Every day from 8:30 and 9:00 p.m., it's "mother-and-daughter" talking time. Today Mom and I somehow talk about our family temple. I say our Chinese evergreens are half-dead. Mom says she used to buy new ones and some flowers when big rituals came. There was a friend who often came to our home and helped arranging flowers (she's very good at it) or wipe lamps. Mom remembered that she was very beautiful, with long hair, big eyes......Then I say if she heard how Mom praise her, she must be very happy.
"She has once come to our store."Mom says, "but she was very cold..."
"How come?" I feel sad almost as soon as I let out the words.
"I don't know. When I recognized her, I was very surprised. I asked, 'Is you? Are you xxx?' "
"And then? Did she say anything?" I'm eager to know what's going on.
"No...she only asked 'How mush?' in a frigid tone, then went away. "
I know it must really hurt to hear someone who was once your friend to say something like that. How come she just leave Mom that way without even try to be nice? I mean, Mom didn't do anything wrong! I wonder what happened to that woman; I wonder what she had been through...I wonder: Is it life? Does life turn her to be that way? Now I was not only sad, but almost angry. But when I look Mom's face, there's nothing more to tell...she doesn't seems to feel sad or angry, but just...nothing. The cold-faced woman, the beautiful woman who like flowers, the "surprise" in the store all seem to be transformed into a whiff of smoke, slowly, then vanished into the air.
But you can still feel it.
