When she was two years old

by symtaoeco on 2011-09-22 18:34:46

She obstinately insisted on her own choice and got married in the second year of work. But her father's poor prediction came true. She inherited her father's irascible temper. Once she lost her temper, quarrels were inevitable. Her husband never quarreled with her, but his silence and refusal to compromise made it even harder for her to endure. They fought in secret, lived apart, and divorced when their child was two years old.

That day, she went home to pick up some things. When she opened the door, her father was curled up on the sofa, asleep with the TV still on. His hair had turned gray, his face was haggard, and in just a year's time, her once vigorous father had suddenly aged. She suddenly realized how lonely her father really was. She stood there for a long time, then took a blanket to cover her father. He woke up suddenly. Seeing her, he looked flustered, hurriedly tidying up the messy things on the sofa. Then he remembered something, put down what he was holding, and said incoherently: "Haven't you eaten yet? Wait, I'll cook your favorite braised pork ribs..." She originally wanted to say that she wouldn't eat and would just take her things and leave. But seeing her father's eager and relieved expression, she couldn't bear it and sat down. Her father was as happy as a child, and quickly ran into the kitchen. She heard him drop a spoon on the ground and break a bowl. She went in and helped her father pick up the pieces. Her father sheepishly told her: "My hands are too slippery..." Her eyes became moist, and she suddenly felt regretful: why did she have to hurt the people who loved her so much?

Her feelings towards her father were complicated. She once grieved for her mother and thought in her heart: after finding a boyfriend in the future, the first requirement would be that he has a gentle and tolerant personality, and the second would be that he doesn't smoke or drink. She would never find a man like her father: irritable, critical, petty, and making the house chaotic over trivial matters.

Walking on the street, her father suddenly pulled his arm away and said, "You walk ahead, and I'll follow behind." She laughed and asked, "What, are you embarrassed?" Her father said, "You walk ahead, in case there's any unexpected situation, I can warn you to dodge." She stopped, the sunlight shining from behind her, and she suddenly noticed that her father's back had already become bent. She remembered how tall and strong her father used to be. But now, this old man still walked behind her, warning her about possible dangers...

After the divorce, she raised her child alone, suffered from insomnia, her hair fell out in large amounts, and her job was not satisfactory. She seemed to age several years overnight. One day, her child suddenly asked her: "Does dad not want us anymore?" She held back her tears and said, "No matter what, mom will always love you." As soon as the words were out, she paused. These words were also what her father had once told her, but had she ever understood her father's feelings?

The tenderness and indulgence her father showed were only given to her. He rarely argued with her mother in front of her. If she happened to see them arguing, no matter how fierce the argument was, as long as she shouted, "Stop arguing!" her once mighty father would immediately lower his head and stop the commotion. Even later, whenever her parents argued, her brother would immediately call her because everyone knew: only she could subdue her father.

The next day, her father suddenly came, packed her things without giving her a chance to object, picked up the child, and said, "Let's go home to grandpa."

It was still her room, which had been cleaned spotlessly by the housekeeper. Her father liked cooking and prepared three meals a day for her, changing the menu every day. Her father was old and forgetful, often putting double the salt in the dishes. But he remembered everything about her childhood clearly. Her father recounted the story of her having a fever as a child to her child. Her father said, "It was your mom's one call of 'dad' that captured grandpa's heart..." She listened nearby, suddenly remembering that poem: "Old men forget, but they don't forget longing."

In early spring, seeing her wearing dark clothes, her father insisted on going to buy her new clothes. He proudly opened his wallet to show her a stack of new bills, which were his newly received retirement pay. She smiled, stepped forward, and playfully hugged her father's arm, saying, "So this is what it feels like to rely on a rich person!" Her father acted like a celebrity, walking with his head held high, and both she and the housekeeper couldn't help but laugh.

Actually, her father wasn't a good-tempered person; he was fiery and quick to anger. Often, just over trivial household matters, he would have a big argument with her mother, each time shocking heaven and earth. Her father was addicted to alcohol, drinking until drunk every time, and arguing after getting drunk. Since she started remembering things, there were rarely warm and peaceful times at home. Inside and outside, the atmosphere was always filled with the smell of explosives.

She walked ahead, thinking, in this lifetime, who else would wait for her like her father? Thinking about this, tears couldn't help but well up. She didn't dare to wipe them, afraid that her father would see from behind. She straightened her back and kept walking forward.

She thought this kind of happiness would last a lifetime, until one day, her father solemnly told her, "From now on, you will live with dad." Later, she learned that it was her mother who proposed the divorce. Her mother said, "I'm tired of this life full of arguments and disputes." Her father resisted for a long time, ultimately choosing to give in. The only condition he set was that he must take her with him.

She was just a spoiled child by her father.

Her father's hand, awkwardly suspended in mid-air. According to his temper, if it were someone else, the slap would have already landed. She saw the muscles on her father's face twitch violently several times, and he said, "No matter what, dad will always love you!" Just before leaving, her father looked deeply at her again. Watching her father walk away, her stubborn defense finally collapsed, and she cried loudly alone in the secluded dormitory, looking at the ribs scattered all over the floor.

That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, her father came to her room and seriously told her: "Yaya, this boy isn't suitable for you." Her stubbornness returned: "How is he unsuitable? At least, he doesn't drink, his temper is better than yours, and he never argues with me." Her father looked embarrassed but still tried to persuade her: "You lack experience. This kind of person may not argue with you, but they remember every little thing in their hearts."

Her father said on the phone, "If you're not doing well, come back. Let the aunt take care of the child, can't your old man support you?" She remained silent, not speaking, tears falling drop by drop, thinking her father couldn't see.

As the autumn wind began to blow, after evening study, the night wind already carried a chill. She just walked out of the classroom when she saw a shadow flickering in front of the window. She tensed up and called out, "Who's there?" That person immediately responded, "Yaya, don't be afraid, it's dad." Her father came to her, handed her a roll of things, and instructed her, "It's getting cold. You've always kicked off blankets while sleeping since you were young. Be careful not to catch a cold." Back in the dormitory, she opened the package and found a new quilt. She buried her head in it, deeply inhaling the scent of sunshine. She knew that her father must have sunned it all day and rushed to bring it to her.

In her third year of college, her father remarried. Her father called her and boldly said, "She's an elementary school teacher, retired, meticulous and with a good temper... If you don't have time, you don't need to come back..." At that time, she also had a boyfriend and clearly understood that some things depended on fate. In her heart, she also knew how lonely her father had been these years. She remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, then softly said, "In the future, don't argue with people anymore." Her father repeatedly agreed, "Okay, I won't argue anymore, I won't argue anymore."

When she was two years old, she once had a high fever and lost consciousness. Her father carried her to the hospital in the middle of the night. On the way, she, who had been unconscious for a whole day, suddenly opened her eyes and clearly called out, "Dad!"

Her father often mentioned this incident to her later. Those tiny details, through her father's repeated retelling, were carved into a landscape. Each time her father finished talking, he would sigh, "You were so small, and unconscious for so long, how did you suddenly wake up?" At that moment, her father's eyes were full of gentleness and love. After hearing it many times, she got annoyed and snapped at him, but her father didn't care, just laughing happily and contentedly. Her arrogance and dominance grew under her father's indulgence.

During the summer vacation, she brought her boyfriend back home. There were new pieces of furniture in the house, and the flowers on the balcony were blooming beautifully. Her father was neatly dressed and spirited. She shyly called the slightly plump woman "Aunt." Aunt immediately flustered and joyfully went to the kitchen to cook. She came out every few minutes, asking whether she preferred sweet or spicy food, and whether the taste should be light or heavy. She also directed her father, telling him to peel an onion here and wash vegetables there. She didn't expect that her irascible father could be tamed so obediently by her. Listening to her father and aunt laughing softly in the kitchen, the sound of the oil pot sizzling, and the smell of cooking oil wafting out of the kitchen, her eyes became hot. This was the real taste of home.

However, being his daughter, she knew she was happy.

Even though it was her mother who proposed the divorce, she still stubbornly blamed her father. From then on, she became a cold and lonely child, refusing her father's care and moving to live at school. Her father came to the school to see her, bringing a thermos box full of her favorite braised pork ribs. She didn't even look, lowering her head and shoveling rice into her mouth forcefully, bite after bite, until tears welled up in her eyes. Her father sighed and begged her to go home, but she remained cold-faced and silent. Her father raised his hand to touch her head, sympathetically saying, "Look, in just a few days, you've become so thin." She slapped her book in front of her father's hand, screaming hysterically, "Don't bother me!" Then she violently swept the table, causing the lunch box to clang to the ground. The sauce-colored ribs were scattered all over the floor, and the rich aroma permeated the entire dormitory.