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I have been fighting my worst sorrow in the last week
My dearest father passed away on April 28, 2008, in China A week after I called him, to tell him that I was going to visit him starting at the end of June And he said “Welcome!” A couple of days later he was very ill After a week in hospital, he passed away at the not a very old age of 72 He has been fighting chronic diseases for years
I cannot help crying aloud when I am alone The worst thing is that I was not around at his last moment When I phoned a brother of mine and we cried over the phone He said we never cried like that before.
The funeral is partially over Cremation was done And they are waiting for me to finish the burial together And my scheduled traveling back is to handle something different now
My father knew that I would be back at the end of June And at his last moment he was waiting for me with his eyes open wide He was so weak that he could not move or speak But when someone asked if he was waiting for me He tried very hard to nod And his tears came out of his eyes …
He was a farming villager He did something almost impossible with his little income and almost no external help He raised four sons and one daughter And worked very hard to pay the three of us to gradute from universities He spent most of his money on me I cannot help shedding tears when I think of those facts
And my brothers told me that they organized a very good funeral The village is like an extended family Many old and new relatives, fellow villagers, my former primary school classmates, and my brothers’ colleagues attended, 200 of them
Their image of my father and mine are different Theirs is sick and weak from his last moment But mine is lively and strong and healthy from his young days, since I have been living away from him since attending my high school And most of his health problem is from his hard working during his young days
I cry when I was walking alone on the street, in my car, or in my own room Sometimes very loud
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