“Familial affection is ‘superfluous words’ only.” Is that true? I doubted this statement before, but recently, recalling my past again, I tasted a brand-new meaning of “familial affection”.
“Listen to Mrs. Doe, never talk back, be a good girl! Don’t be picky about food, eating more will be good for you.” When I was in kindergarten, I was simple-minded and quite unsophisticated, so I spontaneously felt warm inside. And I always responded, “Yeah, I will. Mummy, see you!”
“Have you packed up your luggage? Don’t forget your textbooks! Keep an eye on traffic, walk on the zebra crossing1. Don’t be absent-minded in class, and don’t disturb your teachers. And write down your assignment before leaving school in case you forget it!” At the beginning, I grudgingly2 listened to such words and occasionally answered, “Trust me! Mamma.” Later on, I found Mummy to be a little bit troublesome and wordy, but I had no antipathy3.
“What about your assignment? Finish your dinner quickly! Then go upstairs to do your homework, and don’t forget to look through tomorrow’s class before you go to bed. And, did you have any in-class tests recently? No slacking4. And whatever grades you got, inform me. Don’t make your father irate.” ---- These were the routine questions asked by Mummy when I returned from middle school. She never changed these patterns, not even a single word.
Mummy didn’t mind taking all the trouble to ask me, but I had felt tired of it for a long time. So I always answered in brief phrases. “Not much”, “No”, “Yeah” became my favorite phrases5. In other cases, I was reluctant to answer. Superfluous words were stuffed into my ears each day, and my attention was worn down. How bothersome it was! Mostly, I choked with silent fury6. Occasionally, I cracked back7 with a few words. Although Mummy was angry at my ungraceful response, she still kept a blind eye on my agony and acted according to her wishes the next day. Oh! God! Please let my Mamma say something else, please.
“Did you have your dinner? How about your diet in school? Sheet washed? Heavy assignment? Making ends meet? Find your Mr. Right? And how well are you getting on with your classmates?” She was so concerned about me that she always had a barrage8 of questions. Although the topics were never changed, I didn’t think these superfluous words unwanted, since I had grown up as time went by. And I knew I’d better render9 a positive image of myself, in case she worried about me too much. And I always asked about Mamma and Daddy’s health condition before I hung up. Such a thing happened rarely before.
Are you busy at work? Take care of yourself! Keep a regular diet； don’t stay up late at night. Don’t mind trifles and get along well with your colleagues.” ------ When I made a living on my own, Mummy’s routine words didn’t sound tedious any more. Her reiteration10 aroused my appreciation, instead of weariness. Especially, when I didn’t feel good, I could always get some comforts from her.
Familial affection is ‘superfluous words’ only, as nobody is willing to say such words to you for your whole life, except your family. Even though these words made you antipathetic, the concerns conveyed in words may accompany you through your whole life. |
