Ever since she left for college, her room was kept intact without many changes. A long white wall was adorned with her two paintings, a pair of pointed ballet shoes on vigorous legs, and a silhuette of a young ballerina in her ballooned puffy dress. Hung on the other two walls are a family picture with flowery iron frame, and an enlarged picture of her own, a cute chubby toddler. Down beneath is a twin-size bed, with hard mattress as she prefers. Next to the bed is a low book shelf, with a lamp standing on the top that feeds light if she needs to read at night. Outside the window are roof tops layered by faded red tiles, down and beyond which are a sizeable piece of lawn and a street flanked by trees, some towering, some leafy. When spring comes, the tree extended from the left front flowers with fluffy ball-shaped pink, its lengthy willow-like branches dancing in the wind. It is a room with a view.
We moved in more than ten years ago, when she was still in her elementary school. I don’t know how she remembers her years in the room. But my memory is inundated with her stressful days in high school, when she worked very late into the night, and I, who woke up in the wee hours, had to check from the bottom of the door if the light in the room was still on…
Time fleets by. The room has been without her for almost six years. Her frequency of flying back home decreased gradually from four times a year to once a year, now that she started her job in a farther northern city. Being used to empty-nestedness, we began to enjoy the life without her. We are no longer sentimental. Over the years, I boxed most of her stuff in the garage, books, notebooks, binders, souvenirs so that they won’t collect dust on the shelves. But everything else stays the same. The clean beddings, the teddy bears by the pillow, are there any time she comes back.
One cold winter day, as he entered her sunny room to take care of the plants by the window, an idea popped up in his mind. He wanted to move into the room, where sunlight showered through the window, a striking contrast to his cold north-faced room. The move was instant, with computers set up, even his own beddings for his day or night rests. Along with the move came more jars, pots and a tank with water plants that he has heen testing to resume his dream of raising fish. The joy of living in a sunny warm room was self-evident, and his only regret was not to move in earlier.
A usual Saturday morning after the sweaty hiking, he asked me in the car when our daughter would be home. Next Friday night, I replied. I know his concern, reassuringly telling him not to worry about the room change, as she would only stay home for four nights, and I can make ready a new clean bed. Unexpectedly, he insisted that the room would have to be back to the original state, only cleaner and more lively with the new plants. It is the sense of belongings or a feeling that matters, he said, i.e., wherever she goes, and however long she is away, the home is the home. And she has a permenant place in the family, in our hearts.
回複 '7grizzly' 的評論 : Hi, my friend. I only show the good part:) You don't know girls can be very messy too. She once shared an apartment with two other girls at college, and one girl was So messy that her room was literally littered with clothes, books, everything on the floor, bed and desk. I will wait and see if you are going to throw Tim's stuffs away by the time he leaves. They may turn to be your treasure by then:) Thanks for Reading and comment!
回複 '唐西' 的評論 : 唐西好！ 沒打開留言，看到Mr.Right 就知道是唐西留的。你還記得啊，謝謝謝謝。其實，每位丈夫都可以同時是Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong, 好好先生，不好先生，對太太而言，是找對人了，找錯人了，關鍵是不同的時期，跟不同的人。沒有一個人一生不犯錯，認為自己找對人的總體上還是少數吧：))多謝唐西留言，祝好！
暖冬cool夏 發表評論於
回複 'Once-always' 的評論 : Oncemm來了，給你沏茶。mm說得好，說得極是， a permenant spot in our hearts. 是的，畫是她在學畫時課堂上畫的，她畫畫其實一般，隻是這兩幅還不錯，特意給她掛起來了。看到你的留言前一刻，正在女兒房間裏，他已經騰幹淨了，房間顯得比以前整潔，表揚了他一下，他笑笑說，希望她回來看到了，會喜歡，會miss home.真是天下父母心啊。他自上次養魚失敗，一直沒有妄動，想找容易養的魚種，心還沒死：)如果有續集，一定報告給mm。祝mm春好! (剛剛發現自己寫錯了好幾個字，刪了重新貼一次)
唐西 發表評論於
Mr.Right！
Once-always 發表評論於
好有心的daddy！是啊，還是保留著女兒的房間好，讓她知道she has a permanent spot in your heart. 暖mm，我還記得你家俠侶養魚的故事，等著續集哦。對了這兩幅painting都是你女兒畫的吧？好喜歡！女兒真是多才多藝，有你們這樣的愛心爸媽，是她的幸運。
Ever since she left for college, her room was kept intact without many changes. A long white wall was adorned with her two paintings, a pair of pointed ballet shoes on vigorous legs, and a silhuette of a young ballerina in her ballooned puffy dress. Hung on the other two walls are a family picture with flowery iron frame, and an enlarged picture of her own, a cute chubby toddler. Down beneath is a twin-size bed, with hard mattress as she prefers. Next to the bed is a low book shelf, with a lamp standing on the top that feeds light if she needs to read at night. Outside the window are roof tops layered by faded red tiles, down and beyond which are a sizeable piece of lawn and a street flanked by trees, some towering, some leafy. When spring comes, the tree extended from the left front flowers with fluffy ball-shaped pink, its lengthy willow-like branches dancing in the wind. It is a room with a view.
We moved in more than ten years ago, when she was still in her elementary school. I don’t know how she remembers her years in the room. But my memory is inundated with her stressful days in high school, when she worked very late into the night, and I, who woke up in the wee hours, had to check from the bottom of the door if the light in the room was still on…
Time fleets by. The room has been without her for almost six years. Her frequency of flying back home decreased gradually from four times a year to once a year, now that she started her job in a farther northern city. Being used to empty-nestedness, we began to enjoy the life without her. We are no longer sentimental. Over the years, I boxed most of her stuff in the garage, books, notebooks, binders, souvenirs so that they won’t collect dust on the shelves. But everything else stays the same. The clean beddings, the teddy bears by the pillow, are there any time she comes back.
One cold winter day, as he entered her sunny room to take care of the plants by the window, an idea popped up in his mind. He wanted to move into the room, where sunlight showered through the window, a striking contrast to his cold north-faced room. The move was instant, with computers set up, even his own beddings for his day or night rests. Along with the move came more jars, pots and a tank with water plants that he has heen testing to resume his dream of raising fish. The joy of living in a sunny warm room was self-evident, and his only regret was not to move in earlier.
A usual Saturday morning after the sweaty hiking, he asked me in the car when our daughter would be home. Next Friday night, I replied. I know his concern, reassuringly telling him not to worry about the room change, as she would only stay home for four nights, and I can make ready a new clean bed. Unexpectedly, he insisted that the room would have to be back to the original state, only cleaner and more lively with the new plants. It is the sense of belongings or a feeling that matters, he said, i.e., wherever she goes, and however long she is away, the home is the home. And she has a permenant place in the family, in our hearts.
