* Friday, October 01, 2004*

tink tis story is very touchin..
it touched me.
hope tis will touch u too..

I cried for my brother 6 times.

I was born in a secluded village of a mountain.
Days by days my parents plowed e yellow dry soil
with their backs facing e sky.
I have a younger brother, 3 years younger than me.
Once, to buy a handkerchief which all girls ard me seemed to have,
I stole 50 cents from my father's drawer.
Father known about it right away.
He made my younger brother n me kneeled against
e wall, with a bamboo stick in his hand.
"Who stole e money?" he asked.
I was stunned, too afraid to talk.
Father didn't hear any of us admit, so he said,

"Fine, if nobody wants to admit, you two shld be beaten!"
He lifted up e bamboo stick.

Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand n said,
"Dad, I was e one who did it!"

e long stick smacked on my brother's back repeatedly.

Father was so angry tht he kept on whipped my
brother until he lost his breath.

After tht, he sat down on our stone bed n scolded my brother,
"You hav learnt to steal frm ur own house now,
wat other embarrassing things you will do in e future??
You shld be beaten to death!
You shameless thief!"

Tht night, mother n I hugged my brother.
His body full of injuries, but he didn't shed a single tear.
In e middle of the night, all of sudden I cried out loudly.
My brother covered my mouth with his little hand n
said, " Sis, now don't cry anymore. Everything has happened."
I still hate myself for didn't have enough courage
to admit wat I had done.
Years gone by, but the incident still looked like it
just happened yesterday.

I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me.
That year, my brother was 8 years old; I was 11 years old.
When my brother was in his last year of his lower secondary school,
he was accepted in an upper secondary school in e central.
At e same time, I was accepted into a province's university.
Tht night, father squatted in e yard, smoking, packet by packet.
I could hear him said,
"Both our children have good results? very good results?"
Mother wiped off her tears and sighed,
" What is e use? How can we possibly finance both of them?"
At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in
front of father and said, "Dad, I don't want to
continue my study anymore, I have read enough books."
Father swung his hand and slapped brother on his face.
"Why do you hav a spirit so damn weak? Even if it
means I hav to beg for money on e streets, I will
send you two to school until you both finish your study!"
n then, he started to knock on every house in e
village to borrow money.
I stuck out my hand as soft as I can to my brother's
swollen face, and said, "A boy has to continue his
study; If not, he will not be able to leave tis depths of poverty."
Me, on e other hand, had decided not to further my study to university.
Who knows on e next day, before dawn, my brother
left e house with a few pieces of worn-out clothes n a few dry beans.
He sneaked to e side of my bed n left a note on my pillow;
"Sis, get into an university is not easy.
I will go find a job and send money to you."
I held e note while sitting on my bed, n cried until I lost my voice.
Tht year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20
years old. With e money father borrowed from e
whole village, n money my brother earned frm
carrying cement on his back at construction site,
finally, I managed to get to the third year of my study in e university.
One day, I was studying in my room, when my roommate
came in n told me, "There's a villager wait for you outside!"
Why is there a villager looking for me? I walked
out, n saw my brother frm afar, His whole body is
dirty, covered by dust, cement n sands. I asked
him, "Why don't you tell my roommate tht ur my brother?"
He replied with a smile,"Look at my appearance.
What will they think if they know that I am ur brother?
Don't they laugh at you?"
I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes.
I swept away dusts from my brother's body.
And said with a lump in my throat, " I don't care of what people
say! You are my brother no matter wat ur appearance is?"
From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip.
He wore it on me, and said, "I saw all e girls in town are wearing it.
So, I think you shld also have one."
I could not hold back myself anymore.
I pulled my brother into my arms n cried n cried.
That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years old.
e first time I brought my boyfriend home,
e broken window had been repaired.
And it looked so clean inside e house.
After, my boyfriend went home,
I danced like a small girl in front of my mother,
"Mom, you dont hafta spend so much time cleanin e house!"
But she said with a smile,
"It was ur brother who went home early to clean the house.
Didn't you see e wound on his hand?
He was injured while replacing e window."
I went into my brother's small bedroom.
Looking at his thin face,
I felt like dere are hundreds of needle pricked in my heart.
I put some ointment on his wound n bandaged it,
"Does it hurt? " I asked him.
"No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when I was working
in the construction site, stones falling on my feet
all the time. Even that could not stop me from working n?"
In e middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned
my back on him n tears rolling down my face.
That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years old.
After I got married, I lived in e city.
Lots of time my husband invited my parents to come n live
with us, but they dint want.
They said, once they left e village,they dint know wat to do.
My brother also didn't agree, he said,
"Sis, you juz take care of ur parents-in-law.
I will take care of mom n dad here."
My husband became e director of his factory. We
wanted my brother to get e job as e manager in
e department of maintenance. But, my brother
rejected e offer. He insisted on startin to work
as a reparation worker.

One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder
repairing a cable, when he got electrocuted,
n was sent to e hospital.
My husband and I visited him.
Looked at e white gypsum on his leg, I grumbled,
"Why did you reject to be a manager? Manager will
not do something dangerous like tis. Look at you now,
such a serious injury. Why you dint want to listen to us?"
With a serious expression on his face, he defended
on his decision, "Think of brother-in-law?he juz
became e director, and I almost uneducated. If I
became e manager, what kind of rumors will fly around?"
My husband's eyes filled up with tears, n then I
said, "But you lack in education also because of me!"
"Why talking about e past?" My brother held my hand.

Tht year, he was 26 years old n I was 29 years old.
My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer girl frm e village.
In his wedding reception, e master of ceremonies
asked him, "Who is e one you respect n love e most?"
Without tinkin, he answered," My sister."
He continued by telling a story I could not even remember.
"When I was in primary school, e school was in
different village. Everyday, my sister n I walked
for 2 hours to go school n go home. One day, I
lost one of my pair of gloves. My sister gave me one
of hers. She only wore one glove n walked for so
far. When we got home, her hand was so trembled
because of e weather tht was so cold tht she
could not even hold her chopsticks. From tht day on,
I swore that as long as I live, I would take
care of my sister n be good to her."

Applause filled up e room. All guests turned their attention to me.
Words were so hard to come out from my mouth, i was dumbfounded.
"In my whole life,e one I'ld like to thank e most is my brother,"
And in tis happy occasion, in front of e crowd,
tears rolling down my face again.
Love n care for e one you love evry single days
of your life. You may tink wat you did is juz a
small deed, but to tht someone, it may mean a lot.

~I tell you e truth, he who believes has everlasting life. (John 6:47)~


Tas_anne @ Friday, October 01, 2004