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Hi,
It is Jeff.
A few weeks ago after I returned to Japan from Taiwan, I wrote a post about what my mom said about me dating Mizuki, a moon rider (wheelchair user), Mizuki texted me asking why I still thank my mom for the harsh words my mom said. I explained that my mom said harsh words because she worries about me, you and our future kids. I am not sure if Mizuki understands me and the way my mom thinks because my mom is from a different culture compared to Mizuki is. Not just cultural barrier but also language barrier is building a misunderstanding wall between Mizuki and my mom…
Well, let me get the story starts.
2007 fall
Mizuki and I fell in love and started dating soon after we met. Unfortunately, I had to leave her to return to Taiwan 3 months after we first met. About 6 months after dating with Mizuki, I decided to break up with Mizuki for many reasons. Main reasons are that I needed to serve in the military in the coming spring and I did not want her to wait for me and may miss her chances to meet someone better than I am. Mizuki at the time also planned to stay in the U.S. after graduation so I could not see how this relationship could have taken us anywhere. Mizuki was not happy about those reasons, of course. She decided to visit me in Taiwan in the following winter to understand what was really going on. I assume she thought I fell in love with someone else and she wanted to know who that woman is.
2007 winter
It was her first time visiting Taiwan. During the time, I could only told my brother and sister that Mizuki and I had dated in the U.S. I really did not know how to explain this relationship to my parents because I did not want them to worry and I also did not want to hear them say things I did not want to hear.
I introduced Mizuki to my parents as a friend. It did not take much effort for my parents to guess that Mizuki was more than just a friend. She flew all the way from U.S. to Taiwan to visit me. She was staying in Taiwan with me for 3 weeks. I am sure no one believed me when I introduced her as just another friend of mine.
My Parents
My dad had been a very strict father until I turned 15. He let me learn how to make important decisions since I turned 15 and he respects my decisions. He is very stoical and does not let his emotion shows. when I introduced Mizuki to him and my mom, he, as always, just smiled and did not say much. I am not sure if he was actually panic inside his mind or he simply respected my life choices.
My mom, on the other hand, is the type of person who is easily read. She did not have any smile on her face and she looked she was very very worried when I first introduced Mizuki to her.
In order for my family to remember Mizuki easily, I made a Chinese name for Mizuki. It is Xiǎo Yuè（小月）, meaning little moon. Mizuki’s name means sacred moon in Japanese Kanji and I took the moon part to make the Chinese name. Most of my family picked it up very quickly except for my mom. My mom did not call her by the Chinese name. My mom always refers to Mizuki, “a friend.” It appears my mom wanted to believe we were just friends very much.
Before I moved to Japan in 2011, Mizuki had visited Taiwan for 7 times. She usually spent a few days in Keelung with me and my family. The apartment I lived in is old and does not have elevator. I usually carry her luggage and her wheelchair. She will then sit on the stairs and climb up with her hands and hip. Very luckily, I live on the second floor of the old apartment so it was not too difficult for us. However, those visits did not seem to help improving the cold relationship between Mizuki and my mom.
During each stay in my parents’ place, my dad did not say much as always. My mom did not say much either. I am not sure if that awkward silence was caused by language barrier or some misunderstanding.
To be continued.
