Recently, my parents went on a cruise with their friends. All of a sudden, the house got so quiet that I wasn’t used to it. My dad spends the majority of his time in the US now. Partly because of his love for gardening, and partly because he wants to stay with me. Whenever mom now leaves for Hong Kong, she would say, "take care of dad!" I don't know who is taking care of who, because I think my dad also takes care of me.
Funny how when a parent becomes older, I like to think that I adopted him as though he were my child. I’m compelled to bring him to breakfast, to dim sum, and to make sure that he does not feel lonesome at home. My dad has always been the lenient parent. I remember that when I was in grades school, I was not allowed to go to parties. One time, my mom was away in Hong Kong, so I asked my dad if I could go to my best friend, Alicia's party. To which he replied, "yes!" Later on, I got into trouble when my mom found out.
When we were kids, we always assumed that our parents were right. It never occurred to me until I’m much older, that parents are also human. Sometimes, my dad might be impatient. Then, I must recall all the times when he was younger, how patient he must have to be with me. How he drove me to school every morning and taught me how to drive. I would not be a decent driver today if it had not been my dad, teaching me and reprimanding me when I made a mistake.
Nowadays, If I ever need to fill my car with gas and pressed for time, my dad would do it for me without a second thought. My dad would go on a limb to help me out. Below, he is going above and beyond to help me prep my scholarship wall at a time when I decided to go back to school full-time. I remember announcing to my parents over the phone that I was going to stop teaching. I could hear my dad in the background, saying, "I support you completely!"
