Going to the gathering of his old union friends…translated…
My Father-in-Law Who Appeared to Have Lost "Colors" Suddenly Turned, Bright , Like an Actor's Projections, Awakened, by the, Spotlight………
After my father-in-law received the invite from the guild, my father-in-law asked my husband to take him to the group offerings of the New Year's.
My father-in-law had owned a company that produced the stackers, and his friends recommended him as a member of the guild, although being a primary member, he'd not only needed to put in the energies, and the money too, but, my father-in-law, with only an elementary education felt, very, proud, to this very day, he's an, honorary, board member, he'd gone dressed up to the nines to the annual meetings.
And yet, an accident had occurred last year, my father-in-law who made sure he'd exercised regularly, eaten right, had a stroke. But thankful, his character wasn't like his physical health, easily impacted, with his stubbornness and his toughness, he'd, regained his physical strengths, he just can't walk as fast as he used to.
On the week closing in on the luncheon, other than the normal noontime walks, he'd added in the exercising early in the morn at the parks too, gotten a haircut, trimmed his beard and moustache, followed the rules of how to keep up with his own appearances like the stars of the movies. But knew he can't drive again, that he would need the help of a driver from the metro to Chingshui.
illustration from UDN.com
The meal was at noon, but my father-in-law set out at nine in the morn, wanted to arrive early, so he can have the chit chats with those in the group. In the past, the gatherings were the most radiant show time of my father-in-law's, bumping into the familiar faces, he'd talked of the past, and the present with those whom he was acquainted with; the strangers, even better, he'd loved showing off his social skills, the eighty years' worth of his life experiences, became an icebreaker for him.
Soon as he'd arrived to the restaurant, the waiter immediately came to usher him in, and, there were, the men in suits my father-in-law was faced with from the group. After he was ill, he couldn't work his body that agilely, the polo shirts, the sweat pants, the sneakers are more comfortable for him, but not as elegant as the suits were. Entering into the box of the guild, finally someone recognized him, "Der, come, sit down!"
The chairs of the guild knew each other well, they'd not seen my father-in-law a long time, and started asking him how he'd been. Suddenly, there was that glow in my father-in-law, like the actors, awakened onstage by the spotlight that suddenly shone on him, and started telling people of how he'd weathered through the stroke, hospitalization, undergoing physical therapy, just like how when there were visitors to our home, he'd always, retold the tales; but the noise volume in the restaurant is too great, my father-in-law's reduced voice volume couldn't keep everybody's attention, and then, only those who were sitting right next to him were, nodding, like they were, listening.
The foods were rotating on the tables, as the peanuts are about to be completely gone, the entrees were, served, the sesame oil chicken, the scallops with the loofa, the tasty dishes came one right after the next. After they had something to eat, the conversation increased too, but my father-in-law's ears weren't receptive enough, he couldn't, chime in, seeing how people around him are getting up to offer the toasts to the other tables, he wanted to too, but was immobile, so he can, only, give up on the, thought.
The emcee started, "Congrats everybody! A brand new year, the guild had prepared the raffles, those who come to sing on stage, will get a prize!", then suddenly, people lined up next to the karaoke machine, don't know if it's for the songs, or for the, red, envelopes.
My mother-in-law told, that "your dad was asked up there by the host in the past, he'd not needed to stand in line like those over there."
The music was very upbeat, but my father-in-law looked, a bit, lost, my husband consoled with him, "they're all here for the drinks, and we are, not!", he'd peeled a shrimp for his father, "we're, in charge of eating all this food up!", and yet, how much food can an eighty-year-old person consume? The dishes aren't healthy at all.
things lost when we grow, old...the possibilities of problems that come with old age are, endless...found online
We'd thought, that the last dish was the dried shrimp with the sticky rice in sesame oils, and yet, there was, a duck too, a plate of shrimps in aged wine, finally, the fruit, then that was, the end. As we all got up to leave, my father-in-law almost couldn't stand back up. We'd been out for close to five hours, this long, he is, tired.
The waiter asked, "do you want to doggy bag the duck, the shrimps?", the rest at the table were busying, drinking, the foods, barely, touched. My mother-in-law glanced over at my father-in-law, told the waiter, no. As we go to the door, someone hollered, "Der, you're going so soon?", my father-in-law turned his head, someone he knew. "Come to the gathering the next time!", "no thanks, too far, I would need a driver to take me." "How's that? Drive yourself here, you only need to go over the Dadu Mountains!", my father-in-law laughed, "Car, I'd sold it, beside these legs, they can't climb the mountains anymore!"
At a little past two in the afternoon, the sun in the western coast still bright, thankfully, the drive back to Taichung is not into the sun. As I wanted to pull the sunblock board down on my father-in-law's side of the seats, I'd found, my in-laws were already, fast, asleep.
Do rest, after we go over the Dadu Mountain, we'll be, home.
So, this would be, WHAT, old looks like, you LOSE it all, especially if you'd been hit with the ailments, your health will, deteriorate, and, these gatherings of people from your past, became nothing but a reminder of how well you used to be, and it's quite, depressing, because you will, NEVER have those days of old back again…
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