I was born in
a secluded village on a mountain. Day after day, my parents plowed the yellow
dry soil with their backs towards the sky.
One day, I
wanted to buy a handkerchief, which all girls around me seemed to have. So, one
day I stole 50 cents from my father's drawer. Father discovered about the
stolen money right away.
'Who stole the
money?' he asked my brother and me.
I was stunned,
too afraid to talk. Neither of us admitted to the fault, so he said, 'Fine, if
nobody wants to admit, you both should be punished!' Suddenly, my younger
brother gripped Father's hand and said, 'Dad, I was the one who did it!' He
took the blame, and punishment, for me.
In the middle of
the night, all of sudden, I cried out loudly. My brother covered my mouth with
his little hand and said, 'Sis, now don't cry anymore. Everything has
happened.' I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me.
That year, my brother was 8 years old and I was 11 years old. I still hate
myself for not having enough courage to admit what I did. Years went by, but
the incident still seemed like it just happened yesterday.
When my
brother was in his last year of secondary school, he was accepted in an upper
secondary school in the central part of town. At the same time, I was accepted
into a university in the province.
That night,
Father squatted in the yard, smoking packet by packet. I could hear him ask my
mother, 'Both of our children, they have good results? Very good results?'
Mother wiped
off her tears and sighed, 'What is the 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 became angry.
'Why do you
have a spirit so weak? Even if it means I have to beg for money on the streets,
I will send you two to school until you have both finished your studies!' And
then, he started to knock on every house in the village to borrow money.
I stuck out my
hand as gently as I could to my brother's face, and told him, 'A boy has to
continue his study. If not, he will not be able to overcome this poverty we are
experiencing.' I, on the other hand, had decided not to further my study at the
university.
Nobody knew
that on the next day, before dawn, my brother left the house with a few pieces
of worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to my side of the bed and
left a note on my pillow; 'Sis, getting into a university is not easy. I will
go find a job and I will send money to you.' I held the note while sitting on
my bed, and cried until I lost my voice.
With the money
father borrowed from the whole village, and the money my brother earned from
carrying cement on his back at a construction site, finally, I managed to get
to the third year of my study in the university. That year, my brother was 17
years old; I was 20 years old.
One day, while
I was studying in my room, my roommate came in and told me, 'There's a villager
waiting for you outside!' Why would there be a villager looking for me? I
walked out, and I saw my brother from afar. His whole body was covered with
dirt, dust, cement and sand. I asked him, 'Why did you not tell my roommate
that you are my brother?'
He replied
with a smile, 'Look at my appearance. What will they think if they would know
that I am your brother? Won't they laugh at you?'
I felt so
touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept away dirt and dust from my brother's
body. And told him with a lump in my throat, 'I don't care what people would
say! You are my brother no matter what your appearance.'
From his
pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He put it on my hair and said, 'I
saw all the girls in town are wearing it. I think you should also have one.' I
could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my brother into my arms and cried.
That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years old.
After I got
married, I lived in the city. Many times my husband invited my parents to come
and live with us, but they didn't want. They said once they left the village,
they wouldn't know what to do. My brother agreed with them. He said, 'Sis, you
just take care of your parents-in-law. I will take care of Mom and Dad here.'
My husband became
the directors of his factory. We asked my brother to accept the offer of being
the manager in the maintenance department. But my brother rejected the offer.
He insisted on working as a repairman instead for a start.
One day, my
brother was on the top of a ladder repairing a cable, when he got electrocuted,
and was sent to the hospital. My husband and I visited him at the hospital.
Looking at the plaster cast on his leg, I grumbled, 'Why did you reject the
offer of being a manager? Managers won't do something dangerous like that. Now
look at you - you are suffering a serious injury. Why didn't you just listen to
us?'
With a serious
expression on his face, he defended his decision, 'Think of your
brother-in-law, he just became the director. If I, being uneducated, would
become a manager, what kind of rumors would fly around?'
My husband's
eyes filled up with tears, and then I said, 'But you lack in education only
because of me!'
'Why do you
talk about the past?' he said and then he held my hand. That year, he was 26
years old and I was 29 years old.
My brother was
30 years old when he married a farmer girl from the village. During the wedding
reception, the master of ceremonies asked him, 'Who is the one person you
respect and love the most?'
Without even
taking a time to think, he answered,' My sister.' He continued by telling a
story I could not even remember. 'When I was in primary school, the school was
in a different village. Everyday, my sister and I would walk for 2 hours to
school and back home. One day, I lost one of my gloves. My sister gave me one
of hers. She wore only one glove and she had to walk far. When we got home, her
hands were trembling because of the cold weather. She could not even hold her
chopsticks. From that day on, I swore that as long as I lived, I would take
care of my sister and would always be good to her.'
Applause
filled up the room. All guests turned their attention to me. I found it hard to
speak, 'In my whole life, the one I would like to thank most is my brother,'
And in this happy occasion, in front of the crowd, tears were rolling down my
face again.
Love and care
for the one you love every single day of your life. You may think what you did
is just a small deed, but to that someone, it may mean a lot.
