Even till now, after doing well as an English teacher at Language Studio for six months, and will probably be in this profession in the future, I still couldn't understand why.
It was during that part-time stint that she came across Cluedo, a board game that I lose 9 out of 10 times. Together with my mum, we had a brief spell of playing Cluedo and Monopoly Deal daily, reliving the past days when board games were what iPads are to kids nowadays. It was fun pretending to lose and giving them chances. And I won once or twice out of so many rounds to make their victories worthier.
The period created more memories for us as a family before she would fly back to Sheffield. Previously, everyone was emotional at one time or another when she had gone there for the first time. Since we had experienced parting, wouldn't it prepare us to better handle our emotions? Well, it seems that years of crying in front TVB dramas have punctured our tear ducts...
It started on the morning of last Sunday, 4 Sept, when her eyes were red and slightly swollen, an unmistakable indication that she had to leave the comfort of home once more had dawned upon her. Later in the evening, as I was tailing behind her after our last dinner, her hands kept reaching her eyes to wipe something off. She may have pushed her hair, but that's just denying the fact that she was trying hard to suppress her growing anxiety.
Even when we were on our way to the airport, I noticed her hands still kept wiping her eyes.
After giving into our own thoughts while we were sitting at the Viewing Area, it's time to depart. On our way to the entrance, my mum said nothing dramatic would happen, suggesting I wouldn't find any inspiration for this post. But when my sis was about to enter, she, unlike the composed lady 2 years ago, broke.
And her choking means my mum would follow suit.
And dramatising the scene, my maid said, "Aduh satu tahun sudah nak berpisah."
And then my sis hugged me as I breathed deeply to keep control.
And finally my sis hugged my dad, breaking his resolve too, as tears flowed from a man who loves dearly.
We've been through this before. We felt that cut when she'd left two years ago. And we knew all too well that we had to be strong for her to pursue her studies without any worries. But why did we cry? Why this sudden surge of expression, especially from her? As if echoing what I was thinking on our way back, the last song that played on the radio before we reached home was Why Cry by Zhang Dong Liang:
Maybe she was a carefree girl two years ago who was keen to explore. Maybe after a year on a foreign land, she had realised more than ever that nothing's better than home; nothing's greater than family; and nothing's more important than love. The path ahead is difficult. Notwithstanding the requirements demanded, she'll have to listen to critics and bear the brunts of naysayers, all too normal for a person climbing up.
But with our support and the love of Christ, she'll weather the storm and arrive back an elegant dove, embracing us with her well-trained wings.
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| This picture set my mum in tears again when she saw it back home. Very symbolic of my sis' protection when we need her in the future. |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIE
*Since I only send people off and don't welcome them (for health reasons), the airport has become some sort of a sad terminal for me. So do I hate that place? Not at all. Because there's where I experience the rawest emotion and the truest feeling, and know what it means to be human.