A Father's Sorrow

I took a cab to work today morning. About 10 minutes away from reaching my office, the cab driver and I started to talk. I was surprised he could speak fluent English (he is 69 years old). He used to be a white-collar worker and when the economic downturn hit in 1985, he was retrenched. He was unable to find a job (due to his age) so he became a cab driver.

He has three children. The youngest, a daughter, is a teacher who gets in touch with him once a year and doesn't give him any allowance. His eldest, a son, recently passed away in his sleep. He is currently staying with his second child, another son who is single. This son will soon be heading to China for work for a month. He said he would be able to retire if only each of his children would give him $200-$300 a month. I listened all this while when he shared with me part of his life story. I think he just needed someone to listen to him. Sometimes, less is more and well, 家家有本难念的经 (each family has its own tales to tell of)

When I was getting off, he wished me a good day ahead and in the same breath, he said he'll try to. To cheer him up a little, I teased him for being so specific and he laughed.