Kindness Shown, Kindness, Begotten

On adopting his own nephews, as a last wish of his brother, and, loving the two lads like they were his, own, and now, the men who are grown, returned the kindness that was shown to them, back…translated…

In the park, a group of elderly are debating, “will the adopted child be fitting enough to care for the parents who adopt them?”, they all had their individual, opinions, and I listened quietly close by.  This question is reliant on who you ask, after all, the boundaries are hard to, define.

My fourth youngest brother whom I worked with in my work, had been working too hard too long, and became, ill, and, as the medical professionals called us in, to have us sign his DNR, we knew, that it’ll soon be, over.  And, before my fourth youngest brother passed, he’d asked of me, “take care of my two children, please”.  Watching my two nephews, crying hard for their dad, I’d, held back my tears and, helped them back on their feet, promised them, “uncle will take good care of you from here on out!”

We have a lot of siblings, and our ages are, very, far, apart, plus my fourth youngest brother married late, by the time my two nephews were born, I was, already in my, golden, years.  As the days passed, the two of them became grown up, well-rounded, gentle.  The eldest, after he’d finished his studies, he’d entered into employment immediately, and, gave me an envelope of $6,666N.T.s, to wish me well in everything that I did; while before my birthday, the second child who’s still in college, Yu-Cheng, saved up all his wages and allowances, bought me a birthday cake, lit the candles, and the song of “Happy Birthday” came, and the heartwarming sentiments touched to beyond, words.

And what touches me the most, wasn’t how they both gave me the red envelopes for the New Year’s or how they bought me the birthday cakes, but their hearts.  The beliefs of karma in Buddhism, from my nephews, I’d understood, that “When you sowed the seeds of kindness, kindness will be returned back to you”, and I’d also, found the, correct answer to, “will the adopted children be kind to those who adopted, them?”

So, this uncle had, raised up his two nephews like they were his own, and, surely, these two young lads felt the kindness from their uncle growing up, which is why, as they’d both become, adults, they’re, both, willing to return the kindness shown to them by their, uncle who’d adopted them, as the man promised his dying brother that he was to, take good care of his, sons.

Being My Young Granddaughter’s Childhood Playmate

The JOYS of becoming, grandparents!!!  Translated…

After I Was Done, Counting, I’d, Opened Up My Eyes, but, She’d, Used Her Hands, Covered Up Her Eyes, Squatted, Next to Me, it’d Reminded Me of that Old Tale of Self-Deception………….

The meaning of “watching the grandchildren play happily around us”, is what the two of us finally came to the understanding of, after we both became, grandparents.  Our young granddaughter’s child words, her calls out to us, her cute movements, all of it, made us melt in our, hearts, so, this is, how wonderful, this feeling, is.

Her pale complexion, coupled with those, big round, eyes, my daughter gave her the nickname of “rice cakes”, at age three, she’s, extremely excellent in playing coy to get us to do what she wanted us to do, every time she’d visited, she’d called out sweetly, “grandma, grandpa, hug me!”, and, this began my daughter and my son-in-law’s time off, they’d gone out to hang, and the two of us, got to share some, quality time with our young, granddaughter.

illustration from UDN.com

The child’s games are quite imaginative, and, we, as grandparents can only, see what she throws at us.  Crawling in the room with the hardwood floors, and meowing away, we’d become, the three kitties—grandpa kitty, grandma kitty, and rice cakes kitty; after a few rounds, we’d shapeshifted into, doggies, and we’d had to, “woof-woof-woof” as we’d, crawled.  “Rice Cake puppy, grandpa doggy is tired……..”, “okay then, let’s all say, CHANGE together!”, and by the time my wife and I got back up, we’re already, panting like, crazy, but the energetic young child, still wanted to play that game of, hide-and-go-seek, “Rice Cake will go and hide first, grandma, count to ten!”, waited until I’d finished, counting, I’d found her, squatted next to me, covered up her eyes, and it’d, reminded of that old tale of the thief’s, stealing the large bells, covering up his ears so he won’t hear, but I’d still, held back my chuckle, and played along with her, called out, “Where are you, Rice Cakes?  Grandma can’t find you anywhere!”, and after a couple of times, she’d, leapt up, and called out, “Rice Cakes is here!”, kind of cute, and foolish, so totally, lovable.

When she was playing house, she gets, even more, creative, used the cardboard boxes as a kitchen counter, with the toy pots, pans, dishes, and she’d used the various sizes of plastic bottles as condiments, splashed air into the tiny pans, modeling after grandma when she was cooking, and, plated the imaginary food, brought it before me, and she’d, blown air on the items, said, “hot!  Hot!”, “Grandma, I’d blown on it to make the foods cooler for you.”  Such a considering young girl, how can we not love her dearly?  I’d recalled, that three months back, I’d bought her a pair of shoes, as she’d walked around with her new things, everybody gave her compliments, and she’d stated, “this was from grandma!  Isn’t it cute?”, my husband would gloat, “I enjoying buying the foods for Rice Cakes!”, I’d felt the, same.

the joys of being grandparents…photo from online

Dearest Rice Cakes, three years ago, at the height of the pandemic, I’d accompanied your mom in childbirth, seeing how she’d refused the epidurals, and was in labor for over twenty whole hours, and when you’d come out, such a, loud cry you’d, made, grandma was, overjoyed, as the world is filled with all the panic, you were, the BEST present to us from up above.  Grandma and grandpa will forever be your big toys, and we will be right beside you, watching over you, so you can grow up, healthy and, happy.

So, this is the minds, the hearts of grandparents, with their new addition to the family, and, a young child can, add life to a house with all adults, and, this young girl became the joys of her parents’ as well as her, grandparents’, lives.

On Love

A lesson of love, taught by a, young, child…translated…

My young granddaughter just turned six, one day she’d come to visit her grandparents, her grandfather and her were in the small living room, playing that game of hide-and-seek she never gets tired of, playing, the poor grandpa had to, squat to behind the couch, hidden himself underneath the breakfast tables, she’d played on joyously for once, twice……eight times, nine time…………

As I’d grown tired, when my back started aching, she’d suddenly halted, told, “Grandpa, my boyfriend is XX”.  I’m so glad, that I could use the chit chat to take a breather.

I’d inquired, “why is XX your, boyfriend?”

She’d told me because he loves her, and she loves him, too.  I was surprised, “love” was something huge, I can’t even understanding the meanings of love yet, and I’m already in my, seventies, and I’d continued prodding, “What, is love?”

Without any, hesitation, she’d responded back to me, “when he speaks, I listen; and when I speak, he, listens”.

It was a bit, funny, but chewing her words over, they’d, made, perfect, sense, if someone speaks, and the other person doesn’t pay any attention, how can there be, love between the two?  I still have some extra recuperation to do, and I’d, made fun again, “preschool will soon be out, what will you do?”, she’d told me, “he’d told me he would, miss, me.”

Okay then, “what is, ‘miss’?”, I’d asked her.

“You don’t even know this!  ‘Miss; is when I get to, talk to him, in my, mind.”

It was getting more interesting for me then, I’d pressed, “when he’d told you he’d missed you, how do you, feel?”

“I feel, warmed.”

I’d become, completely, in a, daze, and as I’d contemplated, if this was generation gap, and looked toward my wife who’s, making the meals for everybody in the kitchen, when did she, start to, hunch over?

While my young granddaughter didn’t want to continue to discuss with me, what love, is anymore, “Pops!  Your turn to go and hide now!”

And so, this is, an everyday interaction a grandfather has with his young granddaughter, and, this still showed how children are, MUCH, MUCH, M-U-C-H wiser, than all the adults are, they may be young, but they know MORE things that we do, and yet, we adults believe that we’re older, therefore, we know better and more, but in reality, it’s us, who need to learn these important yet, simple lessons of life from the young children.

Fireworks

On the love, the interactions shared by the members of this, family, making the, memories…translated…

Actually I Knew She Just Wanted to Accompany Me, Because My Smiles Were What She Was After, More than the, Fireworks………

The annual fireworks international day in Penghu is here again.  The fireworks, can always, ignite that joy and spark in people.

Started back in 2003, the firework festival began in Penghu, it’s twenty-two years in running.  At the time when the fireworks first started, I was a child, away from home, it was during the heat of summer I’d made it back to Makong, I got the opportunity to stand in front of my front door, take in all the flashes, the thrills from the firework going off, changing that into a memory of my home.  But there was one year, my mother saw me, watching the fireworks, these celebrations, which had become norm to her life, she’d asked me, if I wanted to see where the fireworks were set, shooting into the air?  To experience that sense of “in-time”?  Actually, I knew that she only wanted to spend time with me, knowing, that to her, my smiles are, the fireworks.

The following evening, we set out.  Mom knew how to pass the days well, she did everything with that enthusiasm.  The  first few booms came, the fireworks started, appearing in the darkened skies.  The crowd went, cheering, loudly, I’d, leaned my head against my mother’s shoulders, wanted to get a feel of the angle of her head, tilted to the skies, like, that way, I could, share her joys and the moments of wonder she’s, experiencing.  And naturally, that firework show we saw together, was, the best time.

Later on, even though the fireworks didn’t start in Penghu again, when I called up my parents, they’d always reminded me, “fireworks going off here, can you, hear them?”, then, the image of the beautiful firework, lighting up the night skies, came back, into my mind.  So by the year, no matter where I am, if I was paying attention, I could, always know, if the fireworks holidays is in Penghu or not.  “Actually, every year, I would make the trip back”, my younger sister told me once, I was a bit, surprised, but I didn’t ask her why.

a video of the festivities from YouTube, this year’s theme is Onepeg, off of YouTube

And I can’t help but wondered, those tourists who’d made the trips to Penghu for the fireworks, what sort of a ripple do they, experience in their, minds?  If you’d gone last year, the fireworks coincided with the century birthday of Disney, the fireworks on display had the characters from “The Little Mermaid”, “Frozen”, using the drones, to light up the, skies, and, I’d wondered, if these sights became, a cherished memory of a child, who’d traveled on vacation with the, families?

As for me, with the coming of age, I’d returned home less and less, nor had I, gone to the gazebo to watch the fireworks anymore.  My parents handled it like day to day, as the loud noises from outside their home made their window frames rattled, they were both, at, ease, continued watching the T.V.  The fireworks, became something as ordinary as living in, Penghu, like the decoration of their, day to day lives.  But I’d still, feel that jolt inside, if I made it home during the time period, I’d still, open the door, to enjoy the moments of joys.

illustration from UDN.com

Last year, I’d not planned to return home during the firework season when there would be the flood of, tourists, yet, my father fell dizzy, with no viable reason, it’d, made me stand in the door, gazing into the distance at the, fireworks, thinking, so what if, this, beauty lasts, only a few, seconds?  There are more and more things I can’t hold on to in life, the bliss always gone in a split, second, why must I, pursue eternity in everything?

Don’t know when mom came outside to watch the fireworks, or maybe, she just wanted to, be by my, side.  “This is, pretty!”, she’d told me.  Then, we both, leaned in on the fences, looked up at the skies.  I’d not said a word, just, quietly, leaned in against my mother’s, shoulders, again, like that year that night in the gazebo, the colors came to life in the distant, skies, in our eyes, on our, lips, and inside both our, hearts too.

This is on how you made the memories you shared with your parents, eternal, by keeping them intact in your mind, and, the connection you shared with your families are, simply, amazing.

My Furry Children

Domesticated by them, or, are you, the owner of these two, kitties???  Translated…

There are two furry babies, the black cat, “Lychee”, and the white cat, “Three Spots”.

Lychee was a stray on the streets of Taichung, around six months, she was, adopted, by me, and because she’d grown up in the awful environment, it’d caused her character to get toughened up, she’s feral, took me a very long time, to finally get her to, adapt to her brand new, home.  We are more like, roommates, not clingy at all, sharing a living space, but we do our own, things.  While “Three Spots” was born in the dormitory of my former workplace, she’d been, spoiled by my roommates, and, she was free to come and go as she pleased.  But since Lychee came, Three Spots became, totally infatuated with Lychee, she’d clung onto her wherever she’d gone, and, while the originally, shy Lychee, seemed to have been, infected with Three Spots’ activeness, other than opening up her heart, she’d also opened, my door, and so I had no other, options but to, adopt them, together.

The two kitties took up the position of owner and clerk in my bookstore, why was it split up like this?  As something major came in my life (i.e. moving, traveling out), I would, attempt to, communicate with my animals, to hear what the cats are, thinking, at the same time, preparing them, mentally for me to be gone a few days.  So, soon as my bookstore got set up, as we all, moved in, we’d begun, the animal communication means.

“I own this, joint!” Photo from online…”And my human servant takes care of me”

In the process, Lychee and Three Spots showed their liking to their new environment, other than sharing everything they see that’s, interesting to them, they’d, “spoken” of their expectancies of the bookstore and their, new, home.  What’s most interesting was, they both, took up the roles on their own, especially for Lychee, “ I really love this store, can I, own it?”, she’d found herself, fitting to own this joint, because she didn’t enjoy interacting with people, she only needed to, hide in the, backroom, just, used her mouth to do her work.  While Three Spots, she’d felt more than comfortable in the space, ran inside like it was an exercise ring, she said, “I loved sitting where I’m seen, if they want to pet me, I’m okay with that too, I just, go about my own business in the shop.”  And so, naturally, she’d become, my clerk.

Lychee told, that she’d loved the smell of books, especially when they’re unpacked out of the boxes, when I shelve the new books onto the racks, “the smell and image were both, amazing”, she’d inquired, “can you order in the new books more often?” but, she’d hated how the cardboard boxes are all over the floors, felt that soon as the packages came, the house is a messy, I’d rebutted, “I am the one, cleaning it all, up!”, response from Lychee, “yeah, I don’t have hands you know!”, showing how a boss, breathed down the necks of her, employees, getting them to get the, work, done.

Other than working in the shop, they also, took advantage of the daytime, ran outside to “do their own things”; based off of Three Spots, her own things included, lying under the sun, catching the bugs, and eating the cat nips, if the rain came, they couldn’t go out, and, it’s like something went missing that day, they’d felt, a bit, bored.  I’d often felt, that although they had two totally diverse temperaments, but they’re both like me, greased under the feet, needed to move around and about a lot, accepting that we will have locate and relocate at any time.  I’d once heard, that some cats hated leaving the places they’re familiar with, that after the move, they may, run away from home, thankfully, my two furry children shared the same mind, “wherever you are, that’s where, we, belong!”, they are so close to me, so how can you, not fall, for them?

the BOSS is on the left, the employee on the, right! Photo from online

So, this is on the process of how this individual domesticated these two, stray cats, and how they’d, domesticated, her, and that’s ordinary, because we are not the ones who owned our pets, but also, we get, owned by, them, and some days, it’s really difficult to tell, W-H-O is the boss in the, relationship, but a pecking order needed to be, established for certain, like for the dogs, us humans have to MAKE ourselves into leaders of our packs, and, for the cats, you also need to be the leader of the pack, it’s just, that there’s the differences of behaviors of dogs and cats showing that hey, “I like you”…

Love in the Smallest Gestures

A perfect TEN for this son-in-law, from the mother-in-law’s, angle!  How a man loves his own wife, through his, actions…translated…

In the afternoon, we were having some snacks, only my daughter’s out shopping, not yet, returned, seeing how my grandson couldn’t wait, so we all, started, digging, in.

My son-in-law didn’t sit with us, he’d, slid on his cell phone, looked out the window, I’d told him to come have the snacks first, he’d told me in a bit.  We’d eaten, and drunk the teas, the coffees, laughing with our, grandchildren, and I saw my son-in-law, walked outside, looking to the other side of the, road.

like this, only, more, practical…photo from online

And finally, my daughter was, back, he’d taken the bags from her, then, the two sat down, to enjoy the desserts on the, table.  As soon as my daughter sat down, she’d started, chatting on her encounters on her shopping trip, my son-in-law smiled and listened to her, such a, beautiful, still frame, I’d, saved it, in my, mind.

A couple of days ago, my daughter and grandson were in the living room playing, a thread came loose from the bottom of her shirt, she’d asked me to take out the thread and needle, to patch it back up when I have the time.  I’d placed the thread and the needle out on the tables, then, went into the kitchen to busy, and, as I returned back to the living room, I saw my son-in-law, with his, big hands, pinching at that tiny needle, buried his head, sewing up that, loose thread from my daughter’s, shirt.  I’d, turned on my visual secret camera, saved this image, into my, mind.

We had curry yesterday, as my daughter was scooping it up, the sauce got to out of her bowl, and my son-in-law picked up a napkin, gently, wiped it off, told her, “if you want more, tell me, I’ll, scoop some more for you.”, the words was like, music, and I was, suddenly, intoxicated.

Recalling back to when I was getting married, when the matchmaker discussed the details of the union of our two families, my father told, “the most important thing, is that my son-in-law treats my daughter, well”, and, I can totally understand my father’s thought right now; and I am, that mother-in-law, who loved her son-in-law, more and more, with, each and, every, look.

So, this is how a man, cherishes and loves his wife, he’d taken good care of her, the details of things that he’d, noted, and these are, the smallest matters of things that we often, take for, granted.  And this careful tentativeness to his wife’s needs, is exactly what made this man a perfect, ten!

The Warmth of My Father’s Body as I Wrapped My Arms Around Him When He Picked Me Up from Work

How a father expressed his love for his daughter…by action…translated…

The year I was eighteen, set foot outside of my technical high school, had to put my studies on hold temporarily, and started working in the factories, took the buses to work daily.

Those whom I worked with were mostly young, clock out at five in the afternoon right on the dot, they were so energetic, called out to their buddies, set out on their scooters to ride, or to get to the adjacent town to the beaches to swim, to hang out.  But because I’d had the mindset of helping my parents with the household economics, also needed to save up for my studies to further my education, I’d often stayed to work my overtimes at the factory.

like this, a man, riding his family somewhere…photo from online

As the stars came up to the skies, I stood outside the factory, waited for the final bus.  The other side of the tar road was a huge rice paddy field, a bit, scary, and dark, and I couldn’t help, but extended my neck out, in hopes that the bus could arrive quicker, to take me, away.  The seasons changed from summer to autumn, then, the cold of winter, and I’d still worked the overtime, and I couldn’t help but shivered as the cold came towards me, stood in the vacant lot, waiting for the bus, in the chilly weather.

On winter solstice that year, I saw my father, riding his scooter for forty minutes from home, to pick me up.  Told me that my mother made the sweet rice balls, that it will get cold if I didn’t come home soon enough.  I sat on the back of his scooter, wrapped my arms around his waist, leaned against his back, it’d felt, so very, warm.

After that time, my father would often come and pick me up from work, and, my father’s love, which wasn’t always verbal, I’d remembered to, heart.  The following summer, I got into the business high school to, a way I knew of, to pay him back for his loving me.

And now, my father had died from illness a long time, and I can, no longer feel the warmth of his back as I’d leaned in, and that closeness we’d once shared was only, in my memories now, a very, strong sense of longing of love I still feel toward him.

And so, this is how a father showed his love to his children, by physically expressing it, that’s how fathers work, mostly, they may not tell us that they love us, but they would, show it, in every day living, through these, tiny gestures of making our favorite midnight snacks when we came home late from school or work, picking us up from school or work when we had to stay late.

How Love Was Found, in the Midst of the, Thrills

How love was found, in the strangest of all, circumstances, in someone’s risking his life to save another’s, and they’d gotten, married, with the self-sacrificing, means, putting one’s own life on the line, to save someone else’s…translated…

After the sermons, it was close to noon, the church prepared the Agape feast, for all of us in the congregation to eat.  And in the time we’d sat down, we’d started, conversing about, everything, and what impressed me was the conversations about the travels.

Lin told, that one year she’d gone to Venice, there was a huge crowd, the tourists kept rushing toward her, then after awhile, suddenly, a member of the tour group told, that something went missing, then, patted around, and he’d found, that the watch he had on, was, gone!  Wow, we can get pickpocketed, even IF we have the watches on our, wrists too!

Then, Song mentioned how one year, she’d gone to Paris to travel, at past nine in the evening, they were headed out from the Chinese restaurant on Avenue des Champs-Elysees, someone came towards us with a map, asking for directions.  She was passionate in helping to point out the way, but her husband reminded her, that it may be a scam artist, and so, Song stopped telling the person.  At this time, two large guys came up, told them they were police, flashed their badges, demanded to see their, passports.  They both knew it was a scam trick, ignored, and just, walked, away.  But the men grabbed her husband’s wrists tightly, he couldn’t break free; her husband hinted her to run away first, that he wanted to try and get away from the robbers, but she’d refused to leave her husband, the four were at a standstill.  Until the couple took the opportunity, her husband broke free from the robber’s control, then, they ran toward the crowd.

She’d told of how her niece traveled somewhere once.  Once, her niece went alone to Brazil, she was touring the museums, and found someone tailing her, and so, she’d, run toward a foreign man, asked him to help, “I’m being followed, can you help by pretending to be my boyfriend a bit?  Wherever you go, I will follow, so the bad guys will back off!”, the man was from the Netherlands, and was willing to help her.  And in the end, they ended up, marrying.  After she’d told, everybody started laughing out loud, some stated, “Such a strange, and weird way to find a husband!”

At another agape feast, Hong told us, that when he was in college, a group of his classmates went on the “stream trekking” trip, on the way, a female classmate was stung by killer bees on the head, she was in such pain.  A male student stepped up, to be a hero to  the girl, sucked out the venom on her injuries with his mouth.  All who were there were shocked, how could he thought of handling the situation like so?  But, they saw him, spat out the blood he’d sucked out, everything was, black—and although all knew that killer bees are venomous, but none would’ve guessed just by how much, the blood which was red turned black, instantly!  And yet, that male student explained, that he just had some sesame, so naturally, the blood he’d spat out would be, black………and later, as is guessed, these two were, wed also.

I’d looked forward to the agape feasts every weekend, expectant in hearing the tales of thrills, of adventures from others, and other than getting more understanding of love, these stories were good conversation topic for the lunches too.

And so, these are stories of how someone put her/himself on the line for another, and, they were married in the end, which showed, that affinities are strange, and we can connect easily with others, in the, strangest of all, circumstances.

Remembering 1986

Not very many of us, gets that, second chance like this one…translated…

He’d extended his, hand, she was, stumped a bit, placed her hand, in his; he’d held her hand tight, and they’d, returned back to, thirty, years, ago.

They’d graduated out of college a whole of, thirty years to date, the classmates set up the groups, and, found back every person in the class from all over.  He’d entered into the group a long, long time, and soon as he saw her name on the list, he’d, sent her a private, message, and she’d, responded back soon enough.

In the years of his college career, there were, rarely, enough women in the hard science majors, and each one of them is considered a treasure.  The young students had all been told back in their high school years, to NOT get involved in love in school, that once they got into universities, then, it would be four years of play.  She was beautiful, and mild-mannered, especially those eyes that smiled, quickly, attracted a ton of guys to her, he’d loved sports, his slim figure, plus a handsome, face, he too, was everyone’s, focus.

She had a hard time in the computer classes, because she’d, never used them before, and, she’d become, stuck on the programming assignments that her professors assigned her, she’d sought out help from her classmates, and he was, among one of whom she’d asked for help from, and slowly, they got, closer to one another, started, dating, and this upset the other male classmates who’d offered help to her.

In the campus at night, under the dimly lit yellow streetlamps, there were, a ton of places for their, intimate, conversations.  Outside on the slopes of the gates, the lovers’ trail next to the school, the stairs of the auditorium, by the door of the general courses building….they’d left their tracks all over.  Walking on the roads in school, hand-in-hand, leaning into each other, even if it was in the wet and cold of winters, their hearts stayed, warm.  After the curfews at the girls’ dormitories, he’d, snuck across the lawn, stood by the window, she would disregard the objections of her roommates, leaned on the desk, with the steel windows separating them, to continue their encounters of love of the earlier evening.

Sometimes, he would lead her to the back of the General Courses Building, found that unlock window, crawled into the classroom together, to enjoy that space without any, interruptions.  To climbing up to the third floor, and onto the sky roofs, lying themselves on the rooftop, looking up at the star, and, exchanged the words of love until light, then, right before the super of the building came to unlock, they’d, snuck out the backdoor, pass the campus, returned back to their, dorms.

The semester was over, and the holidays are a test.  She lived in the south, he, in the midstrip, the transportation means weren’t fluid enough then, they can only use the letters to connect, or using the nighttime discount periods, after their families are asleep, to call each other, up.

It’s just, that their love eventually still, ended a year and a half after they’d begun.  She’d told him, that the ancestries were problematic, and that’s why she’d decided to break it off with him.  Later, she’d started dating a guy of the same birthplace of origins, and married after graduation, and had children, and later, divorced.

And on this day, they’d, held hands, and, never to, let go again.

So, it’s the time, the society that’s, tore them, apart, because back then, it’s not accepted that Taiwanese-borns marry those with ancestries from China, and, that’s why they broke up, and, lived their, separate lives, until they’d met back up again, and, they never let each other go again, because, times are more open now, and, they’d let go of that love once, and they won’t, EVER, do it, again, they will love each other, until the end.

The Young Girl on the Swing

How the developments of A.I. can make the illusions of time-traveling, a possibility, but it’s still only, in ones’ own, imagination, not realistic here…translated…

She declared, “I have a huge backyard.  Every afternoon when I come home from school, there’s no one to play with me, I’m so, lonely.”

That was a past that she brought up too often.  Must’ve been, really, unhappy, that’s why she’d, repeatedly mentioned it.  “I have four older brothers, but they’re all, a lot older than I am, and, I got out of school, so much earlier than they had.  My parents both worked, there’s only me in the house, and all I can do, is to get on the swing in my yard by myself.”

There’s that, indescribable sorrows in her voice.  He could imagine, a young girl with the braids on both sides, swinging on the swings in the yard all by herself.  Although there’s no photos of her on the swings, there’s, another, photo of her that she’d kept, when she was twelve or thirteen, and, there was, just, this only one, of her, younger, years.  A more precious photo, was right before her graduation from university, she put on a white gown, stood in front of her college, and, in the two photos, she’d had that same look of loss on her expressions.  He only had those two photos of her when she was young, and never told her how he’d come to have them, because she’d never shown him any photos of her from before.  She’d often said, that they both need to leave the past behind, but, he knew that she was, conflicted, and didn’t blame her for it.

Although it was in the same world, but before they met, he wasn’t in existence in her, world yet, and, vice versa, the reasoning is simple, but sometimes, hard to, comprehend.  She is the youngest, and the whole family had, spoiled her, and yet, nobody wanted to play with her.  He’d often imagined, if he could travel in time, he would return to where she was as a child, and forever, stay there as her, constant, companion, never to leave her again.

her lonely childhood…photo from online

The next time she’d retold of this past, he’d told her about the ideal of time-traveling to become her companion.  She’d smiled, “we all want to get rid of our pasts.  But, even if you can, time-travel, you’re an adult, and I, a young child, and it’s not safe, for a young child as I, to talk to a stranger adult that you are, I would call the police on you.”

That, wasn’t what he thought would and could, happen, and so, time traveling, does NOT, solve everything.  Although they are so different in age, he truly, worshiped her so, in his eyes, she’s, gentle and good-natured, almost, perfect, even on the smallest matters of day to day living, she has the answers for everything.  Before her, he is, so, childish!  And, all of these, delusions of time-travelling, no need to mention them ever, again.

But one day, he’d, finally, gone, and he’d, found her, too.

She’d rushed to the hospital, inquired about his condition, the medical professionals proudly declared, “we did everything we could, and everything we should do for him.”

This was a young artificial intelligence surgeon, that was why he’d told her, they’d done all that they could and should, artificial intelligence knows not about being humble.  Whatever she’d wanted to ask, the A.I. surgeon has the answers for her.  “Don’t worry, he’s comfortable, because he is in the delusion of having everything he ever, longed for, like a cat before it dies, in a semi-aware state.  And, the best way to die for a good cat and a person is kidney failure.  All you need to do now, is, let him, go.”

“Can’t you wake him up again?”

how he would, become her companion in her childhood that’s, already, come to, pass…photo from online

“Not that we can’t, but it won’t be necessary.  I recommend that you sign the papers to turn off the life-support systems on him.  What AI can do, A.I. had already done, and now, all humans need is to, sign the, consent.”

She’d waited for three day more, then, finally, accepted the advice of the artificially intelligent surgeon, to terminate his, life-support.

He’d found, that time-travelling was nothing like he’d, imagined.  He kept on worrying, that she was still a young girl, and he’s an adult, not just an adult, but an, ailing old man who’s, about to, die.  How will they connect with each other?  Or maybe she should, call the, police.  And in the end, it wasn’t like that.  The souls know, no age difference, they no longer see each other as a young girl, or, an old, man.

And, it wasn’t just the two of them either.  He’d found, that there are, a ton of others with them.  And, they’d communicated, without, any, troubles at all.  Turned out, they’d been, connected already.  They were all singing.  The divine songs performed by everybody, it’s, so, joyous.

What surprised him the most, was he could still keep his self intact.  He knew who he is, still recalled that she was his favorite as an elderly man, he’d remembered that his final wish was to return to the side of the girl on the swing, to never leave her side again.  Or maybe, the end of time traveling, is, the beginning.

So, this is science fiction in essence, but, with the touches of reality to it, with the developments of A.I., who’s to say, that what this story is about, won’t happen in the future.  And, this is on how the love we feel for each other transcends across age, time, and how our love for each other can last eternally.