A Chance Meeting with Father at the Market

While my husband was away on duty in Pingtung, besides his salary he also had travel allowance from that period. The first month he sent the money back; I was very glad, because at home we had no spare money to buy daily necessities—a bath tub, the baby’s pram, a washboard, and so on.

At first we bathed the baby in a washbasin; after the full month the washbasin was no longer suitable. Luckily with this money we could solve the difficulty. I asked Ah Hsueh to accompany me to Changhua to buy what we needed, paying her a day’s wages—whatever she would earn for a day’s labour outside, I paid her the same. She was very glad and willingly helped me.

The next day I carried my son on my back, bags in hand, and went down the mountain with Ah Hsueh, took the train to Changhua, and bought various things including a pram. Ah Hsueh was very strong and could carry everything up the mountain. Before we set out I told her, “We’re buying a lot; it may be very heavy.” So she brought a carrying pole and rope from home and left them at Dadu station to use on the return trip.

While buying things at the Changhua market I chanced upon Father—the child’s maternal grandfather. He came over and called me, “Haruko!” (Haruko was my Japanese name, pronounced something like “haruko”); I stood stunned.

I asked, “Father! How are you here?” He told me, “I’m on business in Changhua and came to the market to look around; I never thought I’d meet you here!” Seeing the little infant in my arms he asked, “When was the child born? Why didn’t you tell me?” I told him, “He’s already more than two months old; I wrote to you before, but you didn’t reply—did you not receive it?” He said, “I didn’t receive it; I’m very sorry, and I didn’t send you a gift either.” I comforted the old man: “No gift is all right; I have no parents-in-law, no sisters-in-law.” I also told him, “My husband and I are doing very well; he takes good care of me—please set your mind at ease.”

Because of time I asked Father to take care of his health and said goodbye. When we had gone some distance I looked back; the old man was still there seeing us off, and I could not help a surge of sorrow.

Meeting Father by chance brought back my girlhood after the third mother entered the house—all the unhappiness at home. Only after I met my husband and married did I begin to live freely and happily.

Why call it a “chance” meeting with Father? Because from marriage until the child was born, Father at my natal home had not been in contact with me. My husband wrote to him; he did not reply either.

After explanation we learned the stepmother had intercepted the letters.

Perhaps because the stepmother had once wanted to introduce her friend’s son to me and I did not agree, and later I married a mainland soldier, which made her angrier?

Because of that it was as though the road to my natal home was cut. So meeting Father unexpectedly in the vegetable market shocked me so deeply.