another, as the times they fought over us reduced, that red tornado of the New Year’s, seemed to have, reduced, down to a gentle breeze.
The year, the songs to celebrate the New Year’s still passed through the streets and alleys, played on repeatedly. I’d, hummed on that tune of family reunions of the Chinese New Year, remembering how we used to spend the holidays, with our elders.
And now, you’re, finally F-R-E-E, because all of your grandparents are now, D-E-A-D, and you and your younger brother no longer needed to be that rope in that game of tug-of-war that your parents were playing, and this still just showed, how STUPID the adults are, in fighting over who gets the kids for the holidays, and yeah, I understand how all of you, god damn, FUCKING parents only wanted your children to have MORE “air-time” with the separate members of YOUR families, but, what about what THEY want, huh? Had you ever, CONSIDERED that??? Of course not, because if you really HAVE your children’s best interests in mind, then, this person wouldn’t, feel like this at all!