The Ton That family

The last family reunion before my return to Taipei. Unusually this time, it was just the four of us, the two parents with the two sons. That had not happened in a long time, as my mother remarked.

The plan was to use the Kärcher machine and clean up the front yard as well as the concrete staircase leading to the front door. My parents enjoyed having their two sons taking care of the house together. The task lasted for a few hours. My mother kept us company, watching us from the on the perron, making comments as we worked – “All this moss and mold look like a spinach puree”. Maybe did she feel for a moment that it was like thirty years ago, when my brother and I were still living with them, teenage boys as we were.

After more than three hours, the front yard was immaculate, just as it was… thirty years ago when the house had been newly renovated.

My father had prepared some sweet lotus seed soup which we ate with great pleasure. It was a simple afternoon. Simple things bring the greatest joys, and my heart is aching a little.