A Moonless Mid-Autumn Festival
When I finally got off the work, it was past six. There were only a few cars left in the parking lot. I walked towards a tree, under which parked my car, with fallen leaves scattering on the front cover. The parking spot under a tree is always my preference, since the shade of the tall tree will shield the Californian sunlight off the car body, making it an ideal place for a thirty- minute nap during the lunch hour. But a busy day like today, a nap would be a luxury.
Tired and a bit cold, I got in the car. After a day’s exposure to the 70+ F temperature, the car was just comfortably warm. Getting out of the empty parking lot, I was on the local street. The sky was just as gloomy as it in the morning. It was only ten minutes’ drive, but long enough to recall the conversations I had with the daughter the other night. At first, I texted her to remind her of the Mid-autumn festival, of getting a glimpse of the fullest moon, if available. She texted me back if we ate any mooncake. The answer was no. Without her, I didn’t have the mood and necessity to buy them or make ones. Then I remembered her coming back for Christmas and decided to make a phone call. Over the phone, I suggested a vacation out of town somewhere for the Christmas and New Year. She told me that she would not like to go anywhere else except home, which she has been away for a year and a half, emphatically her longest duration ever. What was indicated in her tone is like “Can you believe, Mom, that I have been away for so long?” When I tried to correct her that it was actually a year and four months, she grunted a bit for my being unpathetic. I understand your nostalgia, baby, I said to myself.
The dinner was prepared within thirty minutes. After dinner is our regular walk time. When LD and I stepped out, the moon was nowhere to be seen. Living in a sunshine place, we are so used to sunny days and moonlit nights. The absence of a full moon, on this particular day, triggered a sense of loss.
However, this sentiment was soon overcome by the enthusiastic greetings from friends on WXC. It becomes part of my life now to blog and "talk" with bloggers. Thanks to this virtual city, we, who don't know each other in life, are connected in the air, and meeting people afar around the globe is made not only possible but a reality and a joy.
