I went to the elementary school for a seminar about teaching reading strategies yesterday. I met one of my college classmates there. She is Becky. She's also an English teacher. "What a big surprise!" I thought. I was glad to see her there because I knew that she would save me from boredom.
After the seminar, we had dinner together. We talked a lot about our lives. It was just a normal workday but it was like a beautiful holiday because of her. The seminar ended at 4 p.m., but we left the city at around 7 p.m.
It was getting dark. I turned on the light of my scooter. To go back home, I needed to pass through several villages which didn't have many lights beside the roads and streets.
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I don't like darkness. Darkness usually arouses negative thoughts. I don't like a dark and quiet night. It reminds me of being alone. Humans are doomed to be alone, especially in their difficult times. I'm used to playing Chinese crosstalk shows with my mobile phone while sleeping. Some people can't even fall asleep with a little noise, but they make me feel secure.
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In the dark, I couldn't see things clearly, so I rode slowly. Suddenly, a car turned and followed behind me. The road was so narrow, so the driver couldn't overtake my scooter. Its bright lights shone the road. I felt as if a nearsighted person just got a pair of glasses. Everything became much clearer. Soon, some memories crossed my mind.
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Three years ago, I worked in a vocational high school. It was a tough year for me because some of my chiefs weren't nice to me. I had so much work then, and sometimes I even had to work till 10 p.m. On those days that I had to go home late, my dad would drive to my school and wait outside. I felt warm and happy whenever I saw his car outside the school after work. He would drive slowly behind my scooter to be my light.
Instead of going home directly, sometimes we had dinner together in the restaurant near the school. He'd never asked me about my job although he knew that I was unhappy and stressed at work. We just talked casually.
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We got to the main road and the car left.
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Fragments of memories were flipping...
...My dad's hand was so soft. I held his hand tightly on the ambulance. It was the last time we went back home together...
...At midnight, we still didn't want to go back home. My dad took us to sing karaoke. My brother and I enjoyed singing a lot. My dad coughed so much after singing a while. He must have felt sick then. He only sang several songs, but he loved singing so much...
..."Can we take a train to Kaohsiung during Chinese New Year?" I asked.
" No problem!" My dad said.
In the end, we still didn't go there. His body hurt a lot, especially his legs and his waist...
...My dad took the new tape and started to record. He was telling a story, and my brother and I started to make some sounds for the story, like the sound of blowing wind, the sound of walking, etc...
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Lots of memories passed through my mind like a high-speed train. Then the train stopped, and I arrived home. I pressed the button to roll down the gate. My mom already got home. She was watching a drama on her phone. She complained about her colleagues and her supervisor when she saw me.
It was a normal workday.
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