Doing good and being filial are two things that cannot be put off
The beginning of the end started with an
audible click; the locks engage onboard the hearse. There we were dressed in
white, myself included as we said our last goodbye. The time had come to send
it off. Thus, upon the pavement we walked on our soles. Though the asphalt was
set ablaze, we paid it no mind – our hearts and minds set on the long walk
ahead.
The date was February the 18th,
2024. My flight for Taiwan departs by 1400hrs but I had not boarded. The day
marked the end of my grandfather’s funeral service, and there we were for the
sealing of his casket. What laid ahead was the long walk to the crematorium. The
night before I had a breakdown, I could not decide on what to do. I had sent
out an email notifying my university but I had received a reply wishing for my
immediate return to participate in a training programme. On one hand, my flight
was scheduled on the following day, the semester starting by the 19th;
on the other, my grandfather’s funeral was at its end and cremation due the
next day. I was at my wits end, I spoke my mind before my parents and sister ‘I
cannot leave now, this is my own grandfather’s funeral’, I said, ‘but I
have not the funds to afford another flight and my programme back in Taiwan has
expressed for my return’. Deep within me two sides were at war, one side
fought to stay, and the other to leave.
It was then when my mother reminded me,
in as soft a tone as an autumn breeze: “my dear child, doing good and being
filial are two things that cannot be put off. Surely you know what to do…”
At that instant, it was as if the fog had lifted from my mind. Every memory I
had with my grandfather came back to me as if they were re-lived that very
moment. Ever since my enrolment into University, I had been in Taiwan. For
nearly five long years I have not seen my family, and to think just as I
finally had the chance to it would be to see the passing of my grandfather. I
had been blinded by a mere reply! I understood then what I must do, knowing now
within me had I not chosen to stay that night, my conscience would haunt me for
the rest of my life – never to forgive myself for my unfilial and selfish act.
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