I had planned to get married at 1st October of 2009, but because of work, I didn't go back to my hometown until the Spring Festival to get married. My hometown is in Urumqi. After graduation, I went to work in Chengdu, everything was relatively plain and smooth, I already found my loved one, had a good job, working as an engineering manager in a construction company. Times have faded away some strange memories deep in my heart. But just this Spring Festival, after my wedding...
The day after the banquet, my wife got up early and at breakfast she told me that I rummaged through the drawers last night to find something, and that caused her not sleeping well, and I didn't have any recollection of the nocturnal activity at all. Then as if to remind me something, I found the chess set on the table!
My whole body shivered for a few seconds, why is this chess set on the table, it should have been tied and sealed in the drawers all the time! On hearing the voice of my wife, I came back to my senses.
About this chess set, it goes back to when I was in junior high school. At that time, I was obsessed with playing Xiangqi, and when I defeated my peers, I was no longer satisfied with my usual opponents, so I often watched games played by the elderly downstairs and I often joined in and played with them. Grandpa Qi was the person who played Xiangqi with me the most at that time.
Grandpa Qi's wife died early, Qi had two sons and a daughter, all settled in their different ways, they have not come back home often. Grandpa Qi has been living alone, the children will occasionally come back to see their old dad. I have been playing downstairs with Grandpa Qi two games every day after school and also on weekends. People say that the two of us have forgotten each other's generation gap and have a very good relationship, and even when his children came back, they would invite me for dinner!
However, until one bad day I committed a mistake, I felt I didn't have the courage to play chess with Grandpa Qi anymore, I avoided him every time as much as possible, I was afraid of his reprimanding eyes. Several times I walked past him with my head bowed, and I heard a faint sigh then!
I was in the second or third year of junior high school, when Grandpa Qi was more taken care of by the Elderly committee as he was living alone, they asked him to look after the little shop run by the neighbourhood committee for a few hours a day, the shop is some few yards away downstairs from my house. That day, I went down to play chess, at the same time wanted to buy myself an ice lolly, but there was no one at the little shop, door was locked, and the freezer placed outside was also locked. I discovered the door of the freezer could be lifted a little bit, just so that one of my hands could reach in, and at that time, I saw that there was no one around, so I wanted to reach in and get it. But when I just reached in and took it, Grandpa Qi appeared, I briskly saw his angered expression, and I knew what I was doing was wrong. I quickly retreated and left the place, later I slipped back home! Since then, I have been hiding from Grandpa Qi!
Even when being a third year student in senior high school, I haven't touched or played Xiangqi for 3 years! I can always think of Grandpa Qi's eyes that day. I deliberately avoided the game.
After the college entrance examination over, I was anxiously waiting at home for the notice of exam results by post. One of these nights, something terrible happened!
The weather that day was muggy and hot, as if it were going to rain. I didn't fall asleep until after 2 o'clock in the morning. But not long after falling asleep, in the haze, I saw someone at the door. I can't see the thing clearly, I was afraid. I felt like I was in a bondage. I shouted desperately: "Who!" My mom came out of the bedroom and asked me what was wrong, and I said I saw a man at our doorstep. After that I slept with the lights on. But the following night, shortly after I had just fallen asleep, the man I saw at the door yesterday was sitting on the edge of my bed, and I was terrified, and after hearing a sigh from him, I yelled again, which also woke my mother. My mother looked at me sweating profusely and didn't know what to do to calm me down.
On the third day, when I came back home from school, I saw that there were many people gathered together, my mother was also there, and Grandpa Qi's children were also there. Grandpa Qi had passed away, he had suffered a cerebral stroke at home and died 2 days ago. I was confused, could it be that Grandpa Qi came to try to find me? Listening to my mother, she said because the Elderly committee found out that Grandpa Qi had not been in the shop for 2 days, and mum didn't know what the situation was, she called his children, and when they came back, they found that he had died at home, and he had been dead for 2 days already. I said, "Mom, what I saw two nights ago, could it be..." My mother said that Grandpa Qi had a good relationship with me before, probably he was wanting you to save him.
I attended Grandpa Qi's funeral with much mixed feelings, and after the funeral, Grandpa Qi's eldest son looked for me and said that when sorting out his father's belongings, he had found Dad's gift for me : a very beautiful box of chess set and a birthday card, the date was dated my third year of junior high school. Recalling that day of the ice lolly incident, it was only a few days before my birthday. But because of my escape and my avoidance, Grandpa Qi's gift has never been given into my hands!
I collected the gifts that Grandpa Qi given me very carefully, put it in the drawers, but I never dared to open it and take the pieces out, and I always felt that I owed Grandpa Qi something. That chess set was never have occasion to be displayed once.
Back to this year, when I got married, the chess set had then appeared as if unexpected in front of me once again, it was on the table, but the birthday card was still in the drawer. Why is this so? Every time I think about it, I feel a bit uneasy.
I think Grandpa Qi has not forgotten me, and he has forgiven me a long time ago, and on my wedding day, he wanted to give me a gift in his way. I was deeply moved, but I am an ordinary person after all, for these strange things, after all, I will be always apprehensive, I told my mother so. Before I left my hometown for Chengdu, accompanied by my wife, we went to visit Grandpa Qi's grave, I have the opportunity and courage finally to say: "Sorry!”
+ + + +
Source : 天亦老的博客
Dated : 2015-March-13th
No comments:
Post a Comment